Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The 8 Hour Diet: How Does it Work?

By Ryan J James


People looking for a simple and straightforward weight loss plan are in luck - the latest book by David Zinczenko and Peter Moore entitled "The 8-Hour Diet: Watching the Pounds Disappear Without Watching What You Eat!" is now available on Amazon. The basic principal behind this weight loss program is that you are allowed to eat for 8 of the 24 hours in a day. In other words, you will be fasting for 16 hours every day. The diet also calls for a short 8 minute burst of physical activity once a day. Although fasting to lose weight is not a new idea, the notion of fasting for intervals is unique.

The 8-Hour Food Window

The first thing for dieters to decide is when they want to eat. More specifically, lifestyle will dictate when to start and stop the fasting phase. In all likelihood, most people who try this diet will skip breakfast and start eating in the late morning. The authors suggest that your food intake be from a short list of lean, healthy "power foods". For people who have never fasted before, the authors recommend starting the diet for 3 days, then taking a 'cheat' day every 4th day until your body becomes accustomed to the new eating plan. With time, dieters can increase the length of time they stay on the program.

The Pros

There are four obvious advantages to the 8-Hour diet:

- fasting is a proven way to lose weight.

- by its very nature of fasting and eating phases, it cuts down on 'mindless' late night calorie consumption.

- with no restrictions on food, dieters can still enjoy their favourite foods, albeit restricted to certain times of the day.

- the 8-minute physical activity component will achieve results.

The Cons

As with most diets, there are a few drawbacks:

- because the authors don't forbid any foods and only encourage the "smart foods", some people may interpret this as permission to have an 8-hour fast food binge every day.

- for people on the diet for prolonged amounts of time, the 8-minute exercise component could become problematic.

- a diet is a short term switch out of regular eating habits. It is far better to have a regular pattern of healthy eating integrated into your lifestyle. Having said that, this program can initiate a change in behaviour that could last a lifetime. The best 'diet' is no diet at all - learn how to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and you will not need to go on a diet in the first place.

Final Thoughts

The 8-hour diet is cunningly simple - the clock determines when you can eat and what you are encouraged to eat are "power foods". Over time, the 16-hour fasting phase will help the body to recognize that late night 'grazing' is not really a symptom of being hungry, but rather it is more about boredom. This diet is a good way to begin eating more healthy and will certainly help in shedding a few pounds. The "power foods' can form a more permanent foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating - if dieters make the connection between smart food choices and proper consumption levels, this diet will have accomplished something truly remarkable.




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