18:6 Diet

Just to piggyback on what @Silentpadna said - I've done 16:8 for years. I've lost weight, gained weight and maintained weight while doing it. Whether I was losing, gaining or maintaining has always had to do with how many calories I was eating. If I was eating at a caloric deficit, I lost; if I was eating at a caloric surplus, I gained.

Intermittent fasting can be a helpful way to control your calorie intake (for some people - for others it's nothing but misery), but it's not magical. It still comes down to how many calories you eat, and you won't lose weight any faster eating your calories in a 4, 6 or 8 hour window than you would eating the same amount of calories at any other time of the day. Over a two-year span where the vast majority of my weight loss took place, I was eating on a 16:8 schedule and my long term weight loss trend tracked almost exactly with what was predicted by my calorie deficit.

Nothing wrong with trying it and seeing if it works for you. If you find it helpful, great; if not, know that you're not missing out on anything by not doing it. The best, most optimal eating schedule is the one that keeps you most satisfied and allows you to stick to your diet, because success comes from consistency over the long term.

Tati14 wrote: »

Thank you... I do have a question which is my set back. I workout 6 days a week I have a routine weights and cardio daily my problem is figuring out how many calories am I suppose to consume if doing 16:8? Any suggestions or advice?

The same number of calories you'd consume if you were eating them any other time of the day. Use MFP to set up your calorie goals and eat back a portion of your exercise calories (it's generally recommended to eat back 50-75% of them, since exercise calorie estimates are often overblown). Just like in this example, courtesy of @tinkerbellang83: