Is Intermittent Fasting Good for Weight Loss?

An evidence-based deep dive on weight loss.

Intermittent fasting

Fad diets are on the rise in the modern era of health and fitness. Since the pandemic, there has seemingly been a positive change in how we perceive our health.. However, we still have one major issue to combat. Misinformation.

With that said, I decided to perform a deep dive on a question that I get asked a lot.

Is intermittent fasting a good and effective for weight loss?

The claims for intermittent fasting are as grandiose as any other fad diet. This is especially true when haphazardly searched on Google. I found that major institutions like John Hopkins and Mayo wholeheartedly supporting this method. But is it the real deal?

I performed an extensive search on PubMed and only utilized systematic reviews and meta-analysis (top-tier evidence) to see answer this question.

In healthy individuals, IF has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing body weight, waist circumference, and BMI. When compared traditional caloric restriction, it may even be slightly more beneficial.

In individuals suffering from metabolic syndrome, it also provided glucose stability and homeostasis leading to improved metabolic control.

However, the WHY it works is really important.

Many institutions claim that it speeds up your metabolism. On the contrary, the summation of evidence states that IF does not increase metabolism. IF is only effective because it changes behavioral patterning.

IF forces you to eat within a narrower window of time. You are more likely to ingest less calories given less time to eat. So, in reality, you are really performing caloric restriction. This begs a few questions.

If IF only provides behavioral advantages, is it really the best method for you? Do you handle being in starvation mode well? Do you have exercise goals you want to achieve? Do you like having high levels of energy in the gym?

These are all questions you must ask yourself because IF will likely negatively effect all of these things.

Traditional Caloric Restriction

Traditional caloric restriction is a tried and true method. It does not require you to starve yourself throughout the day and is less likely to reduce energy output during your workouts. The downside of this method is time and accuracy. Most people under-report their caloric intake by 50-70%.

There are always trade-offs.

In Conclusion

If your sole goal is weight loss, then intermittent fasting can be effective if done responsibly. I am by no means an "anti-faster", but you should be well-informed before changing your diet. IF may work better for your busy life-schedule. There are always positives and negatives when implementing a weight loss plan. However, it is important that your plan is sustainable and specific to your goals. Always make sure you are well-informed in order to ensure success and reduce negative outcomes.