Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern when you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. There are no rules of what you should be eating, but rather when you should eat them. There are several different methods, all of which split the day or week into eating and fasting periods. Most people already fast whilst they sleep so it could be as simple as extending that fast a little longer

The most popular forms of Intermittent fasting are:

16/8 method.

This is the most common because like I said above you can do the majority of your fasting whilst you are sleeping, then topping it up by skipping breakfast, eating your 1st meal at noon and you’re last at 8 pm. This way you are fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricts your eating to an 8-hour eating window

Eat-Stop-Eat.

This way takes a bit to get used to, think carefully about the days that would be easier to do this on. You only need to do this one or two times a week, don’t eat anything from one dinner to the next. (A 24 hour fast)

5:2 Diet.

This is different from the above 2 because you aren’t really fasting. Again you choose two days out of the week. These are the days that you only eat 500 to 600 calories, and for the rest of the week to eat normally.

Despite what you may think, intermittent fasting is actually fairly easy to do. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast. Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating for extended periods of time. No food is allowed during the fasting period, but you can drink water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric beverages.

Why Fast?

Humans have actually been fasting for thousands of years. Sometimes it was done out of necessity when there simply wasn’t any food available. In other instances, it was done for religious reasons. Various religions, including Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism, mandate some form of fasting. Humans and other animals also often instinctively fast when sick. There is nothing “unnatural” about fasting, and our bodies are very well equipped to handle extended periods of not eating.

All sorts of processes in the body change when we don’t eat for a while, in order to allow our bodies to thrive during a period of famine. It has to do with hormones, genes and important cellular repair processes.

When fasting, we get significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as a drastic increase in human growth hormone. Many people do intermittent fasting in order to lose weight, as it is a very simple and effective way to restrict calories and burn fat. Others do it for the metabolic health benefits, as it can improve various different risk factors and health markers.

There is also some evidence that intermittent fasting can help you live longer. Studies in rodents show that it can extend lifespan as effectively as calorie restriction. Some research also suggests that it can help protect against diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and others. Other people simply like the convenience of intermittent fasting.

As long as you stick to healthy foods, restricting your eating window and fasting from time to time can have some very impressive health benefits. It is an effective way to lose fat and improve metabolic health while simplifying your life at the same time.