Hello guys, I wanted to share my journey with IF and why it is not suitable for everyone.
I am 24 yo female, 61 kg in weight (135,5 lbs) and 170 cm tall (5.57 foot) so I already had quite low body fat precentage. I started IF in the middle of summer because I had no time to continue my usual training and I did not wanted to gain weight in the mean time and also wanted my abs to show better.
The first week was not easy, made some beginner If mistakes that luckily went away as I got into it. I mostly did 16/8 hours, and during the summer there were weeks when I could not do IF due to reasons like dancing camp and so on. During autumn, I was very persistent with it, but still had no results. My body weight shifted between 59 and 60,5 during the IF.
What makes this interesting, is that when I started the first month I notices my period changed (very light flow instead of the normal) but I thought it just the summer heat. But the next few months, my normal cycle changed from the average 28 days up to 32, so 5 days difference. Of course I have to add, that there could be other contributing factors that made my period cycle change (like stress ...etc). But I still think IF had a huge part in it.
Now it's been more than a month that I stopped with IF, and my cycle is back at 29 days. Coincidence? I do not think so, because I am even in more stress now. This makes me conclude, that IF changed my hormonal processes and cycle not in a good way, I believe.
And the bad part is, that I did not loose any weight during this time. Of course you can say, that I should've done 18-20 hour fasts and not skip weeks, and that would be true, but I feel like IF did more damage than good in my case.
Before doing IF, I did training regularly and I was in great shape around 59 kg. So I think people with similar body and goals like me, should stick with training, a good diet and not IF. My goal weight is around 56 kg and shredded lean muscles, and I think that might not be achievable with normal lifestyle, but only unhealthy methods.
In conclusion, I just wanted to share my story and that IF is not the right choice or solution for everybody! But I did learn quite a few things about myself and being able to resist the human urges, so it was not all bad :D
I am curious if anyone else had similar experience with IF?
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I’m going to guess you were either not eating enough total calories or not enough fat. Your goal weight is probably also unhealthy for your size and fitness level as in you will likely need to lose muscle to get there. I agree that period changes are a indicator of problems and that you should ultimately listen to your body.
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Really interesting post. However, it depends on everyone. For me, I think it really helped with that. Before, I used to get some cramps especially in first day(not very, very hurtful, but still annoying) so I had always to put something warm on my belly. Now, my period doesn t give cramps no more and I can do anything.
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What makes you think a slightly longer menstrual cycle is a bad change? There is some research that shows that women who have longer cycles have menopause at an older age. Also, 16:8 is barely fasting. If you don’t limit your intake or change what you’re eating, it is very easy to maintain or even gain weight on that schedule.