Short-term fasting is incredibly beneficial for the body. Blood glucose and basal insulin levels drop (a good thing), blood pressure is lowered, lipolysis is increased, adipocyte inflammation and other pro-inflammatory cytokines are decreased, insulin sensitivity increases, autophagy occurs in various cells (especially in neuronal cells - also a good thing), metabolic rate increases slightly (yes, contrary to what everyone says, abstaining from food for 24-48 hours does not in any way decrease your metabolic rate. downstream effects of nutrition on thyroid hormone don't begin taking effect until at least 72 hours of fasting - after this point, the body
does begin to decrease its overall metabolic rate), and mental focus is also increased in many individuals (fasting is a stressor and is not unlike other stimulants such as exercise or caffeine). So no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with either practicing some form of daily intermittent fasting (such as restricting your food intake to, say, an 8-hour window) or some kind of alternate day fasting, or even doing a 24-hour fast once or twice a week. Fasting is a stressor on the body, however, and so you need to make sure you're not subjecting yourself to excessive stress levels, especially if you do a lot of exercise. You also need to make sure you're getting decent nutrition on the days that you're not fasting, so eat plenty of nutrient-dense foods and take a multivitamin if you fail to do so.
As far as the OP is concerned, I would just advise you to eat nutritiously (fruits, vegetables, meats/fish, legumes, etc.) whenever you can (frozen fruits and vegetables are very cheap and taste great, so stock up on those). This is especially important if you consume alcohol frequently / in large amounts as alcohol
can deplete your body of certain nutrients, particularly the B vitamins. I would also advise you to exercise a few days a week: go for a jog and lift some weights. I advise everyone to start lifting and never stop, the only regret you'll ever have is never starting (trust me). Same goes for running, but weightlifting is critical and sometimes overlooked, especially in female populations.
Anyways, I'm not just some rando internet dude - I actually have a degree in nutritional science, and I'm going back to graduate school in a year to do research on obesity and diabetes. Quite frankly, fasting might be our best hope in terms of sustainable dietary interventions for obesity treatment, but even still, I'd like a more concrete solution that doesn't involve people having to make choices. We need cell therapy / new DNA technologies to change peoples genomes
in vivo so that they can survive in our obesigenic environment - one which just isn't going away any time soon. (Hey, what can I say? I'm a cynic, and I want the hard-fix).
Anyways, eat well, exercise, fast every now and then, live long and prosper.
Watch this, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJzOvdbpP5Y