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.
How To End Your Fast
One of the most important aspects of a fast is how you end it. The worst thing you can do is give your digestive tract a great cleanse and then eat a large amount of unhealthy, hard-to-digest foods immediately afterward. When ending this nutritious liquids fast, always resume eating by slowly adding small amounts of easy-to-digest foods back into your diet while continuing to follow the Ten Days to Optimal Health diet as closely as you are able to.
For more information on this fasting program, please consult my book, Ten Days to Optimal Health.
Health & Wellnesswhat Is The Omad Diet Learn How The One
That being said, exercise before you eat because people get hungry about half an hour after they finish working out and may find it too hard to stick to their plan if they cant eat anything at all afterwards, Varady noted.
If youre on the 16:8 plan, exercise before or during your eating window. If youre doing alternate day fasting and are exercising on your 500-calorie day, save food for after your exercise session.
Recommended Reading: Can I Drink Alcohol During Intermittent Fasting
Why Should I Fast
There are many benefits of intermittent fasting. They include weight loss, reduced inflammation, improved lipid levels or biomarkers of heart health, improved blood sugar control, improved insulin sensitivity and increased cellular recycling known scientifically as autophagy. Overnight fasting can also help prevent weight gain and preserve metabolic health and glycemic control. Intermittent fasting may be particularly beneficial for overweight individuals in terms of improving their expected healthspan, or length of healthy life.
The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Men
Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating where a person cycles between eating and fasting.
There are different variations of intermittent fasting.
Some people may only do it a couple of times a week, while others do it every day or every other day.
The benefits of intermittent fasting for men may slightly outweigh the benefits for women, but that should only be viewed as a positive result for men.
The research is clear that intermittent fasting is beneficial for both men and women.
Here are just a few of the benefits of intermittent fasting:
Read Also: How Do I Unsubscribe From Dofasting
/8intermittent Fasting Mistakes To Avoid
Whenever you think about losing weight or shedding a certain amount of kilos, you first list down the kind of diets you can follow and the exercises you can perform. Out of all the diet programmes, intermittent fasting is one of the most popular, which is more like a lifestyle rather than a diet.
Several researches have shown that intermittent fasting not only aids your weight loss goals, but also reduces your risk of different health conditions, which is absolutely fantastic! However, following an IF diet is not as simple as it seems. There are many ways it can backfire, which is why you must pay attention to the many mistakes you can make while following such a diet.
Optimal Intermittent Fasting Windows
This so-called time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting. Instead of fasting on alternate days or several 24-hour periods per week, time-restricted eating encourages dieters to limit their meals to certain windows of time.
Eating and drinking during a 10-hour window allows your body to rest and restore for 14 hours while drinking water, coffee or tea. According to study co-author Satchin Panda, PhD, Your body can also anticipate when you will eat, so it can prepare the body to optimize metabolism.
Other studies on time-restricted eating have found similar results. Researchers from the University of Alabama split obese men with prediabetes into two groups: One group ate all of its meals within an 8-hour window between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the other spread its meals out over 12 hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The study showed both groups maintained their weight but those who restricted their eating to an 8-hour window had lower insulin levels, reduced insulin sensitivity and lower blood pressure their appetites decreased, too.
Recommended Reading: 14:10 Diet
Switching Up Your Fasting Plan May Be Beneficial As Well
Some experts find that peopleâs fasting results eventually stall, in which case it helps to switch things up. âIncrease your fasting time to a few days a week or do a longer fast one day a week,â suggests Pedre. âIn the end, what works best is mixing it up for your body and keeping it guessing when food is coming.â
To learn more about what IF approach may be right for you, check out our other expert-powered articles about the different types of intermittent fasting plans, the ultra-popular 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule, and the fasting-mimicking diet. Also, be sure you know exactly what breaks a fast to ensure youâre getting the maximum possible benefit.
You May Like: What Can I Eat When Doing Intermittent Fasting
Popular Ways To Do Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has recently become a health trend. Devotees claim it can cause weight loss, improve metabolic health, and maybe even extend life span.
Every method can be effective, but figuring out which one works best depends on the individual.
Several methods of this eating pattern exist. But before embarking on an intermittent fast or deciding how often to fast, you should speak with a healthcare professional.
Here are 6 popular ways to do intermittent fasting.
You May Like: Drinking Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting
The Secret Of Healthy Weight Loss
Best intermittent fasting schedule Healthy weight loss
Yorukoglu mentioned that for the first item, 2 meals a day is enough for everyone. For the word breakfast is the most important meal, he said, This is a misunderstood urban legend.
