Intermittent Fasting can be categorized into different kinds depending on the mode of fasting. How long should you fast? This part is very important, since you’re dealing with an eating plan that concentrates on the timelines of eating as opposed to the content of your food.
Skipping Meals
If you’re just starting out, this is a good point to begin. Skip a meal or two every once in a while. Think of it; even without planning we all get to skip a meal every now and then. Now do this consciously, looking at each missed meal as an opportunity to ease into fasting mode.
If you are traveling, resist the urge to stop for a meal. Work through lunch break. Skip breakfast when running late. If there’s hardly anything to cook in the house, don’t order in. If you’re not hungry, don’t force down a meal for the sake of it. Just keep busy and let mealtime slide by. What better way to fast without feeling deprived?
12 Hour Fast
Staying without food for 12 hours sounds like a tall order, until you include sleep into the schedule. When you are asleep you’re ready fasting, right? If you sleep for 8 hours, say from 10 pm to 6 am, you only have 4 hours left. You can then skip breakfast and have a brunch at 10 am. Alternatively, you can have an early dinner and start fasting by 6 pm. By the time you get up at 6 am, your fasting window will be over. It is actually quite simple, and friendly for beginners
16 Hour Fast
How can you achieve 16 hours of fasting? Eat your dinner by 9 pm, skip breakfast the following morning and have your lunch at 1 pm. You can break the fast an hour or two earlier if you so choose. 16 hours sound like such a long time without food but you’re essentially skipping just one meal. When you think of it like that, it actually sounds achievable.
Alternating Days
You eat one day, fast the next, eat the following one and so on. Fasting for 24 hours with no mean feat. Alternate day fasting is only recommended for those who have been fasting for some time and have gotten accustomed to it. Beginners will find it a bit extreme. If you have a health condition or are on medication, consult your doctor before embarking on this plan.
2 Day Fast (Eat Stop Eat Method)
You can fast 2 days a week, separating them with a couple of days eating window. It could be Monday and Thursday, Wednesday and Friday, Thursday and Saturday and so on. Should you be hard pressed during the fasting days, you can consume a maximum of 500 calories to keep you going. A for the eating days, maintain a normal healthy diet.
There are various means of achieving a 24 hour fast. Think of it as a breakfast to breakfast, lunch to lunch or dinner to dinner fast provided you take those meals at a similar time. If you had your dinner at 8 pm in the evening, then break the fast at 8 pm the following day. The same applies for the other meals.
The Warrior Meal Plan
Here the eating window is restricted to a period of 4 hours only. This one is definitely not for beginners; you need some practice first before you can go for 20 hours without food. The warrior diet allows you to eat some little food during the day, normally just fruits and raw vegetables, then eat a large meal at night.
Some people swear by this method, reasoning that one large meal is enough to fuel the body for 20 hours. Indeed, with a meal containing plenty of proteins, vegetables and healthy fats, it is possible to cover the 20 hour fast window without much strain.
From this list, you can now choose the fasting plan best suited for your condition and goals.