Intermittent fasting can be very instrumental in successful weight loss.Fasting often receives a stigma, because of the long-term effects of extended days without food. If you fast for many days, your body will go into starvation mode and ultimately store more fat once you start eating again. But, intermittent fasting, which is short periods of fasting (about 24 hours at a time, once or twice a week), can be very instrumental in successful weight loss. Author of Eat Stop Eat and the creator of the Eat Stop Eat Program, Brad Pilon, says that in a fast of just 24 hours, you could potentially lose 1/3-2/3 of a pound of fat. Think of it like an occasional break from eating, not as a "challenge" to see how long you can go without eating. That way your body can reap all the benefits of fasting, with none of those long-term fasting effects. Another good rule is to not eat if you're not hungry. So much of your hunger is not hunger-based, in the physical sense. Fasting helps your body re-learn true hunger and un-train the bad habits. The great thing about intermittent fasting, says Pilon, is that it's flexible. If you decide to fast today, but then a surprise business dinner comes up, you can just push off the fast until the next day or later in the week.  During the fast, Pilon advises no food but plenty of clear liquids (water) and to go as calorie-free as possible. When you DO eat, you still have to eat responsibly. Eat in a way to maintain your body weight. You're not dieting; you're letting the fasting to take care of the weight loss. Finally, when you're fasting, you want to keep busy. Boredom is just going to lead to "cheating" on your fast. But, try not to fast on a day when you're super-stressed or if you're exerting a lot of energy.  Listen in as Pilon joins Dr. Friedman to share more about the benefits of intermittent fasting, as well as tips for fasting successfully.