A 13-hour fast is a type of intermittent fasting where you eat for 11 hours each day and fast for the remaining 13 hours.
For instance, you can fast from 7 PM to 8 AM the next day.
And just like any other intermittent fasting guidelines, you don’t indulge yourself in any food or drink that can break your fast during the fasting window. However, you can drink plenty of water, black coffee, unsweetened herbal teas, or other calorie-free beverages.
It is essential to understand that people engage in this type of fasting for several reasons. First, it is beginner-friendly, making it easy for anyone starting in fasting to adapt. In addition to that, it is gentle on the body for everyone, including men, women, people with certain health conditions, and some seniors as well.
The best way to approach a 13-hour fast is to make it easy, natural, and sustainable.
If you are brand new to fasting, a 13-hour fasting schedule could be the best way to start.
Your fasting approach should be as follows:
Be Gradual: If you have never tried fasting, you may need to gradually ease into it by starting with 10 hours, then 11, and finally 13. This slower pace is crucial, especially if you are used to snacking late at night.
Choose a Realistic Fasting Window: Your fasting window should align with your lifestyle. You can choose to fast overnight, as most people do, or another window that suits your personal preference.
Choose Nutrient-Dense Meals: During your eating window, consider having meals that are rich in all manner of nutrients to satisfy the body’s requirements for better health.
Consider well-balanced meals with lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs, and fiber.
Stay Hydrated: Water is essential when it comes to fasting. It helps in controlling hunger, preventing fatigue, and supporting digestion, among other functions.
Be Consistent and Listen to Your Body: For better results, you need to be consistent and make it a lifestyle. Of course, it should feel natural as you go, but it is also essential to listen to your body as you do it.
Having learned the best approach, it is crucial to understand that a 13-hour fast is effective, though not as significant as a longer fast.
Just to help you approach it better, here is a fasting schedule that can be helpful:
This schedule will guide you in planning your fasting.
Whether you’re looking for an intermittent fasting schedule for women or men, this schedule can serve your needs, and you can adapt or adjust it to suit your needs.
Daily Schedule and Activity
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Wake up, and fasting is in progress |
| 8:00 AM | Stop fasting and break with the first meal of the day |
| 12:30 PM | Do a light meal for lunch (well-balanced) |
| 3:30 PM | Snack or light meal |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner time (your last meal of the day) |
| 7:00 PM | Fasting begins |
NB: This is a 13-hour fasting schedule sample that you can adjust to suit your personal and nutritional needs.
While 13 hours is not so long to cause significant adaptation in your body like long fasts can do, you still enjoy some meaningful benefits that come with it. Some of the benefits include the following:
With this type of fasting, you can maintain your weight or even lose a small amount.
Studies have suggested that time-restricted eating (TRE) can have the effect of causing some mild weight loss among other benefits (2). This result occurs because fasting helps you reduce the overall amount of calories you eat.
This type of intermittent fasting reduces eating time and is a form of time-restricted fasting. The benefits of intermittent fasting for women and men include reduced LDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure, which may occur as secondary effects of weight loss (2).
Most intermittent fasting types or time-restricted eating (TRE) can improve metabolic health. Studies suggest that this type of fasting can have the effect of improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, thus making it suitable for improving metabolic health (3).
Again, this benefit is most likely related to weight loss.
Read more: Simple Intermittent Fasting Schedules That Don’t Take Over Your Life
Autophagy is believed to begin between 12 – 24 hours of fasting and becomes more pronounced after 48 hours. It is, however, essential to note that the duration needed to trigger the process might vary from one individual to another (4). Therefore, 13 hours of fasting may not be significant for initiating autophagy or producing results, but it’s hard to say.
After 13 hours of fasting, the body transitions from using primarily glucose or glycogen stores for energy to burning more fats, a process called ketosis.
This process may come with an increase in the human growth hormone (HGH), which is helpful in the process of fat burning, cellular repair, and muscle preservation.
In addition to that, there is a reduction in insulin levels, which may contribute to improved insulin sensitivity and metabolic health, as mentioned.
The intensity of the effects or results after 13 hours of fasting can vary due to individual factors like overall health, metabolic health, and activity level.
Yes, you may lose some weight by fasting for 13 hours consistently.
However, the amount of weight that you lose is primarily dependent on the calorie deficit that you create. A 13-hour fast may not significantly reduce your overall calorie intake, making it a better strategy for maintaining weight. To lose significant body weight, most people may need to fast for more extended periods to reduce their calorie intake more significantly. In addition to that, you need to combine healthy eating during your eating window and exercise.
