For some people, intermittent fasting can be a great way to lose weight.
Because there are essentially no “rules” about what you can and can’t eat so long as you’re confining your eating to a certain restricted window of time each day, intermittent fasting permits more freedom than many traditional diets such as the Paleo diet, Whole30, or even popular low-carb diets.
However, for many people, intermittent fasting diet schedules with long fasts, like the 18:6 intermittent fast, which has an 18-hour fast per day, and even the more common 16:8 intermittent fasting format, are too strict and seem unworkable or unsustainable.
Intermittent fasting 14/10, often referred to as 14/10 intermittent fasting, can be a happy medium for people who want to try intermittent fasting but can’t fathom maintaining an 18-hour fast every day.
With intermittent fasting 14/10, you can get most of the benefits of more extreme versions of time-restricted eating patterns while enjoying much more freedom in the length of your eating window.
In this article, we will discuss the basics of intermittent fasting 14/10, including the benefits of intermittent fasting and how to do 14 10 intermittent fasting.
We will discuss:
- What Is 14:10 Intermittent Fasting?
- Benefits of Intermittent Fasting 14/10
- Does 14 10 Intermittent Fasting Lead to Weight Loss?
- Why Do People Like Intermittent Fasting 14/10?
- Does Intermittent Fasting Work for Everyone?
- Tips for 14:10 Intermittent Fasting
Let’s get started!
What Is 14:10 Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting 14/10, frequently written as 14:10 intermittent fasting, is a specific version of intermittent fasting that involves time-restricted eating (TRE) or time-restricted feeding (TRF) for 10 hours per day with a 14 hour fast.
As with other versions of TRE intermittent fasting, the two numbers (14/10) sum to 24 because there are 24 hours per day.
The first number—14–denotes the number of hours to fast every day, while the second number—10–is the number of hours for your eating window.
You can only eat during the 10-hour eating window, but you have the latitude to decide exactly when you break your daily fast to begin the 10-hour eating window.
Moreover, although most people feel best and find it easiest to keep the same eating and fasting schedule every day, with intermittent fasting, you have the flexibility to schedule your fasting and eating splits however you want from day to day.
For example, with intermittent fasting 14/10, during the weekdays, you might be most comfortable breaking your fast at 9 AM and finishing your last meal by 7 PM but shifting your schedule later on the weekends so that you don’t have your first meal until 11 AM then you end your eating window at 9 PM.
As long as you keep a 14-hour daily fast, it doesn’t matter what time you start and stop the fast.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting 14/10
Evidence suggests that intermittent fasting can be an effective route toward achieving weight loss while simultaneously improving other markers of health.
#1: Improving Insulin Sensitivity
Intermittent fasting alters your hormonal profile, which, in turn, can cause a cascade of potential health benefits.
For example, intermittent fasting reduces insulin levels, which can reduce the risk of insulin resistance while also supporting fat loss.
#2: Increasing Growth Hormone
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can increase the levels of human growth hormone (HGH). This hormone increases muscle building and cellular repair and accelerates fat burning.
#3: Stimulating Autophagy
The extended fasted state with intermittent fasting induces autophagy, which is a cellular clean-up process wherein dead cells and cellular waste products are removed.
Autophagy improves cellular health, reduces inflammation, and supports new cellular growth.
#4: Increasing Metabolic Rate
Although prolonged fasting decreases your metabolic rate, studies suggest that short-term restriction of your energy intake can increase your metabolic rate.
Again, this is largely due to the fact that fasting decreases your insulin levels and increases human growth hormone and norepinephrine.
This hormonal milieu increases lipolysis or the breakdown of body fat for energy.
#5: Supporting Weight Loss
Studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting can cause significant weight loss.
For example, a review of 27 intermittent fasting dietary interventions found that all 27 studies resulted in weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of the starting weight with no serious adverse events.
#6: Reducing Oxidative Stress
Studies also suggest that intermittent fasting can help defend your body from oxidative stress, which is damage due to free radicals and reactive species.
Oxidative stress is associated with cellular aging, premature breakdown of proteins and cellular membranes, and even alterations to DNA.
Therefore, by helping the body fend off oxidative stress, intermittent fasting can help protect against cellular breakdown and potentially combat aging.
#7: Reducing Inflammation
Additionally, intermittent fasting can reduce inflammation, which is a key driver underlying many chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers.
#8: Reducing the Risk of Diseases
Intermittent fasting may help reduce the risk of various diseases, such as diabetes, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, primarily due to reductions in insulin, and increases in autophagy.
