Sixteen hours fasting, eight hours eating — and sleep quietly does half the work.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8:00 pm | Last bite — the fast begins |
| Overnight | 8 hours pass for free |
| Morning | Water and black coffee; carry on as normal |
| 12:00 pm | 16 hours done — first meal |
| 12 – 8 pm | Eating window: two solid meals beat four snacks |
Start at 12 hours — trivially easy — then 14, then 16, giving each step three or four days. Hunger arrives in waves and passes within minutes; drink water and get busy.
Compensation eating — the window isn't an open invitation. Hidden calories — milk in coffee ends a fast. Weekend drift — a midnight dinner resets your rhythm; keep the window roughly fixed even on weekends. When it slips, log it and start again: consistency over weeks beats any single perfect day. Curious what's happening inside during those 16 hours? See the hour-by-hour stages.
Yes — the length of the fast matters, not its clock position. 1–9 pm works the same as 12–8.
Black coffee doesn't. Milk, sugar, or cream do.
Most people need two to four consistent weeks on 16:8 before judging anything.
Start your 16:8 timer nowOrbo counts the hours and shows your body's stages — the timer is free, always