Answers to What You Want to Know About Intermittent Fasting:

Intermittent fasting is the cycling between eating and fasting. There are several types of intermittent fasting. One meal a day (OMAD) is one form of intermittent fasting. 

The idea of fasting is to give your gut some time to rest. You can begin to experience some benefits of fasting even at 12 hours.  To allow your body to burn fat for fuel you want to fast for at least 16 hours.  

if you are fasting for weight loss, it is better to "fast clean". This means you do not add any cream, milk, sweeteners to your drinks while fasting.  You don't want to spike insulin levels and the splash of milk or sweetness definitely does that. 

When you decide to give your gut a rest, this means you are not taking in any calories. This allows your insulin levels to decrease and your ketones to increase. During this time, you are burning fat for fuel. This is how you lose the weight. 

Sometimes, you need to switch things up a bit. Our bodies are creatures of habit. Its ok to change your eating window. Also examine what you are eating. Have you been eating too many simple, processed carbs? Put them away and grab a fruit instead. Try adding in more healthy fats and complex carbs. 

One of the great benefits of intermittent fasting is that you can eat what you love while still losing weight. While you can eat what you love, remember to be mindful and eat in moderation.

Remember that most of the weight loss that you see on the scale after a fast is water. So when you eat, you retain some of that water and you will see that on the scale after a fast. No need to worry. You didn't really gain 3 or 4 extra pounds of fat after you've eaten after a fast or even after a rough weekend of eating all the foods. Your body is holding on to water and also hasn't fully broken down all the foods into nutrients it can use. Bottom line is try to eat as clean as possible, fast and repeat! You will see small but constant decreases in weight as you go along. 

You'll definitely have a harder time with your fast if you fed your body junk before starting. Its ok to have some of the things you love like burgers and fries or chips and cookies but you don't want to make this a habit and have these types of foods every day. Especially if you have a long eating window or if you are not actively exercising. You can't eat junk all day long and expect to fast your weight away. It doesn't work that way. Its certainly harder to get through your fasts if you don't feed your body healthy, nutritious, clean foods. Try and stick to clean foods and try to limit the foods that are not so clean :)

No, you don't. But it doesn't hurt. Its always good to move your body. Whether you go for a brisk walk or you do yoga or clean the house. Get up and move. It really helps with improving your results. 

Absolutely! You can definitely drink alcohol with this lifestyle. However, it would be wise to make sure you eat something prior to having a drink. Don't open your eating window with a glass of wine, not the best idea. 

Anything with caloric value can break your fast. This includes: cream or milk in your tea or coffee, sweeteners, honey, bulletproof coffee, collagen, bone broth. Try your best to fast clean. Don't add anything to your drinks. Wait until you open your eating window to add those to your drinks.