Written by a nerd who has been doing intermittent fasting for at least 13 months.

I still remember how I was last August 2020. My face was bombarded with acne and my confidence was at an all-time low. I knew I had to change something.

Luckily, I stumbled upon Dr. Eric Berg’s YouTube channel. A channel that discusses all things Intermittent Fasting.

As I watched his videos, I became quickly obsessed! I spent day-in and day-out browsing his channel, listening to his lectures, all while finishing my Architecture plates.

I gained clearer skin and a healthier body because of Intermittent Fasting. I have never felt this comfortable with my own skin, and now I want to help you feel the same.

If I had to start intermittent fasting all over again, this is the guide I would look for.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist nor a health expert. All of the information presented below is just based on my experience and research.

This guide contains the following:

What is Intermittent fasting?

So, what’s the point of fasting?

What is the “16:8” method?

What is “OMAD”?

Steps to take.

What to eat?

Takeaways & Reminders.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is incredibly simple. When you fast, you just “don’t eat”. Call it whatever you want. “Not eating”, “fasting”, “abstinence”, it’s all the same. Fasting sounds a lot like food deprivation, but it does not equate to malnourishment. It sounds the same but it isn’t. I’ll explain later.

Intermittent fasting just means “not eating” during specific periods of time. It refers to the absence of eating.

The word intermittent means “not continuous” or “irregular” while the word fasting means “abstaining from food”. Thus, if we combine the two words, we get a whole new meaning. Intermittent fasting means abstaining from food for specific intervals of time.

When you fast, you are giving the digestive system time to rest. Enough time to process everything that you ate.

All of us are fasting every day. Do you know when? Mostly, during midnight. You fast when you sleep because you can’t eat anything when you’re asleep, right?

And then, you break your fast when you eat “breakfast”. And it is so cool because the term “breakfast” sounds like it is literally telling you that you are about to “end your fast”.

To sum it up, your fasting begins when you stop eating and it ends by the time you start eating again. Eating anything will break the fast. The longer the fasting period, the better because this means that you are giving the digestive system a long time to rest.

If you want a simple, yet creative, interpretation of Intermittent Fasting, then click here.

So what’s the point of fasting?

When I was just starting, I also thought that fasting equates to malnourishment (but it is not). When you fast, your body is in a state of calm and regeneration. Meanwhile, when you deprive yourself of food and turn malnourished, you are harming your body.

So, what’s the difference?

It lies in the food you eat and the time of eating. Just because you are fasting does not mean that you won’t feed yourself healthy food.

During fasting, your body enters a process called “autophagy”. During “autophagy”, your body literally heals.

A good analogy is a plant and its needs. When a growing plant has been starved from water and sunlight, it will die. However, if the plant has been intentionally trained to not receive water or sunlight during specific periods of time, the plant will grow stronger.

As the plant becomes hungry for water, the plant’s roots extend DEEPER INTO THE GROUND as it reaches for sources of water.

Without knowing it, the plant grew sturdier because its roots spread wider and reached deeper.

Just because the plant is being abstained from resources does not mean that it isn’t being treated right. It is just being taught to grow and function in a more efficient manner.

When your body is fasting, the body enters the same state that the plant does. Instead of looking for new food to digest, the body will first feed off of the dysfunctional cells and the fat stores in your body (e.g. fat in the belly). The body will eradicate and clean out anything that does not function anymore to make room for the development of better cells.

This is how your body will drastically improve by doing fasting consistently. Your body will grow stronger and function more efficiently.

Fasting is not just for weight loss. Fasting is not just for acne. It is for optimal health. It does not equate to nutrient deprivation.

Of course, this lifestyle will not be fit for everyone. That is why there are varieties of diets or food trends. Nothing is one-size-fits-all. We all have very different needs. Nevertheless, fasting has been proven to fix a myriad of health problems all over the world.

What is the “16:8” method?

The 16 in the 16:8 ratio refers to the “fasting period”, while the 8 in the 16:8 ratio refers to the “eating window”.

This means that by using the 16:8 method, you will abstain from eating food for a total of 16 hours, and you are allowed to eat ANYTHING for the remaining 8 hours.

When I was just beginning, I used the 16:8 method. I do not eat anything for 16 hours but I eat [preferably] 2 to 3 meals (snack) during the remaining 8 hours.

I eat my last meal at around 8 pm. I do not eat any midnight snacks and I do not restrict myself from drinking water. You don’t need to restrict yourself from drinking water either.

I will wait for 16 hours to pass by, sleeping hours included, then I will eat my lunch at around 12 pm. You eat dinner again, then the process repeats again tomorrow.

This is fasting. You just have to repeat the process for however long you would like, however strict you would like.

What is OMAD?

OMAD is the abbreviation for “One Meal A Day”. Unlike the rules of “16:8”, the rule of OMAD is simple. You just have to survive eating 1 meal for a day. Thus, your fasting pattern would be like “23:1”, assuming that you will eat your single meal for a single hour.

Again, there are no meal restrictions. You can eat whatever you want during your eating window. But of course, you will achieve quicker results if you paired fasting with a low-carb diet.

