Fasting for Women:A Beginner's Guide

We, women, thrive with fasting, which should come as no surprise.

There are times in our cycle when aggressive fasting

(longer than 17 hours) is welcomed and times when it is not.

The Fasting Cycle is built around 30 days, every woman has a different-length cycle.

Optimize the Fasting Cycle with 3 phases & different fasting lengths.

If the cycle is 28 days, use the fasting system until the 28th day.

Once the period starts, graduate to day one again.

The Fasting Cycle breaks down the menstrual cycle into 3 phases:

Power Phase Part I

Days 1–10 Menstrual Phase

Maximize healing with longer durations of fasting because this is the time when

our sex hormones are at their lowest levels.

The body is focused on producing Estrogen to signal our ovaries to release an egg.

At the beginning of this phase, the body will slowly make Estrogen,

Towards Day 10 of our cycle, the body makes a larger amount of estrogen.

If the meals are high in carbohydrates it will also keep insulin at an all-time high

Insulin is a hormone that escorts the sugar from our food into our cells

or stores sugar in the storage pockets of fat.

Excessive insulin = Deficiency in estrogen production + Hyper-Production of Testosterone

This is the classic PCOS scenario.

50 grams Net Carbohydrates

75 grams Protein

>60 percent of Fat

Flourishing Phase

Days 11–15 Follicular Phase

Estrogen and testosterone peak and we get a mild surge of progesterone.

We truly are hormonally designed to feel incredible during this phase.

The focus in this phase should be to metabolize the hormones effectively by

1. Breaking Estrogen down into a usable form so it will be more readily used by your cells,

.

2. Preparing Estrogen for excretion.

Unmetabolized estrogen leads to many hormonal cancers, including breast cancer, and contributes to a whole host of Premenstrual Symptoms such as

Breast tenderness,

Night sweats,

Moodiness,

& even Weight Gain

The two organs that help us metabolize hormones are our Liver and Gut.

Choose hormone-feasting foods to improve bile production

for the breakdown of fats & improve digestion

Hormone surges can release toxins that have been stored in our tissues.

A fasting state longer than 17 hours may create more of a detox reaction,

like nausea, vomiting, brain fog, lethargy, anxiety, muscle aches,

Now what about Testosterone?

Testosterone is a wonderful hormone for women .that gives us motivation and drive,

plus it fires up our libido.

If one is not feeling these traits at this time, the levels of testosterone could be low

Removing toxins and major stressors from our life is

imperative to balance our testosterone levels

Stress can also come into play during this phase by suppressing the production of progesterone and testosterone, both of which require ample amounts of the steroid DHEA.

Cortisol also needs DHEA to be produced.

Our body will prioritize cortisol production over progesterone and testosterone

in a stressed state.

This can deplete our DHEA stores and lower low levels of these two sex hormones.

It’s a time when we should be thriving with hormone-feasting foods.

50-75 grams Net Carbohydrates

75-100 grams Protein

>60 percent of Fat

Power Phase Part II

Days 16 –19 Ovulatory Phase

There is a downward shift in our libido and less mental clarity, motivation, and energy.

It is a prime time for fasting in this small 4-day window

because our hormone levels are at a lower point,

Certain areas of our body are more responsive to autophagy than others.

Autophagy helps cleans our cells, and the state of ketosis provides ketone fuel to power our cells up.

Providing a powerful healing combination for the organs that manage our hormones.

Best MacroNutrient choices for our Power Phases,

I highly recommend keeping glucose and insulin low.

50 grams Net Carbohydrates

75 grams Protein

>60 percent of Fat

Save the fruit and starches like sweet potatoes for hormone-feasting days.

Nourishment Phase

Days 20 - 28 Luteal Phase

Skip Fasting to nourish yourself in this phase.

The reason for this is that much like exercise, fasting can create small spikes in cortisol.

Any increase in cortisol threatens the production of progesterone.

We are so brilliantly designed that our bodies are more insulin resistant

during our nourishment phase.

This is for a good hormonal reason.

Our body needs more glucose to make progesterone.

Trying to get into ketosis during this time will be not only challenging for you but also destructive to progesterone.

Be strategic about your carbohydrates choices.

Best food options during this nurturing phase are back to hormone-feasting foods

Progesterone-building foods during the Nourishment phase are

Without progesterone, our PMS symptoms will be at their worst, you will skip periods, and your uterus will be unable to hold a fertile egg.

Listen to your body.

Some women find they are more sensitive to the stress of fasting, especially in the week leading up to their period when estrogen levels go down

and increase their sensitivity to cortisol.

"Tune into the symphony of hormones & you shall glide through all the phases with ease with varying lengths of fasting and optimal food choices "