Intermittent fasting for weight loss is as effective as counting calories : "People usually eat within a 12-to-14-hour window, so all we're doing is cutting out around six hours," she says Intermittent fasting (IF) is when you go for extended periods of time without eating. This is followed by a period of eating normally. Your ancestors would have eaten like this, not because of choice, but because of food availability. They would have only eaten when they could find food, either by hunting or foraging. There is a broad palette for this type of IF. To get the best results, it is recommended that people fast for more than 13 hours. For example, the Warriors’ diet, or the 20:4 fasting method, involves 20 hours of fasting and four hours of normal eating. Similarly, variations like 12:12, 14:10, 15:9, and 16:8 exist. 16:8 Intermittent Fasting If you fast during a 14 hour window and eat during the remaining 10 hours, you're following a 14/10 time-restricted eating pattern. This could mean that you eat your first meal at 8am and start your fast at 6pm, after your last meal. Or you might eat your first meal at midday and start your fast at 10pm. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that includes hours or days of no or minimal food consumption without deprivation of essential nutrients. Commonly studied regimens include alternate day fasting, 5:2 intermittent fasting (fasting two days each week), and daily time-restricted feeding (such as eating only during a six-hour window). How to Prepare for the Test. You will normally be asked to fast (not eat or drink) for at least 8 hours before the test [ 5 ]. In healthy people, insulin levels are lowest after not eating for several hours. This is why fasting insulin tests are so reliable: if insulin is high after a fast, something may be very wrong [ 6 ]. Like any type of intermittent fasting, 16/8 intermittent fasting aims to mimic ancestral eating patterns and thereby activate our evolutionary foundation for health. 16/8 fasting has been correlated with a wide variety of health benefits, including: [2] Improved fat burning. Improved weight loss. Reduced risk of cancer. When practicing 14/10 intermittent fasting, you eat every day within a ten-hour window and fast for 14 hours. Not eating for 14 hours may sound challenging, but you have to consider that this includes sleep time. In fact, 14/10 intermittent fasting is not that much different from a normal eating schedule. You can eat three meals per day with 14 GSIB.