16:8 Intermittent Fasting Results: My Honest 1-Month Before and After
I tried 16:8 intermittent fasting for one month, tracked everything, and took before and after photos. In this post I’m sharing my honest results — including the discouraging first week — plus exactly what I ate, what surprised me, and what I’d tell you before you try it.
This post shares my personal experience with 16:8 intermittent fasting. I have a background in Kinesiology and Athletic Therapy, but I’m not a doctor — please talk to yours before changing how you eat, especially if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or nursing.
Here’s the short version: I lost 7.4 lbs in one month (147.9 lbs down to 140.5 lbs), my sugar cravings dropped dramatically, and it was the easiest approach I’ve stuck with out of everything I’ve tried. The longer version is more interesting, so let’s get into it.
Why I tried intermittent fasting
Some backstory: after I lost 20 lbs running four times a week, I fell off the wagon. Missing one run a week became missing two, and six months later I hadn’t run at all. Over two years I gained 30 lbs back — most of it in the final year.
I’d tried a 12-week HIIT challenge and worked out with a virtual personal trainer in the past. This time I wanted something that would break the snacking cycle without a complicated set of rules. Intermittent fasting kept coming up, so I committed to one month of the 16:8 method.
What is 16:8 intermittent fasting?
With 16:8 intermittent fasting (sometimes called time-restricted eating), you eat all of your food within an 8-hour window and fast for the other 16 hours. During the fast, you stick to water, plain tea, or black coffee — anything with calories breaks the fast.
Other common approaches include:
- 5:2 fasting — eat normally five days a week, limit yourself to about 500 calories on the other two
- Eat-Stop-Eat — a full 24-hour fast once or twice a week
I chose 16:8 because it fit my life. No calorie counting, no special foods, no forbidden ingredients — just a clock.
What does the research say about 16:8 fasting?
When I first wrote this post, the research on time-restricted eating was thin. It’s grown a lot since:
- A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation (2024) found people following 16:8 fasting lost about 4% of their body weight over three months, significantly more than a control group — with improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol too.
- A 12-month follow-up study (2026) found 16:8 fasting helped people maintain their weight loss a full year later — and it worked whether the eating window was early or late in the day. In other words: the “right” window is the one you can stick with.
- Reviews of dozens of fasting trials consistently show modest but real results — typically in the range of 2–4% of body weight over one to three months for the standard 16:8 approach.
The honest takeaway from the research (and my experience): 16:8 fasting works mostly because it naturally reduces how much you eat, not because of anything magical about the clock. For me, that was the whole point — it eliminated my evening snacking without me having to count a single calorie.
My 16:8 fasting schedule
Most people who do 16:8 stop eating at 8 pm and fast until noon. I am someone who would wake up absolutely STARVING, so waiting until noon wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I shifted my window earlier:
My eating window: 10 am to 6 pm. My fasting window: 6 pm to 10 am.
My mornings looked like this: wake up, black coffee (calorie-free drinks are fine during the fast), get the kids to school, drive to work, then break my fast with a small breakfast at my desk around 10 am. Since my weekday mornings are chaos anyway, delaying breakfast turned out to be the easy part.
What I ate during my eating window
I didn’t count calories or cut out food groups. I meal-prepped on Sundays and brought everything to the office on Mondays:
- 10 am: plain Greek yogurt with an apple or banana
- Noon: a high-protein frozen dinner or one of my high-protein salads, usually with chicken breast
- Afternoon: carrots and hummus, a cheese string
- 5:30 pm: whatever my husband made for dinner — pasta bake, chicken fingers and fries, chicken caesar wraps
Notice the last one. I ate regular family dinners, including fries. That’s part of why this was sustainable.
The first week was the hardest
I won’t sugarcoat it: the first few days were rough — but not when I expected. Mornings were fine. The real test came in the evenings, sitting in hockey arenas waiting for my daughters’ practices to end, where the arena fries and popcorn smell incredible.
