Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting cycles your body between periods of fasting and eating.

Rather than restricting the foods you eat, it controls when you eat them. Thus, it can be seen as more of an eating pattern than a diet.

The most popular ways to do intermittent fasting are:

The 16/8 method: Involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to eight hours, subsequently fasting for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
The eat-stop-eat method: Involves 24-hour fasts once or twice per week on non-consecutive days.
The 5:2 diet: On two non-consecutive days of the week, you restrict your intake to 500–600 calories. You do not restrict intake on the five remaining days.
The Warrior Diet: Eat small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day and one huge meal at night.

How it works:

Intermittent fasting is commonly used for weight loss because it leads to relatively easy calorie restriction.

It can make you eat fewer calories overall — as long as you don't overcompensate by eating much more during the eating periods.

Weight loss:

Intermittent fasting is generally very successful for weight loss. It has been shown to cause weight loss of 3–8% over a period of 3–24 weeks, which is a lot compared to most weight loss diets

In addition to causing less muscle loss than standard calorie restriction, it may increase your metabolic rate by 3.6–14% in the short term

Other benefits:

Intermittent fasting may reduce markers of inflammation, cholesterol levels, blood triglycerides, and blood sugar levels

Furthermore, intermittent fasting has been linked to increased levels of human growth hormone (HGH), improved insulin sensitivity, improved cellular repair, and altered gene expressions

Animal studies also suggest that it may help new brain cells grow, lengthen lifespan, and protect against Alzheimer's disease and cancer

The downside:

Although intermittent fasting is safe for well-nourished and healthy people, it does not suit everyone.

Some studies note that it's not as beneficial for women as it is for men

In addition, some people should avoid fasting, including those sensitive to drops in blood sugar levels, pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, teenagers, children, and people who are malnourished, underweight, or nutrient deficient.