16/8 Intermittent Fasting – 8 Hour Diet For Fast Weight Loss

If you want to try intermittent fasting to lose weight, we can help. Try the 8-hour diet. Here, you will fast for 16 hours and feast for 8 hours. This intermittent fasting (IF) strategy aids in faster weight loss and body weight regulation than any other diet. Also known as the 16/8 diet or 16/8 intermittent fasting, research shows that the 8-hour diet reduces cholesterol and high blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity (1). Read on to get all the details about the 8-hour diet, including the foods to eat and avoid and the 8-hour diet menu plan, and understand if this diet is for you.

At A Glance: The 8-Hour Diet

• Principle: Time-restricted diet where you eat within an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours
• Purpose: To make the body use its fat store for energy, improve metabolic health, and promote weight loss.
• Who It Is For: Individuals trying to lose weight, restrict mindless eating, and minimize the risk of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
• Duration: Long-term
• Who Should Avoid: Individuals with low blood sugar levels, women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, and people with type 1 diabetes who are on insulin.
• Cons: May lead to persistent hunger, nausea, mood swings, weakness, and fatigue.

What Is The 8 Hour Diet?

The 8 hour diet follows a time-restricted eating plan that is highly effective for weight loss. And you don’t even have to compromise on your hunger or health. The 8 hour diet is a type of intermittent fasting (IF) where you can eat anything you want within the 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours. This diet was popularized by the authors, David Zinczenko and Peter Moore in the book, The 8 Hour Diet, and it is also known as 16/8 intermittent fasting.

A survey conducted on 1,241 US Americans found that 24% of the respondents had tried intermittent fasting. It was further noted that out of the 9 in 10 people who had tried this diet, 50% found it very effective and 37% found it somewhat effective for weight loss.

Trivia

Popular diets like time-restricted eating, the 5:2 diet, the Eat-Stop-Eat method, alternate-day fasting, and the Warrior Diet are all variations of intermittent fasting.

How Does The 8 Hour Diet Work?

The 8 hour diet works in the following ways:

• Stimulates The Function Of The Mitochondria – Mitochondria are cell organelles that convert glucose to usable energy (ATP). Fasting for 16 hours helps stimulate the mitochondria and reduces the level of intracellular damage caused by a poor diet (2), (3)
• Uses Up Glycogen And Fat Stores – Glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in your muscles and liver (glucose metabolism). In a fasted state, your body first uses up glycogen for fuel and then gains access to fat stores (4).

The 8 hour diet teaches you how to trigger the “furnace” in your body that burns fat while you sleep, so that the flab can get stripped away right from the moment you wake up, thereby optimizing your metabolic rate.

• Burns The Calories You Consume – According to David Zinczenko and Peter Moore, the authors of The 8 Hour Diet, modern lifestyles involve grazing or eating around the clock, which does not give your body sufficient time to burn all the calories that it is required to.

While you are fasting, your body gets the chance to reset itself and digest food. This allows your body to process nutrients and eliminates toxins effectively.

• Keeps You Satiated – Most diets are restrictive. From portion control to caloric restriction, there are various terms and conditions that the dieter needs to follow. The 8 hour diet takes the pressure off a traditional “diet”.

Having the freedom to eat everything within an 8 hour window keeps your taste buds alive and prevents boredom. That’s why it is sustainable.

Main Idea – The 8 hour diet stimulates your metabolism, burns the glycogen and fat stores, and gives your body enough time to digest food and eliminate toxins. It is a great weight loss strategy as it facilitates hunger management, better food choices, improved digestive health, and appetite control. It keeps your interest in the diet alive by allowing you to eat anything you want.

Considering all of that, is the 8 hour diet safe? Here’s what science says:

Is The 8 Hour Diet Safe? 

Yes, the 8 hour diet is safe. In fact, fasting has various health benefits.

