8 Hour Diet
The 8 Hour Diet is the latest weight loss plan from David Zinczenko the author of the best selling book Eat This Not That.
With this diet, David promises readers that they can lose 20-60 pounds or more and still eat whatever they want.
The key to the 8 Hour Diet is only consuming calories within an eight hour window each day.
Zinczenko himself lost 7 pounds by eating according to this method.
His concept isn’t entirely new, there have been several diets over the years that promote intermittent fasting as a way to lose weight.
Eat Stop Eat is an older diet similar to Zinczenko’s new diet.
8 Hour Diet Basics
This diet works on the theory that the human body is designed for periods of eating and then periods of fasting.
This involves consuming calories over an 8 hour period and then fasting for a 16 hour period each day. During the 16 hour period the human body should be focused on repair and rest, rather than continually digesting food.
8 Hour Food Window
All of a dieter’s daily calories must be consumed only during his/her predetermined 8 hour eating window. For example, if your calorie window is from 9am to 5pm, you must eat during that time period only.
The window can be adjusted depending on a person’s schedule and can be different during different days of the week. Dieters should eat this way at least 3 days a week in the beginning of the diet and gradually increase towards 7 days a week.
Eat Whatever You Want
There are no forbidden foods on The Eight Hour Diet, but Zinczenko does advise that this diet is not an excuse to overeat. Portion size must still be considered.
The only exception to this rule are sugary beverages, since the 8 Hour Diet discourages drinking calories.
Delay Breakfast
Dieters should delay eating breakfast until the beginning of their food window. For example, If you can’t start eating until 10am, Zinczenko recommends starting the day with a cup of tea, water, or coffee and doing some light exercise before any calories are consumed. (similar to 6 Weeks to OMG Diet)
Eat as Often as You Want
Snacks can be eaten as often as a dieter wants as long as all eating is within the 8 Hour Diet window.
Portion size should be considered when choosing snacks.
Supercharge the Diet
The 8 Hour Diet shows dieters how choosing 8 healthier powerfoods instead of processed and refined foods can dramatically increase the effectiveness of the diet and the dieter’s overall good health. The book gives suggestions on how to easily incorporate these foods into the diet.
Sample Meal Plan
| Upon Rising Water, coffee, or tea |
| Breakfast(10am) Oatmeal with blueberries and maple syrup |
| Snack 1 granola bar |
| Lunch 2 slices of pizza |
| Snack 1 fudge brownie |
| Dinner(6pm) Grilled Salmon Steak |
Only 8 Minutes of Exercise
To be successful on the 8 Hour Diet just eight minutes of exercise is required to to turbocharge the fat burning process.
The Cost of the Diet
The 8 Hour Diet: Watch the Pounds Disappear Without Watching What You Eat retails for $26.
Zinczenko Talks About His Diet
Pros
- A non-restrictive weight loss plan.
- Intermittent fasting has shown good results.
- Healthy foods encouraged.
- Good for those who struggle with giving up favorite foods.
- Calories are consumed while people are most active.
Cons
- Unhealthy processed foods aren’t forbidden.
- Some may still overeat on the 8 Hour Diet.
- Not suitable for those with unstable blood sugar.
- 8 minutes of exercise is inadequate for overall fitness.
Fasting For 16 Hours Could Help
The 8 Hour Diet may be a good starting point for those that have been unsuccessful at losing weight with other diets.
This diet is easy to implement and requires very little lifestyle change. By training your body to eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 hours, less calories should theoretically be consumed and your body will have more time to burn fat for energy.
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I take medication which needs to be eaten with food in the morning. I am reluctant to delay taking them. Any ideas?
Hoping you can help me. Been doing teh 8 hour plan for a couple of weeks, feel good, plenty of exercise too but I am now suffering from nasty migraine headaches every day. Really piling down the pills so I can keep doing my normal daily routine. Any ideas?
How has your caffeine consumption changed?