If you want to restrict yourself from carbohydrates, then do it. If you don’t want to restrict yourself as much, then don’t. You are in control. What matters is you are able to do it consistently. The goal is to fast every day for optimum results. Thus, you should restrict yourself however you would like as long as you will be able to stick with it for the long run.

Steps to take.

1. Pick a fasting method.
2. Buy Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar with “Mother” (must have — know more here).
3. Check out my “what to eat” section.
4. Decrease the number of carbs on the grocery list.
5. Replace the unhealthy groceries with healthier ones (or keep some. Don’t be too strict!)
6. Join an Intermittent Fasting group on Facebook.
7. Watch Dr. Eric Berg’s videos for more information (YouTube).
8. Exercise during the fasting period for increased fat-burning. You can do so much in 30 minutes!
9. Start today/tonight. Start small. Don’t aim for perfection. Make progress. Tiny efforts (even inconsistent ones!) are better than no effort at all.
10. Don’t extremely prohibit yourself. You staying on track is more important than a perfect fasting record every week. Just keep on going.

What to eat?

Again, there are no restrictions. I personally eat anything that is cooked by my mother. I just decrease my carbohydrates intake (rice, bread, pasta, cereal, pancakes, sugar) and eat whatever’s on the table. I was very strict at the beginning (3–4 months) but my restrictions have decreased after a year of fasting because I am already quite healthy and I have already achieved my goals. Now, I am just fasting for optimal health.

If I feel like the food is quite unhealthy, or the viands aren’t enough to keep me full, I just cook 2 boiled eggs and I am good to go. I also drink an alternative “bulletproof coffee” second thing in the morning (the first is Apple Cider Vinegar). Instead of bulletproof coffee, I drink coffee with collagen, green tea, Garcinia Cambogia, and other appetite-suppressant ingredients. You may think that a “3-in-1” coffee is unhealthy, and maybe you are right. But I consider it healthier than Starbucks, milk tea, or coke, thus I drink it.

The most important of all is the APPLE CIDER VINEGAR drink. I cannot emphasize enough how important this drink is. It is an appetite suppressant. It feeds your gut microbiome. It cleans out your digestive system. It increases the acidity of your stomach (to know more about GERD, heartburn, or acid reflux, please check out this video by Dr. Berg. I am not affiliated with him in any way but his videos are really helpful so check it out.)

Anyways, here is a list of foods that I recommend you eat during your eating window (foods I eat that are gut-friendly):

1. Eggs (I eat 2 per day depending on meals)
2. Apple Cider Vinegar (1–2 tbsp. mixed with 1 glass of water. Drink with a metal straw. First thing in the morning. Before the first meal.)
3. Vegetables, fish, beef, and pork
4. Tea
5. Bulletproof coffee (coffee mixed with a little bit of fat/butter)
6. Almond milk
7. Yogurt
8. Kimchi
9. Vitamin C & Zinc
10. Collagen supplements
11. Fish-oil
12. Turmeric capsules
13. Nuts (almonds, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, peanuts)

Stay away from (decrease):

1. Fruits (especially those high in fructose)
2. Carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta, cereal, sugar)
3. Alcohol
4. Sodas
5. Fruit juices

Takeaways & Reminders.

• Intermittent Fasting isn’t a race, it’s a marathon. The more days you spend fasting, the better. Focus on staying on track. It is okay to fall sometimes as long as you will continue. Days of not fasting aren’t a sign of failure. You will only fail when you give up completely.
• You are allowed to drink water during the fasting period, but anything that enters your stomach will affect your fasting. The less you eat/drink during the fasting period, the better.
• You can improvise with the fasting hours. Just remember that the benefits of fasting are just starting to happen when you hit 14–16 hours, and the number of benefits will increase as the hours go higher. I recommend that you go easy. Don’t pursue OMAD if your body is still adapting. First, understand the limitations of your body before doing OMAD. Start small.
• You can eat ANYTHING during the eating period. You can restrict yourself however you want. You are IN CONTROL.
• Your fasting hours can start WHENEVER you want, you just need to complete at least 14–16 hours to gain benefits. Do it as consistently as you can and you are sure to reap great results. We all have different schedules, so choose the timeframe that you deem fitting with your lifestyle. Ideally, you will start counting your fasting hours after your last meal (no midnight snacks). Count 14–16 hours, then eat during the 10–8 eating window.
• The number of meals that you eat during the eating window is all up to you. When I was starting out, I was so strict. I only ate 2 meals during the eating period (lunch & dinner). Now, I allow myself to eat snacks here and there to reward myself for sticking with it. Marathon, not a race!
• The fat on your stomach or the acne in your face is a result of years of unhealthy eating habits. There are thousands of others who were able to transform themselves in less than a year. If I were you, I would invest in this lifestyle.
• Aim for progress, not perfection. Just start and fail along the way. It is better to fail than not try at all. Your small efforts will compound over time. I still ate chocolates at the beginning of my fasting journey. I also forgot to exercise from time to time. What mattered is that I kept on showing up even though my journey was far from perfect.