So what is the most effective intermittent fasting schedule? The answer is actually very simple. In fact, the secret is very clear based on scientific data:
We quit the snacks. We only eat on the basis of 2 meals. The fasting hour actually starts at the hour when no one should eat.
So what is this time? 8 pm. This covers 8 pm and after when no one should eat. Because what you eat after 8 pm cannot be digested. When the fast ends, it is 12 pm.
Dr. Yorukoglu stated that people had tried diets for years and failed, and as a result, hundreds of people who went to see him after making an appointment for surgery got rid of unwanted weight with this method before surgery.
In addition, he also states that daily walking between 12 pm and 8 pm, before your fasting starts, significantly accelerates the rate of fat burning.
Seven Ways To Do Intermittent Fasting
There are many different ways of intermittent fasting. The methods vary in the number of fast days and the calorie allowances.
Intermittent fasting involves entirely or partially abstaining from eating for a set amount of time, before eating regularly again.
Some studies suggest that this way of eating may offer benefits such as fat loss, better health, and increased longevity. Proponents claim that an intermittent fasting program is easier to maintain than traditional, calorie-controlled diets.
Each persons experience of intermittent fasting is individual, and different styles will suit different people.
In this article, we discuss the research behind the most popular types of intermittent fasting and provide tips on how to maintain this type of diet.
There are various methods of intermittent fasting, and people will prefer different styles. Read on to find out about seven different ways to do intermittent fasting.
Don’t Miss: Is Fasting Necessary For Psa Blood Test
Which Type Of Intermittent Fasting Is Most Effective
Thats a REALLY great question! It really depends on your goals. If youre trying to lose weight, plans like leangains may be more effective for weight loss than a shorter fasting plan like crescendo intermittent fasting.
According to research, if you want to reap the benefits of cell regeneration, fasting plans at least 24 hours long, like Eat Stop Eat could help you tap into those benefits.
Want to burn off excess fat? The most effective intermittent fasting plans for that seems to be the ones that last at least 18 hours.
Recommended:
If You Need To Lose Weight A Diet That Focuses Mainly On When You Eat May Be A Good Way To Shed Pounds And Improve Your Cardiovascular Health
Anyone who’s tried different weight-lossdiets is probably familiar with their pitfalls. Low-calorie diets often leave you tired, hungry, and cranky. Low-carb or “keto” diets can cause cravings and constipation. Low-fat diets are also tough to follow and, contrary to popular belief, they do not seem to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Another diet trend, intermittent fasting, takes a different approach. Rather than limiting what you eat, this diet limits when you eat . For some people, that change may be easier to manage, says Dr. Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Short-term studies suggest that people stick to intermittent fasting diets as well as or better than they do to other diets. And according to a 2019 review article in the journal Nutrients, intermittent fasting promotes weight loss and may reduce risk factors linked to heart disease, including diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy blood lipid levels, and inflammation.
“However, we don’t have much evidence about how well this diet works over the long term,” says Dr. Rimm, noting that there are just two long-term studies of intermittent fasting, each lasting a year. Nor are there large populations of people who’ve followed this eating pattern for years. That’s in contrast to two other diets linked to a healthy heart and healthy body size the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet.
Also Check: Is 119 High For Fasting Blood Sugar
What Is The Best Intermittent Fasting Plan For Beginners
The best intermittent fasting plan for beginners is DEFINIELTY crescendo intermittent fasting because you dont have to fast for very long.
In fact, you may already be doing it without even realizing it. If you stop eating a few hours before bed and sleep 8 hours, you would have already fasted for 12 hours or gotten real close to it by the time you wake the next day.
Which Intermittent Fasting Plan Is Right For You
If youre brand new to IF, youll likely want to try out a few different methods to determine which one works best for you. Start slowly and ease yourself into a modified time restricted eating regimen, as recommended by Cleveland Clinic. So, for example, rather than jumping into a 16:8 method, try adopting a limited eating window, such as only eating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If youre looking for flexibility, try 16:8 or 14:10 fasting
This method is a safer and more flexible option, especially if youre just starting IF, according to Cleveland Clinic. With this method, you can set your fasting and eating windows and repeat throughout the week according to your personal preference.
If youre trying to lose weight, try alternate day fasting
In one study, ADF participants saw significant reductions in weight and body mass index: over the course of two to three months, trial participants lost 3% to 7% of body weight. The participants total cholesterol, fat mass, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were also altered. Overall, the study indicates that ADF is a feasible method for weight loss.
Additionally, a four-week ADF study found that body weight decreased by 4.5% while improving the fat-to-lean ratio, and concluded that ADF is a safe IF method for healthy, non-obese individuals.
