Intermittent Fasting is on the trending chart in the world of fitness and health. The concept of IF is not foreign to Indians, and we have been doing fasting for ages. In this short blog, I have listed the most common types of Intermittent Fasting.
You can read my experience with Intermittent Fasting here. If you have questions regarding Intermittent Fasting, I have answered some of the most common questions here.
Let’s begin.
- Time-restricted Fasting
As the name suggests, you restrict the eating window with a 14:10 or 16:8 ratio where you fast for 14 or 16 hours and eat within a 10 or 8 hour window. You can either reduce to 12 hours of fasting if you are a beginner or go beyond 16 hours of fasting depending on how your body reacts to IF. The chances of Intermittent Fasting becoming a part of your lifestyle is highly possible with this type of fasting. - Eat stop eat (24-hour fasting)
This form of Intermittent Fasting was developed by the author of the book “Eat Stop Eat: The shocking truth that makes weight loss simple again”, Brad Pilon. Essentially, the concept is that you go for a prolonged fasting period of 24 hours or 2 days per week, depending on your requirement and capability. You can choose the days you wish to fast and other days, you can eat normal, well-balanced food.
- 5:2
In this type of Intermittent Fasting, you eat normally for 5 days a week and 2 days (of your choice) you limit your meal consumption to about 500-600 calories. The difference between this one and eat stop eat method is that in the latter, you go on a full water diet while here, you still have the option to consume fewer calorie meals. - OMAD
One Meal A Day or OMAD is the most famous type of Intermittent Fasting which allows you to consume only one meal a day. You can choose to decide which meal you would like to consume in a day. Based on my observation, most people may choose lunch, as this meal covers all micro and macro nutrients and helps in processing through the day. Basically, you start with protein and fiber-rich food and then proceed to carbohydrates and fats.
- Alternate day fasting
Again, as the name suggests, you eat normally on one day and the next day, go on a full 24-hour fast (water diet). Again, the next day, you eat normally. By normal, it means you eat well-balanced meals and not go on an indulgence diet.
- The Warrior diet
This kind of Intermittent Fasting is for the pro-fasters (!!??). I mean, the warrior diet is for people who are well experienced with Intermittent Fasting and have been doing extreme fasting for years.
Introduced by Ori Hofmekler, a former member of the Israeli Special Forces, the warrior diet consists of eating fewer calorie foods like fruits or vegetables during the day and having a one nutrient rich meal at night. Basically, you go on a 20 hour fasting and feast during the limited 4 hour window at night. One interesting point to note here is that this method is not backed by science and is an observation purely by the founder. Ori suggests that this type of Intermittent Fasting kicks in the survival instincts of humans, thus improving the way we eat, feel, perform, and look.
While there are several kinds of Intermittent Fasting, the concept remains the same in all of them. That being, going on a calorie deficit to aid weight loss. In all these kinds of IF, you have to ensure to plan your meals and consume nutritious meals that cover all kinds of nutrients that your body needs. Only then IF will help you lose weight in a healthy way. Occasionally, you can indulge in your treat meals as IF is flexible in that way, but you need to be conscious of your choices and time it correctly.
References: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/warrior-diet-guide#overview https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eat-stop-eat-review#basics https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/types-intermittent-fasting-which-best-you https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322293
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