The Snake Diet is an extreme intermittent fasting diet — eating in a one- to two-hour window — founded by self-described fasting coach Cole Robinson. While the Snake Diet website makes numerous claims, including tighter, clearer skin, a revved-up metabolism, and reversal of Type 2 diabetes, the diet’s founder is not a qualified health care professional (there’s no designated fasting coach credential), and these claims aren’t based in scientific evidence.

As a registered dietitian, I believe the Snake Diet is not a healthy way to lose weight. Here’s more about the Snake Diet, plus why I’d suggest avoiding it.

The Snake Diet promotes fasting, sometimes for days at a time.  While other studied forms of fasting typically allow eating in an eight-hour window, such as 16:8 intermittent fasting, or eating lightly for two non-consecutive days, the Snake Diet may have you fasting for much longer — possibly more than two days, depending on the person.

Initially, everyone starts out with a 48-hour fast during which you may have Snake Juice (more on this below) and water, but nothing else. After that, fasting periods vary depending on the person and the amount of weight they have to lose.

There aren’t a lot of rules on the Snake Diet other than to eat within a two-hour window and not to go overboard during that time. However, given that you'll be fasting for at least 22 hours, it’s going to be very hard to control what and how much you eat when you're permitted to do so.