Keto, Fasting & Metabolic Stress — Especially for Women
There was a time when keto and fasting felt like freedom.
Fewer decisions.
Clear rules.
Predictable outcomes.
Like many women, I experienced real benefits from these tools — steadier blood sugar, quieter food noise, and a sense of control over my health.
But over time, I began to notice something subtle but important.
What once felt supportive began to feel stressful.
When helpful tools become chronic stressors
The human body is remarkably adaptable — but it is not designed for constant scarcity.
Keto and fasting intentionally place the body into metabolic stress. In short periods, that stress can be beneficial — what researchers often describe as hormetic stress.
But when carbohydrate restriction and fasting are:
- long-term
- layered with life stress
- and applied rigidly
the body can shift from adapting to defending.
Dr Mindy Pelz speaks openly about this in her work, particularly for women in perimenopause and menopause. In Age Like a Girl, she emphasises that women’s bodies respond differently to prolonged fasting and carbohydrate restriction — especially as hormones change.
Why women are uniquely affected
Women are hormonally dynamic beings.
As oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate — particularly in midlife — the body becomes more sensitive to stress signals, including nutritional stress.
Dr Pelz encourages women in these stages to:
- shorten fasting windows
- reduce metabolic strain
- reintroduce whole-food carbohydrates
- include root vegetables and tubers
When I encountered this advice, it highlighted something I hadn’t fully acknowledged:
I had begun to fear carbohydrates, even when they were being recommended for hormonal balance.
The stress response we don’t always see
From a physiological perspective, long-term restriction can elevate cortisol — the body’s primary stress hormone.
Cortisol is essential for survival.
But when it remains elevated, it can:
- interfere with thyroid signalling
- disrupt sleep
- increase anxiety
- make weight regulation more difficult
This doesn’t mean keto “fails”.
It means the body is responding exactly as it’s designed to — by protecting itself.
Discipline versus metabolic safety
One of the most important distinctions I’ve learned is this:
Discipline is not the same as metabolic safety.
You can be disciplined and still be stressed.
You can be compliant and still be overriding your body’s signals.
Dr John McDougall has long argued that sustainable health comes not from constant restraint, but from choosing foods that naturally regulate appetite.
His starch-based approach emphasises:
- low-fat, whole-food carbohydrates
- high fibre and volume
- minimal need for willpower
In other words: eat in a way that doesn’t require chronic vigilance.
Why this perspective changed things for me
After years of low-carb eating and fasting, I noticed:
- I was often hungry, despite “doing everything right”
- animal protein didn’t leave me feeling satisfied
- staying in ketosis required emotional effort
- food decisions felt tense, not nourishing
McDougall’s work on calorie density — echoed by educators like Chef AJ — offered a different framework: not control through restriction, but satiety through simplicity.
This wasn’t about eating more (although I certainly found I could).
It was about eating in a way my body could relax into.
Choosing regulation over rigidity
Reducing fasting frequency and reintroducing whole carbohydrates wasn’t a loss of discipline.
It was a decision to reduce metabolic stress.
That meant:
- eating more regularly
- allowing glycogen replenishment
- supporting nervous system calm
- trusting that weight regulation doesn’t require fear
As Dr Pelz often reminds women: the goal isn’t to stress the body into submission — it’s to help it feel safe enough to function well.
A note of reassurance
If keto or fasting is working for you right now — truly working — there’s no need to change.
This isn’t about abandoning tools.
It’s about recognising when a tool has done its job — and when it’s time for a different one.
Especially for women, health is not just about discipline.
It’s about sustainability, safety, and trust.
What comes next
In the next post, I’ll explore how starch-based eating works for weight regulation — and why calorie density matters far more than carbohydrate counting.
Because freedom with food isn’t found in pushing harder.
It’s found in listening more wisely.
Closing:
Sometimes the most disciplined choice is the one that reduces stress, not increases it.
