The 8-Hour Diet for Easy Weight Loss is based on simple principles that combine food intake with a few hours of fasting.
A type of Diet also known as intermittent fasting does not necessarily have to be adopted at once since it allows you to start with about three consecutive days following the meal and fasting plan and progressively increase those times until it becomes a lifestyle that will enable you to always be in shape.
The creator of the 8-Hour Diet is David Zinczenko, editor of Men’s Health magazine, who describes this weight loss plan as an eating method many people follow that offers good results.
As has already been seen with other famous diets, many celebrities prefer to opt for magic formulas that promise to lose a lot of kilos quickly and with almost no effort.
Well, the 8-hour Diet promises to lose weight more quickly but in a more balanced way, including a change in habits in the type and form of eating.
Table of Contents
What is the 8-Hour Diet?
The good news is that the 8-Hour Diet has no limits when it comes to eating, even though it does make some suggestions for making healthier choices. The idea is that the body can maintain the energy levels necessary to carry out the day’s activities and stay fit.
Among the guidelines this Diet proposes to lose weight healthily is to incorporate “Super Foods” and “Fat Burning Foods.” Thus, foods high in fibre content, natural fats, fresh fruits and lean meats will be part of the menus of a weight loss plan based on a good diet.
How to do the 8-Hour Diet
This is a simple and easy-to-follow plan where you should eat only within eight hours and not eat the rest of the day. In this way, the body will fast for sixteen hours, but it is possible to do as much as desired in the previous eight hours.
Despite being a diet to lose weight in which it is allowed to eat everything for eight hours each day, it is recommended to restrict refined carbohydrates such as sugar, bread and pasta.
Those who cannot resist the temptation to eat some refined carbohydrates daily can do so while observing a combination with another energy food that helps burn fat, such as dairy, chicken, legumes or healthy foods that include vegetables, whole grains or oats.
As explained in the beginning, the 8-Hour Diet does not need to be adopted daily at once and can start with three consecutive days of an 8-hour plan in which you can eat at will, followed by 16 hours in which you will fast. Reducing the consumption of sugary drinks as much as possible is recommended, limiting alcohol intake to a daily glass of wine.
It is suggested, for example, to drink a glass of water every morning before breakfast, hydrate throughout the day and take a daily walk of at least ten minutes or do any physical activity that helps keep the metabolism active and burn energy.
As its name indicates, the 8-hour Diet is based, precisely, on fasting a large part of the day, where the first 8 hours of each day, it is possible to eat all the foods you want and also in the desired quantities, but always and when the remaining 16 hours of each day do not take anything solid.
In short, the slogan of this Diet to lose weight is “eat as much as you want,” but for a certain period (8 hours) and fast the rest of the day (16 hours), being essential to perform some physical activity, even when it is moderate, to facilitate reaching the goal of losing weight with a healthy diet.
What to Eat on the 8-Hour Diet
Its name already indicates the main characteristic of this 8-hour Diet; still, for the weight loss plan to be effective and allow you to lose up to 4 kilos during the first week, there are some restrictions to consider and certain foods that will have to be included, while others should be avoided.
A diet to lose weight that starts from fasting; the 8-hour fast is an eating plan based on a theory that promulgates spending several hours a day without eating food as a good habit to improve the functioning of the body, helping to lose weight in a way effective.
By following this weight loss plan created by David Zinczenko, the promise is that you can lose up to 4 kilos in a week without stopping eating those foods that other weight loss plans prohibit.
The key to the 8-Hour Diet is that during the “16-hour fast” period, the body consumes the energy from the food eaten during the first 8 hours of each day, thus speeding up the metabolism.
With this method to lose weight, it is achieved that nothing is ingested during the night. Therefore, the calories taken during the first hours of the day have been transformed into energy.
Guidelines for carrying out the 8-hour diet
The most important thing about this 8-hour Diet is that it starts when you get up each morning. Thus, if it is 8 in the morning, you can eat as much as you want, but until 4 in the afternoon, after that time, the fast begins, and it is only allowed to drink water.
Looking for a better body adaptation to this new Diet, it is allowed to start doing the 8-hour Diet for three consecutive days. In this way, the body can adapt to fasting and then progressively increase the days until it is possible to follow the plan throughout the week.
As a suggestion, before eating any food every morning, it is recommended to drink a large base of water and take a walk for about 10 minutes to “wake up” the metabolism. It should be remembered that water is essential in eliminating toxins and liquids, and it is ideal for drinking about eight glasses of water daily.
