Diet Rules and types of fasting to lose weight

The 16/8 diet is one of the weight loss methods that has become fashionable.

This type of diet is not about a particular diet or food selection but rather about limiting the hours you eat. The 16/8 diet is not a diet but one of the most common types of intermittent fasting.

The 16: 8 method creators suggest that fasting has been a practice throughout human evolution. Recent research associates it with several benefits.

This article details how to do the 16/8 diet and how and why you should start with this fasting method. How does it work?

Why go on the 16/8 diet? – Profits

Why do this famous diet called 8/16? In the first place, the creators of this method are based on the fact that our body has a mechanism called autophagy.

Autophagy is a process that has evolved in the body to eliminate cells that no longer serve. Fasting once in a while can be considered more natural than eating 3 or 5 times a day.

Additionally, studies have confirmed many benefits associated with the 16/8 diet. From regulating blood sugar levels to strengthening the immune system. (3,4,5,6)

The benefits of the 16/8 diet are:

  • Improve skin health
  • Remove body fat
  • Reduce the risk of certain types of cancer
  • Prevent type 2 diabetes
  • Strengthen the immune system

How to do the 16/8 diet?

The 16/8 diet consists of abstinence from food for 16 hours, followed by about 8 hours where eating is allowed. In other types of fasting, the duration of the so-called windows can vary, although the proportion in the 16/8 diet should be as its name indicates.

Going on the 16/8 diet involves skipping breakfast and restricting the daily feeding period to 8 hours. For example, from 12 to 8 pm, This is followed by a period of fasting for 16 hours. This cycle should be repeated at least twice a week.

By doing the 16/8 diet, you can divide the day into 2. You cannot eat for 16 hours, and you continue for 8 hours where eating is allowed. However, the amount of food should be the same.

In the fast, water, teas, and isotonic drinks without sugar are allowed.

To calculate the amount of food you need per day, you can use the concept of basal metabolic rate. Remember that when doing the 16/8 diet, it is not the amount of food that changes but the time of day.

Types of fasting – Which is better, 16 or 10 hours?

The main rule of the 16/8 diet is to alternate between 16-hour hours and eating for 8. However, fasting intervals can vary according to each person’s routine. The methods or types of fasting to lose weight are:

Fast 16/8Regular alternation of 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours for meals. It translates as an early dinner and turning down breakfast. Food can be consumed from noon to eight at night; the rest of the time, only drinks without sugar and bcaa amino acids are allowed.

  1. Fasting 10/14

This is the intermittent fasting regimen for beginners, 14 hours of hunger alternate with 10 hours where you can eat. Subject to this regimen, it is also recommended to control the glycemic index of foods and the rejection of simple carbohydrates.

  1. Fast 24/0

This is a full-day fasting method. Unlike other schemes, this fasting option is recommended no more than once or twice a week. In addition, the first meal at the end of the fast day must be carefully selected.

  1. Fasting 48/120

This two-day fasting method is for the experienced only. This regimen should not be carried out through complete starvation but with a daily calorie limitation to a minimum of 500 kcal. It is also not a recommended fasting method for beginners.

  1. Fasting LeanGains method

The Leangains Fasting Technique is a variation of intermittent fasting in the 16/8 mode modified for bodybuilding. Like the regular 16/8 diet, gains involve a daily combination of 16 hours of fasting with 8 hours of the meal allowance. This diet also allows bcaa amino acids and is considered one of the most effective for marking muscles.

Leangains logic is based on analyzing hormonal changes associated with intermittent fasting. According to legacies, this can allow an increase in testosterone. Ultimately, this has a positive effect on increasing muscle strength and burning subcutaneous fat.

Rules of nutrition in the diet 16: 8

If you decide to do the 16/8 diet, it is important to follow healthy eating rules as well as the number of calories should not be reduced to more than 500 kcal than average.

Second, the first meals after fasting should always provide some source of complex carbohydrates. Quinoa, buckwheat, and oats are an excellent food for breaking fast.

The main meals must be complete. You should include some sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. For vegetarians or vegans, don’t forget about plant proteins.

When doing the 16: 8 diet, sweets, sugars, honey, and other foods with simple carbohydrates should be avoided. These can drive hunger pangs out of control, making the 16-hour fast more difficult.

16/8 Diet – Results and Fundamentals

One of the 16/8 diet results is to improve skin health and carbohydrate metabolism. In particular, fasting hours allow for normalizing insulin levels that may have been altered by consuming sweet foods. (See carbohydrates with a high glycemic index )

By doing the 16/8 diet, you learn to control your appetite, and it can even help you reduce belly fat. All of this means that the 16/8 diet has gained ground as an effective method of losing weight.

Furthermore, studies state that the elimination rate of accumulated waste in cells (particularly defective proteins and organelles) only occurs when you have low energy levels. (1,2)

When energy is low and the cell is hungry, it destroys old or damaged proteins and turns them into an energy source—a way to renew the body.

16/8 diet vs. ketogenic diet

The results of the 16/8 diet are similar to those of the ketogenic diet. The main benefits of the 16/8 diet are that it is a safer method. In turn, some studies confirm that it can be used to reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. (2)

The ketogenic diet is a method that causes similar effects on insulin levels. However, the fasting period is less intense but more prolonged. This can cause long-term side effects, so the keto diet is not recommended for periods longer than 12 months. The 16/8 diet twice a week can be considered a lifestyle.

ABSTRACT

The 16/8 diet is a fasting method consisting of a regular food rejection.

The name of the diet refers to the 16 hours of fasting; it does not imply prohibiting certain food groups or reducing their quantity.

The 16/8 diet is one of the most popular modes of intermittent fasting, although there are other variations such as the 24/0 and 14/10 fasting.

The benefits of the 16/8 diet are the regeneration of damaged cells, optimization of carbohydrate metabolism, stimulation of growth hormone secretion, and elimination of body fat without making drastic changes in the type or amount of food to be consumed.

During the fasting hours, only water and teas are allowed. Including bcaa amino acids is allowed for athletes.

 

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