Rules And Guideline: How To Do It
The basic rule to get started with your 16:8 diet plan is to pick an eight-hour window and restrict your food intake during that time span.
You also need to choose the 16-hour fasting window that includes the time that you will be sleeping.
You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8 pm. Some people love food consumption in the early evening, as metabolism slows down after this time. However, every one has personal preferences.
The three most common types of 16/8 Intermittent fasting are:
Who Should Not Do Intermittent Fasting
Well, if you suffer from high blood sugar, have heart issues, or any serious health conditions then refrain from making any significant changes to your dieting without first seeking professional guidance from a doctor and nutritionist.
Intermittent fasting can be dangerous for some people who have diabetes and heart issues due to the restriction of nutrients for an extended period of time. And those with heart issues should be careful to maintain healthy electrolyte levels.
Also, those with eating disorders should not do a fasting regime without consulting with a doctor because a lack of self-control is a big issue for many sufferers which can be detrimental to health. But on the other side of the spectrum, if you know that you may not possess the discipline to be consistent then you might want to implement a typical calorie-restricted diet until you develop better habits conducive to sticking with the eating regime.
Another group who should not attempt to implement intermittent fasting is pregnant women since it may adversely impact the function of ovulation and menstruation according to one study.
What Is 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.
The 16:8 intermittent fasting is a form of schedule fasting plan. It involves consuming foods during an 8-hour window and avoiding food, or fasting, for the remaining 16 hours every day.
There are no restrictions on the types or amounts of food one to eat during the 8-hour window. This flexibility makes the plan relatively easy to follow.
Some people believe that this technique works by supporting the bodys circadian rhythm, which is its internal clock.
The eating and fasting cycle are repeated based on personal preferences. Some people do it just once or twice per week. Some people do it to every day.
Most people who follow the 16:8 plan abstain from food at night and for part of the morning and evening. They tend to consume their daily calories during the middle of the day.
16/8 Intermittent Fasting How to Do
Read Also: How Long To Intermittent Fasting
Consider The Intermittent Fasting Plan Right For You:
Some of the popular regimens include:
The 16:8 diet, or time-restricted feeding, where you fast for 16 hours a day, but are free to eat whatever you want in the other eight hours. Experts advise picking an eating window that lets you finish your meals fairly early, such as 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or earlier, because your body is less efficient at putting sugar away as the day goes by.
Alternate day fasting, which means limiting yourself to 500 calories one day, then eating whatever you want the next, and then repeating that process.
The 5:2 plan, which means incorporating two non-consecutive fast days into your week, then eating normally during the other days.
Here are four tips to keep your plan on track:
Should I Eat 6 Small Meals A Day
There are a few main reasons why diet books recommend six small meals:
1) When you eat a meal, your body does have to burn extra calories just to process that meal. So, the theory is that if you eat all day long with small meals, your body is constantly burning extra calories and your metabolism is firing at optimal capacity, right? Well, thats not true.
Whether you eat 2000 calories spread out throughout the day, or 2000 calories in a small window, your body will burn the same number of calories processing the food .
So, the whole keep your metabolism firing at optimum capacity by always eating sounds good in principle, but reality tells a different story.
2) When you eat smaller meals, you might be less likely to overeat during your regular meals. I can definitely see some truth here, especially for people who struggle with portion control or dont know how much food they should be eating.
However, once you educate yourself and take control of your eating, some might find that eating six times a day is very prohibitive and requires a lot of effort. I know I do.
Also, because youre eating six small meals, Id argue that you probably never feel full, and you might be MORE likely to eat extra calories during each snack.
Although grounded in seemingly logical principles, the six meals a day doesnt work for the reason you think it would , and generally only works for people who struggle with portion control .
Thats why we made this:
Also Check: Do You Need To Be Fasting For A1c
Fasting Reduces Calorie Intake
Many of the intermittent fasting studies that have been performed showed that by merely reducing the number of hours during which participants consumed food, they lost weight. In many cases, there were no restrictions placed on the participants regarding what or how much food they could eat during their eating window .
In my book, Intermittent Fasting Diet Guide & Cookbook, I reviewed many of these studies. The obvious question that these studies lead us to ask is, Does that mean calories are unimportant when you are fasting?
In other words, can you eat whatever you want without consequences, as long as you eat everything within fewer hours? After all, it worked for the research participants. Lets take a look at what it means to be in a study.
You’re Eating Too Many Calories
Restricting the time you get to eat doesn’t always cut back calories as much as you might think, if you over-consume during your eating window.
What’s over-consuming? Do a reality check on how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. This can be done using a formula or the body weight planner by the National Institute of Health.
Track everything you eat in a given week using FitDay.com,Lose It!, or MyFitnessPal, and see if you’re eating more calories than your body needs, even though you’re restricting the timing of those calories. If you are, you know what to do.
Don’t Miss: When Fasting How Many Calories
Been On Keto For A Few Months And I Wake Up At 3 Am Every Morning With A Cortisol Rush Any Pre
I think the dawn phenomenon kicks in around at a very high level at around 3 am, but since Im a light sleeper, I totally wake up at 3 am, being alert, and cant easily fall back to sleep. I am not diabetic. Any pre-sleep ketogenic nutrition changes to delay the rush of cortisol so I can sleep uninterrupted until 5 am or later?
Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
Adding a minor amount of carbs in the evenings can help, but also reduces the effect of a ketogenic diet somewhat.
Best,Andreas
You May Like: What Is Juice Fasting For Weight Loss
Do Calories Matter When Fasting Summary
- Fasting studies have shown that reducing the hours we consume food causes weight loss without conscious food intake restrictions.
- Consistent adherence to a fasting routine may reduce the need to count calories.
- You can lose your ability to recognize true hunger due to a poor diet, resulting in an increased need to track your calorie intake.
- Pairing intermittent fasting with a low carb/high-fat diet will give you a weight-loss edge and could reduce your need to track calories.
Recommended Reading: Is Fasting Good For The Liver
Intermittent Fasting Diet Meal Plan
You can find your suitable 16:8 setting by trial and error method. But the example clock arrangement here is one of the is ideal for most people. We started the eating time at 10 am. You can move forward 1-2 hours or backward 1-2 hours if you wish.
Day 1
2 boiled eggs1 slice of cheese 5 olives1 slice of whole wheat bread1 tomato
Mix 1 tablespoon of oat bran with 1 bowl of yogurt.
6 pm:
2 kinds of Turkish side dishes2 slices of whole grain bread
You can find detailed recipes of side dishes here. Click the link, choose 2 of them and have them ready for your dinner.
Day 4
10 am:
Breakfast
A large bowl of curd cheese salad made with garlic, onion, green pepper, olive oil, tomato, thyme, cayenne pepper1 slice of whole wheat bread
2 pm:
A glass of smoothie made of apples, raw almonds and milk
6 pm:
1 serving of boiled chicken breast2 tablespoons of boiled chickpeas3 tablespoons cooked brown rice
Day 5
What Are The Possible Side Effects
There can be a number of possible side effects of intermittent fasting.40 Heres what to do if you encounter them:
- Hunger is the most common side effect of intermittent fasting. This may be less of an issue if youre already on a keto or low-carb, higher-fat diet.41Learn more
- Constipation is common. Less going in means less going out. However, keep in mind this is a normal response to eating less. It is not a concern and shouldnt require treatment unless you experience significant bloating or abdominal discomfort. Standard laxatives or magnesium supplements can be used, if needed.
- Headaches are common and tend to disappear after the first few times on fasts.42 Taking some extra salt often helps mitigate such headaches.43
- Mineral water may help if your stomach tends to gurgle.
- Other possible side effects include dizziness, heartburn and muscle cramps. Learn more
A more serious side effect is the refeeding syndrome. Fortunately, this is rare and generally only happens with extended fasts when one is undernourished.44
Since most of these side effects are manageable, they do not mean you have to stop your fast. However, if you truly feel unwell, are excessively dizzy, profoundly weak or have other severe symptoms, then you should break your fast.
Just remember to go slowly when you break it and prioritize fluids and salt . And of course, if the symptoms persist, see your doctor immediately.
You May Like: Is Fasting Necessary For A1c Test
What To Eat When Intermittent Fasting
Of course, we know that an all-or-nothing approach isnât always warranted or sustainableand that there are still plenty of benefits to be had in the territory that lies between a strict water-only fast and eating a full-blown meal.
Some foods maintain many of fastingâs benefitswhile keeping you sane. So, many experts say itâs OK to consume certain caloric foods in small quantities to help you stick to an intermittent fasting plan.