8-hour diet foods
Although the 8-Hour Diet is a simple plan without prohibiting consuming certain foods, it is recommended to follow a balanced and healthy meal plan. It is considered that the only things strictly prohibited from drinking are alcoholic beverages and sugary drinks.
The weight loss plan of this Diet will include the so-called “Super-Foods” that appear divided into two large blocks, depending on their properties. Thus, there are fat-burning foods and healthy foods, each with its characteristics:
Fat-burning foods :
- Proteins: Like eggs, meats and lean fish, all of them ideal foods to burn fat quickly and efficiently, being possible to eat the amount of protein you want during the first 8 hours of the day.
- Dairy: With the only exception that they are low in fat and sugar, being the ideal to consume light cheeses, light natural yogurt, and skimmed milk.
- Seeds and grains: They are also an excellent food to incorporate into the Diet to lose weight because they help burn fat by following a healthy diet. Lentils, chickpeas, peas, and cereals fall into this category.
- Infusions: Both green tea and coffee have well-known antioxidant properties, but it is also necessary to add their fat-burning and slimming effect to them; being recommended to drink between 2 and 4 cups a day, a tip included in Ángel Gil’s Nutrition Treatise.
Healthy foods :
- This list includes the fruits, vegetables and vegetables that can be included in the 8-Hour Diet to be consumed daily and in the desired quantity.
- Within fruits, some are attributed slimming properties because they give a feeling of satiety and maintain hydration thanks to their water content. Watermelon and melon are within that group, providing vitamins C and D to the body.
- Citrus fruits, such as orange, kiwi or grapefruit, have high antioxidant power, are healthy and provide a low percentage of sugar. The apple also has excellent slimming power. Thanks to its large amount of pectin, it offers a high purifying effect, like blueberries, currants, grapes and quinces.
- Already, within vegetables, radish stands out for being a spicy vegetable but is widely used in weight loss diets, being ideal for incorporating it into salads since it is healthy and provides fibre and water with a low caloric level.
Example of a menu in the 8 o’clock diet
Below we share an example of the 8-Hour Diet menu:
Necessary: When you wake up, drink a large glass of water every morning.
Breakfast
Option 1 :
- One cup of cereal with fruit.
- One cup of coffee with skim milk.
Option 2 :
- Two slices of whole wheat bread with turkey.
- One cup of green coffee or tea.
Two hours after breakfast
Option 1 :
- One cereal bar.
Option 2 :
- Fruit salad.
Lunch
Option 1 :
- Green beans with potatoes.
- Grilled beef steak.
Option 2 :
- Green salad.
- Pasta with steamed vegetables.
1 hour after lunch
- 1 skimmed yogurt.
- One piece of fruit.
Before starting the fast
Option 1 :
- Artichokes with York ham.
- Light cheeseburger.
Option 2 :
- Salad of green leaves and tomato.
- Lentils With Vegetables.
Important note
Including a protein shake without carbohydrates in the Diet is advisable since it is helpful because it provides a good amount of protein and does it quickly.
Variants of the 8-Hour Diet
The “16/8 Strategy” is the basis of the 8-Hour Diet and an alternative for many who want to lose weight more quickly. The so-called 8/16 meets this requirement because it consists of fasting every day for 16 hours and concentrating on the meals for 8 hours.
A diet that can be taken as a variant of the 8 hours is the “Warrior Diet,” a weight loss plan popularized over a decade ago by Ori Hofmekler in his book “The Warrior Diet.” This was the first author to talk about the concept of “intermittent fasting” and brought some ancient diets to the present.
The approach to the Warrior Diet is to perform a daily fasting phase that lasts from night to early afternoon the next day. There is then a stage of “free food” that begins in the early afternoon, where you can only consume some fruit, preferably low in sugar and raw vegetables.
If you feel hungry, it is possible to incorporate a little protein but not carbohydrates, which are only allowed in the “overeating” phase, unlike the 8-hour Diet in the Warrior Diet.
Thus, in this intermittent fasting diet, the most substantial menu is at night, when the main meal is made and basically until satiety, with greater freedom in the choice of food, but always prioritizing proteins and healthy fats before those carbohydrates.
Good carbohydrates are not restricted since, at this time, glycogen is low, and insulin sensitivity is high, which minimizes the glucose that will be stored as fat.