If you are concerned about getting enough micro and macronutrients, try 5:2 fasting
Don’t Miss: What Is 14 10 Intermittent Fasting
The Proposed Health Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
When it comes to weight loss, there are two thoughts behind why IF has the potential to work. The first: Periods of fasting produce a net calorie deficit, and so you lose weight, explains Rekha Kumar, MD, a specialist in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYorkPresbyterian in New York City. The other concept is more complex: This approach may prevent whats called the plateau phenomenon from happening, she says.
You may remember the famous, so-called Biggest Loser study, published in August 2016 in the journal Obesity. The researchers followed up with participants after six years, and despite the initial impressive weight loss, they regained most of the weight, and their metabolic rates had slowed, such that they burned far fewer calories than would have been expected.
Though more research is needed on the safety and effectiveness of IF, one of the touted benefits of this approach is it may prevent this metabolic sputtering. Most people who try diet and exercise to lose weight tend to fall off the wagon and regain weight. Hormones that promote weight regain, like hunger hormones, are kicked into full gear, and the thought is that IF may be a way to prevent this metabolic adaptation from happening, says Dr. Kumar. Normal periods of eating in IF trick your body into losing weight before the plateau happens.
But Is Intermittent Fasting Good For You
While some researchhas shown the benefits of IF, such as weight loss, lowerblood pressure and improved metabolic health, more investigation isstill needed, especially regarding long-term outcomes of IF. There is also theaspect of sustainability. Severely restricting calories or not eating for longperiods at a time isnt for everyone. Some researcheven shows that those who do intermittent fasting dont usually stick with itas compared with those trying to lose weight on more traditional diets.
Still, IF has been shown to be an effective form of weight loss but so have other options like eating a well-balanced diet paired withexercise. One studysuggests that IF is not more effective at supporting weight loss or improvingblood sugars than other well-balanced approaches.
Weight loss is never a one-size-fits-all approach, saysTaylor. IF may be sustainable for some people, while others find that this approachjust isnt for them.
If you want to try IF, youll first need to figure out how you are going to incorporate this style of eating into your life, especially when it comes to things like social events and staying active, she advises.
Ready to explore your options? Here Taylor explains some of the most popular IF methods.
Don’t Miss: Can You Drink Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting
/8you’re Not Drinking Enough Water
When you’re on an intermittent fasting diet, there is no restriction on staying hydrated. Drinking water is the key factor that keeps your energy levels high when you’re fasting. If you do not drink enough water, you may not be able to keep up with the diet plan. It may lead to fatigue, cramps, headache and more.
Keeps Cells Healthy And Vibrant
When we fast we give our body time to rest and repair, tending to natural processes put in place to keep our cells healthy. Autophagy is an example of a process our body naturally undergoes to keep our cells healthy and in turn, keep us healthy!
Autophagy is the process our cells go through to remove waste and dysfunctional cells to help our body clean out damaged cells and regenerate new and healthier cells. Evidence suggests when we intermittent fast, we increase the frequency of this process, so our body works harder to remove any unwanted junk and dysfunctioning cells .
Increased autophagy may play a role in protecting us from several diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases .
Recommended Reading: Can You Drink Alcohol With Intermittent Fasting
Heres The Bottom Line
Its possible that intermittent fasting is not for you, and thats okay. At some point, if youve tried different variations and youre still feeling hungry or sluggish, it might be time to ditch the effort and just focus on healthy eating in general, but that doesnt mean it will be a total loss, Fung says.
For many people, trying this leads to a greater understanding about the effects of what theyre eating, he says. Even if you decide time-restricted eating doesnt work for you, that awareness tends to remain.
Does Intermittent Fasting Boost Your Metabolism
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves periods of food restriction, called fasting, followed by a period of regular eating.
This pattern of eating could help you lose weight, reduce your risk of disease, and increase your lifespan .
Some experts even claim that its beneficial effects on metabolism make it a healthier way to lose weight than standard calorie restriction (
4 ).
Studies have shown that when it comes to weight loss, intermittent fasting can be just as effective as traditional calorie restriction, if not more so .
In fact, a 2014 review found that intermittent fasting could help people lose an impressive 38% of their body weight in 324 weeks .
A 2016 review concluded that in people who have obesity or overweight, intermittent fasting may be a better approach to weight loss than very low calorie diets (
13 ).
There are a few different ways to try intermittent fasting. Some people follow the 5:2 diet, which involves fasting for 2 days per week. Others practice alternate-day fasting or the 16/8 method.
If you are interested in trying intermittent fasting, you can read more about it in this detailed guide for beginners.
Summary
Intermittent fasting is a powerful weight loss tool. It can also improve your metabolism and metabolic health.
Read Also: Is Fasting Necessary For A1c Test
