Drawbacks Of 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
16/8 intermittent fasting may be associated with many health benefits, but it does come with some drawbacks and may not be right for everyone.
Restricting your intake to just eight hours per day can cause some people to eat more than usual during eating periods in an attempt to make up for hours spent fasting.
This may lead to weight gain, digestive problems and the development of unhealthy eating habits.
16/8 intermittent fasting may also cause short-term negative side effects when youre first getting started, such as hunger, weakness and fatigue though these often subside once you get into a routine.
Additionally, some research suggests that intermittent fasting may affect men and women differently, with animal studies reporting that it could interfere with fertility and reproduction in females .
However, more human studies are needed to evaluate the effects that intermittent fasting may have on reproductive health.
In any case, be sure to start gradually and consider stopping or consulting your doctor if you have any concerns or experience negative symptoms.
Summary
Restricting daily food intake may cause weakness, hunger, increased food consumption and weight gain. Animal studies show that intermittent fasting may impact men and women differently and may even interfere with fertility.
Bottom Line: Fasting Does Work
When it comes to fasting, theres a sweet spot. Well tell you more about what that looks like in the coming chapters. For now, just know this: Fast too intensely or for too long? Folks fall apart.
Get it just right, however, and people can experience a wide range of benefits, ranging from improved fat loss to better health.
In the next chapter, well explore those benefits in depth.
Intermittent fasting: The basics
How Long Does Intermittent Fasting Take To Work
Updated on Medically reviewed byKimberly Langdon, MD
Picture this, you are new to intermittent fasting. Each day you climb the scale, looking for a difference in your body weight, yet the figures remain relatively the same.
Now, you are probably worrying. You might be wondering if you are doing it right. Knowing how soon to expect results with intermittent fasting might help you become more patient with this diet.
So, how long does it take?
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You’re Forgetting To Drink Water Throughout Your Intermittent Fasting Diet
Fasting or not, staying hydrated helps you fight off hunger and cravings. Shapiro reminds us how essential it is to drink up during the fasted state. “Since the body is breaking down components while you fast, water is needed to detoxify them and flush out the toxins. This can also help you to feel full,” she says.
Try keeping a large reusable water bottle by your desk so you can sip throughout the day.
But What Happens If I Break Intermittent Fasting For A Day
In that case, Im assuming you just need a break from all the fasting and healthy eating and figured youd indulge for a bit. Or maybe theres an event you want to go to and you need to break your fast to enjoy your time with family and friends.
I say go for it. Treat it as a cheat day.
For one, your mental health and relationships matter, too. If being on intermittent fasting on that particular day doesnt give you a sense of peace, then I personally dont think its worth it.
Second, a study from the International Journal of Obesity suggests that cheat days actually help you lose weight because it helps restart your presumably sluggish metabolism as a result of being on a low-calorie diet.
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You Are Not Eating Enough Protein
If you find that your meals cannot carry you across your fasting period to your next eating window, then you might need to adjust your diet.
Consider including more lean protein in your diet. It does not matter the type of protein, vegan and animal protein, all are fine.
Proteins can help keep you full till your next meal. Furthermore, if you are exercising during this period, proteins are important for building your muscles and protecting your bone health.
Your meals should have healthy fats, carbs, leafy greens, and proteins.
How To Get Started
16/8 intermittent fasting is simple, safe and sustainable.
To get started, begin by picking an eight-hour window and limit your food intake to that time span.
Many people prefer to eat between noon and 8 p.m., as this means youll only need to fast overnight and skip breakfast but can still eat a balanced lunch and dinner, along with a few snacks throughout the day.
Others opt to eat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., which allows plenty of time for a healthy breakfast around 9 a.m., a normal lunch around noon and a light early dinner or snack around 4 p.m. before starting your fast.
However, you can experiment and pick the time frame that best fits your schedule.
Additionally, to maximize the potential health benefits of your diet, its important to stick to nutritious whole foods and beverages during your eating periods.
Filling up on nutrient-rich foods can help round out your diet and allow you to reap the rewards that this regimen has to offer.
Try balancing each meal with a good variety of healthy whole foods, such as:
- Fruits: Apples, bananas, berries, oranges, peaches, pears, etc.
- Veggies: Broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, leafy greens, tomatoes, etc.
- Whole grains: Quinoa, rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, etc.
- Healthy fats: Olive oil, avocados and coconut oil
- Meat, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, nuts, seeds, etc.
Drinking calorie-free beverages like water and unsweetened tea and coffee, even while fasting, can also help control your appetite while keeping you hydrated.
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Benefits Of 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
16/8 intermittent fasting is a popular diet because its easy to follow, flexible and sustainable in the long term.
Its also convenient, as it can cut down on the amount of time and money you need to spend on cooking and preparing food each week.
In terms of health, 16/8 intermittent fasting has been associated with a long list of benefits, including:
- Increased weight loss: Not only does restricting your intake to a few hours per day help cut calories over the course of the day, but studies also show that fasting could boost metabolism and increase weight loss (
- ).