I have been on this diet since April 10th. So far I have only lost 5 pounds. Is this normal, or am I just getting really impatient? I am a college student so the diet works fine for me time wise, but I was wondering if I was doing anything wrong and what to do to lose more weight than i have been. my 8 hrs are 12-8 and I only eat lunch and dinner without any snacks in between. I exercise almost twice every day. Anything I should fix?
You’re complaining cause you’ve only lost 5 pounds in 10 days… ARE YOU KIDDIN ME??
Quit complaining and be happy you’re even losing weight!
Try cutting more calories and unless your bedtime is later than late, I would start the window earlier. Eating right before you sleep isn’t going to help if you’re dieting…
I started the diet in January. I was disappointed at first because I didn’t lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks, but stalled after the first 3 weeks at 8 pounds. I hung in there. I am a woman, so I figured it may not be as fast as for a man. And I like to drink wine in the evenings. I cut wine to only 2 nights a week and… Yay! It has been 16 weeks and I have lost 20 pounds and still counting! Weighing myself every day is depressing, because my weight loss is slower. So I only weigh my self twice a week and am happy! Also, my 8 hour window changes depending on my schedule. So i just make sure 16 hours go by before I eat again.
I started this diet on Tuesday and have lost 3lbs already!!! So, I really like it so far!
I haven’t read the book but my guess is that you are not losing weight because you are only doing the diet “5-6 days a week”.
I have been on this diet since Jan. 15th. I have not lost any weight. My weight has fluctuated up and down by 2-3 lbs. I am 52 years old and recently put on 10lbs. I currently weigh 145lb and would like to get back down to 135lbs. I have reread the book so many times to find out what I am doing wrong. My window is typically from 12 – 8 and I do the diet 5-6 days a week. It seems like my body doesn’t want to let go of the weight. I exercise in the morning and do some exercising in the afternoon. I am very frustrated, I want my money back for the book. I wish there was a to contact someone to find out what I could be doing wrong.
I think you’re stalling your metabolism by not eating til 12. Our bodies were designed to fast at night (dark hours) and eat not long after waking. Perhaps adjust your window.
Really interested in trying this! Problem is I work 9-6 and usually workout at night right after work. I usually don’t get dinner between 7:30-8:30. So what should my 8 hour window be?? Or should I start working out in the mornings? Any advice would be very helpful. Thanks!
You can make your 8 hour window of eating 1 pm -9pm. Exercise when you can. Good luck
Help. I work 12 hour shifts.6 a to 6 p. I am up at 3:30 and don’t get in bed until 9. I have a physical strenuous job. I’m not sure how to do this becauseit’s almost 7p when I get home. I have to eat late and i get hungry within 2 hours of waking. Even if I wait until 8 a to eat, it would be difficulttonot eat after 4. ??
Is drinking cofee or tea with milk and sugar during 16 hour fasting is okay. I mean in the morning before breakfast
Nope, you would only be allowed black coffee or tea during the fasting period.
Actually he does say you can put creamer in your coffee.
I drink green tea with lemon squeezed into it in the mornings….if I put lemon in my tea, does this count as part of the 8 hour window or not? I eat food between 11-7. Thanks!
I did this diet inadvertently when I was having stomach problems. I worked in an office building with the bathroom at the other end and I was worried about not getting there on time, so I got into the habit of going to work at 6 am, leaving at 2 and eating only once I got home. I dropped from 134 lbs to 118 in a few weeks. I have always exercised and continued to do that. So I knew this would work for me. The hardest part, though, is that I eat from noon until 8, but many times I play tennis in the evenings and I hate not being able to have a beer afterword. It was also hard for me not to have a glass of wine before bed, which helps me sleep. But I’m doing it and love the results. I just make sure that I eat a lot of fruit and veggies before my meals and drink hot water with lemon and tobasco in it when I get hungry in the orning.
Hi – I’m am on an eating plan at the moment – very healthy have lost 3.3kg in 5 weeks I’d like to give this a go but I don’t want to jeopardize what I’ve already achieved. I’d like to sort of still do what I’m doing but add a couple of glasses of wine a few times a week would this work?
