Our pros found it easy to use, making it great for IF novices and lifelong fasters. The app is also filled with helpful articles on topics such as the healthiest beverages to drink during your fast periods and how to get better sleep. Zero is one of the most popular IF apps out there because it has all the timers, journals and tools you need to get started. Depending on your goals, you may prefer an intermittent fasting app that also offers hydration tracking, healthy recipes or other additions. There are a plethora of options for iOS and Android that all offer all kinds of different features, but Sassos says that most IF apps are essentially customized stopwatches with built-in notifications and reminders. No matter which IF schedule you might be considering, an intermittent fasting app can help you stay on track. “If you do choose to try IF, make sure that the quality of foods you eat in your feeding window are nutritious and provide all of the proper nutrients that your body needs,” advises Sassos. And there are a lot of IF window variations to choose from, whether you prefer the standard 16:8 schedule, the 5:2 diet or the very strict One Meal a Day (OMAD) plan. “It's true that fasting can potentially reprogram your metabolism, but the likely reason why fasting may contribute to weight loss is that you’re simply eating fewer calories overall when you're restricting eating to specific time periods.”Īccording to Sassos, one of the reasons why intermittent fasting is so attractive to many is that it doesn't typically require counting calories or tracking macros, but rather simply setting an eating window that works for you.

“When it comes to weight loss, the research on traditional intermittent fasting is compelling,” says Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a registered dietitian and deputy nutrition director of the Good Housekeeping Institute.

But unlike some other diet fads, this one may have some scientific evidence behind it. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular weight-loss diet that generally describes a simple concept: You can eat pretty much whatever you want, but only during a specific period of time.

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