It is also important to note that fasting for 13 hours on one day is insufficient for weight loss, as even if your body burns fat for energy, the results are not significant enough to be noticeable. Weight loss takes time and consistency.
The amount of weight you can lose with 13 hours of fasting can vary from one individual to another, and due to factors such as:
Body Weight and Composition: The heavier you are, the more fat you may burn with fasting. People with more body weight may also lose more water weight than leaner people.
Diet Quality During the Eating Window: What you eat after fasting also matters in losing weight. Compensating with overeating may negate the results you would have achieved with fasting.
Consistency: 13 hours may seem small, but with consistency, it can lead to overall better health and weight loss. If you create a calorie deficit daily with fasting, and combine it with other approaches such as healthy eating habits during the eating window and exercises, you may achieve significant weight loss in the long run.
Physical Activities: Engaging in physical activities or exercises can create a calorie deficit with 13 hours of fasting; whereas the calorie need will be greater, hence, one might experience a significant loss in weight.
Read more: Does Intermittent Fasting Tea Bring Real Effects To Your Body?
Fasting for more than 13 hours can be beneficial, especially for those who want to lose weight, lower blood sugar, and improve metabolic health, among other benefits.
Whether it is healthy or not depends on personal factors such as health condition, age, and activity level. Beginners may also find it challenging to fast for more than 13 hours, so it is essential to listen to your body as you do so and adjust accordingly when you see or feel some fatigue, pain, or dizziness.
Always talk to your healthcare provider before starting any fasting regimen. Fasting is not safe for everyone, and some health conditions may require you to take certain precautions.
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The benefits of fasting for more than 13 hours for healthy individuals are as follows:
First 4-6 hours: The body uses the readily available glucose that comes from your last meal.
4-16 hours: The body depletes the glycogen stores and begins to utilize fat stored in the body.
16 hours and beyond: Autophagy may kick in, a cellular repair that the body performs to get rid of old, worn-out, and damaged cells and components and generate new ones.
24 hours and beyond: The process of autophagy may become more pronounced.
Therefore, fasting for more than 13 hours comes with the following benefits:
Weight Loss: When done consistently, fasting reduces your overall calorie intake, resulting in a reduction in body weight.
Improved Metabolic Health: Fasting may help improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar. These benefits are probably related to weight loss..
Cellular Repair: The process of autophagy may help in getting rid of damaged and worn-out cells and cell components, and recycling them to create new ones.
When comparing 13-hour fast vs 16-hour fasting, it is essential to note that both may be beneficial, but the effects of a 16-hour fast are likely more pronounced than those of a 13-hour fast. With a 16-hour fast, you are more likely to reduce your overall calorie intake enough to lose weight and see related health benefits. Black coffee that is without any sugar, cream, or milk doesn’t break a fast. This result is because black coffee contains almost zero calories and hence is one of the beverages that doesn’t break a fast and is suitable to drink during intermittent fasting. If it creates a calorie deficit, fasting doesn’t spot reduce fat, but generally reduces fat in all parts of the body, and not specifically the belly alone. Research emphasizes that spot reduction of fat is a myth since the body cannot choose the specific area to burn fat (1). Autophagy is not a process that you can easily feel or tell when it is happening. Though you can approximate the time it starts and the time it gets pronounced, it is difficult to understand or know if it is happening. A 13-hour fast may lead to mild fat loss results. Weight loss primarily depends on the calorie deficit you create, and fasting helps with this by reducing your overall calorie intake. 13-hour intermittent fasting results can involve maintaining body weight, improving metabolic health, and improving cardiovascular health. Therefore, for significant weight loss, consider longer fasts that will result in a greater reduction in calorie intake.Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 13-hour fast as good as a 16-hour fast?
Does coffee break a fast?
Can fasting reduce belly fat?
How do I know I'm in autophagy?
Is 13-hour fasting effective for weight loss?
As we have discussed, 13 hours of fasting, being a type of intermittent or time-restricted eating, may come with several benefits that we have highlighted above.
Although the benefits may not be as pronounced as in long fasts, they can still be beneficial for your health, especially if you’re looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle and reap the few benefits we’ve discussed. Of course, it is a simple way to fast, especially for beginners, since it supports circadian rhythm fasting.
If you are trying out fasting for the first time, it is advisable to start slowly and gently as you listen to your body. Always talk to your healthcare provider before starting any type of fasting regimen. While this type of fasting can be a suitable way to start, you need to approach it gently and even gradually by starting with 8, then 10, and finally 13 hours of fasting. Also, listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
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