If you're trying out intermittent fasting in the hope that it'll yield a positive result in your body, you may be curious about what's going on under the hood. What happens in your body during the various stages of intermittent fasting?

No matter what algorithms your search history is triggering, you probably can't go a few clicks through the internet without running into click-bait advertisements for ways to lose belly fat. From intense workouts and restrictive diets to holistic remedies or chemical-heavy supplements, every corner seems to cheer (loudly) for a different solution.

Maybe you've found your one true pairing in intermittent fasting 16:8 and are ready to tie the knot. Maybe you're still window-shopping fasting schedules for one that fits your style. Or maybe you overheard someone talking about an eating routine that supposedly can support weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease, and promote better blood sugar control, and your internet stalking of Does intermittent fasting work? dropped you here.

You started intermittent fasting a whole week ago. This morning, you stood on the scale, looked at that irritating number that somehow has the staying power of a red wine stain on white carpet, and thought, How long does it take for this intermittent fasting thing to work, anyway? Now you're hovering anxiously over your fasting tracker, wishing you could speed things up but feeling stumped on how to do so.

So you've hit your 50s, and while it's not the over the hill season you might have thought it'd be when you were a fresh-faced 22-year-old, it has arrived with its changes and challenges — both good and bad.

Intermittent fasting is a pretty common weight loss strategy, but sometimes, it seems to have the opposite effect. Can intermittent fasting actually cause weight gain? It's certainly possible to follow an intermittent fasting schedule and find yourself gaining weight … which can be distressing, to say the least!

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.

If you're someone living with diabetes, chances are you've experienced fasting ahead of a blood test. But not all fasting is created equal. Intermittent fasting involves a regular routine of timed eating windows and eating breaks. While the specifics and timing of this routine can vary, all intermittent fasting schedules focus on when you eat rather than what you eat.

Which is better: Cats or dogs? Peanut butter or jelly? Ketchup or mustard? We all love a good comparison question, and the world of intermittent fasting isn't immune. Judging by online searches, the people of the internet are often eager to learn which intermittent fasting schedule comes out on top. Let's put a couple of heavyweight fasting schedules into the ring and find out: 12:12 vs. 16:8.

So you've heard about intermittent fasting. The magic eating routine that might give you all the same health benefits of a calorie restriction diet — like improving heart and brain health while reducing inflammation and the risk of type 2 diabetes — without the whole watch what you eat and hands off the cookie jar thing.