In the Warrior Diet to the absolute prohibition of sugar and refined flours, a 20-minute fasting training is added, but of high intensity, being possible to train before the most substantial meal, which is the night or before starting the phase of” undereating,” here it is recommended to eat some food after training, or a protein shake.
Contraindications of the 8-Hour Diet
As in any diet to lose weight in the 8 Hour Diet, there are some contraindications to consider. Some nutritionists have warned about the negative consequences of carrying out this plan without prior consultation with the doctor. The reality is that it can cause liver problems.
The problem that some nutritionists detail about the 8 Hour Diet is that the liver does its job throughout the day, and by switching to this weight loss plan, it is restricted to a reduced time of only 8 hours.
Likewise, this Diet can also cause anxiety since the body is not used to fasting for 16 hours and making dietary changes such as those required by this plan to lose weight.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the 8-Hour Diet
This 8-hour Diet has many advantages, which is why it is so popular today among fitness lovers and people looking for a fast, healthy and effective way to lose weight.
Advantages of the 8-Hour Diet
- Foods that can be eaten daily (lean proteins, healthy fats, and high-quality carbohydrates) help give you a feeling of fullness, making weight loss easier.
- It includes daily workouts with an exercise program of about 10 minutes that helps maintain muscle tone and preserve metabolism, which is essential when following any Diet.
- It allows you to choose the foods to eat during the 8 hours without quantity restrictions.
- It is a way to lose weight without eating small amounts of food. It is only necessary to make sure to include foods rich in nutrients.
Disadvantages of the 8-Hour Diet
Referring to the disadvantages of this type of intermittent fasting diet, he highlights:
- The effect it has on hormonal activity. According to some studies, this type of fasting could cause glucose spikes and long-term insulin resistance.
- Intermittent fasting can increase the stress hormone “cortisol,” thus causing increased anxiety and fat storage.
8-Hour Diet Recipes
Due to its simple form, the 8-Hour Diet has the advantage that it can adapt to any recipe. But it never hurts to have tips and ideas to add to your weight loss plan, incredibly healthy recipes.
super smooth
A delicious shake is ideal for breakfast; it is easy to make and provides the energy you need to start the day.
Ingredients
- One cup of skim milk.
- Two tablespoons of skimmed yogurt.
- ½ cup of oatmeal.
- Two teaspoons of peanut butter.
- Ice.
- Two teaspoons of chocolate protein powder.
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in the blender or blender and process for a couple of minutes.
To serve.
Scrambled eggs with salmon
This recipe can be made for breakfast and lunch; it is easy, quick to prepare, substantial, and tasty.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs.
- Six tablespoons of liquid cream.
- Two teaspoons minced fresh dill.
- Shall.
- Pepper.
- Fifty grams of smoked salmon in pieces.
- Two butter spoons.
- Slices of whole wheat toast.
Preparation
Season the eggs in a bowl with the liquid cream and the dill.
Add the smoked salmon pieces to the mixture.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the egg and salmon mixture there.
With a wooden spatula, carefully remove the egg from the sides of the pan as soon as it begins to set.
When the egg is almost set but still creamy, please remove it from the heat and place it on the whole wheat toast.
To serve.
Conclusions on the 8-Hour Diet
In conclusion, making several comments about the 8-hour Diet based on the so-called 16/8 diet is possible. Therefore there are different strategies, and the 8-Hour Diet is a simple alternative that consists of fasting every day for 16 hours and concentrating on meals for only 8 hours.
In addition, this type of Diet to lose weight goes against the principle of eating many meals a day and small amounts of food. From an evolutionary point of life, it would not make much sense to eat constantly since primitive man alternated periods of fasting with large “binges of food” when he had the benefit of hunting many animals.
But, since human genes are not prepared to go without food for long, the 8 Hour Diet is a reasonably balanced way to eat for energy daily and combine this with the wonders of fasting.
Sources and References:
- Revista Uax -Biociencias
Comparison of the Miracle Diets existing today and their adverse effects on health.
- University of Valladolid. Soria School of Nursing
Health and high protein diets
- Hospital Nutrition On-line Version ISSN 1699- Nutr. Hosp. vol.26 no.6 Madrid nov./dic. 2011
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My name is Ellie Lauderdale, MD and I am USA based professional Nutritionist .
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and board certified specialist in sports dietetics who is trained in integrative medicine. I have worked with hundreds of clients, from those suffering with chronic disease to professional and olympian athletes. My goal is to help optimize you from the inside so that you can feel, perform, and look your best on the outside.