Mistakes to Avoid When Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 40

A while back, I wrote a post about intermittent fasting for women over 40. Most of the information is based on a video I had enjoyed from Thomas DeLauer. It includes tips that I don’t even follow like avoiding grains on fasting days and working out at a lower intensity when fasting. As I said before, people seem to like rules when it comes to health, so health experts make up rules for them! Obviously, some guidelines are helpful, that’s why I do what I do. I share what I am learning and what’s working for me because I wish I had known what I know now 15 years ago.

However, one thing that is becoming increasingly clear to me is: Fasting rules are meant to be broken. You will need to find what works for yourself. Nobody knows you the way you do. So, in this post, I am not giving women over 40 rules to follow when intermittent fasting. Instead, it’s a quick overview of some of the most common intermittent mistakes that you may be making and not know it.
Top Intermittent Fasting Mistakes for Women Over 40

First of all, how is intermittent fasting for women over 40 any different than younger women? Women over 40 tend to have a slower metabolism, may have hormonal imbalances, and may find it more difficult to change their lifestyle. These top intermittent fasting mistakes address some of these differences that affect women over 40.




1. Choosing a Fasting Window That Is Too Short

Women in general benefit from a longer fasting window that isn’t implemented every single day of the week, but particularly women over 40. Not only will a longer fasting window help insure that your caloric consumption decreases enough to lose weight (if that’s one of your goals), but it will also help you benefit from the metabolic switchover you want.


Ketosis

Switching to fat burning (or ketosis) is what I enjoy most about intermittent fasting. It is what makes it so effective at improving your metabolic health and losing weight. Most people start exhausting their glycogen stores after fasting for about 12 hours. However, for your body to produce enough ketones to be in ketosis, you most likely need to fast for at least 16-18 hours (unless you eat keto, of course!). Then, you would want to enjoy this metabolic switchover for a while. I tend to recommend a 20-24 hour fast for everyone, but women over 40 will find it even more helpful as they may struggle with insulin resistance.


Alternate-Day Fasting Benefits



Fasting longer and less frequently is an effective option for women over 40. Alternate-day fasting, in particular, has some major benefits. Alternate-day fasting has been shown to increase lifespan in mice. Also, a study where the metabolic effects of fasting were observed at the 12, 36, and 72-hour marks, found that the resting metabolic rate of the subjects increased at 36 hours. Read What Is Alternate-Day Fasting and Why It Works to learn more.