16-8 Intermittent Fasting – Beginners guide
Intermittent fasting has become a hot new topic among fitness enthusiasts and researches. Intermittent fasting diets like the 16-8 diet promises weightloss, better performance, higher rate of fat burning and retention of lean muscle.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting means dividing up the times you eat during the day. This simply means that you will eat during a specific time of day, and then not eat during others. The theory behind intermittent fasting is that in the past we were hunter-gatherers. Back in the those old days, food was scarce and was not avalible 24-7. Because of that, we have evolved to eat when food is avalible. It was neccesary to be at peak physical condition when out hunting, where you would often be hungry.
We apply these same principles in our modern day. Intermittent fasting means going many hours without food, and exercising during these fasts and restricting our diets.
What is 16-8 intermittent fasting?
The 16-8 diet means that you only eat for 8 hours a day and fast the remaining 16 hours of the day. This might seem like alot, but the 16 hours includes sleep. The idea is to wake up and exercise while your stomach is still empty. This will force your body to burn through the fat deposits in your body, as it dosent have anything else to draw energy from.
During the 8 hours of mealtime you should be eating plenty, and during the 16 hours of fasting you should be drinking water. Some also drink tea or pre-workout during the fast.
Benefits of Intermittent fasting
Research has shown surprising benefits of intermittent fasting. In animal studies, it has been shown that intermittent fasting improves cardio, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and helps with weight-loss.
Some studies have shown that an intermittent diet is more effective at inducing weight-loss than a traditional diet where the intake of food is constant. Performance dosent seem to drop when people fast as compared to when they are full. Even more surprising, some people report to have more energy, and increased mental clarity when they are on a 16-8 intermittent diet.
Lean gains
The 16-8 diet is often referred to as “lean gains”. When you exercise on an empty stomach, your body is forced to use those built up fat deposits. The 16-8 diet hits your body fat on two fronts. First by restricting the amount of calories you take in. Secondly, it forces the body to use the fat you do have, while maintaining muscle and performance.
The diet also has practical benefits. For example, you will spend less time in the kitchen preparing food, and that means less dishes to do. With less meals come flexibility. You might only need to prepare two meals a day instead of 3. This is because the key to the 16-8 diet is the timing of when you eat, and not portion sizes, so feel free to eat your fill.
16-8 diet does not force you to count calories or keep tabs on “macros”. However, these can be used to supplement any healthy diet. For those of us that are prone to snacking, 16-8 diet can be a big benefit, as it helps to eliminate those late night snacks we eat out of boredom.
How to fast safely
To follow the 16-8 intermittent fasting responsibly, be sure to drink plenty of water in the mornings. You can also drink coffee or green tea, as long as you dont use cream og sweeting agents. Some people substitute this for pre-workout.
Some people also intake BCAA before training to retain muscle mass while fasting.
During your 8 hours of eating, you should eat high quality foods that satisfy all your dietary needs and macros. You should make sure to stay hydrated and consume enough protein to maintain muscle mass.
Even though the 16 hours of fast seems like a long time, you should take care not to overeat. As your body runs at a deficit during most of the days, it is especially important not to turn to junkfood, as that wont satisfy your bodys needs at all.
Closing words
Intermittent fasting, like the 16-8 intermittent fasting can be an effective way to help lose weight, and increase physical performance. The 16-8 diet consists of 16 hours of fasting, and 8 hours where you are allowed to eat. The diet dosent requiere you to follow detailed makros, and is therefore pretty easy to follow. The diet can uniquely reduce fatty tissue while retaining muscle mass, leading to “lean gains”. While practicing intermittent fasting, be sure to stay hydrated, and eat high quality food.