Should you do intermittent fasting to lose weight?

Should you do intermittent fasting to lose weight? When attempting intermittent fasting, the quantity and quality of what you eat during the meal period are important.

Intermittent fasting is a common problem that comes up a lot in my clinic these days. You got it: cut back when you eat, but eat as you normally would during that time frame. There is no calorie counting. There are no dietary restrictions. Simple and adaptable. In today’s fast-paced environment, intermittent fasting has emerged as a viable option for long-term weight loss.

What exactly is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular name for one of the most important factors in our eating pattern: timing. More precisely, intermittent fasting refers to an eating plan that aims to increase the length of time your body will be in a fasted state. This is achieved by lowering the so-called eating window. These previously published papers explain the most common time-restricted eating routines (usually based on study designs):

How can time-restricted eating help with weight loss?

To get started, examine the difference between a fed state that promotes cellular growth and a fasted state that promotes cellular breakdown and repair. Depending on the circumstances, it can either be beneficial or destructive (consider how cellular growth builds lean muscle mass and breeds cancer, too). Many of our genes, particularly those that regulate metabolism (how we digest and use food energy) are turned on and off during the day according to our intrinsic circadian rhythms (our sleep/wake cycle).

We go from the fed state to the early fasted state several hours after the previous meal – on average, five to six hours. This often corresponds to the moment when the sun goes down, our metabolism slows down, and we fall asleep. However, in today’s world of artificial lighting, 24-hour convenience stores, and DoorDash, we’re always up for grabs. Instead of following our daily cues, we eat at all hours of the day.

Is intermittent fasting a reliable weight loss strategy?

To date, the answer has remained ambiguous due to the poor quality of the data, which often includes very small sample sizes, short intervention periods, a variety of study designs (sometimes lacking in control groups), diverse fasting regimens, and participants of various shapes and sizes. The majority of data on intermittent fasting and its effect on weight loss comes from research using the time-restricted feeding methodology of intermittent fasting. An extensive review of the literature reveals that restricting your eating time may help you lose a few pounds.

New research on intermittent fasting as a weight loss method

Versus determining the independent effect of time restriction on weight loss, we must compare the calorie-restricted diet with time-restriction only. A recent year-long study examined this delicate question: Does time-restricted eating combined with calorie restriction provide stronger effects on weight loss and metabolic risk factors in obese patients than daily calorie restriction alone?