The FastDay Forum

I didn't want to post this in the main thread as didn't want to offend any man folk out there...

I have been doing 5:2 for around 4 weeks and have lost a total of 9 lbs (some before joining this forum) but also have a contaceptive implant. I haven't had a period for around 5 years because of this and I got one this week...when I lost a lot of weight before I did have this problem and the Doctor said it was just my body adjusting to being lighter...but it took 5 stone for this to happen not just 9lbs..

Has anyone had any similar experiences..?

[Moogie]

I'm only on the pill and the only difference I've noticed is that I don't get the same cramps and aches as I used to, so it sort of creeps up on me unexpected!

Just wondering how old you are? Could it be that you're reaching your fertility prime? I wonder if that might have an impact on how likely the body is to start having periods again, even if you're not as light as you were before?

[carorees]

Remember that as fat is lost oestrogen is released which could have triggered the period. Fasting reduces fat to a greater extent than normal calorie restriction (which reduces fat and muscle) so perhaps that is why it triggered a period sooner.

I'm 32 not sure when the fertility prime is though!!

Am hoping this is a one off as I get used to this way and I can have at least 2 more years free of the demon week

Carorees, I was interested in what you said about oestrogen, do you think this could affect post menopause symptoms?

I have PCOS and my cycle pre-fasting ranged from 13-29 days.

I am new-ish to fasting having started in Feb and so far my cycle has been 25-26 days. so for me fasting (early days yet, but so far I am happy) has improved my cycle.

FWIW, I am *not* taking any hormonal treatment i.e. pill etc.

Hi Ladies,

I am new to the diet and the site and have been googling around trying to find more information on how 5:2 plays out with the female hormone profile. I am not a scientist but found this rather interesting and provocative article below. Can anyone nerdy offer us an informed response?


http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering ... iterature/

thanks

I have PCOS and my cycle pre-fasting ranged from 13-29 days.

I am new-ish to fasting having started in Feb and so far my cycle has been 25-26 days. so for me fasting (early days yet, but so far I am happy) has improved my cycle.

FWIW, I am *not* taking any hormonal treatment i.e. pill etc.

That's fascinating! I have PCOS and before I went on the pill my cycle was around 35 days.

This is interesting!
I started 5:2 last week i also have the implant too, i have had this implant in since last june and only have a mini light period every now and again. My last one was jus before i started 5:2 and within a few days of fasting i started another period and for the first time quite heavy for about 5 days.

The paleo link was very interesting and a good read. I love 5.2 as a way to lose weight happily and easily but I have had to put the brakes on because of the sleep problems I have been having. The description of the alert mental state and sleep problems could have been written about me. I am sure I could go on to lose more weight fairly quickly but articles like this do give me a little cause for concern. The more studies done the better, particularly on more women, as we do appear not to get the same benefits as men, or rather perhaps our hormones/thyroid health is more complex/sensitive (sorry guys, you know it's true!) I think it makes very good reading for women planning to do long water fasts of more than a couple of days. I don't know where she got her info from though, is it purely anecdotal or has it been gleaned from scientific studies. Some of the comments following the article are very interesting. Thanks for the link!

I have PCOS and my cycle pre-fasting ranged from 13-29 days.

I am new-ish to fasting having started in Feb and so far my cycle has been 25-26 days. so for me fasting (early days yet, but so far I am happy) has improved my cycle.

FWIW, I am *not* taking any hormonal treatment i.e. pill etc.

That's fascinating! I have PCOS and before I went on the pill my cycle was around 35 days.

I also have PCOS, and since I came off the pill years ago, my cycle has ranged from 6 weeks to 9 months. I've been doing 5:2 for around 3 months, and since I started my period has come exactly every 28 days, and I can now predict it down to the hour. I've only lost about 8 pounds and now have a normal BMI again but glad that cycle-wise it's made such a difference already.

A couple weeks after I started I had mid-cycle bleeding, then my cycles have been normal since, possibly a little better (lighter, less painful). I experienced some sleeplessness in the first few fasts, so I took some melatonin (1mg). I get sleeplessness with migraines when it mucks up my neurochemistry (only other time I get sleepless), so I know how to help nudge it when necessary. I've noticed after the first month or so I no longer had any difficulty falling asleep (without melatonin) on fasting days.

As to gender differences, I believe there is some evidence of differences, but I think the real point is...does it matter? I mean, I hope they do more studies and eventually figure these things out, but they are just starting to do this for heart disease! IMO the idea that meta studies tell us anything about what is best for us as INDIVIDUALS is one of the biggest problems with medicine in practice. I am a scientist by occupation, so I understand the difference between statistics and being one. I am not a statistic, I am an individual realization from a population that has certain statistical properties.

In the end, what interests me most is what impact this WOE has on ME. I can evaluate that by scale, tape measure, lab work, and how I feel. So far, so good!

I had almost the opposite affect. I am 50 and surely menopause is coming around the bend. I have had a regular 30 day cycle, but as soon as I started 5:2, my cycle went to 45 days. I understand it is very possible this has nothing to do with 5:2 and is just a normal part of menopause, but it was a bit of a coincidence. Either way, I'm not complaining!