Summary
16/8 intermittent fasting is easy to follow, flexible and convenient. Animal and human studies suggest that it may increase weight loss, improve blood sugar levels, enhance brain function and extend longevity.
Other Intermittent Fasting Results
Starting this eating pattern, you will notice a significant change in your life. Intermittent fasting will cut down the amount of money and time you spend preparing food. Also, this new diet will improve your overall health. In the modern age of unhealthy foods and stress lurking around every corner, almost every person faces issues with insulin at some point in their life. Intermittent fasting can lower insulin levels by 30%! This will decrease the risk of diabetes and reduce blood sugar by approximately 5%.
Read Also: How To Lose Weight By Intermittent Fasting
Does The 16 8 Diet Really Work
It may also help boost metabolism.
A 2017 study suggests that intermittent fasting leads to greater weight loss and fat loss in men with obesity than regular calorie restriction.
Research from 2016 reports that men who followed a 16:8 approach for 8 weeks while resistance training showed a decrease in fat mass..
How Often Can You Do Intermittent Fasting
This also up to you. There are no set rules on how often you can do intermittent fasting for. You can have an initial phase where you hit your goals after a couple of weeks. Then have a break for say 3 months and eat the routine way for the 3 months.
Then, re-start intermittent fasting again for another 3 months, have a break for 3 months and do the same thing again.
You can use a 2 month ON, 2 months OFF model, 4 months ON, 4 months OFF . Do this repeatedly. No rigid rules about how often you can fast intermittently.
If the question is about how often to fast during the week, it would depend on the IF plan you adopt. The 5:2 requires you to fast 2 days a week . Alternate day fasting is as the name suggests, every other day.
The 2 days you fast in the 5:2 plan are not actually a total fast. It only requires you to hold back on your calories to 500 Calories for those 2 days.
The true 24-hour fast may require you to do this twice or three times a week, if you can handle that frequency.
If you cant, even one day a week is okay until you get comfortable with it and you can then try 2 days a week.
Even one day a week is certainly better than what you are currently doing. It will still work. Its just going to take longer.
So, if you want to know how many weeks to do intermittent fasting, all I can say is theres no one size fits all approach.
Read Also: How Long Should I Be Intermittent Fasting
Will Intermittent Fasting Make You Ridiculously Hungry
Maybe not.
To explain why, wed like to tell you about a one-day experiment we suggest to our coaching clients: Fast for 24 hours.
Oh, do people fear this experiment. They worry so much about how horrible it will be.
But by the end of the 24 hours?
They tell us things like, You know, it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I thought I would be a lot hungrier.
Theres a scientific reason for this. Hunger hormones are released in waves based on when our bodies expect us to eat, which is usually after about five hours of not eating.4
But if you dont eat at that time, the wave of hunger will diminish, until the body thinks its time to eat again.
You know that hungry feeling you get about four or five hours after your last meal? Where your stomachs rumbling to remind you that its been a while?
Hunger peaks at that pointand immediately diminishes.
After a while, even if you havent eaten, you get less hungry.
About 20-24 hours later, hunger comes back again. But never as bad.
End result: Fasting doesnt generally make you feel as hungry as you might expect.
With More Time To Digest I Definitely Felt Less Bloated
One of the intermittent fasting results Bates mentions in her program is better gut health. She suggests having an “ACV sipper” 20 minutes before your first meal-that’s a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water. I didn’t do this every day, but thanks to my wholehearted love for ACV , I enjoyed the days I did. The ACV is meant to help you digest your first meal better.
I can’t be sure this is what kept me from getting bloated by the afternoon , but I really did feel “deflated” on this plan. The full 16 hours of fasting at night probably didn’t hurt either, along with more time to digest between meals. .
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How To Do It
The easiest way to follow the 16:8 diet is to choose a 16-hour fasting window that includes the time that a person spends sleeping.
Some experts advise finishing food consumption in the early evening, as metabolism slows down after this time. However, this is not feasible for everyone.
Some people may not be able to consume their evening meal until 7 p.m. or later. Even so, it is best to avoid food for 23 hours before bed.
People may choose one of the following 8-hour eating windows:
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- noon to 8 p.m.
Within this timeframe, people can eat their meals and snacks at convenient times. Eating regularly is important to prevent blood sugar peaks and dips and to avoid excessive hunger.
Some people may need to experiment to find the best eating window and mealtimes for their lifestyle.
Why Haven’t You Seen Intermittent Fasting Results While Following The Diet
However, while research shows that many folks are trying their luck with IF, people often find that they’re not seeing optimal intermittent fasting results as quickly as they expected.
If you’re not witnessing a trimmer waistline and bloat-free belly, don’t quit just yetyou may be guilty of committing these five mistakes.
Find out how you can improve your IF experience and reap the results you’ve been dreaming of before throwing in the towel with our guide below.
