Picture it: you're at your happy weight. No calorie trackers. No diets. No extra-demanding workout plans. Sounds too good to be true, right? Maybe not — with the help of intermittent fasting. Before you dive down the rabbit hole of googling weight loss intermittent fasting, we can explain.

It can be daunting to start something new. If you're considering trying a fasting schedule to improve your eating habits, lose some weight, and get on a health kick, you might be anxiously thinking, But how do I even start with intermittent fasting? Let's take the worry and wonder out of the equation so you can get to feeling confident, calm, and in control.

Particularly when you're new to fasting, hunger can feel like a scary monster lurking in the shadows. Maybe it follows you everywhere; maybe it just jumps out at certain times. However you feel hunger, it's totally normal — anytime you change your eating schedule, it will take your body some time to adapt.

You've been dabbling in the intermittent fasting info pool, thinking about getting started on this lifestyle that's been claimed to be an easier and more flexible way to gain control of your health and maybe lose some weight. There are many types of intermittent fasting methods to choose from, but we're going to compare two of our favorites around here at Simple: intermittent fasting 14:10 vs. 16:8.

We've all been there: that day when you put on your pants and … ouch. The waistband is scrunching your stomach. The elastic isn't elastic-ing quite enough. Or the belt holes seem to have suddenly shifted in the wrong direction. Whatever the reason, you might have had at least one encounter with clothing waistbands that made you think: could I change my belly shape and size?

Thanks to common marketing ploys and promotions like Margarita Monday, Boozeday Tuesday, Wine Wednesday, and Thirsty Thursday, it can feel like there's a fun (often alliterative) reason to raise a toast daily. Not to mention those happy hour deals … But what seems like a fun and relaxing opportunity to catch up with friends, enjoy a cozy date night out, or snag your favorite drink at a steep discount can feel like a minefield when you're intermittent fasting.

Somewhere along the way, carbohydrates (think bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice) became the villains of the nutrition world. We don't see them that way at Simple, however. The truth is that our bodies need carbohydrates — it's the best energy source we've got. Where we can get into difficulties is when we eat too many carbohydrates and simple sugars (like honey and sweets); don't eat enough protein (such as chicken, fish, or tofu), healthy fats (like avocado or olive oil), or fruits and vegetables; and don't move our bodies enough during our daily lives.

Cholesterol is a substance that our body makes naturally. We need some of it for good health and function. But when it gets out of whack, it puts us at risk of health problems. Almost 2 in 5 adults in the United States have high cholesterol, and high cholesterol doesn't have any symptoms.

Possibly the only thing worse than getting that urge — the one that has you clutching at your stomach and running for the bathroom at an inopportune time — is when that urge hasn't come knocking for days, and you feel like your gut is a tight, uncomfortable coil that won't unwind. Since modifications to what and when you eat can affect your bowel movements, it's natural to be nervous that a new eating routine could also mean a new bathroom routine.

Over the past several years, taking regularly scheduled breaks from eating — in other words, intermittent fasting — has become something of a phenomenon. But does intermittent fasting really live up to the hype? Is fasting really good for your health, or is it an unhealthy option in the long term?