Many people believe that there’s no such thing as safe fasting. Yet well conducted study after study with both animals and humans have proven that it’s safe and has numerous health benefits.

The key to safe fasting is to do short-term fasts, otherwise known as intermittent fasting. The interval between eating is usually between 16 and 36 hours. This can be done every day, every second day, 1-3 times a week or only a few times a month. People who experiment with intermittent fasting often try several different ‘styles’ to see which one suits them best.

Most people don’t realize that intermittent fasting has many of the same health benefits that intense exercise does, but with a lot less effort. For example:

1. increase in growth hormone levels

2. reduced insulin

3. fat burning and, as long as a bit of resistance training is done every week, no loss in muscle tissue

4. increased energy (due to the increase in epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are responsible for making us feel alert)

5. appetite suppression. Yes, although this isn’t always experienced during the first few fasts, it increasingly becomes the case the longer a person practices the art of short-term fasting

6 Simple Steps for Successful Safe Fasting

1. Find a good, clearly written resource on intermittent fasting authored by someone who has practiced it for a long time and keeps up with the latest and best research.

2. Decide which non-caloric beverages you’ll have on your fasting days.

During the fasting hours, only non-caloric, or very low-caloric, beverages should be consumed. That means no juice, sugar in your coffee, etc.

3. If you’re new to fasting, start by fasting once or twice a week at most.

You can continue with 1-2 x a week fasts indefinitely if you wish. There isn’t strong evidence that fasting more often is a lot better. Some people like to do it more frequently. It’s very individual.

4. Fast in the time-frame that seems most suitable for your lifestyle.

You can adjust the time-frame whenever you feel what you’re doing isn’t working well.

5. Do the best you can to ride out feelings of discomfort.

Keeping busy can help, as can caffeinated drinks or exercise. Yes, it’s safe to work out while fasted. Many people, including me, find that their workouts are more satisfying and their energy is higher on fasting days, and that we’re more productive in general!

After a few fasts discomfort will usually go down considerably. It’s therefore important to fast a few times to truly give intermittent fasting a chance.

If you feel light-headed or get headaches, there is probably no reason to worry. Unless you have been formally diagnosed as hypoglycemic, your blood sugar shouldn’t drop too low during your short-term fast (yes, this has been studied). You may simply be feeling your body go into full-out fat burning mode which, over time, is a lot easier to cope with.

Discomfort may also come from the withdrawal from food, particularly if you have allergies that you haven’t been fully aware of. Remind yourself that short-term fasts are safe. It would take not eating for days and days on end to cause any harm. Even lean people have reserves to draw on during short-term fasts.

6. Eat normally during your non-fasting hours/days.

Act like the fast never happened. In other words, don’t eat more to reward yourself for completing a fast. Simply resume eating at the times that you normally would. Over time you’ll become more aware of your body and eating habits and you can adjust what and when you eat.

Something encouraging to keep in mind: if you’re fasting 2 times a week, you can lose 1-2 lbs in only 2 days, rather than 7 days on a standard weight loss diet.

If you want to gain weight or maintain it, you can adjust what you eat to support that goal. Fasting once a week can be very good for maintenance, offsetting any extra calories you might have consumed during the week.

Fasting can help you get in touch with your body in helpful ways – ways that are simply not possible with other ‘diets’. Many people have unknowingly trained their bodies to expect food every few hours. It’s possible to retrain your body, returning it to a healthier state. Soon you may come to enjoy the benefits of alternating between the fed and fasting state. Fasting days can be freeing. No need to worry about what to eat!

Safe fasting is not only possible, the long-term effects are desirable. The key is doing it intermittently with guidance from people who understand and practice it regularly.

Lillea Woodlyns has a lot of experience with safe fasting. She reviews the best programs at http://www.intermittentfastingreview.com and offers coaching for people who would like customized programs and ongoing support.