celebrities practicing: 16/8 | 5:2 | OMAD | Prolonged fasting
Physical benefits of fasting | Mental benefits of fasting
We often look up to successful people and celebrities for some well-needed inspiration on how to do intermittent fasting. After all, there must be a few rules of success that we could follow in our own lives. Celebrities and intermittent fasting is a hot topic now, and continuing to rise year after year.
Intermittent fasting is gaining more popularity and was named as on of the hottest trends right now, and doesn’t seem to be going way, as the health benefits are amazing!
This made me wonder – are our idols also picking up this diet that is supposed to help with losing and sustaining the weight, keeping mentally sharp and promoting longevity, to name a few of the benefits?
So I went on a quest to find that out. I researched the depths of the internet, read interviews, watched videos and listened to podcasts, and found 40 famous people who do intermittent fasting.
It didn’t stop there. I dug even deeper and in this blog post tried to answer two important questions that are on every intermittent fasting beginners mind:
- How to do intermittent fasting and which intermittent fasting types are the most popular among famous people? Including what celebrities eat in a day.
- What are the benefits of intermittent fasting and what are the main reasons famous people choose to practice intermittent fasting?
Here it is…sit back and read on!
Here’s the list of celebrities doing intermittent fasting and the types of fasting they do.
HOW TO DO INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Which intermittent fasting types are the most popular among famous people?
First of all, to understand the basics – the broad definition of intermittent fasting is that it’s an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and periods of fasting. In more simple terms, it’s simply managing the number of hours you eat and don’t eat during your typical 24h day.
The good news is, there is no one and only way to do intermittent fasting. There are several intermittent fasting types and even various fasting schedules within each type.
It means everyone could find the intermittent fasting schedule that fits their daily routine and goals. Even the successful and famous bunch doesn’t agree on one single way how to do intermittent fasting.
Here are the most popular types of intermittent fasting among 40 famous people in my research.
Intermittent fasting 16/8
This is one of the most common intermittent fasting types and 19 out of 40 celebrities are practicing precisely this type of fasting.
Actresses Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry, entrepreneurs James Swanwick and Ingrid De La Mare-Kenny, comedians Joe Rogan and Mindy Kaling are all practicing intermittent fasting 16/8.
Here’s Mindy Kaling sharing her hunger with the world:
Yes, it’s not always easy, but it might be worth it. Just a moment, we will get to all the benefits later on. First, let’s continue with the basics.
16/8 means that 16 hours of the day is the fasting period and all the food should be consumed within the 8-hour eating window. Where exactly in the day to fit this 8-hour eating window is really up to each individual.
Is dinner an essential part of your day? Skip breakfast.
Getting cranky when you don’t get a proper breakfast? Skip dinner.
However, for most people, it’s easier to prolong the fasting period in the morning and have the first meal around lunchtime. More than two-thirds of the famous intermittent fasters in this research have the preference of skipping their breakfast.
Terry Crews, actor and former NFL star has been doing intermittent fasting for over 6 years now! When asked about intermittent fasting, Terry Crews says that “the best way that I have found to do intermittent fast is to skip breakfast and eat from 2 pm to 10 pm. During the fasting period I’ll have coffee, maybe tea. Sometimes I’ll have a little bit of coconut oil on a spoon that makes you feel a little satiated. But it’s never a meal.”
Yes, you can drink coffee while intermittent fasting. Indeed coffee, tea or water can be a great way to curb hunger and still not break the fast. For more on what you can drink during intermittent fasting check this blog post.
On the other hand, television personality Kourtney Kardashian is one of those who can’t say no to breakfast. She chooses to fuel up after her morning workout:
Shortening the fasting window can be a great way to ease into intermittent fasting. Moreover, if you feel like 16 hours fast is too much for you altogether, you’re not alone. Comedian Owen Smith prefers to stick with a 14/10 fasting schedule, but actor and screenwriter Justin Theroux choose 12 hours eating and 12 hours fasting window.
Click here to learn more in our Complete Guide to 16/8 fasting.
Intermittent fasting 5:2
The 5:2 diet, also known as The Fast Diet means that five days of the week are regular eating days, while the other two calories should be restricted to 500 – 600 per day.
Out of 40 celebrities, 5 celebrities prefer 5:2 Intermittent Fasting. It’s one of the ways how both British actress Jennifer Metcalfe and singer, actress Jennifer Lopez stay in shape.
TV host Jimmy Kimmel reveals that this is the secret helping him to stay at 182 pounds and his intermittent fasting schedule is following:
The benefit of 5:2 fasting is that you are restricting calorie intake only 2 days per week. However, “eating like a pig for the other five days” might not work for everyone. Particularly, if your goal is to lose weight, it would be advised to stick to healthy eating.
Intermittent fasting one meal a day
You guessed, one meal a day or OMAD diet is a type of intermittent fasting which allows eating just once a day.
This more extreme type of fasting is practiced by 5 out of 40 famous people in the research. While there are a number of celebrities who eat one meal a day, it is more popular among entrepreneurs like Gary Vee and CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey eating just one meal a day in the evening.
While it might sound surprising but Canadian MMA fighter Georges St. Pierre believes that he has increased his muscle mass thanks to switching to one meal a day type of intermittent fasting.
Prolonged fasting
Prolonged fasting, starting from 24 hours with no food intake, turns out to be quite popular among famous intermittent fasters with one in four practicing some type of prolonged fasting.
Most celebrities are doing occasional 3-5 day prolonged fasting as a “cleanse to the body” and not primarily to lose weight. The author of “The 4-Hour Workweek” Tim Ferris goes on a 3 day contiguous fast every month. Additionally, under supervision does longer fasts throughout the year to purge pre-cancerous cells in the body.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING?
