Most people are familiar with time-restricted eating. Some folks incorrectly use the term intermittent fasting here, but there are differences as we shall see.
Why it works is somewhat controversial, but the strategy is simple to follow and can be quite effective for reducing total food consumption.
- You adopt an eating window for a set number of hours per day—e.g., between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- During that time, you eat your whole, healthy diet. Outside of that time, you drink water or some other no-calories beverage.
There are variations on this theme. Common protocols include 12:12 (i.e., a 12-hour eating window and a 12-hour fasting window), 14:10, 16:8, and so forth.
Most of our patients start with a shorter fast—like the 12:12 protocol—and then narrow their eating window until they find a balance that works for them.
