https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-2-diet
One Meal A Day is just one meal every day.
16:8 provides minor benefits, with fasting 16 hours and eating allowed for 8 consecutive hours.
You can build up to what can work for you. I will say the five day fast still provides 1,100 calories one day and 750 the other four, but the food specifically will not trigger IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor 1) and mTOR during the fast, because the food and vitamins and minerals were selected (or dosed) to prevent that. Of course, anything added by a dieter might be too much and then trigger things that stop the autophagy the diet does, though.
The scientist that developed that diet says its biggest benefit is not weight loss, but the autophagy and renewal process it creates. Autophagy doesn't really kick in until the third day, they say, which tells me shorter fasts don't help with autophagy much, but do help with glucose, insulin, and reducing calories, still.
Very kind of you. I think I’ll take the plunge and do the five day fast.do you have a link to a good description of the rules?