What are the main reasons famous people choose to practice intermittent fasting?
Now when you’ve read about all the types of intermittent fasting celebrities practice, there might be a question in your mind: “But why? What are the main reasons famous people choose to go on this daily fight with hunger?”.
Doing intermittent fasting for weight loss seems like the first answer that comes to mind.
However, celebrities list multiple other benefits of their fasting. Some might even sound quite surprising. Fitness and health expert Drew Manning believes that fasting helps “to be more in tune with your body and spirit without having food to distract you.”
Physical benefits of intermittent fasting
There are many intermittent fasting benefits backed by science like boosted metabolism, improved cellular cleanup, and blood sugar control, extended longevity and, of course, weight loss thanks to reduced calorie intake.
Losing weight or keeping in current shape is one of the main reasons celebrities practice intermittent fasting. 14 out of 40 famous intermittent fasters list these as the main benefits when choosing this type of lifestyle.
One of the recent intermittent fasting success stories is an entrepreneur and former adult entertainment performer Jenna Jameson. In 2019 she published her keto diet and intermittent fasting before and after photos after successfully losing 80 pounds.
However, entrepreneur Phil Libin trumps everyone and has lost almost 90 pounds thanks to intermittent fasting. He even says that “getting into fasting is definitely one of the top two or three most important things I’ve done in my life.”
Some actors use intermittent fasting to slim down for certain roles. Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Hugh Jackman have used intermittent fasting to shed some pounds in preparation for their next roles.
Intermittent fasting is not all about weight loss; often successful people choose to practice intermittent fasting to enjoy various other health benefits.
French entrepreneur Loïc Le Meur occasionally does 3-day fasts to regenerate the immune system and entrepreneurs Neil Patel and James Swanwick practice intermittent fasting 16/8 to increase their metabolic rate.
Mental benefits of intermittent fasting
While weight management and physical health reasons might seem like the apparent benefits of intermittent fasting, celebrities list various mental benefits as just as important. 14 famous fasters have noticed an increase in energy and focus. 10 out of 40 celebrities in this research mention that intermittent fasting makes them feel better and healthier.
Entrepreneur and world’s leading online marketer Neil Patel says that:
Actress Vanessa Hudgens is practicing 16/8 method skipping dinner every day but “her primary purpose isn’t to slim down. Her goal is simply to feel healthier.”
Some famous intermittent fasters mention the spiritual side of fasting. For example Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof a.k.a. “The Iceman” believes that eating just one meal per day helps the body to enter survival mode and heighten the senses.
You might have heard that sometimes the best way to appreciate something is not to have it. Both “Coldplay” frontman Chris Martin and TV host Jimmy Kimmel admit that those long fasting periods make them appreciate the food more.
INTERMITTENT FASTING AS A LIFESTYLE
Some find intermittent fasting to be just a temporary tool that helps to lose weight. For example, Chris Hemsworth switched to a low-calorie diet and practiced intermittent fasting with a 15/9 schedule to lose those Thor’s abs and get ready for the movie “In the Heart of the Sea”.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman says that he practices intermittent fasting 5:2 but only “when my weight moves above the target, and often that means something like once in two weeks.”
For others, intermittent fasting is a lifestyle and they have learned how to accept the daily dose of hunger and enjoy the benefits. Can you imagine eating just one meal per day for 38 years like Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof a.k.a. “The Iceman”?
Just as every habit, also intermittent fasting takes time to become a firm part of anyone’s daily routine. And preparation is the key!
As entrepreneur Melinda Nicci writes:
Do you want to join the club of these celebrities and try intermittent fasting yourself? Start the 21 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge today.
For more information and guidance, explore these resources:
- What Can You Drink During Intermittent Fasting
- Intermittent Fasting Daily Plan (pdf)
- Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan (a.k.a. Intermittent Fasting food plan)
- Top 6 Apps for Intermittent Fasting
To sum it all up visually, here’s a more detailed infographic:
LIST OF 40 CELEBRITIES DOING INTERMITTENT FASTING
- Aubrey Marcus
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Brittany Dawn
- Chris Hemsworth
- Chris Martin
- Drew Manning
- Gary Vee
- Geoffrey Woo
- Georges St. Pierre
- Halle Berry
- Hugh Jackman
- Ingrid De La Mare-Kenny
- Jack Dorsey
- James Clear
- James Swanwick
- Jenna Jameson
- Jennifer Lopez
- Jennifer Metcalfe
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Joe Rogan
- Justin Theroux
- Kevin Rose
- Kourtney Kardashian
- Lauryn Evarts
- Loïc Le Meur
- Max Lowery
- Melinda Nicci
- Michael Bosstick
- Mindy Kaling
- Neil Patel
- Nicole Kidman
- Owen Smith
- Paul Krugman
- Phil Libin
- Terry Crews
- Tim Ferriss
- Tom Bilyeu
- Vanessa Hudgens
- Whitney Simmons
- Wim Hof
Yes, I know we aren’t all involved in the daily lives of celebrities, nor do some of you care right? But it is interesting to see how others do their fasting routines, and these are people that you know and some can relate to in some way with their feeling about fasting. So take it with a grain of salt.
I recommend starting here to learn more about these types of fasting which are the MOST popular, starting with 16/8 Fasting, click on these guides below to learn more:
16/8 Fasting Guide, 14/10 Fasting Guide, 18/6 Fasting Guide, One Meal a Day Guide.
Also need help fasting? Check out these Top 6 Fasting Mobile Apps we recommend to help you on your journey. These apps are amazing!
Want to go on a Fasting or Health retreat with likeminded others? Check out our Fasting Retreats review page Here.
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