Intermittent Fasting

vme2012 · August 2014

My husband and I are going to start trying to concieve after I go off my BCP at the end of this pack. I currently do IF (intermittent fasting) I usually eat dinner around 830 and don't eat again until about 1030-11 in the morning. I'm wondering if this could hinder my chances of getting pregnant or if anyone here has experience with this. Any help is appreciated!

architori · August 2014

I don't know anything about intermittent fasting, but that sounds like my eating schedule sometimes. We eat dinner late, sometimes not until 9pm, and then if I don't have work, I sleep in and end up skipping breakfast altogether. I don't think it will hurt your chances when TTC. Is there a specific reason you are doing this?

suorange · August 2014

No.

I'm confused. "Intermittent fasting" seems like an oxymoron. What would be the opposite? Waking up for a meal at 2am?

vme2012 · August 2014

Thanks everyone! I've felt great after eating this way (I don't eat near as much as I used to and I just feel better throughout the day) and I didn't want to change it. I thought I had heard it could hurt your chances when TTC but maybe that's for people who go 20-24 hours without eating.

divinemsbee · August 2014

When I read the title I though you would be talking about going 2 or 3 days without food every month or so, that's fasting to me.

We also tend to eat dinner later in the evening, around 8, and I'm horrible at eating breakfast. From what I've been told it's actually a really horrible habit to get into, so I do try to make myself eat a little something in the mornings. But, no, I don't think that's going to affect your ovulation or TTC efforts (apologies if I'm not entirely coherent, my cold medicine just kicked in).

splashmountain · August 2014

Sounds like a pretty normal eating schedule to me. I think you're fine. Good luck!

delujm0 · August 2014

shouldn't hurt your chances of getting pregnant...but i will warn you that i'm told once you are actually pregnant, the baby will not care for that long of a stretch without food. From what i'm told more frequent smaller meals are necessary if you want to feel (relatively) normal.

I have a friend that would frequently sleep in past 10 on weekends, and then she got pregnant, and if she didn't wake up and eat something by 7am she felt like absolute ass. So just, you know, don't expect to necessarily be able to continue this eating schedule once you conceive. :-)

MrsLawson13 · August 2014

I tried the 8 hour diet once. It worked until I stopped and then I put it all back on.

ShellyR · August 2014

I tried intermittent fasting (500 calorie days alternating with normal eating days) and I was the meanest beast you've ever met. That diet lasted for one hot minute before I realized that simple clean eating was better for me. Good luck and welcome!

CaveWmnInBrit · August 2014

Ohh I like a topic I can actually spill some knowledge on....... (work as a holistic nutritional consultant)

OK SO- IF is not generally recommended for women. This includes variations of 24 hour fasts, low cal days (like 5/2 diet) or smaller eating windows (all food between 4pm-9pm). There have not been full on studies done because there is very little money not spent by the big food/pharma companies and to do a true nutritional study you would have to have hte subject live in a controlled environment for months and detail exactly what they eat- and people lie. The reasoning behind women not IF is because of our different hormone profile then men... this also applies for ketogenic diets and women TTC are not suggested to drop below 80g/carbs per day for extended periods of time.

Now if you are very overweight and suffering metabolic issues that may also be playing a factor in TTC then IF/altered diets goes into the same debate category about taking medications like SSRI where you are debating overall quality of life improvements and arguments can be given in both ways.

As a nutritionist who targets middle aged women (some TTC) I generally suggest focusing on three things- eating foods high in nutritional value and low in toxins, moderate exercise a few times a week (DO NOT get on that treadmill for a hour a day), and other practices that lower daily stress on the body.

If anyone wants me to geek out/expand more on things tag me and I will do my best. (also I really would like to avoid cleaning the house today)

mrsratledge · August 2014

.

suorange · August 2014

@mrsratledge Do you mean they are currently pregnant and simultaneously participating in fasts? Hm. Doesn't sound like the ideal way to fuel a growing baby but, alas, not my decision.

catahoulatte · August 2014

mrsratledge said:

Most people don't even eat for 12 hours from dinner to breakfast anyways, so I really doubt that will matter. My church does fasting 1 Sunday a month for 2 meals (usually breakfast and lunch) and plenty of women do it and get pregnant (or already are) all the time. If you're concerned, asked your dr, but I'm sure it's fine.

Clearly this has been covered...but I doubt the pregnant women are fasting. They certainly don't in my IL's catholic church, and the Islamic women I know don't during Ramadan.

mrsratledge · August 2014

.

gscoville · August 2014

I'm still confused, how is not eating for 14 hours overnight even considered fasting? OP, just because your bookend hours are a little later than others, the time in between is the same as most of us. My family tends to eat supper around 5-6 pm, then has breakfast around 7-8 am the next morning. We only rarely have a later evening snack, otherwise normally we don't eat for the same 14 hours as you do. :-/

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