I've been seeing r/intermittentfasting show up on the front page so I'm giving it a shot. I already skip breakfast most days. I'm having my first meal at noon, dinner around 7, with a final snack at 8. I'm not overweight, but I could lose 5 pounds, and advocates seem to think the benefits aren't only about weight. I have some questions.

1. I feel like I'm eating less just because of the time window. I feel like that's more significant than any of the actual fasting.

2. Sometimes I throw down some snacks just before the 8 hour window ends since I know I won't be able to eat later. How bad is that?

3. I've read that fasting for longer periods is much more "effective." I could probably do 18/6 or 20/4 one or two days a week. Is that worth it?

4. Do I need to do this daily? I don't mind, but is it diminishing returns or is daily clearly better if you can manage it?

5. I'm not really struggling to maintain 16/8. Should I do it forever?

6. I eat whatever the heck I want. I don't count calories or manage portions. Does IF still provide some benefit?

edit: added 6

edit2: I eat low-carb in general, but not all the way to keto.