Intermittent fasting sounds complicated.

It’s not.

You eat during a window. You don’t eat outside that window. That’s it.

No special foods. No calorie counting. No meal plans. Just timing.

Here’s everything you need to know to start.

What is intermittent fasting?

It’s an eating pattern, not a diet.

You’re not changing what you eat. You’re changing when you eat.

The most common approach is 16:8. Fast for 16 hours. Eat within an 8-hour window. Repeat daily. (Not sure which protocol is right for you? Read my fasting protocols comparison.)

For most people, this means skipping breakfast and eating between noon and 8pm.

Why it works

When you’re not eating, your body has to use stored energy (fat) instead of incoming food. (Want to understand the science behind fasting zones? I break it down hour by hour.)

But more importantly: most people just end up eating less.

If your eating window is 8 hours instead of 16, you probably won’t eat twice as much in half the time. You’ll naturally consume fewer calories without counting them.

That’s the “magic” of fasting. It’s really just simple math.

How to start

Week 1: Push breakfast back

If you normally eat at 8am, try eating at 10am instead.

That’s it. Just a small delay. Get used to morning hunger being uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Week 2: Skip breakfast entirely

Move your first meal to noon. You’re now doing 16:8 without even trying.

The first few days will feel weird. You’ll think about food a lot. This is normal. It passes.

Week 3+: Find your rhythm

Some people eat from 12-8pm. Others prefer 10am-6pm. Some do 1-7pm.

Experiment. Find what works with your schedule and social life.

Common questions

“Won’t I lose muscle?” Not if you eat enough protein in your eating window and keep lifting. Short-term fasting doesn’t cause muscle loss.

“Can I drink coffee during the fast?” Black coffee is fine. So is water and plain tea. Anything with calories breaks the fast.

“What about on weekends?” Be flexible. If brunch with friends is important, eat brunch. One meal won’t ruin anything. Consistency over perfection.

“I feel lightheaded” Drink more water. Seriously, this fixes it 90% of the time. Electrolytes help too.

What to expect

Days 1-3: Hunger, irritability, thinking about food constantly. This is normal.

Days 4-7: Getting easier. Hunger becomes more predictable. Morning energy might actually improve.

Weeks 2-4: This is just how you eat now. The hunger at 11am is a mild signal, not an emergency.

Month 2+: You’ll wonder why this ever seemed hard.

Common mistakes

Mistake: Starting too aggressive Don’t jump straight to 20:4 or OMAD. Start with 16:8. Build up.

Mistake: Breaking the fast with junk Your eating window isn’t a free pass. You still need to eat real food.

Mistake: Ignoring hunger cues during the window Fasting doesn’t mean you need to undereat. When it’s time to eat, actually eat.

Mistake: Obsessing over exact times If you ate at 12:15 instead of 12:00, you’re fine. The principle matters more than the precision.

Tracking your fasts

You don’t need to track. But it helps.

A simple fasting timer shows you where you are in your fast, keeps you honest, and builds streaks that motivate you to continue.

I built FastTrack for exactly this. Pick your protocol, start the timer, get notified when your eating window opens. Nothing more.

No meal logging. No ketone tracking. No community forums. Just the timer.

Final thoughts

Intermittent fasting isn’t magic.

It’s just a simple structure that makes eating less complicated. You don’t have to decide what to eat as often. You don’t have to think about food as much.

Some people love it and do it forever. Some try it for a month and go back to normal eating. Both are fine.

Try it for two weeks. See how you feel. That’s the only way to know if it works for you.

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— Dolce