I've found an occasional 24 hour intermittent fast is a good way to drop a bit of fat while sparing muscle. Eating mainly protein or limiting carbs the day before definitely helps you to get through the fasting period.

IF is supposed to have health benefits as well, such as a slight detox effect.

I can see why IF probably wouldn't interest anyone whose agenda is solely to bulk up, but for anyone cutting it's actually a reasonably quick, easy and successful way to retain muscle while going for a slight calorie deficit.

24 hours doesn't sound 'quick', but omitting anything between 2000 to 4000 calories in one hit gives you plenty of scope to eat as much and possibly more than usual for the rest of the week!

Be warned, you will definitely suffer hunger pangs during the fast, but if you ignore them for a few minutes until they go or have a glass of water they will soon disappear. You won't be hungry all day, I promise!

I've done a 3 day fast and after the first few hours didn't really give food a thought. Towards the end I felt a bit shaky and knew that was as long as I wanted to fast, but although I wouldn't rush to do it again I felt it was worth it for the supposed health benefits it gives.

I know a lot of people will freak at the thought, but in my experience it works and it's not as difficult as it sounds. If you've ever half thought about it and balked, then my advice is bite the bullet, have a go and decide for yourself.