Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness

20/4 intermittent fasting: A sustainable fasting plan that drives results or unnecessary diet fad?

20/4 intermittent fasting: What you need to know

By
clock on the wall
Cats Coming / Pexels

The practice of intermittent fasting has been around for decades, but the use of intermittent fasting as a health and fitness tool has only recently gained popularity within the last few years. Unlike a specific diet that confines a person to specific types of foods, intermittent fasting is more about meal timing, which means it can effectively work regardless of the types of foods consumed. One of the most common types of fasting is the OMAD diet, which stands for one meal a day. But is this intermittent fasting plan sustainable, and should you try it? We’ll break it down below.

wooden serving tray of healthy food
Jane Doan / Pexels

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting refers to the general practice of consuming all of your food for a day within a designated “eating window,” followed by a period of fasting where no food or calories are consumed. There are several types of intermittent fasting plans, from the popular 16:8 to the OMAD plan, which is often a 20/4 split. This means that all of your calories for a day will be consumed within a 4-hour window, followed by 20 hours of fasting. You might also hear this referred to as the “warrior diet,” named after a popular book that helped this eating plan gain popularity in the health and fitness industry.

Recommended Videos

glass food meal prepBenefits of intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting offers a variety of benefits that draw people in — from weight loss to improved mental clarity. The benefits of fasting can be enjoyed even with shorter fasts, such as a 14-hour fast, but longer fasts help to induce a state of ketosis.  When you fast for 20 hours a day, the body shifts from a carbohydrate-burning mode to a fat-burning mode known as ketosis. For this reason, you’ll see that many people who practice intermittent fasting also try pairing it with a ketogenic diet to help maximize the benefits of the ketones. However, intermittent fasting can be done with any form of eating, not just ketogenic diets.

Related

Once the body enters a state of ketosis, a byproduct of fat burning known as ketones is produced. The metabolic state of ketosis leads to several benefits, such as weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, enhanced energy levels, and more. Consuming all of your calories within a designated period makes it easier to control your daily calories and put yourself in a deficit for weight loss.

Many people also continue to practice intermittent fasting protocols even after achieving a healthy body weight thanks to the benefits of autophagy. Autophagy is the process of cleaning up waste in your body’s cells, helping to support body detox and cellular repair. The effects of autophagy are still being studied, but many believe autophagy to have a powerful role in biohacking longevity.

Happy handsome bearded man is using his smart phone while he preparing vegan healthy breakfast for a lovely family
My Ocean studio / Adobe Stock

What is an example of a 20 4 fasting schedule?

A 20 4 fasting schedule is often also an OMAD diet, as many people choose to consume only one meal within their 4-hour eating window. However, a 20/4 fasting plan can also be done with two meals within the 4-hour eating time. One of the greatest things about intermittent fasting is the ability to make it work for your unique schedule.

For example, food can be consumed between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. only, followed by a fasting period until 4 p.m. the next day. If this meal timing does not work well for your schedule, any four hours can be chosen for food consumption. Many people alter their 20 4 fasting schedules to work based on their work and personal schedules.

Man cooking
Jason Briscoe / Unsplash

Is it ok to fast 20 hours every day?

For most healthy people, an intermittent fasting plan is a safe and effective tool to use to help elevate health and achieve fitness goals. However, it is important to eat a variety of wholesome, real foods to ensure no nutrient deficiencies occur. When done properly with a mix of healthy foods, fasting for 20 hours daily is safe. How you choose to break your fast is also important, as breaking the fast improperly can lead to unpleasant side effects such as digestive discomfort. It’s important to start off slowly when beginning your eating window to allow your body to digest food and to ensure your digestive symptom is not overwhelmed after a 20-hour period of fasting.
However, individuals with certain medical conditions, children, pregnant women, and elderly individuals may not be suited for intermittent fasting. Those with specific nutritional needs may find that they cannot consume enough food within a 4-hour window to be done safely. If you’re looking to start a fasting plan, it’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor for additional guidance.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a freelance writer with a special focus on health, fitness, lifestyle, food, and nutrition topics. She holds a B.S…
The Whole30 diet: Everything you need to know
Learn about what foods you can and can't consume on the Whole30 diet
Assorted vegetables sold at a market.

