
While the 16:8 diet seems like a great way to drop weight fast, it does have some cons. Sarah Mirkin, RD, author of Fill Your Plate, Lose the Weight, a 21-day meal plan designed to help women over 40 lose weight, says, "I think that it limits food intake to such a small window of time that it's difficult for someone to meet their nutritional needs."
Well, it turns out that abrupt withdrawal may not be the best way to go. Some experts recommend starting with just a couple of days a week and working your way up, while others suggest gradually increasing the number of hours you fast from 12 to 14... up to 18. Still others say fasting isn't for everyone, and if it's making you miserable, just skip it. But I wasn't giving up that easily, so I tried the gradual approach, starting with 12, then extending my fasted hours over the course of the week and—surprise, surprise—those swirling food thoughts faded away.
There’s another reason why 16:8 dieters might end up eating less. “I think participants found it difficult to eat all of their regular meals and snacks within the 8-hour timeframe,” says Kristina Varady, PhD, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago and a co-author of the Nutrition and Healthy Aging study. If trying to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. seems like a squeeze, you’ll likely end up cutting out a meal or shrinking your portions.



There are a lot of food myths I used to eat up, but it turns out breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day (no data actually proves that it makes you healthier or thinner), eating frequently doesn't necessarily boost your metabolism (with a constant supply of carbs circulating through your system, your body can't burn fat) and, contrary to popular opinion, hunger pangs don't automatically lead to overeating. I used to answer the call of cravings like I spring to the ding of a text—often and with urgency—but fasting taught me how to be comfortable with the discomfort of hunger. Now I think of pangs like I think of my mother: Sometimes overbearing, always opinionated, but their alarm bell advice isn't always right or even warranted. What helped? Coffee, tea, keeping a schedule (see above) and knowing that hunger is just a sensation that comes and goes. Just make sure you don't take it too far, because intermittent fasting doesn't mean you should be starving yourself.