Well I not sure what to do, I have been writing down what and when I eat, how long I work out, how much water I drink, to see if I’m doing it wrong…. Still no weight loss. Changed my time to 11:00am to 7:00pm
still no weight loss, Am I one of the ones that this just does’t work for?
Lorraine, exam WHAT you are eating during that 8 hour period and the QUANTITY you are eating. If you truly want great results from this diet — and it does work — you have to try and eat healthy, non-processed, high protein/low carb foods, and the quantity you eat is key. If you over-eat large portions during that 8 hour period, you will likely see fewer results.
@Todd – the authors Power 8 foods have lots of carbs – whole grain, beans, fruit – so your advice to Lorraine isn’t really correct according to the book. Your modification may help those that are carb sensitive but that is your modification – not the author’s recommendation. I do agree that quantities do matter and it comes down to calories in order to lose weight. It’s more of a low fat eating plan than a high protein/low carb plan.
Okay I have been reading everyone’s comments. I am one of the “I’ve been on this diet for a month and my weight has fluctuated back and forth with a loss of 2 lbs and then a gain of 2 lbs. My eating window is 12-8 because I don’t get home from work until 6pm. I have my coffee in the am and I get the 8 powerfoods in each day. I even decided I was going to do this every day not just 3 to start. I have not had too many days where I didn’t stick to the 8 hour window. I even did the 8 minutes of exercise right from the beginning every morning at work(5 days a week) because the steps are there. It was intense, 4 flights of steps up and down for 8 minutes. Now I do not feel hungry until noon and I don’t want anything after 8. I am sleeping better. I actually feel better, BUT I want to loose weight too and that isn’t happening. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I have a glass or two of wine before or with dinner so maybe I need to stop that but I thought this diet was one that allows you to “have what you want” in the window especially if you get those powerfoods in. I don’t want to quit but I need to do something different I guess. I gues I will cut out the wine. Frustrated.
From my experience, your diet does matter a lot when it comes to straight weight loss! You might want to really rethink your diet because what you consume really does affect how much fat you burn or gain. Exercise is also a must. Consider doing more and different workouts. Really focusing on intense cardio workouts. Examples being the Insanity workout by beach body or a metabolic weight lifting workout. I really think these two things go hand in hand. Check out this link for intermittent fasting and this link for a Paleolithic diet. This diet is the one I use, and I workout using Insanity. I have a hunch that the fat will melt right off you if you follow these types of workouts and diet.
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/every-other-day-diet
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/paleo-diet
Hi, Ive been on this diet for 3 days and loose 4bs. It’s really quite easy coz i usually delay my breakfast around 10.30 to 11 I always had grapefruit every morning then eat anything in the right amount within 8 hours
I’ve been doing this for 2 weeks and haven’t had any luck. I’m just maintaining. Question: does not having a gallbladder affect the results? I eat between 11-7 and eat the super foods what am I doing wrong?
Start eating earlier. It’s better to fast at night than in the morning. Your body is naturally designed to fast at night, but eat soon after waking.
Ted, have you read the book. If people are truly trying to follow this diet your suggestions are not really helping. According to the book you should not fast too close to the end of the night to ensure that you can sleep. Also he suggests skipping breakfast and not eating soon after waking. The coffee, short exercise and water suggested should keep your metabolism working until your meal and give you the added time to burn stored calories.
Well, what he says certainly isn’t gospel. I’m just giving people alternatives to try when HIS suggestions aren’t working for them. I think we should be fasting according to our bodies’ natural rhythms for best results from this method.
Finally, something that works! Not since the Atkins Diet have I’ve seen such a rapid weight loss. 10 lbs. in 1 month! But, this is far more healthier though and I am not doing anything dangerous to my body inside. Again, I just happened to stumble across this on the today show on Jan. 2nd. Thank goodness I was home that day! I’ve vamped up the weight loss by not consuming anything processed including diet drinks and exercising at least 4 times a week for 90 min.
