16:8 diet - does it really work?

nimesh_wagjiani

So I'm trying to lose 10kg to reach my goal of 63kg. I've started the 16 hours fast and 8 hours eating window.

Has anyone had any success with this type of diet? If so..
- what was your daily calories
- how long can you do it for
- does it lead to muscle loss

janejellyroll

You still want to choose a calorie goal that is based on your individual stats -- current weight and activity level. So knowing how other people set their calories isn't necessarily going to help you choose a goal.

You can do it as long as you'd like. There's no time limit. It's just an eating window.

It -- like any way of eating -- can lead to muscle loss if your deficit is too high.

malibu927

All 16:8 is is a time restriction. If you want to lose weight, you still have to create a deficit.

RoxieDawn

I have been eating in a 16:8 schedule for years now, so you can do this for life if you want to.

Its not going to help you lose weight, staying in your calorie deficit will do that. Muscle loss is minimal while losing weight as long as your do not have too aggressive of a calorie deficit (for long periods of time) and you consume enough protein in your diet; consider exercise/resistance training.

Katiebear_81

Intermittent Fasting is a tool for calorie deficit adherence. There is nothing specific about the eating window that helps you lose weight, unless it stops you from over eating by nature of running out of time to eat.

So plug all your stats into MFP, make a plan of the food you'd like to eat during your eating window, then execute it!

Lean59man

16:8 is not a diet, it is an eating schedule.

If it helps you to structure your eating in this manner then do it.

AnvilHead

There's nothing magical about 16:8 (or 18:6, or 20:4, or 5/2, or any other intermittent fasting schedule). It's just a time window, nothing more. Calories still dictate whether you lose, gain or maintain weight. Intermittent fasting won't make you lose weight faster, or increase/decrease fat/muscle gain or loss any more than any other eating schedule with equivalent calories.

You can do it for as long as you want to - all you're doing is altering the time window you eat in. Again, nothing magical or extraordinary about that. I've used a 16:8 eating schedule (more or less) for years, simply because it fits the way I like to eat. I'm not that hungry in the morning and I like having a lot of calories for dinner because that's when I'm hungriest. But if I'm hungry outside that 8 hour window, I eat. No big deal.

What leads to muscle loss is too large a calorie deficit, inadequate protein intake and/or lack of strength training. Not what time you eat your meals.

GottaBurnEmAll

AnvilHead wrote: »

There's nothing magical about 16:8 (or 18:6, or 20:4, or 5/2, or any other intermittent fasting schedule). It's just a time window, nothing more. Calories still dictate whether you lose, gain or maintain weight. Intermittent fasting won't make you lose weight faster, or increase/decrease fat/muscle gain or loss any more than any other eating schedule with equivalent calories.

You can do it for as long as you want to - all you're doing is altering the time window you eat in. Again, nothing magical or extraordinary about that. I've used a 16:8 eating schedule (more or less) for years, simply because it fits the way I like to eat. I'm not that hungry in the morning and I like having a lot of calories for dinner because that's when I'm hungriest. But if I'm hungry outside that 8 hour window, I eat. No big deal.

What leads to muscle loss is too large a calorie deficit, inadequate protein intake and/or lack of strength training. Not what time you eat your meals.

Might as well quote this, it sums everything up brilliantly.

I should note that some people really don't do well on 16:8, and some do.

I've been doing it inadvertently (before it was a *thing*) for years, because I recognized long ago that eating an early breakfast set off my appetite for the day. On mornings where I just drank coffee or tea, I tended to want to eat much less throughout the day.

For some other people, not eating breakfast tends to make them even more hungry later on.

Only you can find out what eating pattern best suits you. It's important to remember, as has been stated, that your total calories consumed, is what will drive your weight loss. The time frame in which you eat those calories might make sticking to your calorie goals a bit easier.

DaveJ_43

Plug this into YouTube for lots of great info: Thomas DeLauer intermittent fasting. This guys knows his stuff. I just started IF in the home stretch to my goal weight and the pounds have been dropping fast. Good luck!

DmaMfz

Just wanted to say whatever you do, be consistent, and choose something that you can do for an extended period of time. Only you can decide if IF is right for you. Sometimes having parameters helps people reach their goals, so they don’t reach for that extra treat after 8pm or whatever. At the end of the day all that matters is if you were in a calorie deficit.

Enjoy the food you eat. Embrace that you can eat when you decide. And make 2018 a positive catalyst for change that you can sustain. Good luck!

nowine4me

As mentioned, 16:8 is not a diet, it’s an eating style. You still need to be in a deficit to lose weight. Meal timing is just a personal preference.

murp4069

I did 16:8 IF for the better part of the last 10 years, not really on purpose but because that fit my hunger patterns best. I'd have a small breakfast if I was hungry, but usually I wasn't hungry so to me there was no point in having the extra calories. I felt it was a helpful tool to stay within my calories when I was losing weight. I've been in maintenance for a while now, with maybe a little to lose. A few months ago I was really suffering from low energy, so I tried eating a small breakfast, which has really helped and I just shave the calories elsewhere.

TL;DR - do what is best for you. If IF is helpful to you in maintaining your deficit and it fits your hunger patterns, do it. If you do it and it's not a good tool for you or your hunger patterns change, then stop. Good luck!