There are many different ways to lose weight.
One that has become popular in recent years is called intermittent fasting (1).
This is a way of eating that involves regular short-term fasts.
Fasting for short periods helps people eat fewer calories, and also helps optimize some hormones related to weight control.
There are several different intermittent fasting methods. Three popular ones are:
Body fat is the body's way of storing energy (calories).
When we don't eat anything, the body changes several things to make the stored energy more accessible.
This has to do with changes in nervous system activity, as well as a major change in several crucial hormones.
Here are some of the things that change in your metabolism when you fast:
Interestingly, despite what the 5-6 meals a day proponents would have you believe, short-term fasting may actually increase fat burning.
Two studies have found that fasting for about 48 hours boosts metabolism by 3.6-14% (12, 13). However, fasting periods that are longer can suppress metabolism (14).
The main reason that intermittent fasting works for weight loss, is that it helps you eat fewer calories.
All of the different protocols involve skipping meals during the fasting periods. Unless you compensate by eating much more during the eating periods, then you will be taking in fewer calories.
According to a recent 2014 review study, intermittent fasting can lead to significant weight loss. In this review, intermittent fasting was found to reduce body weight by 3-8% over a period of 3-24 weeks (2).
When examining the rate of weight loss, people lost about 0.55 pounds (0.25 kg) per week with intermittent fasting, but 1.65 pounds (0.75 kg) per week with alternate-day fasting (2).
People also lost 4-7% of their waist circumference, indicating that they lost belly fat.
These results are very impressive, and they do show that intermittent fasting can be a useful weight loss aid.
All that being said, the benefits of intermittent fasting go way beyond just weight loss. It also has numerous benefits for metabolic health, and may even help prevent chronic disease and expand lifespan (15, 16).
Although calorie counting is generally not required when doing intermittent fasting, the weight loss is mostly mediated by an overall reduction in calorie intake.
Studies comparing intermittent fasting and continuous calorie restriction show no difference in weight loss if calories are matched between groups.
One of the worst side effects of dieting, is that the body tends to burn muscle as well as fat (17).
Interestingly, there are some studies showing that intermittent fasting may be beneficial for holding on to muscle while losing body fat.
In one review study, intermittent calorie restriction caused a similar amount of weight loss as continuous calorie restriction, but with a much smaller reduction in muscle mass (18).
In the calorie restriction studies, 25% of the weight lost was muscle mass, compared to only 10% in the intermittent calorie restriction studies (18).
However, there were some limitations to these studies, so take the findings with a grain of salt.
In my opinion, one of the main benefits of intermittent fasting is the simplicity of it.
I personally do the 16/8 method, where I only eat during a certain "feeding window" each day.
Instead of eating 3+ meals per day, I eat only 2, which makes it a lot easier and simpler to maintain my healthy lifestyle.
The single best "diet" for you is the one you can stick to in the long run. If intermittent fasting makes it easier for you to stick to a healthy diet, then this has obvious benefits for long-term health and weight maintenance.
There are several things you need to keep in mind if you want to lose weight with intermittent fasting:
Most of the popular intermittent fasting protocols also recommend strength training. This is very important if you want to burn mostly body fat while holding on to muscle.
In the beginning, calorie counting is generally not required with intermittent fasting. However, if your weight loss stalls then calorie counting can be a useful tool.
At the end of the day, intermittent fasting can be a useful tool to lose weight.
This is caused primarily by a reduction in calorie intake, but there are also some beneficial effects on hormones that come into play.
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone, but may be highly beneficial for some people.
This article contains much more information about intermittent fasting: Intermittent Fasting 101 The Ultimate Beginner's Guide.
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How Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight
