Intermittent fasting (IF) simply means eating within a fixed time window and not eating outside it. The most popular schedule is 16:8 — 16 hours without food, 8 hours of eating.
It is not magic. People lose weight with IF mainly because a shorter eating window often means fewer total calories. But for many people it is an easy structure to follow.
Popular Schedules
| Schedule | Fasting | Eating window example |
|---|---|---|
| 14:10 | 14 hours | 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
| 16:8 | 16 hours | 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
| 18:6 | 18 hours | 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
Start with 12:12 or 14:10 and move to 16:8 only if you feel comfortable.
Who Should NOT Do Intermittent Fasting Without Medical Advice
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
- People with diabetes on insulin or sugar-lowering medicines
- Anyone with a history of eating disorders
- Teenagers and people who are underweight
- People with low blood pressure or other medical conditions
What You Can Have During the Fast
Water, black coffee, plain green tea and black tea without sugar or milk. Adding milk and sugar to chai breaks the fast.
Sample 16:8 Day With Indian Food (12 PM – 8 PM)
| Time | Meal |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | First meal: 2 moong dal chilla + curd + fruit |
| 4:00 PM | Snack: sprouts chaat or roasted chana + chai |
| 7:30 PM | Last meal: 2 roti + dal + sabzi + paneer or chicken + salad |
Make Your Eating Window Count
- Break the fast with protein, not sugar or fried food. A samosa as your first meal will leave you hungry again soon.
- Do not overeat in the window. If you eat 2,500 kcal in 8 hours, IF will not help you lose weight.
- Drink enough water through the fasting hours.
- Ramadan and other religious fasts follow their own rules — plan suhoor/sehri and iftar meals with protein, fibre and fluids.
Track Your Fast and Your Meals Together
CALIVO AI has a built-in fasting timer with 14:10, 16:8 and 18:6 options that keeps running even if you close the app, plus calorie and protein tracking for your eating window — so you can see whether fasting is actually helping your daily totals.
