You can search Youtube for some Joe Rogan podcasts on fasting. He's had on a few different people who discuss how they IF.

The thing that clicked for me with IF, was instead of thinking about fasting for X hours, I think about having a 9 hour window each day when I can eat. While not perfect, I slide this window around if I have stuff going in the morning or at night.

Whatever hunger I would feel in the mornings stopped pretty quickly. I workout first thing, so I was already doing most of my workouts on an empty stomach. I had figured out awhile ago I had much more energy before that first meal.

The hardest part for me was skipping milk in my coffee in the mornings since that would break my fast. It's still the place I trip up, but if I can go 4/7 mornings that's a win.

As an aside, initially I also used hunger as a mental exercise. I would think that there are people who are truly starving, and I can't go 15 hours without food? Toughen up. I don't really notice hunger much anymore so that exercise didn't last.

Late to the game, but paring fasting with low-carbs, so you don't have the insulin/energy spikage (which makes it harder to fast), have been useful techniques for me.

I don't know what your day is like, but for myself I started during the work week by doing intermittent fasting. I would stop eating (in particular, no calories, so I stopped drinking too!) by 8pm the night before and then do not eat before 11-noon the next day. This gave me an 8-9 hour window to eat. It was only rough the first few days, but if you stick with it, you might find yourself doing intermittent fasting on the weekends without even trying.

I do similarly for many years, my no_calories window is between 10pm and 12-noon. This is very simple, just avoid any breakfast and drink some water instead.

Also important to quit coffee, I find it improves a lot of things (after a week of withdrawal symptoms).

What improvements have you noticed after quitting coffee? I ask, because I drink coffee in the morning during the fast. From everything I've read, it doesn't break the fast.

Btw, I don't use coffee as a sleep substitute. I wake up every morning without an alarm. I drink coffee for the taste. I simply love it.

>> What improvements have you noticed after quitting coffee?

Better mood and feeling more energized through the day. Better vision. The latest is quite strange, but I can really see better, probably a side effect of improved concentration and calmness.

Hmm, I always heard to do the opposite, to eat breakfast even when not too hungry (which I never am in the morning).

Possibly an idea promoted by breakfast cereal manufacturers. Dietary recommendations are corrupted by industry.

Dr. Jason Fung's books: Obesity Code and Complete Guide to Fasting. The first book makes the case for it. The second book was better for the "how-to". Both refer to a lot of research.

I have been using an App called Zero which (importantly for your question) has a "Learn" section which allows you to read up on fasting. (as an example they link to this: https://getkion.com/fasting-decoded/

I started with the 'skip breakfast' style of fasting, which was good, but then I did my homework on the different 'types':

16:8 16 hours no food: 8 hour 'feeding window' (generally normal dinner, no breakfast, later lunch)

18:6 - this is where I believe most Intermittent fasters go.

20:4 - I've done this a bit, and it works for me, but I can't do it more than once or twice(!) a week.