Seven ways to do intermittent fasting: The best methods

Fasting completely for 1 or 2 days a week, known as the Eat-Stop-Eat diet, involves eating no food for 24 hours at a time. Many people fast from breakfast to ... MedicalNewsTodayHealthConditionsDiscoverToolsConnectSubscribeSevenWaystodoIntermittentFastingWrittenbyJayneLeonardonApril16,2020IntermittentfastingmethodsTipsforfastingOutlookTherearemanydifferentwaysofintermittentfasting.Themethodsvaryinthenumberoffastdaysandthecalorieallowances.Intermittentfastinginvolvesentirelyorpartiallyabstainingfromeatingforasetamountoftime,beforeeatingregularlyagain.Somestudiessuggestthatthiswayofeatingmayofferbenefitssuchasfatloss,betterhealth,andincreasedlongevity.Proponentsclaimthatanintermittentfastingprogramiseasiertomaintainthantraditional,calorie-controlleddiets.Eachperson’sexperienceofintermittentfastingisindividual,anddifferentstyleswillsuitdifferentpeople.Inthisarticle,wediscusstheresearchbehindthemostpopulartypesofintermittentfastingandprovidetipsonhowtomaintainthistypeofdiet.SevenwaystodointermittentfastingTherearevariousmethodsofintermittentfasting,andpeoplewillpreferdifferentstyles.Readontofindoutaboutsevendifferentwaystodointermittentfasting.1.Fastfor12hoursadayShareonPinterestDifferentstylesofintermittentfastingmaysuitdifferentpeople.Therulesforthisdietaresimple.Apersonneedstodecideonandadheretoa12-hourfastingwindoweveryday.Accordingtosomeresearchers,fastingfor10–16hourscancausethebodytoturnitsfatstoresintoenergy,whichreleasesketonesintothebloodstream.Thisshouldencourageweightloss.Thistypeofintermittentfastingplanmaybeagoodoptionforbeginners.Thisisbecausethefastingwindowisrelativelysmall,muchofthefastingoccursduringsleep,andthepersoncanconsumethesamenumberofcalorieseachday.Theeasiestwaytodothe12-hourfastistoincludetheperiodofsleepinthefastingwindow.Forexample,apersoncouldchoosetofastbetween7p.m.and7a.m.Theywouldneedtofinishtheirdinnerbefore7p.m.andwaituntil7a.m.toeatbreakfastbutwouldbeasleepformuchofthetimeinbetween.2.Fastingfor16hoursFastingfor16hoursaday,leavinganeatingwindowof8hours,iscalledthe16:8methodortheLeangainsdiet.Duringthe16:8diet,menfastfor16hourseachday,andwomenfastfor14hours.Thistypeofintermittentfastmaybehelpfulforsomeonewhohasalreadytriedthe12-hourfastbutdidnotseeanybenefits.Onthisfast,peopleusuallyfinishtheireveningmealby8p.m.andthenskipbreakfastthenextday,noteatingagainuntilnoon.Astudyonmicefoundthatlimitingthefeedingwindowto8hoursprotectedthemfromobesity,inflammation,diabetes,andliverdisease,evenwhentheyatethesametotalnumberofcaloriesasmicethatatewhenevertheywished.3.Fastingfor2daysaweekPeoplefollowingthe5:2dieteatstandardamountsofhealthfulfoodfor5daysandreducecalorieintakeontheother2days.Duringthe2fastingdays,mengenerallyconsume600caloriesandwomen500calories.Typically,peopleseparatetheirfastingdaysintheweek.Forexample,theymayfastonaMondayandThursdayandeatnormallyontheotherdays.Thereshouldbeatleast1non-fastingdaybetweenfastingdays.Thereislimitedresearchonthe5:2diet,whichisalsoknownastheFastdiet.Astudyinvolving107overweightorobesewomenfoundthatrestrictingcaloriestwiceweeklyandcontinuouscalorierestrictionbothledtosimilarweightloss.Thestudyalsofoundthatthisdietreducedinsulinlevelsandimprovedinsulinsensitivityamongparticipants.Asmall-scalestudylookedattheeffectsofthisfastingstylein23overweightwomen.Overthecourseofonemenstrualcycle,thewomenlost4.8percentoftheirbodyweightand8.0percentoftheirtotalbodyfat.However,thesemeasurementsreturnedtonormalformostofthewomenafter5daysofnormaleating.4.AlternatedayfastingThereareseveralvariationsofthealternatedayfastingplan,whichinvolvesfastingeveryotherday.Forsomepeople,alternatedayfastingmeansacompleteavoidanceofsolidfoodsonfastingdays,whileotherpeopleallowupto500calories.Onfeedingdays,peopleoftenchoosetoeatasmuchastheywant.Onestudyreportsthatalternatedayfastingiseffectiveforweightlossandhearthealthinbothhealthyandoverweightadults.Theresearchersfoundthatthe32participantslostanaverageof5.2kilograms(kg),orjustover11pounds(lb),overa12-weekperiod.Alternatedayfastingisquiteanextremeformofintermittentfasting,anditmaynotbesuitableforbeginnersorthosewithcertainmedicalconditions.Itmayalsobedifficulttomaintainthistypeoffastinginthelongterm.5.Aweekly24-hourfastShareonPinterestOna24-hourdiet,apersoncanhaveteasandcalorie-freedrinks.Fastingcompletelyfor1or2daysaweek,knownastheEat-Stop-Eatdiet,involveseatingnofoodfor24hoursatatime.Manypeoplefastfrombreakfasttobreakfastorlunchtolunch.Peopleonthisdietplancanhavewater,tea,andothercalorie-freedrinksduringthefastingperiod.Peopleshouldreturntonormaleatingpatternsonthenon-fastingdays.Eatinginthismannerreducesaperson’stotalcalorieintakebutdoesnotlimitthespecificfoodsthattheindividualconsumes.A24-hourfastcanbechallenging,anditmaycausefatigue,headaches,orirritability.Manypeoplefindthattheseeffectsbecomelessextremeovertimeasthebodyadjuststothisnewpatternofeating.Peoplemaybenefitfromtryinga12-houror16-hourfastbeforetransitioningtothe24-hourfast.6.MealskippingThisflexibleapproachtointermittentfastingmaybegoodforbeginners.Itinvolvesoccasionallyskippingmeals.Peoplecandecidewhichmealstoskipaccordingtotheirlevelofhungerortimerestraints.However,itisimportanttoeathealthfulfoodsateachmeal.Mealskippingislikelytobemostsuccessfulwhenindividualsmonitorandrespondtotheirbody’shungersignals.Essentially,peopleusingthisstyleofintermittentfastingwilleatwhentheyarehungryandskipmealswhentheyarenot.Thismayfeelmorenaturalforsomepeoplethantheotherfastingmethods.7.TheWarriorDietTheWarriorDietisarelativelyextremeformofintermittentfasting.TheWarriorDietinvolveseatingverylittle,usuallyjustafewservingsofrawfruitandvegetables,duringa20-hourfastingwindow,theneatingonelargemealatnight.Theeatingwindowisusuallyonlyaround4hours.Thisformoffastingmaybebestforpeoplewhohavetriedotherformsofintermittentfastingalready.SupportersoftheWarriorDietclaimthathumansarenaturalnocturnaleatersandthateatingatnightallowsthebodytogainnutrientsinlinewithitscircadianrhythms.Duringthe4-houreatingphase,peopleshouldmakesurethattheyconsumeplentyofvegetables,proteins,andhealthfulfats.Theyshouldalsoincludesomecarbohydrates.Althoughitispossibletoeatsomefoodsduringthefastingperiod,itcanbechallengingtosticktothestrictguidelinesonwhenandwhattoeatinthelongterm.Also,somepeoplestrugglewitheatingsuchalargemealsoclosetobedtime.Thereisalsoariskthatpeopleonthisdietwillnoteatenoughnutrients,suchasfiber.Thiscanincreasetheriskofcancerandhaveanadverseeffectondigestiveandimmunehealth.TipsformaintainingintermittentfastingShareonPinterestYogaandlightexercisemayhelptomakeintermittentfastingeasier.Itcanbechallengingtosticktoanintermittentfastingprogram.Thefollowingtipsmayhelppeoplestayontrackandmaximizethebenefitsofintermittentfasting:Stayinghydrated.Drinklotsofwaterandcalorie-freedrinks,suchasherbalteas,throughouttheday.Avoidingobsessingoverfood.Planplentyofdistractionsonfastingdaystoavoidthinkingaboutfood,suchascatchinguponpaperworkorgoingtoseeamovie.Restingandrelaxing.Avoidstrenuousactivitiesonfastingdays,althoughlightexercisesuchasyogamaybebeneficial.Makingeverycaloriecount.Ifthechosenplanallowssomecaloriesduringfastingperiods,selectnutrient-densefoodsthatarerichinprotein,fiber,andhealthfulfats.Examplesincludebeans,lentils,eggs,fish,nuts,andavocado.Eatinghigh-volumefoods.Selectfillingyetlow-caloriefoods,whichincludepopcorn,rawvegetables,andfruitswithhighwatercontent,suchasgrapesandmelon.Increasingthetastewithoutthecalories.Seasonmealsgenerouslywithgarlic,herbs,spices,orvinegar.Thesefoodsareextremelylowincaloriesyetarefullofflavor,whichmayhelptoreducefeelingsofhunger.Choosingnutrient-densefoodsafterthefastingperiod.Eatingfoodsthatarehighinfiber,vitamins,minerals,andothernutrientshelpstokeepbloodsugarlevelssteadyandpreventnutrientdeficiencies.Abalanceddietwillalsocontributetoweightlossandoverallhealth.OutlookTherearemanydifferentwaystodointermittentfasting,andthereisnosingleplanthatwillworkforeveryone.Individualswillexperiencethebestresultsiftheytryoutthevariousstylestoseewhatsuitstheirlifestyleandpreferences.Regardlessofthetypeofintermittentfasting,fastingforextendedperiodswhenthebodyisunpreparedcanbeproblematic.Theseformsofdietingmaynotbesuitableforeveryone.Ifapersonispronetodisorderedeating,theseapproachesmayexacerbatetheirunhealthyrelationshipwithfood.Peoplewithhealthconditions,includingdiabetes,shouldspeaktoadoctorbeforeattemptinganyformoffasting.Forthebestresults,itisessentialtoeatahealthfulandbalanceddietonnon-fastingdays.Ifnecessary,apersoncanseekprofessionalhelptopersonalizeanintermittentfastingplanandavoidpitfalls.Formoreinformation,seeMNT‘sultimatebeginner’sguidetointermittentfasting.ReadthearticleinSpanishQ:Arealltypesofintermittentfastingstylessafe?A:Peoplehavepracticedfastingforthousandsofyears,butitssafetydependsmoreonwhoisdoingthefastingthanthestyleoffastingitself.Peoplewhohavemalabsorption,areatriskoflowbloodsugar,orhaveothermedicalconditionsshouldseekthecounseloftheirhealthcareprovider.Whilemostpeoplecanpracticemanyfastingstylessafely,extremetypesofintermittentfasting,suchastheWarriorDiet,canleadtoinadequateintakeofnutrientssuchasfiber,vitamins,andminerals.Therefore,peopleshouldapproachthisstyleoffastingwithcaution.NatalieButler,RD,LDAnswersrepresenttheopinionsofourmedicalexperts.Allcontentisstrictlyinformationalandshouldnotbeconsideredmedicaladvice.UncategorizedFEEDBACK:WrittenbyJayneLeonardonApril16,2020LatestnewsAfraidofneedlesorflying?AVRappclaimstohelpVitaminB6mayreduceanxietysymptoms,studyshowsLeakygutandautoimmunedisorders:Dormant'bad'gutbacteriamaybekeyNewevidencefindsheartconditionsextremelyrareafterCOVID-19vaccinationMSrelapses5timeslesslikelywithlymphomadrug,trialshowsRelatedCoverageTheRecoveryRoom:Newsbeyondthepandemic—July2MedicalNewsToday’sRecoveryRoomistheplacetofind10recentstoriesthatyoumayhavemissedamidalltheCOVID-19fervor.READMORETheRecoveryRoom:Newsbeyondthepandemic—June25TakeabreakfromCOVID-19newsandexplorethesefascinatingstoriesonothertopics.READMORETheRecoveryRoom:Newsbeyondthepandemic—June11MedicalNewsToday'sRecoveryRoomistheplacetofind10recentstoriesthatyoumayhavemissedamidalltheCOVID-19fervor.READMORETheRecoveryRoom:Newsbeyondthepandemic—June4MedicalNewsToday'sRecoveryRoomistheplacetofind10recentstoriesthatyoumayhavemissedamidallt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