Are there any benefits to 12-hour fasting besides weight loss? If yes, what are the benefits?
It’s hard to say benefits because most of the population already does a 12-hour fast, or something close to it. If you finish dinner at 7:30PM and then don’t have breakfast until 7:30AM the next day, that’s a 12-hour fast.
If 12-hour eating window is shorter than your normal (lets say you’re having midnight snacks and you wake up very early and eat breakfast) then 12-hours is already a cut for you and good starting point. Dont stress yourself with the minimum.
“Just start” is a lot better than being discouraged to start because you’re too overwhelmed.
Try 12:12 for about a week or few days then gradually lessen your eating window. Until you reached 16:8, 18:6 and so on
A 12-hour fast might not have a lot of benefits (unless you really have problems with food and it’s very challenging to complete this amount of hours), but it can be a good start. It’s great to start with a 12-hour fasting method, as it helps you learn the basics and lets your body adjust. Then, when you feel you are ready, you can move to other methods (such as 14:10) and improve your progress. Just remember that all this takes time, and it’s not a 2-week solution. 😊 Best of luck to you!
Obviously, a 12 hour fast is not necessarily going to get you the benefits of a longer fast (every body is different, though), but any time you are not putting food in your body and giving itself time to heal is a victory. We need nourishment, though. Try your best to make the best choices you can with the 12 hours you do eat.