How To Do Intermittent Fasting In 7 Effective Ways
Of recent, one of the most popular dieting protocols is intermittent fasting. It's very effective for weight loss and can reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, as well as improve your brain functions, which may help you live a longer quality of life.
There are several effective ways to successfully embark on this eating protocol. However, your lifestyle and personal preferences play a major role in deciphering which one is the best fit for you.
This article presents 7 effective ways of doing intermittent fasting.
- 12-hour fasting
The 12-hour fasting protocol is a daily fasting cycle of 12 hours and an eating period of 12 hours when you can take two, three, or more meals.
Every day, for 12 hours, you must abstain from eating any food after dinner at 7 pm, the previous day and eating nothing till 7 am the following day. That's technically fasting for 12 hours every day of the week.
Drinking water, coffee, and other zero-calorie beverages during this fasting protocol are permitted when you feel hungry.
Individuals on this diet must endeavor to consume only healthy foods during the eating period. Otherwise, the consumption of junk foods or an excessive number of calories would render the exercise futile.
This protocol is recommended for beginners or people who are new to intermittent fasting. They should experiment with this protocol first, and as they get adjusted, graduate to the other protocols listed below.
This protocol seems to be the easiest because most of the fasting period falls into the period you’re asleep.
2. 16-hour fasting(16/8 Leangains protocol)
The 16-hour fasting(16/8 protocol) is a daily fasting cycle of 14 to 16 hours and an eating period of 8 to 10 hours when you can take two, three, or more meals.
Martin Berkhan, a nutritional consultant, writer, and personal trainer, made this method popular.
Practically, this fasting method is to abstain from eating any food after dinner at 8 pm, the previous day and skip breakfast eating nothing till noon the following day. That's technically fasting for 16 hours.
So, if you’re someone who loves to eat breakfast in the morning, you may find it difficult to adapt to this method. Otherwise, it's a great fit for those who normally skip breakfast.
Because women adapt easily to a shorter period of fasting, it is advisable for them to fast for only 14 to 15 hours.
Drinking water, coffee, and other zero-calorie beverages during this fasting protocol are permitted when you feel hungry.
Individuals must endeavor to consume only healthy foods during the eating period. Otherwise, the consumption of junk foods or an excessive number of calories would render the exercise futile.
3. 24-hour fasting(eat-stop-eat)
This protocol, made popular by fitness expert Brad Pilon, requires you to fast for an entire 24-hour period, for one or two days of the week.
You must avoid eating anything for the entire 24 hours, starting after breakfast, lunch, or dinner on a day until the next day's breakfast, lunch or dinner. Whichever is most suitable.
If necessary, you may have only water or other low-to-zero calorie beverages to reduce your hunger and stay hydrated. Solid foods are not allowed during this period.
If your goal is weight loss, it’s advisable you eat your normal daily food ration during the eating periods. In other words, you should eat the same amount of food as if you hadn't been fasting at all.
The problem with this method is that a full 24-hour fast is unpleasant for many people. However, it's practicable to start with a 14 to 16-hour fast, then gradually scale up from there.
4. Alternate day fasting
In this fasting method, you embark on fasting every other day.
There are many variants of this method, some of which are featured in test-tube studies showing the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
These variants allow you to consume a maximum of 500 to 600 calories during the fasting period.
Just like the other methods, you are also allowed to drink water and other low-to-zero calorie beverages to minimize your hunger.
Fasting a full 24 hours every other day, perhaps, is too extreme for most to handle, especially if you are a beginner as your body is not yet well adjusted to such a routine.
You may feel very hungry at night. Going to bed with an empty stomach several nights weekly may be very unpleasant and not sustainable in the long run.
However, if you like to give this a short run, start with a 14 to 16-hour fast, then ramp up over time to the full 24-hour fast every other day.
5. Instinctive skipping of meals
Sometimes, a departure from the structured intermittent fasting protocols could also yield the same results and benefits. As such, you may instinctively skip meals from time to time, when you don't feel hungry or are too busy to cook something to eat.
Contrary to the traditional belief that one must eat 3 or more meals a day to avoid starvation mode or muscle loss, your body is capable to survive long periods of famine. Consequently, skipping one or two meals from time to time, especially when you're really not hungry, is a short fast, and good strategy for your body.
The process of skipping one or two meals when your feel like eating is basically termed instinctive intermittent fasting.
Whenever your feel like eating, do make sure to eat healthy foods during the other meals.
6. 5:2-day fasting
The 5:2 fasting protocol, also known as the Fast Diet, became popular through the efforts of Michael Mosley, a British journalist.
It requires you to consume not more than 500 to 600 calories on two alternate (non-consecutive) days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.
On each of the 2 fasting days of the week, women are to consume only 500 calories and men 600. Divided into 2 small meals of 250 calories each for women and 300 calories each for men.
You may choose to fast on Mondays and Fridays, and then eat normally on the other 5 days of the week except those 2 days.
Just like the other methods, you are also allowed to drink water and other low-to-zero calorie beverages to minimize your hunger.
There are several critics of this protocol because there aren't any studies testing the 5:2 diet, although several studies reveal the benefits of intermittent fasting.
7. The Warrior Diet
The Warrior Diet includes a form of intermittent fasting and it became popular through the efforts of Ori Hofmekler, an author and fitness expert.
It's different from other fasting methods because it involves fasting all day with little consumption of very small quantities of raw fruits and vegetables and then having a large meal at dinner, mostly within a 4-hour window.
The Warrior Diet's food choices of the whole, unprocessed foods, also resemble that of the paleo diet.
Bottom Line
Intermittent fasting is a weight loss protocol that works for many people, but not for everybody.
Some experts think it may be more beneficial for men than women. And maybe unsuitable for individuals with eating disorders.
Individuals on intermittent fasting must endeavor to consume only healthy foods during the eating period. Otherwise, the consumption of junk foods or an excessive number of calories would jeopardize the effort to lose weight and boost your health.