What is intermittent fasting? It is a form of diet or eating pattern, which consists of two key elements. Namely: the fasting period (the time frame when we practically do not consume a single calorie) and the feeding period (the time frame in which we consume all the daily/weekly meals).
Intermittent fasting is recently an extremely popular trend in eating or dieting. It is supposed to help you lose weight, improve your metabolism and maybe even extend your life.
There are several methods of this eating pattern. Either method can be effective, but finding which one works best depends on the individual.
Here are 6 popular methods of intermittent fasting.
1. Method 16/8
The 16/8 method involves fasting every day for 14-16 hours and restricting daily eating to 8-10 hours. You can fit two, three or more meals into the eating window. This method is also known as the “Leangains protocol” and was popularized by fitness expert Martin Berkhan.
This way of fasting can actually be very simple, like not eating anything after dinner and skipping breakfast. For example, if you finish your last meal at 8pm and don't eat until noon the next day, you are technically fasting for 16 hours. In general, it is recommended that women only fast for 14-15 hours because they seem to do better with slightly shorter fasts.
You can drink water, coffee, and other non-caloric beverages while fasting, which can help reduce hunger pangs.
It is very important that you eat healthy food when you are eating. This method will not work if you eat a lot of junk food or consume an excessive number of calories.
2. Diet 5:2
The 5:2 diet involves eating normally 5 days a week, while restricting your calorie intake to 500 to 600 two days a week. This diet is also called a crash diet and was popularized by British journalist Michael Mosley.
On fasting days, it is recommended that women consume 500 calories and men 600. For example, you eat normally every day of the week except Mondays and Thursdays. On these two days, you eat two small meals of 250 calories for women and 300 calories for men.
As critics rightly point out, there are no studies looking at the 5:2 diet alone, but there are several studies on the benefits of intermittent fasting.
3. Eat Stop Eat
The "Eat Stop Eat" diet involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week. This method was popularized by fitness expert Brad Pilon and has been quite popular for several years.
If we fast from dinner one day to dinner the next day, that means a 24-hour fast. For example, if you finish dinner at 7pm on Monday and don't eat until dinner at 7pm the next day, you have done a full 24-hour fast. You can also fast from breakfast to breakfast or from lunch to lunch - the end result is the same.
During fasting, only water, coffee and other non-caloric drinks are allowed.
If you are doing this to lose weight, it is very important that you eat normally when you are eating. In other words, you should eat the same amount of food as if you were not fasting at all.
A possible downside to this method is that a full 24-hour fast can be quite difficult for many people. But you don't have to do it completely right away. It's okay to start with 14-16 hours and then work your way up from there.
4. Fast every other day
With this method of fasting, you fast every other day. Otherwise, there are several different versions of this method, and some allow up to 500 calories during fasting days.
A full fast every other day can seem quite extreme, so it is not recommended for beginners. With this method, you will go to bed very hungry several times a week, which is not very pleasant and probably unsustainable in the long term.
5. Warrior Diet
The Warrior Diet was popularized by fitness expert Ori Hofmekler. It involves eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day and one larger meal at night. Basically, you fast all day and eat at night in a four-hour window.
The Warrior Diet was one of the first popular diets to incorporate a form of intermittent fasting. The food choices on this diet are quite similar to those on the paleo diet - mostly whole, unprocessed foods.
6. Spontaneous meal skipping
You don't necessarily have to follow a structured intermittent fasting plan to reap some of its benefits. Another option is to simply skip meals occasionally, such as when you don't feel hungry or are too busy to cook.
There is a myth that people have to eat every few hours to avoid starving or losing muscle. However, your body is actually well equipped for prolonged starvation, let alone skipping a meal or two from time to time.
So if you're really not hungry, skip breakfast and just eat a healthy lunch and dinner. But if, for example, you're traveling somewhere and you can't find anything you want to eat, do a quick fast.
Skipping a meal or two when you're not hungry is essentially spontaneous intermittent fasting. Just make sure you eat healthy food between meals.
Summary
Intermittent fasting is a weight loss tool that works for many people, but not necessarily for everyone. Some believe that it does not have the same benefits for women as it does for men. It is also not recommended for people who have or are prone to eating disorders.
If you decide to try intermittent fasting, remember that it is the quality of the diet is crucial. Do not reach for unhealthy food while eating, as you cannot expect to lose weight and improve your health.
