16:8 fasting schedule: how to choose your eating window
A 16:8 schedule divides the day in two: sixteen hours without eating, then an eight-hour window in which you have your meals. Most of the sixteen hours are spent asleep. The practical question is where to put the eight.
How the day adds up
Count from the end of your last meal. If you finish dinner at 20:00, sixteen hours later is 12:00 the next day. Your eating window then runs from 12:00 to 20:00, and the cycle repeats.
Nothing in the method fixes those hours. Any eight-hour window gives the same 16:8 split.
Three common windows
| Window | Fast begins | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 to 16:00 | 16:00 | early risers, people who like breakfast |
| 10:00 to 18:00 | 18:00 | office hours, early dinners |
| 12:00 to 20:00 | 20:00 | family dinners, late schedules |
How to place yours
Start with the meal you will not give up. If dinner with your family is at 19:30, the window has to cover it, so it ends around 20:00 and opens around 12:00. If you train in the morning and want to eat afterwards, an earlier window is easier.
Then look at your week, not your best day. A window that works on Tuesday but collides with every Friday evening will not last. Some people keep one window on weekdays and another at weekends.
Keep sleep in the fast. Seven or eight of the sixteen hours pass without effort. A window that ends two or three hours before bed is the usual choice.
If 16 hours feels long
There is no need to begin at sixteen. A 12:12 or 14:10 schedule follows the same logic with a wider window, and you can change later. See what the plan numbers mean.
Missed hours
Days rarely go to plan. If you eat earlier or later than intended, note the real times and carry on with the next day. A log that records what happened is more useful than one that records what was planned. In Volvelle, you can correct the start or the end of a fast afterwards.
Before you start
Fasting is not suitable for everyone. Read who should talk to a doctor first, and ask yours if you have any doubt.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start fasting.