If you’ve ever considered fasting because “everyone is doing it,” let’s go through a few important things first.
One of the most popular health topics right now is fasting and its more common variation, intermittent fasting.
So what’s the difference? Does it actually make sense? What are the benefits, and what are the potential downsides?
A “true” fast is generally considered a period during which no food or juices are consumed for an extended period of time (48–72 hours).
This type of fasting also requires preparation 2–3 days beforehand through a gradual reduction in food intake, followed by a gradual reintroduction of food afterwards—which means the entire process can last up to a week.
There are benefits to this type of fasting in specific medical contexts, under clearly defined indications and professional supervision. It may also make sense when practiced for religious or other personal reasons.
However, what most people are doing today is using fasting primarily as a weight-loss strategy.
This has led to various trends and adaptations, such as intermittent fasting, which is most commonly practiced using the 16:8 method—eating during an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours.
An unpopular opinion: it’s not a magical protocol or a revolutionary method.
Realistically, it is simply another way to consume fewer calories throughout the day.
And yes, it may lead to short-term weight loss, but in the long run it can create much bigger problems, especially for women.
First of all, every restriction means fewer calories—but also fewer nutrients.
Within an 8-hour eating window, it can be difficult to consume everything your body needs, particularly protein, which is essential for energy, hormones and maintaining muscle mass.
What do I mean by that?
Let’s say you weigh 65 kg.
Depending on your body composition and activity level, the number may vary, but a rough minimum daily protein intake needed to support normal physiological function would be around 105 g of protein.
Just as a quick reminder:
🥚 One egg contains approximately 7 g of protein
🍗 100 g of chicken breast contains around 20 g of protein
🥣 100 g of skyr contains approximately 11 g of protein
🐟 100 g of salmon contains around 20–24 g of protein
And this is where things often start to fall apart. Realistically, think about how much food you would need to eat in a day—and then fit all of it into an 8-hour eating window while still functioning normally. It’s not easy.
Secondly, women over the age of 35 need stability,
not additional stress and chaos that may further disrupt hormonal balance.
Furthermore, if you decide to undertake a prolonged fast lasting almost a week in an attempt to “reset” your body or eliminate toxins, keep in mind that the loss of muscle mass can be substantial.
You might spend an entire year building 5 kg of muscle, only to lose much of it in ten days in an attempt to “cleanse” your body.
And if your body is healthy, it already detoxifies itself naturally.
So let’s return to the basics.
If you’re healthy, have access to a varied diet, and make an effort to choose high-quality foods, you probably don’t need fasting.
It’s far better to make small, sustainable improvements every day
than to push your body into extreme measures once a month or once every few months.
Your body doesn’t demand perfection.
It needs consistency, movement, recovery, and nourishing meals that provide energy rather than stress.
And once you accept that, you’ll realise you don’t need extreme approaches.
You simply need a realistic plan that you can actually follow.