#9: Improving Brain Health
Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may stimulate neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons) and may increase longevity.
Does 14 10 Intermittent Fasting Lead to Weight Loss?
Studies have found that 14:10 intermittent fasting can cause significant reductions in weight.
According to research, intermittent fasting with time-restricted eating regimens, such as 14:10 intermittent fasting, appears to influence metabolic regulation and thus promote weight loss through three primary means: altering circadian biology, modifying the gut microbiome, and shifting modifiable lifestyle behaviors, such as sleep and energy intake.
Firstly, the hypothalamus in the brain contains the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which houses the master biological clock.
The 24-hour circadian rhythm in our body affects our biology and behavior, governing things like the sleep-wake cycle, metabolism and energetics, and hormonal secretion patterns.
Studies have shown that late-night eating, or eating outside of a typical daylight window, is associated with higher insulin secretion and glucose levels, which can result in weight gain.
Secondly, research shows that the gut microbiota also exhibit circadian rhythms in both their activities and the relative abundance of various species. In other words, an instantaneous snapshot of your gut microbiome at one moment in the day will look different than one 12 hours later.
Evidence suggests that disruptions in healthy circadian rhythms—such as those induced by shift work or late-night eating—cause unfavorable changes in the gut microbiome, which negatively impact metabolism and may be a factor in the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome in shift workers.
For example, chronic sleep deprivation has been found to increase systemic inflammation, fat deposition, and insulin resistance.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, 14:10 intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss due to behavioral changes like taking in fewer calories simply because your open time to eat is truncated.
Why Do People Like Intermittent Fasting 14/10?
From a psychological or behavioral perspective, intermittent fasting is often more appealing as a dietary approach than diets that restrict which foods you can eat.
Intermittent fasting doesn’t prohibit any specific foods or food groups so long as you are consuming them in your eating window.
If no foods are “off-limits,” there’s often less of an intense craving or longing for them.
In this way, the freedom of choice with intermittent fasting can be great for people who miss what they “can’t” have.
From a practical perspective, intermittent fasting is fairly flexible because you can schedule your eating and fasting windows as you so choose.
You even have the liberty to change your schedule from day to day.
For example, during the work week, you might find that it’s easiest for you to break your fast at 9 AM and finish your last meal by 7 PM.
On the weekends, you might sleep in later and stay up later, so you might prefer waiting until 11 AM to have your first meal and finishing the day by eating at 9 PM.
Is Intermittent Fasting Safe for Everyone?
Anyone interested in trying intermittent fasting should consult their physician, particularly those with the following conditions:
- Type I or II diabetes (especially if you take oral medications or insulin which put you at risk for hypoglycemia)
- Low blood pressure
- Electrolyte imbalances
- On prescription medications
Intermittent fasting is usually not appropriate for individuals who:
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Are adolescents and still growing (<20 years old)
- Are underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2)
- Have an active eating disorder
- Have advanced kidney or heart disease
One pro of 14:10 intermittent fasting is that the fasting period isn’t all that much longer than you might normally fast during the overnight period.
For this reason, it’s often easier to adjust to intermittent fasting 14/10 than more aggressive options like 18:6 intermittent fasting.
Moreover, the “side effects” of long fasts, like feelings of hunger, headaches, dizziness, irritability, and low energy, are minimized with this more moderate approach.
Tips for 14:10 Intermittent Fasting
For many people, the notion of a 14 hour fast every single day is rather unappealing.
However, it is possible to adjust to this eating schedule with a little planning and the commitment to making smart food choices.
Here are some tips for following the 14:10 intermittent fasting diet:
- Be mindful of what you eat, focusing on nutritious, whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and low-fat dairy. Foods high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein will keep you fuller for longer.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
- Schedule your workouts during your eating window so that you’re properly fueled before, during, and after.
- If weight loss is your goal, keep your portion sizes controlled because a 10-hour eating window is still pretty liberal, so you can consume a ton of calories per day if you’re not careful.
Intermittent fasting 14/10 can be a great starting place for your foray into intermittent fasting before taking on longer fasting windows. You’ll get many of the benefits of intermittent fasting without the severe restriction of a super long fast.
If you’re looking for a different approach to improving your health and losing weight, consider trying intermittent fasting 14/10 and seeing how you feel.
If you are looking to jump into something a bit more prolonged, check out our guide to a 24 hour or 36 hour fast, once a week.
