Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy,and Balance Hormones

by Mindy Pelz

your glucose levels so that you are physically prepared to handle this stressful situation. As your glucose levels go up, insulin rises to meet the new sugar demands. Once more, a surge of insulin overwhelms your cells. The crazy part is that all of this happens without a single nibble of food entering your mouth. Repetitive cortisol spikes will impede your dieting results. Any rigid diet that you have to consistently muscle your way through will keep cortisol high for potentially too long. But cortisol spikes don’t just happen because your boss overloads you with work, or you have an argument with your spouse. Often cortisol spikes can happen when you hop on a diet that is restrictive and hard to fit into your lifestyle. Cortisol can also rise when you are overexercising, trying to force your body into a state of health. I have even seen women who get so obsessed with their results with fasting that they go longer and longer in a fasted state, creating a constant flow of cortisol. Cortisol is the elephant in the room that is often not addressed on popular diets. You can’t be in constant states of stress and improve your health at the same time.