16:8

The 16:8 method is a form of time-restricted eating in which you fast for sixteen hours each day and eat within an eight-hour window. It is one of the most widely used fasting schedules, largely because the structure is simple and fits around a normal day, often by skipping breakfast and eating between roughly midday and early evening.

In practice, much of the sixteen-hour fast is spent asleep, which is part of what makes the schedule approachable. During the fasting hours, no calories are consumed, though water and other non-caloric drinks are generally fine. Over the daily fast, insulin falls and the body shifts toward using stored fuel before the eating window opens again.

The 16:8 split is a starting point rather than a rule. The eating window can be placed wherever suits the day, and some people use a shorter window while others find a longer one more sustainable. As with any fasting routine, it is best treated as a consistent habit rather than something to push to extremes.