Stop trying to do everything (eating, working out, medications) the same way as men, as women are massively different biologically and hormonally and need tailored approaches to thrive.
Tailor everything from working habits, workouts, social life, and diet to better match your hormonal profile at each stage of your menstrual cycle to feel more in control and improve conditions like PCOS, infertility, and irregular cycles.
Understand the four phases of the menstrual cycle (Power, Manifestation, Second Power, Nurture) and how hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) vary, as this foundational knowledge empowers women to work with their bodies.
Stop viewing fasting as a fad diet and instead see it as a therapeutic healing state that builds health and prevents disease, as the human body was designed to have periods without food.
If you struggle to go without food for even 8 hours, recognize this as a warning sign of mitochondrial dysfunction or early diabetes. Use a ‘pre-reset’ (e.g., two weeks of cleaning up food) to slowly train your body to fast, as it gets easier with practice.
Women over 40 (perimenopausal) should use fasting as an imperative tool to keep age-appropriate estrogen levels high and become more insulin sensitive, as estrogen decline makes them more insulin resistant and can lead to weight gain and cognitive issues.
Post-menopausal women should follow a weekly fasting pattern like the 5-1-1 protocol: five days of a favorite fast (e.g., 15-16 hours) with a low-carb/ketobiotic diet, one day of a longer fast (e.g., 24 hours for gut repair), and one day of no fasting with hormone-feasting foods to support progesterone and improve sleep/anxiety.
Women in their fertility years (e.g., with PCOS or struggling to get pregnant) should use fasting to become insulin sensitive and allow estrogen to function properly, potentially restoring regular cycles and improving fertility.
During the first 10 days of the menstrual cycle (Power Phase, starting with the first day of the period), when hormones are low and women are insulin sensitive, they can tolerate longer fasts (e.g., 24-hour, 36-hour, 48-hour, 72-hour fasts) and a low-carb diet.
During the first 10 days of the menstrual cycle (Power Phase), women can push hard with workouts, including HIIT training and plyometrics, as their hormones can handle it.
During the ovulation phase (Manifestation Phase, roughly day 10-15), when estrogen and testosterone are at their peak, women should keep fasts under 15-16 hours to avoid excessive detox reactions due to hormone metabolism.
During the ovulation phase, focus on metabolizing hormones by supporting the liver and gut with bitter foods (radicchio, lemons, ginger, arugula) and avoiding alcohol. Increase polyphenol, probiotic, and prebiotic foods (fermented foods, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables) to support the estrobilome in breaking down estrogen.
During the ovulation phase, leverage high testosterone levels to build muscle by doing heavier weightlifting workouts.
After ovulation (roughly day 16-19), when hormones are low again, women can reintroduce longer fasts (e.g., 24-hour, 48-hour) and a low-carb style of eating.
During the second power phase, women can push their workouts and ramp up their social calendar and workload due to low hormone levels.
The week before a woman’s period (Nurture Phase, roughly day 20-28), when progesterone needs glucose to be higher and the body is more insulin resistant, women should minimize or avoid fasting (keep under 13 hours if metabolically flexible) to prevent raising cortisol, which can hinder progesterone production.
During the week before a woman’s period, lean into ‘hormone feasting foods’ like smart carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes, quinoa, citrus/tropical fruits) and clean chocolate (for magnesium) to support progesterone production and manage cravings.
During the week before a woman’s period, women should slow down, reduce stress, say no to more things, and focus on self-care. Exercise should be softer (e.g., yoga, Pilates, walking, hiking) to allow the female body to recover.
If you have an irregular or absent cycle, follow a 30-day fasting reset protocol (day 1-30, repeated for 30-90 days) to help balance hormones and bring your cycle back into sync, potentially improving fertility.
Women with regular cycles can plan their work, social, and exercise calendars according to their menstrual phases, leveraging power phases for high-stress activities and nurture phases for recovery.
Men (partners, fathers, sons, friends) should understand women’s hormonal flux and adapt communication, such as avoiding tough conversations the week before a woman’s period and choosing times when hormones make them more verbally outward.
Aim for 12-16 hour fasts to switch into the fat-burning system, produce ketones (which calm and reduce hunger), lower inflammation, and boost growth hormone.
Engage in 17+ hour fasts to trigger autophagy, where the body repairs cells, removes damaged components (bacteria, viruses, senescent cells), and initiates apoptosis to eliminate rogue cells.
Perform 24-hour fasts to reboot intestinal stem cells, repair the gut lining (beneficial for leaky gut, SIBO), eliminate bad bacteria, and redistribute microbes for better nutrient absorption.
Utilize 36-hour fasts (e.g., alternating with 12-hour eating windows) to lose more weight, particularly visceral belly fat, and convert white fat into more easily burnable brown fat.
Engage in 48-hour fasts to reset the entire dopamine system, increase dopamine receptor sites, and enhance enjoyment of simple life pleasures, which can help overcome food addiction.
Implement 72-hour fasts to reboot the entire white blood cell and immune system.
Actively seek small doses of discomfort, like extending fasts, as these hormetic stressors strengthen the body and mind, revealing new coping mechanisms and dopamine-stimulating activities.
Approach fasting as a training process, starting with shorter fasts and gradually increasing duration. Be playful and curious, understanding that initial difficulty is part of adaptation, and it gets easier over time.
If you have an eating disorder or are recovering, involve your therapist and doctor in any fasting experience, or avoid fasting, to prevent triggering harmful patterns.
Pregnant women should not use fasting as a tool; instead, focus on other health aspects like the microbiome.
Nursing women should keep fasts under 15 hours to avoid stimulating autophagy and potentially pushing toxins into breast milk.