Intermittent fasting (IF) has become a wildly popular way to eat. Although people swear by IF to help them lose weight [1], it can also improve digestion [2], give you more energy, and curb sugar cravings. There are actually five different ways to do intermittent fasting [3], each of which promises similar results (weight loss, improved energy, etc.).
But what about time-restricted eating? Turns out, time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting, with some notable differences from other forms of IF. Here, we break down what each one means and whether either of these eating methods is right for you.
Time-Restricted Eating
Time-restricted eating, also called time-restricted feeding, is a form of intermittent fasting [5] where you only eat during a certain set of hours during the day. The eating window is typically beyond the normal eight to 12-hour fast you experience when you sleep.
One of those most common examples of this is the 16:8 diet, also called Leangains, where you fast for 16 hours and only eat during an eight-hour window, such as between 12 noon and 8 p.m. Although the window hours may vary, people who follow this diet plan tend to stick to the same schedule every day.
Another example is the Warrior Diet [7], where your eating window is only four hours or less. People typically fast all day and just have one large meal, usually at night. During the fasting window people can consume minimal calories from raw fruits and veggies or dairy products, but are encouraged to wait and eat the bulk of their calories during the four-hour window.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for ways of eating that restrict calories (i.e., fasting) during a certain window of time. In addition to the 16:8 or Leangains diet and Warrior Diet, there are three other popular ways to intermittent fast: 5:2 or the Fast Diet; Eat, Stop, Eat; and Alternate-Day Fasting.
For the 5:2 diet, you fast for two days a week where you restrict your calories to 500 or fewer a day. On the other five days of the week, you can eat as you please. It's a diet that helped Jimmy Kimmel and Benedict Cumberbatch slim down [8].
On Eat, Stop, Eat, you fast for a full 24 hours once or twice a week. It's like the 5:2 diet but stricter, and not eating anything for 24 hours is difficult for most people. But like 5:2, you can eat whatever you want the other days of the week.
If you follow Alternate-Day Fasting, you fast one day, whether by not eating at all or eating 500 calories or fewer, then eat normally the next day, then repeat. Since you're fasting more frequently than you are on 5:2 or on Eat, Stop, Eat, it may be a hard method of eating to maintain.