The first night took every ounce of willpower I had. The second night I brought a water bottle, and something clicked: I wasn’t actually hungry in the evenings. I was bored and thirsty. That realization alone was worth the whole experiment.
I did slip a few evenings that first week. On those days I pushed my fast to noon the next day to keep my 16 hours, and those mornings were genuinely hard. If you slip, my advice is to just restart your normal window rather than punishing yourself with a longer fast — the consistency matters more than any single day.
My 16:8 intermittent fasting results, week by week
Here’s my full month, because the week-by-week numbers tell a more honest story than the total:
| Week | Weight lost | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 0.5 lbs | 0.5 lbs |
| Week 2 | 2.5 lbs | 3.0 lbs |
| Week 3 | 2.0 lbs | 5.0 lbs |
| Week 4 | 2.4 lbs | 7.4 lbs |
Total: 7.4 lbs in one month — from 147.9 lbs to 140.5 lbs.
I want to be upfront about week one, because I was really discouraged by that half pound. If I’d quit after seven days (and I thought about it), I would have missed everything that came after. The next three weeks averaged about 2.3 lbs per week. If your first week is slow, hold on.
The non-scale result surprised me even more: after a week, my sweet tooth basically vanished. I tried a lemonade one afternoon and had to water it down — it was far too sweet. As someone who has fought sugar cravings her whole life, that felt like a superpower.
My intermittent fasting before and after photos
It’s only because a picture says a thousand words that I’m sharing these. The photo on the left is day 1 at 147.9 lbs. The photo on the right is one month later at 140.5 lbs — and yes, I also felt better. (And no, I didn’t shrink — one photo was taken closer to the mirror, as an eagle-eyed reader once pointed out.)
What I’d tell you before you try 16:8 fasting
I’ve tried a lot of approaches over the years — some brutally hard (Whole30, I’m looking at you), some easier. Of everything, 16:8 intermittent fasting was the easiest to start and the easiest to stick with. Here’s my honest assessment:
What worked for me:
- No counting, weighing, or tracking — just a start time and a stop time
- My sugar cravings dropped fast
- It killed my mindless evening snacking, which I’m convinced is where most of my extra calories were coming from
- Regular family dinners were still on the table
What to know going in:
- The first week is an adjustment, and the scale may barely move
- Evenings are harder than mornings if your family eats late or you snack at night
- Weight loss is modest and gradual — think 1–2 lbs a week, not dramatic drops
- It’s a calorie-reduction tool at heart; if you graze heavily inside your window, it won’t do much
Who should skip it or talk to a doctor first: anyone with a history of disordered eating, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, people with diabetes or on medications affected by meal timing, and growing teens. Fasting is a tool, not a requirement for health — there are plenty of other ways to build an eating pattern that works.
16:8 intermittent fasting FAQ
These come straight from reader questions in the comments below.
Can I put stevia (or sugar) in my coffee during the fast?
Black coffee, plain tea, and water are the safe choices. Zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia won’t add calories, though some experts suggest sweet tastes may blunt some benefits of the fast. Sugar, cream, and milk add calories and break the fast. My take: if a splash of something keeps you consistent, consistency wins.
Do I have to fast seven days a week? I
I fasted daily, but I relaxed my windows on weekends for family dinners and date nights — and I still lost 7.4 lbs. Recent research backs this up: even fasting three days a week produced meaningful results in a 2024 clinical trial.
Does intermittent fasting work without exercise?
It can, since the weight loss comes primarily from eating less. I didn’t follow a formal exercise program during this month. That said, pairing fasting with strength training helps protect muscle as you lose weight, and it’s what I did next.
How many calories was I eating?
Honestly, I have no idea — I didn’t count. Not counting was the entire appeal for me. The eating window did the portion control on its own.
Is 16:8 fasting effective over 40?
I was 45 during this experiment, so I’m proof it can work in your 40s. If you have a thyroid condition or another hormonal issue, results may look different — that’s a conversation for your doctor.
