Fasting 101: Where to Begin

What is fasting?

By definition, fasting is a practice where we deliberately choose to abstain from food for a controlled period of time. Periodic fasting (or time restricted eating) is an eating pattern, where rather than choosing WHAT to eat, we choose WHEN to eat. It’s one of the easiest, most accessible ways to manage your long term health. To understand how to start fasting and choose the right window, however, important to note few things:

  • Fasting is not a replacement for a healthy diet, and we shouldn’t be skipping breakfast for the purpose of eating more cake or a pizza for dinner.

  • Fasting for one day a week won’t produce the desired results. It should be a daily practice, a habit we develop similar to brushing our teeth or drinking coffee in the morning.

  • For our body to not perceive fasting as “starvation”, we need to eat enough of the right foods and nutrients during the feeding window.

Think of it as a “cleanse” that allows our body to take a short break from the hard work of metabolizing and storing energy from food. It’s natural and normal and yet has been demonized by big food companies as something to be feared and avoided.

After all, we need three meals + three snacks a day to stay healthy, right? 



Not quite. 



Think about fasting/feeding windows as a work/life balance. If you work 16 hours a day, yes, you’ll build something important, but you will sacrifice your sleep, relationships with your family and friends, and there’ll be no time for self-care. Same with eating 16 hours a day, your body will have no time to repair itself, rest, clean out the garbage, and manage hormonal/biological “relationships” within. It’s all about finding the right balance between feeding-fasting windows.

5 types of fasting

  • Intermittent fasting (12:12, 16:8, 18:6)
Intermittent fasting involves fasting for either 12, 16, 18, or 20 hours and consuming all the food for the day over the remaining window of hours.

This is a good option for people who are looking for a more structured but yet flexible approach to fasting. It is accessible to anyone, can be adjusted based on your schedule.

  • OMAD (One Meal A Day. or 20:4)
This method involves “eat as much as you can” in 3-4hr window. However ensure you consume enough quality calories and nutrients in one one meal to ensure your body functions properly and prevent metabolism from slowing down.

  • 5:2 (Eat Stop Eat)
Involves fasting for 24hr couple of times/week.
This method allows for a deeper state of ketosis and autophagy, and is more suitable for those who can’t skip meals due to the workload or scheduling.

  • 4:3 (Alternate Day)
Eat normally one day, don’t eat the next day. Pretty much adds up to 36hr of fasting, 12hr of feeding. Good schedule to practice once you’ve adjusted to fasting.

  • Prolonged water fast
This is an extreme form of fasting that involves fasting for longer periods of time (72hr+). This method should only be done under the supervision of a doctor.

How to choose the right fasting window?

The advantage of fasting is there are no strict rules except one - zero (or close to zero) calories while fasting.


The disadvantage is that you have to find what works best for your body. 
We might be eager to jump into a 24 hour fast immediately. However, the best practice would be gradually integrating fasting into our lives. Why? Because our body might be carb dependent, and we need to ease into it and allow the body to learn how to metabolize fat for energy. 



Know what your starting point is.

  • If you eat dinner at 10 pm, and breakfast at 9am, then try 12/12 for a week, slowly making your way up to the window that feels best and fits most for your schedule.
Ease into it and give your body time it needs to readjust.

  • If you already eat your last meal at 8 pm, and then breakfast at 8 am, try pushing your breakfast to later in the day, or have your first meal for lunch. 
If pushing breakfast back is not an option, try eating dinner earlier (around 6 pm).

  • If you have a set working hours that require a lot of physical labor, you might want to consider a 5:2 schedule, however it might be challenging for the beginners to get through 2 consecutive days without the food.

Assess where you’re at right now, set your goal, and choose the type of fasting that fits best your schedule.

My routine involves
  • Minimum of 15 hours of fasting daily (self-imposed rule)
  • 3-4 days/week - 18-20 hour fasts
  • Every 30 days - 24 hours fast

I adjust my routine based on how late I ate the last meal, my schedule, exercise, and hormonal shifts during each month.

Why should we choose fasting over other diets?

By definition, diet involves restricting specific food groups on regular basis and meticulously planning meals.

Most of us have gone on a diet at least once in our life. We consciously chose to avoid certain foods for some period of time, whether it was sugar, gluten, dairy, or all at once.
While permanently eliminating inflammatory foods could be beneficial for most, some other diets are unnatural, are hard to follow and bring more harm than good.

Read more why most diets fail in our article here.

Unlike traditional diets, fasting provides flexibility, allowing individuals to practice it anywhere, anytime, and in various forms. Fasting is:

   • Convenient
Integratabtle into busy daily lives and can be modified daily/weekly
  • Simple
No complex rules, meal preparation, everyday shopping, or macro counts
  • Effective
Results are seen and felt within a few weeks.
  • Cheap
No hidden costs; spend only on supplement products that are beneficial.
  • Flexible
It can be done anywhere. Any time. In any form. And if you decide to stop for a few days, you do not “go back to zero.”

After a few months, it naturally becomes a part of our lifestyle. Furthermore, after just a few months, a balanced fasting-feeding window allows our body to run optimally and we start feeling better, losing body fat, having more energy and mental clarity. This motivates us to keep going and be even more consistent.

Things to consider

Remember, before starting any fasting regimen or major dietary changes, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional, especially if you have underlying health conditions.
By understanding the fundamentals of fasting and choosing the right fasting window, you can embark on a journey towards improved health and well-being.