Case in point: To help patients stay happy and compliant with their fast, integrative physician Amy Shah, M.D., allows the consumption of 30 to 40 calories from sources that wonât spike blood sugar, like coffee or tea with a splash of unsweetened almond milk. âI call this âdirty fasting,’â says Shah. âFor me, I like to fast as long as possible with just waterthat might be 13 or 14 hours of a water fastthen Iâll have my tea with almond milk and end at around 16 hours.â
Even Horne agrees that some perks of fasting remain with minimal food intake: âOne mechanism that is known to remain active when a small amount of food is consumed is ketosisas long as you consume less than 50 grams of carbohydrates ,â he says. âSome effects, such as the impact of fasting on the gut microbiome, may be different depending on whether itâs a water-only fast or a very-low-calorie diet with a small amount of food consumed, but both may provide some level of benefit when compared to eating a standard amount of food.â
Best Foods To Break A 16 Hour Fast
The best way to break a 16-hour fast is with nutrient-rich foods that can fuel your body with the nutrition it needs to stay healthy.
Nutrition refers to more than just calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats . It also includes micronutrients like vitamins and minerals both essential for many body functions.
As you can imagine, its not about the number of calories alone that will determine your success with intermittent fasting but the quality of the foods that make up those calories.
The top nutrient-dense foods to break a 16:8 fast include:
- Lean proteins: chicken and poultry, meat, fish, legumes , eggs, nuts, and seeds.
- Vegetables: fresh or frozen, the richer in color the better.
- Fruits: fresh or frozen, a variety of fruit is the best option.
- Whole grains: rice, oats, quinoa, wheat , and other ancient grains.
- Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado , coconut oil, and fats from nuts .
The most important thing to remember is to provide your body with a variety of foods from which it can get the nutrition it needs.
Eating the same foods each day can lead to nutritional deficiencies and meal boredom.
Also Check: When Does Intermittent Fasting Start
What Should You Eat On A : 8 Intermittent Fasting Plan
There are no rules about what you can and cant eat on an intermittent fasting protocol IF works with any eating plan. If youre adopting intermittent fasting for health reasons and particularly if youre fasting for weight loss then being mindful of what you are eating during your eating window is essential. The standard American diet of ultra-processed foods wont help you achieve the health benefits you desire.
To get the most out of intermittent fasting, make high-quality nutrition the cornerstone of your plan. In other words, prioritize unprocessed foods, focus on vegetables, quality protein, and healthy fats, and leave the processed junk for an occasional indulgence.
What Is The : 8 Diet
The 16:8 diet is a type of intermittent fasting where you break each day into two parts a 16 hour stretch and an 8 hour period. For 16 hours every day, you consume nothing but water, coffee, tea and other unsweetened drinks. Then for the other eight hours of the day, you can eat all your meals and snacks.
The 16 hour stretch sounds like a long time, but if youre getting enough sleep, you should be asleep for about half of that time.
Sports Scientist Harry Aitken tells GoodtoKnow, Intermittent fasting is a dietary technique in which all food is consumed within a relatively small window of time. Fasting is going for a significant period of time without eating, and intermittent fasting simply brings in a small window of time where you are able to eat.
Intermittent fasting has been popularised and studies have gone on to confirm that it leads to weight loss and fat loss.
The 16:8 diet stems from the book 8 Hour Diet by author David Zinczenko and editor-in-chief of Mens Health Peter Moore, who suggested that a longer fasting time between eating gives the body the time it needs to process the food and burn away extra fat.
You May Like: What Is Keto And Intermittent Fasting
How Does It Differ From The 1: 8 Method
This plan may sound very similar to the 16:8 intermittent fast with just a smaller feeding window, however, it is actually very different to execute. Heres why:
How To Maximize Weight Loss On Intermittent Fasting
Aim to cut 3500-7000 calories from your normal weekly consumption
Thats the weekly equivalent of the calories youre supposed to cut to lose 1-2 lbs of weight per week.
I know, I know. I keep yapping about losing 1-2 lbs weekly but thats because if you want to maximize your success on any diet, the CDC says losing your weight gradually is whats going to help you keep the weight off.
Also Check: How Many Calories Can You Have During Intermittent Fasting
Antipsychotics And Metabolic Syndrome
I work as a psychiatrist and there is a lot of attention to weight and metabolic parameters when people use antipsychotics. With risen hunger usually as the biggest problem. Any studies done on this group with LCHF? And do you think it can reverse the perceived starvation/hunger?
Erik
Hi Erik!
To the best of my knowledge, there are no studies on this. My own pet theory is that drugs that act as dopamine antagonists reduce food reward and result in people wanting to eat more to get the same food reward.
In theory, a low-carb diet could help at least partially to reduce this problem, as a low-carb diet tends to reduce hunger.
Best,Andreas
Also Check: How To Do Intermittent Fasting 16 8