What happened when I combined fasting with exercise?
After this month, I paired intermittent fasting with a 12-week HIIT and strength challenge. I lost another 6 lbs, dropped 2% body fat, and my resting heart rate fell from 69 to 62 bpm. You can read my full HIIT transformation results here.
If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, you can get help. Call the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline at (866) 662-1235 or visit allianceforeatingdisorders.com. You can reach the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) helpline at (888) 375-7767 or visit anad.org.
This is super encouraging! Thanks for sharing. I lost weight at the rate of about 1 – 3 pounds a week when I was doing 16-8. It worked so well! That was maybe 4 years ago. I had some healthy issues (not at all related to this way of eating) that made it necessary to eat more often and the whole thing went kablooey! I am now at the place where I believe I can begin again and I just needed the nudge that your post gave me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hi Janice your weight loss journey is so impressive. I’ve started intermittent fasting 16 hours per day, its been 2 weeks and I’ve only lost a kilo. I dont exercise at all, i find it v hard. Would intermittent fasting still work even if i dont exercise? I need to reduce 6 kgs in 3 month, what do u reckon is it possible. Pls fo reply .Thanks dear.
Your account is very impressive. However, along with the weight loss, you seem to have lost several feet in height. Surely you’ve found it difficult to reach the upper shelves in the supermarket? Best of luck.
LOL – Yes, it certainly appears that way in the photos. One was taken closer to the mirror than the other. Although I am only 5’2, I assure you I haven’t lost what little height I have, but I definitely have a hard time reaching the top shelves at grocery stores (and my own kitchen). Thanks for stopping by Angus, and for giving me a good chuckle!
This article was very hepful for me, thank you 🙂
I’m on the 16:8 regime at the moment, I need to lose 25 kg at least. I already feel the benefits of the fast after one week.
@Jodika, this is really good that you started. if you can add in some cardio would be so good for you.
How many days of the week were you fasting
I was fasting for 16 hours a day every day (7 days a week).
@Janice – Salads for Lunch,
do you feel like it would still be efficient fasting five days out of the week and not on the weekends? Or doing a later eating window for the weekends? My husband and I will do late dinner dates on the weekends sometimes
I have to be honest, I did adjust my fasting/eating windows on weekends 🙂 and I still saw results.
I’ve been building up my fasting from 12 hours a week ago to 16-17 hours finally this week. I haven’t done much exercise during my fasts but I plan to next week. What were your results like combining IF and running?
Great job with the fasting progress!! I ended up combining IF with a 12 week HIIT/Strength challenge, that I completed a week ago. I ended up averaging a weight loss of half a pound per week (6 lb total loss), my body fat percentage decreased by 2%, my resting heart rate lowered from an average of 69 bpm to 62 bpm, and my estimated VO2 max increased. I did not workout during the fasting period though – it would be interesting to try sticking with an exercise program where the workout is done consistently towards the end of the fasting window. I’ll be sharing more of my HIIT/Strength results in a post within the next few days.
@Janice – Salads for Lunch,
That is great progress and very inspiring to read the comments here. I’ve started couple of weeks back and am enjoying the journey. Feels like I have more energy.
However I did seem to have some sensation of acidity one day and had to take an acid reducer. I’ve been more careful ever since and am drinking more water. Also, I was doing 21-3 vs 16-8, but should move to 16-8 now.
Exercising is also helping. I’m playing some sport 4x weekly and trying to walk 10k steps other days. I’ll need to be on IF for several months until I get my BMI within normal range. Easier to do this while younger, but I’m trying my best as a 49 year old single dad trying to lead with example.
My daughter and mom who both live with me are also trying this out. Wish us luck 🙂
Can you have stevia with your coffee in am??
Yes! You are free to put stevia in your cup of coffee when intermittent fasting. This is because it doesn’t increase your blood sugar or insulin levels. However, personally I don’t fancy the aftertaste of stevia, I would rather have my coffee completely black, but that’s entirely up to you!
