DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A friend told me that she is fasting to lose weight. I've tried many diets over the years without much success, so I'm thinking about trying fasting, too. Is intermittent fasting a healthy way to lose weight? Is this just skipping a meal occasionally or is there more to it?
ANSWER: One diet trend that shows no sign of going away soon is intermittent fasting. That's when you voluntarily abstain from food or beverages other than water for a certain amount of time. Some fasting is for religious reasons, while others fast for weight loss.
The three most popular approaches to intermittent fasting are:
