Calorie tracking, also called calorie counting, is often recommended for people getting into fitness, especially those who wish to lose weight. Tracking is fantastic advice since research shows that consuming fewer calories than your body burns daily leads to greater weight loss (1).
Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to meticulously track how many calories they consume daily from food and drinks. This resistance to tracking is where intermittent fasting (IF) comes in.
Instead of paying attention to what you eat, you turn your attention to when you eat, which some people may find less stressful and can often give you the same results.
IF features a period where you eat no food, followed by a set period called your eating window, during which you would consume all of your daily calories.
For example, in the 16:8 IF method, you would:
The 12:12 IF method, on the other hand, calls for:
While there are many types of fasting methods, the 12:12 and the 16:8 are the two most common IF methods recommended for beginners.
But which one is better than the other?
Read on to see details on the 12-hour fast vs 16-hour fast so you can decide which method to choose.
Neither dietary approach is necessarily healthier than the other, and you can receive the benefits of fasting using either of these two methods.
Some sources claim that the 16:8 intermittent fasting method is better than the 12:12 method, but these are biased statements.
The sources state that this claim derives from a study published in 2021, where researchers used these two intermittent fasting approaches on trained runners to see which method worked best.
The results from this 4-week randomized crossover intervention showed that while the test subjects lost fat mass while maintaining lean mass, the 16:8 subjects lost more fat than the subjects in the 12:12 group (2).
This fat loss factor does not mean that the 16:8 type of fasting is healthier; it simply means that you may see results faster with this method rather than the 12:12.
Please note: As a beginner, you do not need to jump head-first into the 16:8 fasting method. Because you have not gotten your body used to fasting, the 12:12 method may be a good place to start. According to National Institutes of Health experts, the 12:12 method is safest for most people (3).
It depends on your individuality and how long your body can handle going without food. As mentioned above, by simply trying intermittent fasting, you can experience the benefits of this eating approach.
Studies done on intermittent fasting as a whole show that this practice can lead to several benefits, including significant decreases in:
These lower levels can lead to positive health benefits such as:
Our suggestion for anyone who wants to start an intermittent fasting plan would be to start simple, especially if they are new to the practice.
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As with everything new, it’s always good to pace yourself.
Start with the 12:12 plan and see how your body feels. If it’s manageable, you can increase your fasting hours and try the 14:10 intermittent fasting plan, where you fast for 14 hours and have an eating window of 10 hours.
You may then eventually choose to try the 16:8 method. If you have been using the 12:12 IF method for a while and are not seeing these results, switch to the 16:8 or try the 14:10.
Check out this article to learn why you are not losing weight intermittent fasting.
Read more: Is Fasting for 3 Days Good for You? The Benefits and Dangers
Yes, you can. The topic of intermittent fasting and weight loss has been the subject of many scientific studies over the years, and researchers have found that this practice can help you shed unwanted pounds.
Some of these studies are as follows:
In this study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers looking at the effects of IF on human metabolic health concluded that (6):
In a review published in the Canadian Family Physician journal, researchers found that all studies showed that this practice led to weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of baseline weight with no serious adverse events. They also found similar results in studies that compared intermittent fasting to traditional calorie restriction for weight loss.
They concluded that there was substantial evidence that we can use IF as a treatment for obesity (7).
In a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers used 43 randomized controlled trials with 2,483 participants to compare the effects of IF, calorie restriction, and non-intervention diet in humans.
In another study published the same year, researchers compared the effects of alternate-day fasting and 16:8 time-restricted fasting for weight loss, blood glucose, and lipid profile in overweight and obese adults with prediabetes.
In this study published in Nature, researchers stated that not only was the intermittent fasting plan generally safe, but it also led to mild to moderate weight loss results in 8-12 weeks, a weight loss level that’s on par with outcomes associated with daily calorie restriction.
In this study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, researchers found that older adults can use this eating pattern as an effective weight loss method.
The study looked at 9 randomized controlled trials spanning 2-6 weeks, all focusing on adults aged between 42 and 66.
The researchers found that in adults without metabolic disease, intermittent fasting reduced body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and triacylglycerol without reducing lean body mass (11).
It could be. Autophagy is how the body recycles old and damaged cell parts.
We have limited research on this process in humans, but animal studies suggest that this process may start anywhere between 24-48 hours without food (12, 13).
A recent animal study published in 2021 stated that the process could also start after 12 hours of fasting, but we need more research (14).
Check out this article on the timeline of fasting to learn what happens to your body after you start fasting.
When it comes to weight loss, progress is made by inches, not miles, so it’s much harder to track and a lot easier to give up. The BetterMe: Health Coaching app is your personal trainer, nutritionist, and support system all in one. Start using our app to stay on track and hold yourself accountable!
No, it is not. The 16:8 pattern is the most popular time-restricted feeding type of intermittent fasting, and most people find it easy to adjust to.
However, regardless of its popularity, some people, especially beginners, may have difficulty adjusting. Increase your eating window and try the intermittent fasting 12:12 pattern. You can always reduce this window once your body has adjusted.
Read more: The Ultimate Fasting Mimicking Diet Food List For Beginners
The best way to determine which schedule works best for you is by considering your lifestyle.
For example:
Find a schedule that fits comfortably into your lifestyle.
A customized schedule makes it easier for you to stick to your routine without missing meals or, worse, breaking the fast earlier than you are required to.
As seen from the studies above, you may experience positive changes to your body mass, BMI, waist circumference, fat mass, and much more.
Remember that IF is not a miracle worker. If you stick to the plan, your results will be gradual but consistent.
According to a randomized control trial published in late 2024, yes. According to the study, both patterns led to weight loss in obese subjects with type 2 diabetes. However, the weight loss results were significantly greater in the IF 16:8 group than in the IF 14:10 group (15). Unsweetened coffee does not break a fast. However, if you added sugar, creamer, or anything else with calories to the drink, you would break the fast. Yes, it does. Fasting is abstaining from food, drink, or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes (16). When you are asleep, you are not eating, which technically counts as fasting. It is unlikely. Lemon juice has almost no calories, so adding a small amount to your water will not break your fast. However, do not add sugar, honey, or another sweetener as the extra sugar and calories will break the fast. This eating pattern has few rules, especially if you are doing simple time-restricted feeding – i.e., fasting for 12, 14, or 16 hours a day. You are doing the right thing as long as you are not ingesting calories during the fasting window and only consuming calories in the eating window. There are no rules about what you should eat during the feeding window, but experts recommend eating as healthily as possible. Counting calories and exercising are also not mandatory when intermittent fasting, but if you want faster results, consider incorporating them too.Frequently Asked Questions
Is 16:8 fasting better than 14:10?
Does coffee break a fast?
Does sleep count as fasting?
Does lemon water break a fast?
What Are The Intermittent Fasting Rules?
As a beginner, the answer to a 12-hour vs. 16-hour fast depends on your preferences and how your body reacts to fasting. Both patterns will lead to weight loss and improved health. Pick the fasting method you are most comfortable with.
If that’s the 12:12 pattern, that’s just fine. Remember, you can always increase the fasting window over time.
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