The research into fasting and the gut biome over the past few/several years has been fascinating, mostly because it all boils down to rather simple mechanisms with hugely beneficial results. I do wish that the media would respect their readers enough to delve into the details, because the "maybe, maybe not" summaries aren't helpful.

To expand on the detail-light article, you're not actually "fasting" until 10-12 hours after you've finished digesting the last thing you ate, at which point you're in the "postabsorptive state." During this period, autophagy breaks down damaged cells and encourages regeneration from healthier ones, resulting in reduced inflammation throughout the body, drastically increased blood glucose control, and measurably reduced risks for a number of diseases and common health issues.

The article discusses the logistics of eating schedules, but it's important to note that when it comes to autophagy, it appears that an hour is an hour. Studies into fasting 3 hours per day for one month (84-90 hours total) have roughly the same results as fasting 3-4 consecutive days in one month (72-96 total hours). So it seems that any amount of fasting you can fit into any given day is going to be beneficial. Sticking to some strict schedule may help some people keep to a routine, but it's not necessary, and may actually be detrimental for folks who feel "failure" in missing schedules or not meeting milestones.

For me, the easiest way to maximize fasting hours and still feel full throughout a day, is to eat between 10am-2pm. If I wake up around 8-9am, that's approximately 6-8 hours of fasting and ~175 hours in a month. And as for the meals, I eat a large salad and then whatever else I want in those four hours. It ends up being about 1,500 calories, and at no point during the evening do I feel hungry or even think about eating. It doesn't need to be complicated, and from the research, I feel confident that I'm getting benefits from however many hours of fasting I manage to get.