6 Ways to Diet with Intermittent Fasting

Ever heard of intermittent fasting?

It’s one of the most popular diet trends around right now. In fact, people type in the search phrase “intermittent fasting,” an estimated 1.7 million times a month. But it’s not just another fad diet. Research shows intermittent fasting may help support weight loss, stimulate metabolism, and prevent diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

What’s it all about? Basically, intermittent fasting is a dieting strategy that limits eating based on a variety of different strategies. You eat Portion-Controlled meals during a specific window of time, then fast for a specific period of time.

Here are 6 ways to diet with intermittent fasting:

1. The 16/8 Strategy

Fast for 16 hours. That leaves you with an 8-hour window for eating.

Most people who use this strategy, stop eating after an early dinner. Then they get a solid 8 hours of sleep. That’s about 16 hours of fasting.

During the day, the 8-hour eating window includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

2. The 5:2 Method

It’s pretty simple. Eat normally 5 days out of 7. 

On day 2 and 5, restrict calories to:

• 500 calories per day for men
• 600 calories per day for women

3. The Eat-Stop-Eat Plan

Here’s another way to practice intermittent fasting that can save you a lot of meal prep time two days a week.

• Eat normally five days a week.
• Two days a week, fast for 24 hours. (Nothing to cook, reheat, make, or prep).

FYI...On fasting days, water and zero-calorie drinks are OK.

4. The Alternate-Day Fasting Strategy

Eat normally for a day, then take a day off with a 24-hour fast or very low-calorie day. That’s essentially the alternate-day fasting strategy.

It’s hard to sustain long term, and people new to intermittent fasting sometimes find it hard to fast every other day.

5. The Warrior Diet Way

A lot of people find that skipping breakfast is an easy way to cut calories. If you like that approach, you might like the Warrior Diet. Here’s how it works…

Eat only a small amount of fruits and vegetables between morning and late afternoon. Around early dinner time, eat one large meal. This meal should mainly include lean protein and plant-based foods.

6. The Skip-A-Meal Strategy

Intermittent fasting doesn’t have to be a highly regimented meal plan. It’s possible to achieve the same benefits as other methods by randomly skipping a meal every couple of days. Even with a formal schedule, you can still restrict calories, lose weight, and stimulate metabolism this way.

When you’re following an intermittent fasting strategy, you’re going to skip meals. But when it is time to eat, you need to consume healthy foods like the meals you’ll find on the Portion Control menu.