There are so many different diets out there, so is the Whole30 diet worth trying? While you don't want to follow a "quick fix" diet since they tend to cause more harm than good, as they are unsustainable, and many people gain the weight they lost right back, there are still ways of eating that promote health and wellness. The key is finding something that you would be willing to stick to long-term - that means it doesn't have any crazy or unrealistic restrictions!
With that said, there are certain circumstances under which following the Whole30 diet for a deliberately short time can be beneficial. For example, if you’re experiencing digestive issues routinely after eating with no known cause, trying an elimination diet and recording your symptoms and reactions as you reintroduce foods can elucidate your potential food sensitivities.
After the potential culprits are identified, you can resume a more liberal, diverse diet by excluding the trigger foods. Similarly, some guys may find a short-term, squeaky-clean diet can help them reset their brain and appetite to be keener with healthier eating habits after an extended vacation marked by indulgent eating or weeks of enjoying rich foods.
The Whole30 diet is designed for exactly these types of scenarios. Though highly restrictive and therefore not an easy diet to implement and stick with, the results can be rather transformative for those who can diligently adhere to the diet program for its entire 30-day duration. Fortunately, 30 days come and go fairly quickly. If you are experiencing symptoms of food sensitivities, the Whole30 diet just might be the dietary reset you need to start feeling better and making progress toward your health goals.
However, it can also be a controversial eating plan, and there are plenty of registered dietitians and nutritionists who take issue with some of the "rules" and exclusions set forth by the diet, so it warrants careful consideration of both sides before you jump in.
Are you curious to see if you’re up for the challenge and in need of rebooting your dietary habits and digestive health, or if you fall more in the camp that the Whole30 diet is a fad diet with little merit? Keep reading to learn all the need-to-know information about the Whole30 diet.

What is the Whole30 diet?
Created in 2009 by a married couple of sports nutritionists, Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig, the Whole30 diet is a 30-day dietary reset eating program designed to help people identify food sensitivities and triggers of inflammation, cravings, low energy, hormonal imbalances, and digestive dysfunction. Adherents of the Whole30 diet are asked to fully buy in for the entire 30 days, abiding by all the explicitly stated rules without slip-ups. Should a rule be broken, the dieter must restart their count from day one.
The Whole30 diet focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed foods, which is certainly a sound eating principle. However, because the list of rules is extensive, the actual diet is highly restrictive. The primary purpose of the diet is to remove trigger foods, and this includes many major food groups like dairy and grains. After the 30 days, the foods you miss eating can slowly be re-introduced one at a time while you’re expected to note any adverse reactions. If the food does trigger cravings, inflammation, bloating, low energy, sleep disturbances, etc., then you're supposed to permanently eliminate it from your diet.
Unlike most other popular diets, the Whole30 diet actually prohibits weighing yourself except for the first and thirtieth days of the program. Dieters are also asked not to track calories but to instead focus on eating to satiety.

Read more
5 fantastic mood boosting foods to incorporate into your diet
How to increase serotonin: The best mood boosting foods
Avocado cut in half

Our bodies naturally produce a chemical called serotonin, which plays a critical role in our mood and sleep. Sometimes referred to as your body's "feel good" chemical, not getting enough serotonin can leave you susceptible to depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. On the other hand, adequate serotonin levels help promote a happier, calmer mood. To help maintain healthy serotonin levels, it's important to eat foods that are high in tryptophan, an amino acid involved in the creation of serotonin. These 5 foods that boost serotonin into your diet are not only delicious but can also give you the serotonin boost you need for a great mood.

Berries
Berries are a delicious, low-sugar fruit that offers dozens of benefits (beyond their amazing taste). All types of berries (blackberries, raspberries, etc) are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients to support your brain. Just one cup of raspberries or blackberries contains about 35% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays an important role in the production of serotonin. Berries can be enjoyed on their own as a snack or added to fruit smoothies or yogurt. Studies examining the mood-boosting effects of berries also found that the flavonoids in berries contributed to an overall improved mood.

Read more
Cruciferous vegetables are the secret to a healthy diet — here are 9 you should be eating
9 health-boosting cruciferous vegetables for your diet
Fresh broccoli in a bowl

With many health issues in numerous people’s lives, people are starting to transform their diets to better support their health. Cruciferous vegetables are taking the lead due to their increasing popularity and potential benefits, such as weight loss promotion and better control of blood pressure.

That being said, what are some cruciferous vegetables to include in a healthy diet?

Read more