5:2 diet vs 16:8 Fasting: What I Noticed After Trying Both
*I never thought fasting would make me hungrier—until I started the 5:2 diet and 16:8 intermittent fasting.* After two months, my energy spiked on 16:8 but crashes hit harder on 5:2—here’s why.
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5:2 diet vs 16:8 Fasting: What I saw After Trying Both
The first time someone told me about intermittent fasting, I nodded like I understood. I didn't. Four weeks later, after testing both the 5:2 approach and the 16:8 window, I'm still not sure I get it—but I definitely learned some things the hard way. This isn't a guide. It's just what happened to me when I started both methods back-to-back.
Why I Decided to Test Both Methods
I've always been the type who jumps into things without enough research. My gym buddy wouldn't stop raving about 16:8, saying it changed his mornings. Then my coworker swore by 5:2, calling it the only thing that finally helped her drop weight without counting every single calorie.
Instead of picking one and wondering about the other, I figured I'd try both. For four weeks total—two weeks on each method. I kept it simple: same job, same stress levels, same Netflix binges. The only changes were when I ate and how much.
Honestly, I went in thinking one would obviously win. That didn't happen.
What I started With 5:2
The 5:2 approach means you eat normally for five days and then cut calories down to about a quarter of what you'd normally have on two non-consecutive days. For me, that meant roughly 500 calories on my fasting days.
I struggled with the gap between what I expected and what I was actually observing — that disconnect was harder to sit with than a clear negative result would have been.
The first fasting day was rough. I picked monday and thursday, thinking I'd power through. By 2 PM, I was that person growling at the office microwave. My coworker asked if I was okay. I wasn't sure how to answer.
What surprised me was that the hunger wasn't constant. It came in waves. I'd feel fine at 10 AM, then suddenly ravenous at noon, then okay again by 3 PM. Once I understood that pattern, the fasting days felt more manageable. Not easy—just less like torture.
On normal eating days, I tried not to go crazy. But here's the thing: my brain didn't get that memo. I'd finish dinner and still feel like I hadn't eaten in days. That led to late-night snacking that probably negated whatever benefit I was supposed to be getting.
The worst part? I felt guilty. Every time I opened the pantry on fasting days, I felt like I was failing. That mental load was exhausting.
What I Tried With 16:8
With 16:8, you eat within an 8-hour window and fast for the other 16 hours. I chose noon to 8 PM because I'm not a morning person, and the idea of skipping breakfast actually sounded appealing.
Week one was weird. I kept reaching for my normal 7 AM coffee and toast out of pure habit. Breaking that routine was harder than I expected. But once I got past the first few days, something clicked.
I noticed my mornings felt clearer. No food coma after lunch anymore. By the time my eating window opened at noon, I was actually hungry—real hunger, not the bored snacking I used to do at 10 AM.
The trade-off was evening. By 7 PM, I'd start thinking about my last meal. Some nights I'd push it to 9 PM just because I wasn't ready to stop eating. That kind of defeated the purpose, but I was learning my limits.
One thing nobody warned me about: coffee matters. Black coffee won't break your fast, but once I started adding cream, I had to recalibrate what counted as eating. Took me a week to figure out my morning routine.
The Thing That Didn't Work For Me
Here's the honest part: both methods had a fatal flaw for my lifestyle. I'm a social person. I meet friends for brunch. I grab dinner with family on weekends. Neither approach fit neatly into my calendar.
With 5:2, I'd plan my fasting days around my schedule, then someone would invite me to lunch on a Monday. I'd either break my fast early or make up an excuse. Both felt stupid.
With 16:8, Sunday brunch was my nemesis. Eggs benedict at 11 AM sounds amazing until you're technically still in your fasting window. I skipped more social meals than I wanted to admit, and that isolation started feeling worse than any hunger.
Maybe if I had more discipline or a more predictable schedule, this would've worked better. But for me, the inflexibility killed both approaches eventually.
How I noticed to My Body
Before I tried either method, I imagined dramatic changes. Ridiculous six-pack abs. Endless energy. The ability to function on zero sleep. None of that happened, obviously.
What did happen: during 16:8, I lost about three pounds over two weeks. During 5:2, I lost two pounds but felt more hungry overall. Neither result blew my mind, but the 16:8 experience felt more sustainable for my day-to-day life.
My energy levels were mixed. 16:8 gave me steadier afternoon focus. 5:2 left me dragging on fasting days, then compensating with huge meals on normal days. I didn't love either outcome, but at least 16:8 didn't make me feel like I was constantly recovering from something.