Research shows that people who fast intermittently shed fat without affecting their muscle mass. Their blood cholesterol levels improve, they become more insulin sensitive, and the risk of diabetes and metabolic diseases reduces leading to chronic disease prevention (5), (6), (7). An intermittent diet can help women with PCOS to improve their insulin resistance levels and is good for overall cardiometabolic health. However, you must follow the schedule as mentioned in the next section.

However, you must follow the schedule as mentioned in the next section.

8 Hour Diet Or 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Schedule

Follow the 8 hour diet every alternate day initially. Later, you can follow it every day or once every two days, depending on how long can you survive without food and also if you are losing weight and feeling good.

Design your schedule according to your lifestyle. Observe when you feel hungry the most (is it during breakfast or lunch?). How many hours do you work or are in school? Do you work out?

If your day starts at 8 am, you can eat from 8 am to 4 pm. Well, if that’s too early, use the 10 am – 6 pm window. Fast until 10 am the next day.

Quick Tip

You can be flexible with your schedule and change up your timings to accommodate sudden changes in your daily routine on weekends or holidays. Simply count 16 hours from your last meal the previous day to your first meal of the present day.

Here’s a sample diet plan for the 8 hour diet or 16/8 intermittent fasting:

Sample 8 Hour Diet Plan 

Apart from the foods mentioned in the chart, here’s a list of foods you may eat and avoid to lose weight.

16/8 Intermittent Fasting Foods To Eat

• Vegetables And Fruits – Any vegetable or fruit.
• Proteins – Beans, soy, tofu, lentils, eggs, fish, chicken breast, turkey, lean cuts of beef and pork, protein bars (limited amount), and protein shakes.
• Grains – Brown rice, black rice, white rice, broken wheat, wheat, barley, amaranth, quinoa, and sorghum.
• Dairy – Any dairy product (unless you are lactose intolerant).
• Fats And Oils – Olive oil, rice bran oil, canola oil, butter, ghee, mayonnaise, and margarine (all in limited amounts).
• Desserts – Chocolate pudding, bread pudding, banana muffins, cupcakes, homemade cakes, ice cream, custard, chocolate, etc. (all in limited amounts).
• Herbs And Spices – Any herb or spice, unless you are allergic to any of them.
• Beverages – Fresh fruit or vegetable juices, tender coconut water, detox drinks, green tea, black tea, and coffee.

16/8 Intermittent Fasting Foods To Avoid

• Fats And Oils – Lard, coconut oil, butter or mayonnaise in excess.

• Beverages – Alcohol (consume limited amounts), aerated and sweetened beverages, packaged fruit juices.

Main Idea

– You can eat anything you want. But make sure that you avoid consuming too many foods with saturated fats, refined sugar, and artificial additives.

The 8 hour diet has many health benefits apart from weight loss. They are listed below.

8 Hour Diet Health Benefits

• Helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol (1)
• May reduce blood pressure (1)
• Improves metabolic markers to some extent (8)
• Helps flush out toxins (8)
• Has been found to increase energy expenditure and browning of fat in mice (9)
• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disordersⁱ  A group of disorders related to the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attack, heart failure, and heart muscle disease. (10)
• Lowers the chances of type 2 diabetes (1)
• Balances hormones (1)
• Mice studies show that fasting can increase longevity (11), (12).
• Studies suggest that intermittent fasting may have such an impact on one’s circadian rhythm that it may possibly reduce heart disease risk (13).
• Research suggests that intermittent fasting may help you stay focused and improve cognitive impairment that occurs due to aging (14).

Like any other diet plan, the 8 hour diet also has a few side effects. Check them out.

Side Effects Of The 8 Hour Intermittent Fasting

If you are trying the 8 hour diet for the first time, you may experience the following:

• Nausea and mood swings in the initial days

Erin Notz, a blogger and health and wellness writer, tried the 16/8 intermittent fasting method and shared her experience in her personal blog. She writes, “It turns out, skipping breakfast wasn’t the hard part of IF. I actually felt really focused and energized in the mornings, once I got used to the diet. Even when I wasn’t eating breakfast at my normal time, which I thought would cause me to feel sluggish and tired…. The tough part ended up being at night after my eating window was over & I was back in the fasting portion. I was trying to eat from 11 AM-7 PM, so by 10/11 PM, I would almost always feel hangry (i).”

• After dinner, you may feel like late-night snacking.
• People may end up eating more after fasting for 16 hours. This may lead to weight gain.
• Fatigue and weakness
• Low blood pressure
• According to a rat study, when done in excess, intermittent fasting may shut down the reproductive system and cognitive abilities in females (15).

Main Idea – The 8 hour diet plan is perfect for weight loss and improving your health. But do not go overboard. Consult a doctor and get expert advice to make this diet successful.

Hence, you should be absolutely sure if the 8 hour diet or 16/8 intermittent fasting is for you. Here’s a checklist to help you.

Should You Try The 8 Hour Diet or 16/8 Intermittent Fasting?

Try it if:

• your doctor approves of this diet.
• you are supervised by your doctor.
• you feel comfortable fasting for 16 hours.
• you do not have hypoglycemiaⁱ  A condition in which blood sugar level is lower than the standard range. Can be caused by diabetes and other health conditions. or any other medical issue.

Note: Those with a history of eating disorders or unhealthy eating patterns should avoid intermittent fasting, as the structured eating and fasting windows may make their issues worse.

If your doctor has given you the green signal to try the 16/8 intermittent fasting, here’s a list of what to do and avoid while on this diet:

Dos & Don’ts Of The 8 Hour Diet

Infographic: Things To Know About The 8-Hour Diet

The 8-hour diet is a popular eating pattern that limits eating to an 8-hour window, with a fasting period of 16 hours. This approach has gained attention for its potential health benefits and impact on weight management. Take a look at the infographic below to explore the health benefits associated with the 8-hour diet, as well as the potential risks and considerations to keep in mind before adopting this eating pattern.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you drink alcohol on the 16/8 diet?

Yes. One or two glasses of wine during the weekend is fine. However, do not exceed the limit.

How often should you do the 16/8 fasting?

Start with every alternate day. Increase or decrease the frequency depending on the weight loss goals, how much weight you lose, and how it is making you feel.

Can you do 16/8 fast every day?

Yes, you can. Do it only if it feels natural to you. Do not push yourself. In case you experience emotional craving, deprivation, gastric distressⁱ  A class of a group of digestive disorders with symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, cramps, etc. , or sleep issues, do not follow this diet every day.

How much weight can you lose on the 16-8 hour diet?

You may lose between 7 to 11 pounds in ten weeks on a 16-8 hour diet (14). However, the actual weight loss will depend largely on your body weight, existing metabolism, and calorie intake.

How long does it take to see results from 16-8 intermittent fasting?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that you may start noticing a difference within 10 days of being on intermittent fasting, including changes such as less bloating, tightness, clothes fitting better, etc.The amount of workout you get and your exercise performance also make a difference. However, it may take between 2 to 10 weeks to see a difference on the weighing scale.

How do I stop hunger during intermittent fasting?

Eat proteins and healthy fats when you close your eating window to keep yourself fuller for longer. Also, keep sipping on water throughout the duration of your fast to practice hunger management.

Does intermittent fasting get rid of loose skin?

The 16-8 hour intermittent fasting diet has not been linked with tightening of loose skin.

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Dr. Geeta DharmattiMSc, PhD

 

Dr. Geeta Dharmatti is the Director and Founder of Geeta Nutriheal Consultancy (Nutrition Services Consultancy) and an Executive Member of the Indian Dietetic Association. She has done her Masters in Nutrition and PhD in Clinical Nutrition.

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Charushila BiswasHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.

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Ravi Teja Tadimalla is a Co-Editor-in-Chief and a published author. He has been in the digital media field for over a decade. He graduated from SRM University, Chennai, and has a Professional Certificate in Food, Nutrition & Research from Wageningen University.

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Payal Karnik is a senior health and wellness writer and a Certified Health and Nutrition Life Coach. She is a biotechnology graduate from the University of Mumbai with a keen interest in writing and a natural curiosity for science.

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