4 Types of Intermittent Fasting Protocols

If you are interested in starting intermittent fasting, the first thing you need to do is 
decide on a protocol. This type of fasting doesn’t just have one method, but multiple 
ones to choose from. Your preferences, schedule, and other details will go into 
choosing the one that is right for you. Here are four of the more popular choices.

The 16/8 Protocol

The first intermittent fasting protocol you might want to consider is called the 16/8, or 
LeanGains. This is one of the easier methods of fasting and eating, due to its simplicity 
and because you don’t go as long while fasting. Naturally, at least half of your fasting 
period will be while you are sleeping, so that makes it a lot easier. Basically, you want to 
fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours. You just want to be sure you schedule it for the 
time of day when you tend to get hungriest or when eating is most convenient for you. 
This might include eating earlier and going longer at night without eating, or splitting it 
up. Do what works for you as long as each day you go 16 hours in a row without eating.

The Eat-Stop-Eat IF Protocol

Also called the 24-hour fast, the Eat-Stop-Eat protocol requires you to go a full 24 hours 
during the fasting periods. You can either do this once or twice per week, so if you are 
just starting out, you might want to stick to doing it once a week. All you have to do is 
follow your normal diet the other 6 days of the week, then have one fasting day where 
you don’t eat or drink anything with calories. Just like all other protocols for intermittent 
fasting, that 24 hours should only include water, coffee, and tea, preferably with nothing 
added to it. This can start when you wake up, and end the following day, or you can 
choose a day in the middle of the day. This is often when people prefer to do it, 
otherwise you’re going over 24 hours.

The Alternate Day Protocol
Another way you can do it is by fasting every other day. This is often referred to as an 
alternate day fasting protocol. There are many different versions of this, so feel free to 
experiment with it until you figure out what works best for you. For example, you may do 
16:8 fasting protocols every other day, or do a full 24 hours fasting every other day. 
Some people have their fasting days be absolutely nothing but water and coffee, while 
others allow about 500 calories during the fasting days. Just remember to pick 
something that is sustainable for you and will work with your schedule.

The 5:2 Diet Protocol

The 5:2 diet is one where you eat your normal diet for 5 days out of the week, then fast 
the other 2 days. This is very similar to the 24-hour diet since the 2 fasting days are 
separating by at least one eating day in between them. However, you do want to eat 
about 500-600 calories even on the fasting days, which is one of the biggest 
differences.