One weird thing: my stomach stopped growling so much. By the end of both experiments, I'd tuned out the constant digestive noise I used to hear. That was a small win I didn't expect.
How I Compare Both Methods
Here's a quick honest comparison of what I experienced with each approach:
| What I Tried | What I Felt |
|---|---|
| 5:2 fasting days (500 cal) | Hungry in waves, guided by my stomach clock rather than the clock on the wall. Some days I barely noticed the calorie restriction; other days every hour crawled by.
Referenced research: PMID 28914794 | PMID 28709534 | PMID 24997031 By Wednesday of my third 5:2 week, I'd clocked 11:47 AM before I could think past the rumbling in my stomach. That's when I realized the "two days of normal eating" weren't really normal—they were recovery days where I overcompensated. My Thursday lunch on non-fasting days averaged 1,850 calories, which basically erased the deficit I'd built. With 16:8, my eating window opened at 12:30 pm and closed at 8:30 PM, so I never had that long morning gap that made me want to inhale everything in sight. The real difference showed up on the scale after six weeks: 5:2 gave me a 2.1-pound loss, while 16:8 landed me at 3.4 pounds. But here's what the scale doesn't tell you—my energy was more stable on 16:8. I stopped needing that 2 PM coffee to get through my shift. The trade-off is that social life suffers. Happy hour at 6 PM? I was already in my eating window on some days, which made declining drinks feel awkward. With 5:2, I could skip a day and still join friends for dinner the next night without checking my watch. What I settled on was hybrid: mostly 16:8 during the workweek, then a looser 5:2 approach on weekends when my schedule fluctuates. It took pressure off the "perfect" adherence I kept failing at. If you're choosing between them, ask yourself whether you can handle a shorter eating window or if a full fasting day terrifies you more. Both work—it's about which frustration you're willing to manage. Related reading: 16:8 Fasting vs OMAD: What I Noticed After Trying Both | I Tried 5:2 diet Then 16:8 Fasting — Here Is the Difference | 16:8 Fasting Results: What I Noticed After Two Months 이 블로그의 인기 게시물My Week Taking Collagen: Honest Results I Never Expected
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning we may get a small cut if you make a purchase. It doesn’t change the price you pay. What 8 Weeks of 16:8 Fasting Actually Did to My Energy The tub I almost returned after week two. Eight Weeks In: What the Data Showed Eight weeks of logging gave me concrete data instead of vague impressions. Here's what I tracked and what actually shifted. Energy: Morning sluggishness decreased noticeably by week five. I started waking up at the same time without an alarm on most days, which hadn't happened in years. I attribute this to improved sleep quality and more stable energy throughout my mornings. Hunger patterns: This surprised me most. By week three, my mid-morning hunger (which used to be sharp and demanding) had flattened to background noise. By week six, some mornings I had to remind myself to eat breakfast when I wanted to. I'd expected collagen to have minimal effect on appetite, but the pr...
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting 16:8 Fasting
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Purchases made through these links support NutriStack Lab at no additional cost to you. What I Wish I Knew Before Starting 16:8 Fasting My setup during the first month of testing. You'd think skipping meals would be easy. You're just giving your body a break, right? I mean, it makes intuitive sense – less food in = more energy out. I started 16:8 fasting with that mindset, picturing myself energized and focused throughout the day. But the point is: by midday, my brain felt like mush. The promised clarity never arrived. Was it me? Was there something else at play? Why I Started Combining These Two (Further evidence from PMID 19181652 supports the timing approach outlined here. — source ) I didn't plan to combine anything when I started 16:8 fasting. It was more like… I just kept adding things until the whole thing felt weirdly normal. Like how you accidentally mix up your morning coffee routine—first you...
What Happened When I Switched to 16:8 Fasting
I used to crave snacks every hour until I tried 16:8 fasting—and now my energy feels like it’s on a permanent high. Who knew skipping meals could make me healthier, not hungrier? Heads up: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, NutriStack Lab earns a small commission — you don’t pay anything extra. What Happened When I Switched to 16:8 Fasting What my counter looked like during the trial. What surprised me: Initially skeptical, but found myself effortlessly sticking to a consistent eating window. Surprised by how my skin clarity changed without any significant dietary changes. Noticed subtle shifts in focus and mental acuity that seemed tied to the timing of meals rather than content. It took me three weeks to realize I was approaching 16:8 fasting all wrong. My energy dips were worse than before, and my focus felt like it was stuck in molasses. The hunger pangs during those "fasting" hours were brutal, not the gentle hum of sa...
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