Finally, there is hope to being thin again in the menapause years!
Been doing it for 28 days and down 8 pounds. Lift weights early am and just eat 2 meals a day is working well for me. Im 45 and down to 13% body fat.
I am down to 199 and started at 250 about 2 years ago. Been doing 30 minutes of weight lifting most mornings and an hour of cardio most afternoons. And I still drink mucho beer 2 nights/week and have cheat days but this 8 hour diet helped with the last 8 pounds a lot which I could not loose!
I posted on the January 4th, the 10th, 18th and now on today, the 31st.
Still on my plateau but…spent 4 days traveling in Florida three days home then four more days staying in a hotel at the beach (Myrtle Beach) sampling craft beers and eating out every meal. I did watch what I ate splitting most meals but was not always able to stay on the 8 hours but came pretty close holding off breakfast till as close to noon as possible.
All of that and i am up only 0.7 pounds. Back on schedule and will be moving my time slot to match my wife’s eating schedule to a 12-8 window. My headaches have gone away but I will be watching for them to return as I get back on schedule. The morning is the best time to for me to fast while awake and I walk the dogs around 9 PM every night so I’ll just make it a little longer.
I feel encouraged as a major hurdle after loosing the first big poundage is to not gain again.
Good luck to all.
Can I drink wine during my 8 hour window?
Thanks
Wine would fall under the sugary drinks category, but nothing is forbidden, so try the diet with the wine included. If you aren’t getting results, then perhaps cut out the wine.
I hope this works! Starting tomorrow
Just wondering would other weight loss stuff work? like would it matter if i was drinking green tea or taking apple cider vinegar with meals?
I started this diet 6 days ago and have yet to eat any power foods, eat healthy foods, get more sleep or drink more water……YET, I’ve still lost 4 pounds!!!! Normally, I would have gained weight or swelled with this kind of eating (I had company all weekend….lots of celebration). I am eager to see what happens when I actually put some effort into this diet. Like other posters, this is the first kind of diet that I am excited about as I’m not depressed about all I have to give up even before I get started.
I have a queston. Is it “cheating” to put Splenda no calorie sweetener in my coffee in the morning?
Splenda is NOT recommended for use at any time as it is a toxin that contributes to a host of medical problems down the road ranging from simple headaches to cancerous growths. If you need to know more about the toxic properties of artificial sweeteners Google or Bing it. If you want a successful diet regimen, try to stick to raw and par cooked vegetables and fruits and the swimming or flying meat varieties.
Nope.
I’ve been doing the diet for three and a half weeks and my weight has been up and down. First I gained a pound, then lost five, now I’ve gained two back. I eat between noon and 8pm and am making better choices but I must be doing something wrong. Ugh!
weight often fluctuates a pound or two, you should be striving for 1-2 pounds net per week, unless you drastically cut calories and up your exercise.
I must be doing somthing wrong. My 8 hours are between 12:00 pm and 8:00pm, I like to eat at night. I have been doing at least 15 min. on the treadmill every day. I have not lost any weight at all. The days that I work, I have a smoothie at 12:00, eat lunch at 1:00, and dinner around 6:30, snack around 7:30. Go to bed at 9:30-10:00 I have the book and it sounds so easy , so what am I doing wrong???
I’ve been on this plan for 25 days now and have lost 6 lbs. Lorraine, I would suggest eating MORE food at Noon if that is your first meal of the day. Most days my noon meal is the largest with smaller meals and snacks later. Also, are you drinking plenty of water early in the day? As I recall, the author suggests at least 16 oz before 9:00 am. This seems to be working for me. Keep at it – don’t give up!
I think you are delaying breakfast too long… By not eating til 12pm you are stalling your metabolism. Its better to fast at night than in the morning because this is more in line with your body’s natural rhythm.
