Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

Fasting is something that comes with some controversy among the health conscious. There's some debate over whether it's healthy to fast or whether it's a good way to lose weight. While starving yourself for long periods of time isn't healthy in the least, many people believe that periodic short-term fasts are not only safe, but make you healthier. This is what intermittent fasting is all about. Intermittent fasting is when you fast for 16-48 hours a week. These short-term fasts cut your total calorie consumption for the week, lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of some cancers and tons more. 

How Does It Work?

I don't want to go into all the details that Eat Stop Eat creator Brad Pilon lays out in his book, but it is pretty much as easy as it sounds. You fast for one day, then break the fast the next day. You can drink calorie-free beverages and chew calorie-free gum, but no food. If you do this once a week without changing anything else in your diet, you'll reduce your weekly calorie intake by 16%. Obviously it helps if you suppliment intermittent fasting by eating healthy and exercising, but the fasting alone cuts calories.

Is it Safe?

Obviously it's best to talk to your doctor before starting any weight loss program, but for a healthy person, a 24 hour fast won't hurt you. In fact, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that intermittent fasting has tons of positive health benefits, like the ones I listed in the intro to this hub. So it won't screw with your metabolism or blood sugar. The worst part is feeling hungry, but remember that's just a feeling. It's annoying, but you'll be fine.

Does it Work?

From personal experience I can say YES, it does work. This is not a "lose 10 pounds in one week" program. Doing this one day a week, I lost about a pound or two a week. This included low-intensity exercise and fairly healthy eating -- although I normally do eat junk on the weekend. If you fast for just one day, you cut your weekly calories by 16%! As long as you eat fairly healthy the rest of the week and don't binge, you WILL lose weight.

The first few fast days are rough, I'll say that -- I felt hungry and grouchy. I think it was more psychological than anything though, because once I got used it it I felt fine. Now on my fast days I rarely even feel hungry.


I recommend an intermittent fasting diet, particularly the Eat Stop Eat program, to anyone interested in a simple ways to lose weight. It's obviously not for anyone, but it's great for people who want to jump start weight loss or blast out of a weight loss plateau.