For a long time, it was thought that fasting or going long periods of time without eating was detrimental to your health and would hinder weight loss goals. The thinking was that by not eating, your body would enter a 'starvation mode' and store whatever you ate next to have nutrients available in case you couldn't eat again soon. While this may be true in the long run, it has actually been found that intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight and can possibly improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation. Intermittent fasting simply means cycling between a period of fasting and non-fasting; there are different variations of intermittent fasting that people follow and just depends on what works best for each individual.

There are many variations of intermittent fasting that people practice and two popular types are alternate-day fasting as well as the 16:8 protocol. With alternate-day fasting, you fast for a 24-hour period and then follow a 24-hour non-fasting period. However, this may seem a little too extreme for some people and they choose to eat every day, but at very specific times. For example, a person following the 16:8 protocol may not eat breakfast and have their first meal at 11 a.m., with their eating window closing at 7 p.m. They then fast again for 16 hours until they begin eating again the next day at 11 a.m.

In terms of calories with intermittent fasting, a popular method is the 5:2 fast diet. That simply means five days of 'normal' eating and two days of eating only 500 calories a day for women and 600 calories a day for men. The 500 and 600 calories a day are based on the rule of thumb that on a 'normal' day, women need 2,000 calories and men need 2,400. However, you can always calculate your specific caloric needs with a number of online calculators.

If this sounds like something that might appeal to you, here are five potential benefits from intermittent fasting that might just make you a convert:

Jumpstart your weight loss

When you start intermittent fasting, it is a 'shock' to your system so to speak and you will immediately see some weight loss. According to authoritynutrition.com, this is thanks to blood levels of insulin dropping significantly, which facilitates fat burning. While the weight loss may be more rapid right at the very start, the levels of insulin dropping and encouraging fat burning will remain a sustained benefit.

A faster metabolism

While it's long been thought that fasting is actually harmful to your metabolism and puts you in a starvation state, research now shows that short-term fasting increases your metabolic rate by 3.6 to 14 percent. This means you will burn more calories while decreasing the amount of food you are eating at the same time resulting in quicker weight loss.

More efficient cellular repair

Fasting initiates a process in cells called autophagy, which is basically a waste removal process. By fasting, you stimulate your cells into breaking down and metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins that build up over time. This may lessen your risk of developing diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer in the future.

Less abdominal fat

Many people complain that their stomach is the first place they seem to accumulate fat and frustratingly enough, the last place they lose it from. In a 2014 scientific review, it was found that people who intermittently fasted lost 4 to 7 percent of their waist circumference, meaning they lost harmful belly fat that can contribute to dangerous diseases such as Type II diabetes and heart disease.

Possibly help fight cancer

Although further tests are needed to confirm intermittent fasting's cancer-fighting abilities, some research has shown that those who have cancer can 'starve' the cancer cells when they fast intermittently. The science behind this theory says that the cancer cells can't withstand the periods of 'starving' as well as healthy cells, making them more susceptible to chemotherapy. Because intermittent fasting also improves your insulin sensitivity and reduces your insulin resistance — two factors that doctors believe can cause cancer — you also may be warding off cancer when you decide to try the intermittent fasting approach.