Why should I fast for longer?
Well, you shouldn’t, unless you want to. But a shorter eating window or a longer fasting window works for a lot of people, especially when they get to #MasterFaster status. It’s easier to consume fewer calories, enjoy more satisfying meals, and it allows a bit of a reprieve from closely counting calories. Longer fasts also allow you to more effortlessly deplete your liver’s glycogen stores and enter ketosis or ‘fat-burning mode’, which can be a great way to ramp up your weight loss results – especially if you’ve hit that ever-loving “I’m 2-5kg from my goal weight” plateau!
Where do I start?
For those Master Fasters who are currently doing the 2-Day Method or the 3-Day Method but are keen to ramp up their results, there are some great ways to ease into trying more advanced intermittent fasting methods.
Circadian Rhythm Fasts
Circadian rhythm fasting is something that your body was naturally built to do – but because we humans have modernised our world and created artificial light to enable activity 24/7 (which disrupts our natural daily cycle of eating and fasting) we’ve started eating outside of our in-built circadian rhythm. To give circadian rhythm fasting a try, simply try to restrict your eating window to daylight times and stop eating at night. Once you’ve got this down, you can start trying 16:8, which is a 16-hour fasting window and an eight-hour eating window. Generally, we recommend consuming 20% fewer calories during this time – or around 1600 for the average woman.
Shrinking Your Eating Window
For those of you already part-day fasting, there are a few ways to ramp up your results by shrinking your eating window just a little.
20:4 aka The Warrior Diet
Pioneered by Ori Hofmekler in 2001 after spending time in the Israeli Special Forces, this was one of the very first methods of intermittent fasting to gain widespread popularity. The method consists of a 20-hour fast and a four-hour eating window. If you’re looking to ramp up, this is a great place to start. Hofmekler’s original regime allowed for small amounts of dairy, hard-boiled eggs, raw fruits and vegetables during the day, as well as non-calorie fluids, followed by a large meal in the evening. However, many Master Fasters have found that adopting a slightly adjusted 20:4 approach of just non-caloric beverages and broths during the day, allows them to enjoy a more satisfying nutrient-rich meal at night and drop extra kilos without the need for constant calorie-monitoring. It’s important to note that the original version of this method is based on Hofmekler’s own beliefs and observations, rather than on research and scientific evidence.
OMAD or ‘One Meal a Day’
This method consists of around a 22-hour fasting window and a two-hour eating window. While it sounds a bit restrictive, it can actually be quite freeing. Generally, fasters only consume non-caloric beverages like black coffee and tea, green tea, still and sparkling water during the fasting window. The remaining two hours are your designated ‘eating window’. We recommend enjoying a nutrient-dense, filling dinner of primarily vegetables and protein. It can be large and will feel like a feast, but it’s important not to gorge yourself. Just eat until you’re no longer hungry. Many proponents of this method find that they feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic as a result.
Extending The Fast
If you’re really looking for a challenge, why not try a longer fasting period? These are called the big guns for a reason – they pack a serious wallop!
24 Hour Fast
Also known as a ‘water fast’. This method involves fasting from dinner on one day to dinner on the next. For example: if you finish dinner at 8pm on Monday, then don’t eat again until 8pm on Tuesday that’s a 24-hour period of fasting. And it’s not as hard as it sounds! You still get to eat each day, but by minimising what you do consume during the day to just calorie-free beverages like water, black coffee and black or green tea, you can effortlessly deplete your glycogen stores (this takes around 16 hours) and burn fat for a longer period. For those who are really looking to ramp up their weight loss and push their health results into overdrive, this is a good one to aim for! Dr. Jason Fung and Megan Ramos both highly recommend this method for their clinical patients and many of our Master Fasters are starting to incorporate a 24 hour fast once or more each week.
36 Hour Fast
If you’re really feeling up for a challenge, you want to push yourself and maximise those health benefits you could try a 36 hour fast! Research suggests that fasts between 24-48 hours have the strongest effects on the cell renewal process known as ‘autophagy’. A 36-hour fast might sound a little daunting (and confusing), but it’s actually quite similar to a 24 hour fast, except that instead of fasting from dinner to dinner, you fast for 36 hours from dinner to breakfast. For example, if you eat dinner at 8pm on Monday, then don’t eat all day Tuesday, you then break the fast with breakfast on Wednesday. That’s 36 hours of fasting baby! Vrooom.
“I’ve been intermittent fasting for over a year now, and I’ve done the OMAD method, 20:4 and several 24-hour fasts. I found 20:4 and OMAD to be the most easily sustainable and enjoyable for my regular regime, but once a week I like to throw in a 24 hour fast, and once a month or so I do a 36 hour fast. Just to keep me challenged and to keep my body in tip-top condition! It’s great for your mindset, it keeps you motivated, and man – you’ll really enjoy a simple meal like salad and tuna after an extended fasting period. It tastes AH-MAY-ZING!” – Rosie, Super Squad Member
Alternatively, simply stick to what works for you. If you’re going great guns on the 2-Day Method and it’s working for you, then make like Dory and keep on swimming. We’re not here to push you to do anything you’re not ready for or anything you don’t want to do. We’re just here to provide you with the information, education and empowerment you need – but ultimately the decision is up to you. Because who better to know what’s right for you and your lifestyle, right? That’s why we call it the unbreakable, part-time diet.