Post created by Daniel and Vlad
Whenever I hear talk about diets and losing weight, I seem to always hear about intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is when you restrict yourself from eating for about 16 hours and eat in an eight-hour window. But exactly how effective is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is said to help with weight loss, controlling blood sugar, and even potentially reduce the risk of illness. But how true are these claims? A study was done between a twelve-week period, one group of people fasted then ate in a short period provided and another had three meals a day with snacks. After twelve weeks the research found no significant differences between the two groups, in either weight loss, fat mass, cholesterol, or blood sugar control. Both groups did lose weight and the fasting group lost just a little more, but the difference was not enough to be significant.
Other studies show that fasting does help with weight loss, but the key is to be in a calorie deficit. Being in a calorie deficit means that your intake of calories is less than the calories your body needs for your current weight. So, if you want intermittent fasting to work you need to make sure you intake fewer calories than what is needed for your body maintenance at your current weight.
Longer fasts have shown that they could in fact lead to metabolic benefits. But there is a catch, it also leads to muscle loss. Losing muscle mass has its side effects, it makes you weaker. This is the case because longer fasts mean calorie deficits and these calorie deficits are often linked to lower protein intake.
So does intermittent fasting work, yes and no. Overall, an eight-hour fasting window does not show significant change but with a six-hour fasting window, it has been said to work. But if you really want to lose weight, studies show that being in a calorie deficit every day is probably the most efficient way to do it.
https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-blogs/colette-heimowitz/the-facts-behind-intermittent-fasting (picture)
https://www.insider.com/new-research-finds-intermittent-fasting-may-not-boost-weight-loss-2020-9 (article)
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