Stop the following 5 bad habits so you can finally see the intermittent fasting results everyone raves about.
Recommended Reading: Is Intermittent Fasting An Eating Disorder
And Some Of The Donts Of Intermittent Fasting:
2. Do not add a lot of milk to your coffee. Only use half or teaspoon of milk when having tea or coffee. Milk does contain lactose which is sugar. This could derail the plan. Only use a small amount.
3. Use your fasting period to do stuff. Dont sit idle. Getting busy will stop you thinking about food.
4. Dont keep changing your feeding window if you are on the plan that allows food at certain times. If your eating window is between 12 Noon and 8pm, try and maintain that consistency every time. Its all about teaching your body to adapt to a new way of eating and fasting.
5. Do not go to social events where the place will be awash with food on your fast days. The temptation of having so many food choices and so much food around might be too much for you to resist.
6. On your feed days or eating window as the case may be, you should exercise caution in how much food you consume. Theres no need to stuff your face with so much food in an attempt to compensate for the fast period.
It is not a feast or famine ethos and you should refrain from seeing it as such. Eat sensibly!
Above all, be resilient. Its not as hard as it appears. Start small and build up.
If you like your coffee, you may be also interested in the answer to the question: does coffee break a fast?
Suggested further reading:
Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy
The benefits of fasting largely stem from calorie restriction. When you fast, you obviously eat less .
Fasting also stimulates many cellular and molecular mechanisms that our bodies use to thrive in conditions of food scarcity. Blood sugar, insulin, resting heart rate, and blood pressure all decreasewhile insulin sensitivity and cell clean out improves. Those are all positive signs.
But the IF story isnt 100 percent good news.
Recommended Reading: What’s The Meaning Of Intermittent Fasting
How Do I Lose 20lbs In A Month
How to Lose 20 Pounds as Fast as PossibleCount Calories. It may sound like a no-brainer, but counting calories is one of the easiest and most effective ways to start losing weight fast. Drink More Water. Increase Your Protein Intake. Cut Your Carb Consumption. Start Lifting Weights. Eat More Fiber. Set a Sleep Schedule. Stay Accountable.More items
Why Am I Not Losing Weight On Intermittent Fasting
You underestimate portions. If youre not losing weightdespite staying within your calorie needsthen its time to look at serving sizes. Its common to miscalculate how much youre actually eating, which leads to consuming more calories than you think. This is particularly true with calorie-dense foods such as cheese
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How Long Does Intermittent Fasting Take To Show Results
You might begin to first notice a difference in your body about 10 days after you begin intermittent fasting. It could take between 2-10 weeks for you to lose significant weight. You might lose up to a pound each week.
Usually, the first signs you will notice that scream that your intermittent fasting is working is less bloating. Your midsection might look trimmer just over your first week of intermittent fasting.
Observing weight loss will take a little longer as your body needs some time to adjust to this new diet.
At about the second week is when most people first notice that they have dropped their first few pounds. If you have still not lost any weight by week two, stay consistent for about four or five more weeks and your results should come in soon enough.
It Could Lead To Negative Side Effects
The Warrior Diet may lead to side effects, some of which could be severe.
Potential side effects include (
- Hormonal imbalance
- Weight gain
In addition, many health professionals argue that dieters will not get enough nutrients when following an intermittent fasting plan like the Warrior Diet.
However, as long as healthy, nutrient-dense foods are chosen and calorie needs are met, nutrient needs can be covered by carefully planning your food choices when following the Warrior Diet.
Summary
The Warrior Diet is inappropriate for many people, can be hard to stick to and may lead to negative side effects such as fatigue, insomnia and hormonal imbalance.
Hofmekler suggests that anyone starting the Warrior Diet should follow an initial three-week, three-phase plan to improve the bodys ability to utilize fat for energy.
Read Also: How Do I Start Fasting
Intermittent Fasting 16/8 For One Month
My favorite method of Intermittent Fasting is using the 16/8 principle. This means youre going to fast for 16 straight hours and then follow that up with an 8-hour feeding window.
Its great to start your Intermittent Fasting journey using the 16/8 method because its going to be much more sustainable to complete over your first month. Many people who try to do more than end up burning out quickly and give in to the hunger pains that can come with fasting.
16/8 Intermittent Fasting works great too because you can still eat dinner. One of the biggest problems people have found with Intermittent Fasting is its hard to skip dinner at night. Most people like having dinner with their family or friends and enjoy relaxing with a meal after a long day.
So using the 16/8 method of Intermittent Fasting will allow you to still eat dinner so that means youre going to skip breakfast the next day. This is going to be much easier on your lifestyle as most people are busy in the mornings. Work, school, kids, etc. will keep most people busy in the morning so skipping breakfast isnt that big of a deal.
Just make sure you provide your body with nutrients during your fast such as ketones from Keto Elevate, lots of water, black coffee, green tea, and even some zero-calorie sparkling waters. These will help to curb some of the hunger pains that can come with fasting especially if you arent already used to it.
