I had read about the benefits of fasting several years back. I attempted fasting a day a week to see if I could benefit as well. I had no specific goal in mind but a few months after into this routine I ultimately gave up. I was getting hangry, dizzy at times and seeing no obvious value.

Then a year later, I had blood tests. The lipid panel showed elevated bad cholestrol and triglycerides. I met Dr Ronesh Sinha who specializes in South Asian health at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. After analyzing my diet and daily regimen, he recommended I do intermittent fasting. No food for a period of 16 hours in a day. Dinner at 8pm, followed by lunch at noon. No snacking in between. He had other recommendations like cutting excessive carbohydrates, eating food with more fiber+proteins and gaining more muscle mass. See: Dr Sinha’s Blog

I followed his instructions meticulously especially regarding intermittent fasting. Although I wasn’t able to exercise much at all and ate more carbs due to my snacking (only after lunch and before dinner). After a couple of months, I took the blood tests again. This time the results were fantastic. Triglycerides had fallen to levels from 15 years ago. In two months, I lost 15 pounds and about an inch of waist size.