You probably know someone who has done it or are currently doing it. Intermittent fasting is becoming very popular right now as many of us are trying to lose body weight/fat. Many popular podcasters and diet gurus promote intermittent fasting as a good and safe way to improve your metabolic health. Before we go over how to do intermittent fasting safely and effectively, let’s discuss a little about the science rationale related to it.
Food & Hormones
The average American eats 5.7 times throughout the day, mostly around lunchtime and at night. Our bodies weren’t designed to eat all day. When we eat, we secrete hormones such as insulin, which helps remove sugar from the bloodstream and transfer it into cells for energy. While insulin helps manage blood sugar, constant eating, even healthy foods, keeps insulin levels high. This can lead to insulin resistance, where the body produces more insulin, driving cell division and increasing inflammation, a precursor to many serious health issues such as heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
Why Choose Intermittent Fasting?
Fasting activates the body’s ability to deal with stress at a cellular level. By acting as a mild stimulant for your body’s stress response, the body is slowly and over time reinforced against cellular stress and is then less susceptible to cellular aging and disease development.
Intermittent fasting is scheduling the timing of your food intake, called an eating window. The times of the day you abstain from food is called the fasting window. At BTF we recommend a fasting window between 12-20 hours.
If you decide to implement a fasting approach every day, or a few times per month, do what works for you. Here are a few fasting protocols if you decide to add intermittent fasting to your life.
Fasting Protocols
12/12 Fast: This is more of an introductory fast and probably isn’t too much different then you currently eat. This involves fasting overnight (example is not eating from 8 pm till 8 am the next day), and then consuming all your foods in the 12-hour window from 8 am till 8 pm (hence the term “breakfast”).
6/18 Fast: This fast has you fasting for 18 hours (example is not eating from 8 pm till 2 pm the next day), and then consuming all your food in the 6-hour window from 2 pm till 8 pm. This fast is the most common for most popular diets and weight-loss plans. Of course you could change the eating hours to whatever timing fits your schedule and needs. For a more intense fast (and possibly more benefits) you could lengthen the fast to a 4/20 (eating window is now 4 pm to 8 pm) or whatever timing works for you.
24-Hour Fast: This fast has you abstaining from food intake for a full day and can be used on 2 nonconsecutive days each week. Typically people using this fasting strategy must consume adequate amounts of water and can add bone broth, fresh low-sugar juices, protein/collagen powder supplements and coffee/tea with no added milk/cream or sugar. This is a more intense fast and we recommend trying the shorter fasts listed before attempting this one.
Pro tip: Fasting will produce the best results when done periodically and not permanently.
Easy 5-Step Guide to Intermittent Fasting
If you are ready to try a fast, here is an easy guide that will help you with the process.
Step 1: Choose your fasting length. If you are new to fasting, you could start with the 12/12 fast and eventually progress to the 6/18 fast as described above. An experienced faster might try the 24-hour fast a few days per week on nonconsecutive days.
Step 2: Write down your goals and put in a place that you will see it, such as a bathroom mirror or your phone. This will keep you focused on why you are fasting and you will be more willing to sacrifice in order to achieve your goals.
Step 3: Plan you meals ahead of time so that you will get all your essential nutrients when your eating window opens. You don’t want to be grocery shopping after a long fast as you will probably end of buying everything in the store!
Step 4: Track your progress in a journal which could include your fasting periods, food consumed, energy levels, moods, and any physical changes. This will help you determine how your body is responding to fasting.
Step 5: Listen to your body and adjust as needed. Don’t be dogmatic on your fasting window if you are not feeling well. Many people feel great when fasting, but some people get nasty side effects. Your body will tell you what it needs and fasting will help you decipher what your body is saying.
Who shouldn’t fast?
If you have serious medical issues, eating disorders, are pregnant, are involved in strenuous physical labor or are a competitive athlete, or are under the care of a healthcare practitioner, you should only fast under the direct supervision of your healthcare practitioner.
What are the benefits of fasting?
Some of the benefits are weight loss, fat loss, improved insulin sensitivity, enhanced metabolic health, cellular repair, reduced inflammation, heart health, brain health, gut health, longevity, mental clarity and focus, and spiritual growth.
If you have tried intermittent fasting, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please contact us at 310-534-1900 or by email at info@backtofunction.com.
Feel – Recover – Perform Better
References:
Rubin, J and Axe, J. The Biblio Diet. 2025.
