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The easiest way for me to start a fast is to eat a big meal in the middle of the day, and start the fast afterward.


To preface: I usually never eat breakfast, eat a very small lunch to tied me over until dinner and keep energy levels up, and get most of my nutrition at dinner. I do this specifically to help me sleep, as this is one thing (in combination with a few other things) that helps me fall asleep and stay asleep. I've had bad insomnia since I was a teen. I wake up in the middle of the night and my mind races, where it can take hours to fall back asleep, if at all.


I'm currently on a low carb diet. I noticed when I ate a bigger meal in the middle of the day, I wouldn't be hungry at night. So, I started to begin my fasts after those larger than normal lunches, and skipped dinner that night. That period of sleep helped to stave off the initial hunger pangs which often presented the worst hurdle to maintaining a fast, at least for me. It gave enough time for the stomach to shrink and the the body to realize what I was doing. The next day's hunger was still present, but slowly decreased throughout the day. Doing this, if you eat around noon to 2ish, by the time you wake up the next day, you've already been fasting for 16-20 hours.


I've also noticed an increased ability to go low calorie for a few days doing the same routine, where I start with a big lunch, skip dinner, and the next day or two I'll only have very small meals when needed to keep up energy levels and stave off the worst hunger pangs. Apparently, according to a cursory search, if the meals are small enough, this doesn't completely stop a fast and autophagy. But, I'm not as knowledgeable as others on the subject, so take it with a grain of salt. However, this does help practice for fasting, and really helps to lose weight, if it's needed.