Intermittent fasting (IF) alternates periods of eating with long periods of not eating (fasting). But how long should you go without eating? There are several schools of thought and several methods. Here are 4 of the more popular methods. You should consult your healthcare provider before beginning a fasting program.
1. Daily Intermittent Fasting (a.k.a. the 16:8 method or the Leangains Method)
This method incorporates fasting into every day. Each day is broken up into an 8-hour “eating window” followed by a 16-hour fast. In practical terms, this means you would have your first meal at 12 PM and your last meal at 8 PM (or whatever 8-hour span works best with your lifestyle), and then fast from the time of your last meal until it is time to start eating the next day.
One benefit of this method is that it is very easy to get into the habit of eating (and not eating) at the same times each day. Another benefit is that, because it can be difficult to consume the same number of calories during 8 hours that you normally consume throughout a day, this method can result in weight loss.
2. Weekly Intermittent Fasting
This method incorporates one 24-hour fast into your week. For example, if you eat lunch on Monday at 12 PM, you would eat nothing until lunch on Tuesday at 12 PM.
The benefits of this type of fasting are that you never go a whole day without eating anything, and you spend 24 hours in the fasted state, longer than with most other methods. This is a great way to try fasting. You can do it once per month at first, to get the hang of it, and gradually build up to once per week, and then twice per week.
3. Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting (a.k.a. Eat-Stop-Eat)
Alternate day intermittent fasting incorporates several days of fasting into each week. If you eat dinner at 6 PM on Monday, you would not eat again until 6 PM on Tuesday. Wednesday you would eat normally during the day, having dinner at 6 PM, and then you wouldn’t eat again until 6 PM on Thursday.
The benefit of this kind of fasting is that you spend the maximum amount of time possible in the full 24-hour fasted state. The disadvantage is that it is very difficult to eat this way over the long term. This method is definitely not for beginners!
4. The 5:2 Fast Diet
With this type of fasting plan, you eat normally 5 days a week, and restrict your calories to 25% of your normal intake on 2 days of the week (generally 500 calories/day for women and 600 calories/day for men). On the fasting days, the calories should be broken up into 2 small meals.
A benefit of this type of diet is that you never have to go a whole day without eating anything at all. This could make it more realistic for some people to follow. The disadvantage is less time spent in the fasted state compared to other methods.
Recent Comments