I sorry ,Ted, You gave me helpful advice, and I give excuses. I think that I will replan my days and try to start at 11:00 and see if that helps, Thanks
Thanks Ted, but there are days ( not to many) that I don’t get home from work till 6:45- 7:00 pm, when I do get home I cook dinner for my husban. We live in the country, I could eat in town, but I would feel bad
perhaps you could make meals a day ahead of time so you can eat as soon as you get home and then make the bulk of the next day’s meals after dinner?
I am on the second day of the 8 hour diet. I bought the book yesterday. I will certainly report back with my progress.
This morning I felt slightly faint because I hadn’t really eaten. I could not get the food down my throat fast enough lol.
Best way to cope with feeling faint and not downing your food so quickly afterwards is to drink a lot. I know this might sound like a broken record, but the brain can get confused between hungry and thirst, even when not fasting. that is why it’s always best to drink before eating, not to fill yourself with unnecessary food. Hope this helps!
I have a couple thyroid pills that I am supposed to take in the mornings. Would taking them be considered breaking fast?
Thanks. Tammi
No, you should always continue taking your prescribed medication as per your doctor’s instructions.
I just saw this and I am so excited. I know this works, I did this for years and lost and maintained my weight. I suffered an injury and gained about 30 pounds. I have been trying to loose the weight but, the doctor wants me to eat within 2 hrs of rising. For me that just sets me up to eat all day long. I like a cup or 2 of cold water and then eat around 11:00 a.m. and then a light lunch at 2 and dinner at 7:00 I just started doing this cuz the doctors suggestion wasn’t working and I lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks! I just started working out this weekend and I saw this book on line, I’m going to order the book, I’m sure there is more to it than what I have done before, but even that works so I am very excited to see what little twist will add to my weight increase. It’s really hard for me cuz I never eat junk.
My daughter (33 yrs old-needs to lose 80 lbs) and I (65 yrs old-need to lose 50 lbs) started this Jan 2 the day it aired on Today Show. Very easy to do, no issues at all. Both of us have kept the 8 hr restriction since then and eat fairly healthy–use superfoods a lot, Not necessarily 3 meals a day usually 2 plus snacks. I only cheat with coffee, creamer and sweetner in morning and maybe tea with 1 tsp sugar in evening. We exercise 2-4 times a week an hour at a time (not every day for 8 min) with zumba, pool, weights, etc. We both feel better, more clarity, more energy, but almost no weight loss. She lost 5 lbs –probably water weight. Getting frustrated, but am going to keep going for at least 30 days , Concept makes sense, and really we are never hungry, but both of us need to lose weight. I need to get hip replaced but think eating this way has reduced the inflammation, pain not as bad as before. Might go to 3-4 days a week and increase exercise to every day.
Would like to hear everyone’s progress–and compare exercise programs, ages and how much weight needs to be lost, as all can affect progress .
Hey all,
I posted on the 4th, the 10th and now on today, the 18th.
I believe I have plateaued after a healthy 10 lb loss as with no change in my habit’s I have been up or down between .7 to .9 pounds for the last 5 days. I’l be traveling the next two weeks so I’ll see how well I’ve done when i get back. I will be trying to stick to the 8 hour window.
I am planning in February, when things get back to a routine, to both change my food selection and add some more intensive exercises. I am just now after three weeks starting to feel more confident and energized from the 20-30 minutes of Wii yoga and light aerobics I do in the morning but want to take it easy as I am 70 pounds over weight and don’t want to hurt myself. Spring is coming as well so I’ll be able to get back on the bicycle and do more gardening/ yard work.
Side effect note: I do get headaches in morning but I drink between 24-48 oz of coffee before I eat.
Good luck to all.
I think I’m going to put on weight starting this diet and going off pure protien diet. I am not interested in high protien diet any longer as I am limited on fruits, can’t have Carbs. I start Zumba for 60 mins on Monday. I am going to start fasting today and Jump over to *8 hour diet. I am 55 yrs old and 160. I yi yi. I pray for success.
iv just started today im doin it from 9am to 5pm im enjoying my day so far feel in control.i will let you know how i get on thanks x