@Becca,
Actually some intermittent fasting gurus say that anything sweet (diet coke, stevia…) will spike your insuline even without the calories and lower the benefits of IF
To build on that, I was supposed to do a fasting glucose test and I had a black coffee before going to the lab, and the lab said that no longer counts as a fasting glucose test, and had it tested as some sort of other glucose test. So perhaps even a black coffee can cause a response.
Can you have sugar in your coffee? I just started and I have been having sugar. Also does it matter what you decide to have for a dinner meal?
Hi Nancy,
A cup of brewed coffee is fat-free and almost no-cal, it won’t screw up your fast…so long as it’s black coffee. Unfortunately coffee variations add-ins will add fat and calories—and consuming fat and calories means you are no longer fasting. You can have anything you want for dinner.
Thanks for writing back. I will definitely try the strength training. All I do is walk hills everyday for about an hour and thought that would be all I needed. Btw you look awesome at 45!
Hey ladies:
All your comments are so motivating. Any of you over 40 and with a thyroidectomy? I have tried it for two weeks but see not too many results. My mind is telling me to keep it up for a month, but maybe my body will not be in pair with my mind! Any thoughts?
I’m over 40 (45) though I don’t have thyroid issues (that I’m aware of), so I’m not sure the impact that Intermittent Fasting would have on a hormonal issue such as having a thyroid removed. You could set a goal of intermittent fasting for a month and not weigh yourself at all during the month, and see how it goes. I find the scale plays with my psyche and I overeat as a result, so avoiding it helps me be intuitive about my eating. Consistent strength training may also be beneficial. Strength training (additional muscle) helps your body burn more calories at rest, and helps build muscle, improves balance etc which are very beneficial for longevity and quality of life. You could try a goal of 1 month of Intermittent Fasting PLUS strength training 3-5x/week, and seet how it goes. Take before pictures from all angles, weigh yourself using a scale that also records body fat %, then check your progress in 4 weeks.
I’m currently following Heather Robertson’s 12 Week Workout Plan free HIIT and strength training videos on YouTube. If you sign up to her email list through her website she will email you a printable guide and tracking sheets to the challenge. I’m on week #3 right now and am planning to share my results in 10 weeks from now when I complete the challenge similar to how I’ve shared my Intermittent Fasting results and my results from running consistently.
@Janice – Salads for Lunch,
Can’t wait to see how it goes for you in this new goal! Cheers to you!
Hi!
So I’m trying a combination of intermittent fasting and whole30. I’m just on day 6 but I’m feeling so much better already!! There are some really delicious recipes for whole30 that I have found on Pinterest. some days trying to wait until 12:00 to eat is hard, but I’m doing it and feel great already!!
Thanks so much for sharing. I have a very similar body type and also struggle with sugar cravings. Hope you are well and were able to keep your weight loss goals.
Keep it up
1st week in, and I love it! It’s so easy!
Hi there I did IF for four weeks and had almost identical results !! Good on us 🙂 I’m sticking with it loooonnnggg term 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience with IF. Just like you, I found intermnittent fasting the easiest to start and stick with. Based on my own personal experience, intermittent fasting really does work in terms of weight loss but not only that, there are so many benefits too. I’ve found my joint pains and gut problems to have decreased significantly which is another reason why I love it. I’ve been doing IF for almost 4 months and have lost a total of 15 kilos so far – thanks to https://theblakediet.com/ they’re awesome btw! Also, I’ve never felt better in my entire life. In the long run, I might just incorporate it into my lifestyle for good.
Thanks Sharani, keep me posted on your results!
How many calories do you eat in a day?
I have no idea, I don’t count calories.
All the recommendations in this article are very good for those who are looking for a practical and effective solution, thank you for sharing all these tips with all of us. It is difficult to get such accurate information. Since other places I have visited in the past do not offer useful information like this website. I also recommend a 100% natural system that helped me to have a flat and beautiful belly in a few days.
Congratulations Emily! That’s a great result!