04\ The 16:8 Diet
WHAT IS IT?
The name refers to the ratio of daily hours spent fasting to eating. You fast overnight (and usually all morning), then consume your calories in an eight-hour window
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The diet of choice for A-list beasts such as Hugh Jackman and Terry Crews, the 16:8 approach has gained popularity thanks to the relative ease with which it fits into modern lifestyles. After all, research suggests that almost half of Britons don’t eat a proper breakfast anyway. Like other forms of fasting, it works by limiting your eating time to a strictly defined period. Not only does this cap your calorie intake by default, reducing your ability to graze, it also improves your body’s ability to burn fat by lowering your insulin levels.
The 16:8 has more scientific clout than most of the fasting diets. A University of Illinois at Chicago study found that it lowered blood pressure, and it’s also well suited to those who want to get Wolverineripped: a review in the journal Behavioural Sciences notes that rates of fat loss when fasting were just as high (sometimes higher) than regular low-calorie diets, while a study in the Journal Of Translational Medicine shows that the time-restricted feeding approach can help you lose fat while maintaining your hard-earned muscle.
Skipping your morning oats may look like the easiest way to implement the 16:8, but make sure you’re tailoring your fasting window to your workout time. ‘If you’re training in the morning, try to have breakfast shortly after your workout to fuel your muscles, then have an early dinner,’ says O’Shaughnessy. ‘If you’re training late in the day, I would skip breakfast and eat a bigger lunch instead.’ And on rest days? Just do whatever works. Unlike other fasts, the 16:8 doesn’t demand unwavering adherence and sticking to a rigid routine to deliver.
THE DIGESTED TAKE
Flexible benefits – 4/5