intermittent fasting

American  

[in-ter-mit-nt fas-ting] / ˈɪn tər mɪt nt ˈfæs tɪŋ /

noun

1. a pattern of eating that involves regular short periods of fasting, such as by limiting food intake to a certain period of the day or to fewer meals on certain days of the week.

---

Etymology

Origin of intermittent fasting

First recorded in 1875–80, in the context of fasting for religious purposes; 2005–10, in a wellness context

Example Sentences

I started doing intermittent fasting back when I wasn’t able to lose my baby weight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

If you loved creating a whole personality around intermittent fasting, welcome: You’ve found your people.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

When compared with conventional diet advice or no intervention, intermittent fasting did not produce a clinically meaningful difference in weight loss.

From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026

There are also many different types of intermittent fasting and more detail is needed on how they could impact men and women separately, in addition to those with different BMIs and from different countries.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

Participants who followed the intermittent fasting schedule lost an average of about 5.5 pounds during the study, while those in the control group gained roughly 3.7 pounds.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026