Intermittent Fasting: The 16:8 Diet

There is research available for this version of intermittent fasting. It’s been shown to help people lose weight, lower their blood pressure, and reduce their risk of getting diabetes. This method is a lot easier for most people to do than other versions that require 24 hours of fasting at a time. This one instead asks that you fast for 16 hours a day, drinking only water and zero calorie beverages, and then eat whatever you like during an 8-hour window in the day.

Keep Your Eating Window Early

Studies show that eating between 7 am and 3 pm works better than choosing other times. However, this does not mean you have to do it that way. It really depends on your lifestyle. If you want to choose to eat between 10 and 4, that’s your choice. Just pick an 8-hour window and stick to that no matter what happens.

Eat Healthy Food

While many proponents of intermittent fasting claim that you can eat whatever you want, the truth is you can overeat and cause yourself to gain weight or not lose as fast. Start out with eating what you want to find out what happens. If you find that it’s not working for you, adjust your diet to consider calories, protein, veggies, and other nutrients. Some of us just happen to eat healthier than others.

Indulge Carefully

You can eat something “bad” for you if you want to, but you should include it in your calorie count. For example, if you want some cake, have it. Just have one serving and enjoy it as you have it. But don’t eat it mindlessly while watching TV. Also, avoid eating between meals.

Drink Water

Whether you’re on a diet or not, staying hydrated is imperative. However, one issue that remains true for most people is that because of ignoring our thirst cues from a very young age, we don’t know whether we’re hungry or thirsty. To combat this problem, divvy out your water each day so that you know by a glance whether you’ve had enough or not.

It’s Really All about Calories

There is no real trick to intermittent fasting other than reducing your calories. The research mentioned showed that on average, participants ate 350 calories less per day than if they were not doing this plan. Find out how many calories you need to maintain the weight you want to be and stick to that caloric level.

Be Prepared

Set yourself up for success by being prepared with the right 50-calorie snacks, zero calorie beverages, and healthy ingredients for healthy meal preparation. Plan how you’ll handle fasting times during social events, and you’ll be more likely to succeed.

When you are fasting intermittently, you’ll deal with hunger on your fasting days, but there are ways to combat it. Doing it will also help you understand what real hunger feels like. Many of our systems are messed up and don’t know the difference between thirst and hunger. This diet helps you learn the difference and make good choices.