4 Best Types of Intermittent Fasting To Try Out 

The most popular and straightforward approach to fasting is the 16:8 method.

It involves dividing the day into two distinct periods: a fasting window and an eating window also known as the feeding window.

During the fasting window, you abstain from consuming any calories, while during the eating window, you consume all of your daily calories within a specified timeframe.

The fasting window of the 16:8 method typically lasts for 16 hours.

This means that you refrain from eating any food or calorie-containing beverages during this period.

However, you are allowed to drink non-caloric beverages such as water, black coffee, herbal tea, or apple cider vinegar to help stave off hunger and stay hydrated.

The fasting period usually starts after dinner in the evening and continues until the following day’s lunchtime or mid-afternoon.

The feeding window of the 16:8 method spans 8 hours, during which you consume all of your daily calories.

This window typically includes two or three meals, depending on your personal preference and schedule.

It’s essential to eat balanced meals that provide adequate nutrition and satisfy your hunger during this time.

It’s strongly recommended to focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods to support overall health.

To illustrate the 16:8 method, let’s consider a typical fasting and eating schedule.

Suppose you finish dinner at 8:00 p.m. on one day.

In that case, you would begin your fasting window at 8:00 p.m. and continue fasting overnight and into the next day until 12:00 p.m.

This would count as 16 hours of fasting.

Then at 12pm you can have your first meal or breakfast, followed by one or two snacks and then finally finish eating your dinner at 8pm again.

Therefore your feeding window would be between 12-8pm and fasting window will be from 8pm until 12pm the next day.

One of the key advantages of the 16:8 method is its flexibility and adaptability to individual lifestyles and preferences.

You can adjust the timing of your fasting and eating windows to fit your schedule, whether you prefer to skip breakfast and have an early lunch or delay your first meal until later in the day.

The goal is to maintain consistency with the fasting and eating windows each day to reap the benefits of intermittent fasting.

The 5:2 method of intermittent fasting is another approach where you eat normally for five days of the week and then restrict your calorie intake for the remaining two days.

On those two fasting days, you consume significantly fewer calories than usual.

The fasting days are not necessarily consecutive; you can choose any two days that work best for your schedule, but it’s recommended to space them out throughout the week.

For example, you can select Monday and Thursday as your low calorie days.

On these days, you need to limit your calorie intake to about 500-600 calories for women and 600-800 calories for men.

These calories are usually consumed in one or two small meals. You can consume these calories in a restricted feeding window or you can space them out throughout the day as per your preference.

On non-fasting days you can eat your regular diet but just ensure that you are eating a plant-forward diet where most of the calories come from whole plant-based foods.

A major benefit of this 5:2 pattern of eating is that it reduces your overall calories for a given week.

Let me say this:

Most people underestimate the food that they eat.

On certain days usually on a Friday or Saturday night they end up eating 20-30% extra then they would normally eat.

For people who are trying to lose weight, this increases their guilt meter and they end up given their dieting effort altogether.

But if they follow the 5:2 approach, then they can easily drop down their calories to less than 1000.

This allows them to stay on track with their health and fitness goals minus the guilt.

The Eat Stop Eat method of intermittent fasting involves incorporating periodic 24-hour fasts into your weekly routine.

With Eat Stop Eat, you fast for a full 24 hours once or twice per week.

During this fasting period, you abstain from consuming any calories, including food and caloric beverages.

Instead, you focus on staying hydrated by drinking water, herbal tea, or black coffee, which contain minimal to no calories and won’t break your fast.

On non-fasting days, you eat normally, following your regular meal schedule and consuming meals and snacks as you typically would.

Last but not the least, One Meal A Day method abbreviated as the OMAD method of intermittent fasting is a form of fasting where you restrict your eating window to just one meal per day, typically within a one-hour to two-hour time frame, and fast for the remaining 22 to 23 hours.

This approach involves consuming all of your daily calories in a single, large meal, while abstaining from food for the rest of the day.

Since you’re consuming all your daily calories in one meal, it’s crucial to make it nutrient-dense and well-balanced.

Your meal should include a variety of food groups, such as lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.

Opting for whole, minimally processed foods can help ensure you’re getting essential nutrients and fiber.

The timing of your OMAD meal can vary based on personal preference and lifestyle.

Some people prefer to have their meal in the evening, while others opt for lunch or breakfast.

The key is to choose a time that works best for you and aligns with your schedule and hunger cues.

Now that we’ve covered the four types of intermittent fasting patterns, let me explain how I blend them into my lifestyle for maximum benefit.

My preferred method is the 16:8 approach.

I typically start my day with a delayed breakfast around 11 am, relying on black coffee, herbal tea, apple cider vinegar to sustain me until then.

For lunch, I aim to eat between 3-5 pm, depending on factors like my travel and workout schedule.

I rarely consume anything after 5 pm.

This creates a feeding window from 11 am to 5 pm, totaling 6 hours, with fasting for the remaining 18 hours.

I combine the 16:8 method with the Eat Stop Eat approach by fasting for 40 hours each week.

I usually choose Thursdays as my fasting day, sometimes adjusting it to Fridays based on my work and travel commitments.

For example, after my last meal on Wednesday evening, I fast until Friday 11 am, totaling 42 hours.

Let me provide you with 4 tips that will give you insights on selecting the best pattern of intermittent fasting for yourself :

1) The best and the easiest method for beginners is the 16:8 method. If you think 16 hours of fasting is difficult, start with 14 hours.

Still doubtful? start with 12 hours but get started. You don’t have to be perfect from Day 1.

2) Based on your lifestyle and preference, decide your feeding window.

Do you feel hungry the moment you wake up?

Or you are someone who prefers to postpone eating until noon.

The two most common feeding windows are either 8am to 4pm or 12pm to 8pm.

As I already mentioned, it’s ok to increase your feeding window by a few hours at first and then see how your body is adapting.

3) Stick with the 16:8 method of eating for a few weeks, before trying to blend it with other patterns.

Gradually you can incorporate the 5:2 method as well for better results.

You can apply the same concept to the 5:2 diet.

Start by reducing calories once a week instead of twice. Also if you think you cannot cut down your calories down to 600-700 calories, cut it down to 1000 or 1200.

4) Lastly, It’s also ok to consume one low-calorie beverage in your fasting window.

If you like to start your day with a small cup of chai, it’s ok, drink it but don’t have any cookies along with it.

Guys, do whatever it takes to get started with intermittent fasting. Slowly and gradually progress.

Think long term. Intermittent fasting is a way of life, its not a diet or something that you treat as an event.

I strongly urge you to give intermittent fasting a serious try.

If you have any questions or doubts, please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Stay healthy, stay fabulous.