How Women Can Start Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight According to The Experts

“This may work for guys, but does intermittent fasting work for women?” — common question

Does intermittent fasting work for women? Yes. Is intermittent fasting safe for women? Yes.

Some of my best students are females. We’re going to look at how women can start intermittent fasting. We will look at popular celebrities who fast and female experts who have had amazing transformation with fasting. Let’s look at intermittent fasting results for women and how women can start intermittent fasting to lose weight…

I wasn’t sure if intermittent fasting would work for women. Then I noticed that some of the best results were coming from females. Now I’m convinced that this works for everyone. You can go through our client wins and transformations on my Instagram page.

I didn’t want to speak for anyone so I reached out to female friends who have seen amazing results with a form of intermittent fasting and are now sharing their journeys and inspiring others. I wanted to see how they did it so that we could help others.

Let’s look at what the top female fasting influencers had to say intermittent fasting women weight loss results…

My friend Sumaya shared the following great advice about females and intermittent fasting…

What made you start intermittent fasting?

“After college, I spent at least 5+ years in the overweight category (no thanks to bad habits, traveling, and eating out) before spending another 5+ years in the obese category (no thanks to ‪startup stress‬, late nights, and even more work travel). I gained over 70 lbs over 10 years and not surprisingly I became pre-diabetic, had issues with high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

I had tried everything from Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers to going to the gym 4–5x a week to weekly meal prep. While I did see some results, it wasn’t ever enough to be motivated by it. I eventually didn’t keep up with it and then yo-yo’d.

Intermittent Fasting has been the simplest and most manageable way I have found to improve my health (and stick with it). I’m now down 65 lbs (from 205 to 141 lbs), reversed my obesity, and no longer have health issues.”

Were you worried about trying intermittent fasting as a female?

“I first learned about Intermittent Fasting in 2015. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of information about it as it relates to weight loss and definitely not very much as it concerned women, so I definitely had my worries. I remember speaking to my doctor about it and she was nervous about me doing it (because she was unfamiliar with it). After sharing with her the scientific studies I had come across about it, the BBC documentary ‘Eat, Fast & Live Longer’ and my personal plans on how I was going to approach my 4:3 full-day fasting schedule, she gave me the thumbs up. I checked in with her every 3-4 months in my first year. By the end of the year, my doctor and nurses started doing IF as well.”

Do you have any advice for women who are concerned about intermittent fasting?

“There is a lot more amazing research and studies showcasing that Intermittent Fasting is not only great for weight loss but also for long-term health benefits. If there are concerns, it’s important to talk to your doctor to see if it’s a good fit. It’s important to note that there are no long-term studies (yet) on the effects of intermittent fasting and women. Most of them are on men, older people (again men), and rodents. However, the research that is out there is overwhelmingly positive.

The overall scientific consensus is that IF is great for women and does not cause hormonal imbalances or fertility issues – in fact, quite the opposite. However, those are related to short-term fasts (under 42 hours at a time). Prolonged/extended/therapeutic fasts (considered multi-day or week fasts) can be extreme stressors to the body which is why it’s recommended to do those types of fasting under the guidance of doctors.

I’ve been doing a 4:3 and Alternate Day Fasting schedule since 2015 (my fasts are between 36-42 hours). To date, I have not experienced any irregularities in my monthly cycles or any hormonal issues.”

Check out Sumaya’s highly popular guide on how she used intermittent fasting to lose weight. You should also check out her TV appearance below.

Let’s see what Gigi (@fitnewmeee) had to say about finding the best intermittent fasting schedule for women.

What made you start intermittent fasting?

“As I started to research fasting I realized it was a time restrictive window. I loved the fast I was able to experiment with different diets to see what worked best with fasting and my lifestyle. OMAD helped me be in a calorie deficit without restricting the types of foods I ate.”

The one meal a day time restricted eating window is what I personally do myself about 90% of the time. Don’t worry, it’s not actually just one tiny meal. It’s a daily feast after fasting and keeping busy all day. You have something to look forward to and you don’t have to stress about restricting your food choices too much.

Rachel Sharp has become one of the most popular females to cover intermittent fasting for women. Her videos and social media have reach people around the world. Let’s hear what she had to say.

What made you start with intermittent fasting?

“I started fasting to lose weight because every other method that I tried did not seem to work for me. I tried counting calories, working out every day of the week, taking prescription diet pills, but nothing seem to help the weight budge. When I discovered intermittent alternate day fasting it was really the last resort that I had. I read an article online and I was hooked. The next day I decided that that was going to be the method that worked for me, and it has! I have lost 108 Pounds by eating every other day for the past 2 1/2 years.”

Do you feel that intermittent fasting is safe for females?

“In regards to being safe for females, I have read some things about how it can mess with your monthly cycle or that women shouldn’t fast for longer than a certain period of time because it can damage the reproductive organs. However I have found that is not the case for me, and have not had any fear as to how fasting would affect my body other than being a completely positive experience!”

I highly recommend you check out Rachel’s blog for more. She also shared her experiences with alternate day fasting below in this video if you’re thinking of getting started yourself or are looking for motivation.

Let’s look at female celebrities who have turned to intermittent fasting.

Many celebrities have announced that they’re trying this type of time restricted eating. Not that it should matter what a celebrity does, but it’s interesting to see this style of eating becoming mainstream and used by people in all walks of life.

Margot Robbie fasts. Her trainer, David Higgins, said this in the following article about intermittent fasting:

“Sometimes you don’t need to have breakfast. The whole ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ thing is a 1940s marketing campaign to sell eggs. That’s what we have all been raised to believe.”

Kourtney Kardashian has also given many interviews about how she uses intermittent fasting to stay fit.

“I don’t eat for 14 to 16 hours after dinner (known as intermittent fasting), so if I have dinner at 6 pm, I won’t have breakfast until 8 am or 9 am.

I also do a 24-hour fast one day a week.

I find it easiest to always do this on a very busy day, so I don’t have time sit around and wish I was eating.”

You can scroll through her Instagram to see her progress.

You can also check out this full list of celebrities who have turned to forms of intermittent fasting. It’s interesting to see this stuff being published everywhere because when I first researched intermittent fasting in 2012, it felt weird to even talk about not eating breakfast or going hours without food.

What intermittent fasting schedule works best for women?

“What time restricted eating schedule works best for females?” 

This is the top question that I get and it’s always difficult to answer because everyone reacts differently, we all have different schedules, and we all have our own goals.

I’ve heard of many concerns around cycles and the potential issues with longer fasts. I would definitely consult with a medical professional and with friends who have tried this before to conduct your own research.

This article makes a really interesting point of fasting for females:

“Intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men. To reduce any adverse effects, women should take a mild approach to fasting: shorter fasts and fewer fasting days.”

The style of intermittent fasting that you use will really depend on your schedule. Many women swear by alternate day fasting. Some just skip breakfast. Some done one meal a day. It’s up to you to play around with the time restricted eating windows to see what fits your lifestyle and what could get you the best results. I want you to check out all of the guides and videos linked in this article.

Check out this video below for a complete women’s guide to intermittent fasting…

Hopefully these intermittent fasting women weight loss results inspire you. Females shouldn’t be afraid of trying out intermittent fasting. You can play around with the eating windows until you find out that works for you.