Does Fasting Help Lose Weight?

Does fasting help lose weight? Fasting can help you lose weight simply because it puts you in a caloric deficit. If you are burning more calories than you are consuming, then you are in a caloric deficit. And that will illicit fat loss or weight loss. It is important to know that fasting isn’t for everybody because not everybody can go for extended periods of time not eating food.

Does fasting help you lose weight? iStock-photo credit: Raunamaxtor

If you try it out as a test it takes a couple of days for your body to adjust but eventually your body will adapt to how often you eat food. An example would be having your first meal of the day at lunch time and not eating any breakfast.

The 16/8 Fasting Diet

There are several different intermittent fasting methods, and one is the 16/8 intermittent method which is restricting food consumption and calorie beverages within an 8-hour period. And abstaining from food for the remaining 16 hours.

Studies have shown that time restriction on eating patterns like the 16/8 method is impactful when it comes to effective strategies for adults that are either overweight or obese.

The 5/2 Diet

Another intermittent fasting method is the 5/2 method which is eating normally 5 days a week in how you want and not restricting calories. And then 2 days a week you reduce your calories to one quarter of your daily caloric needs.

For example, let’s say you consume 2000 calories per day around 5 days a week and then 2 days a week you consume 500 calories per day. With the 5/2 diet you specifically pick the days you want to fast and there are no rules on the non-fasting days.

The Warrior Diet

The Warrior Diet is another intermittent weight loss diet where it consists of eating very little for 20 hours a day and then eating as much food for a 4-hour window at night. This is not a diet that many people can sustain for an extended period. And I don’t even think there are many people that can sustain this for a brief period of time. To eat very little for 20 hours a day would be exceedingly difficult for anybody to do.

During that 4-hour window, after a 20 hour fast you can eat anything, you want. The Warrior diet is extreme in terms of how long you are fasting and then all sudden eating anything you want for 4 hours.

When you look at distinct types of fasting strategies what they all have in common is they put you in a caloric deficit. There are no studies that show that eating in this intermittent fasting way will make you lose weight faster than eating in a traditional way of losing weight.

One of the main reasons why intermittent fasting works when it comes to weight loss is because you are eating less calories.

The Bottom Line is any type of fasting you do will help you lose weight over a period because you are eating fewer calories. But studies show that fasting will not give you a greater benefit of weight loss over a traditional eating pattern.

If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement products to help you heighten your immune system or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals. You can get a discount below at this link.

About Author- Obi Obadike

About – Ethical Inc

Sharecare Names Top 10 Fittest Cities in America – Sharecare

References

1. Malinowski B, Zalewska K, Węsierska A, Sokołowska MM, Socha M, Liczner G, Pawlak-Osińska K, Wiciński M. Intermittent Fasting in Cardiovascular Disorders-An Overview. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 20;11(3):673. doi: 10.3390/nu11030673. PMID: 30897855; PMCID: PMC6471315.
2. Huang L, Chen Y, Wen S, Lu D, Shen X, Deng H, Xu L. Is time-restricted eating (8/16) beneficial for body weight and metabolism of obese and overweight adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food Sci Nutr. 2022 Dec 19;11(3):1187-1200. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3194. PMID: 36911845; PMCID: PMC10002957.
3. Carter S, Clifton PM, Keogh JB. Effect of Intermittent Compared With Continuous Energy Restricted Diet on Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2018 Jul 6;1(3):e180756. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0756. PMID: 30646030; PMCID: PMC6324303.
4. Schübel R, Nattenmüller J, Sookthai D, Nonnenmacher T, Graf ME, Riedl L, Schlett CL, von Stackelberg O, Johnson T, Nabers D, Kirsten R, Kratz M, Kauczor HU, Ulrich CM, Kaaks R, Kühn T. Effects of intermittent and continuous calorie restriction on body weight and metabolism over 50 wk: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Nov 1;108(5):933-945. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy196. PMID: 30475957; PMCID: PMC6915821.
5. Cienfuegos S, Gabel K, Kalam F, Ezpeleta M, Wiseman E, Pavlou V, Lin S, Oliveira ML, Varady KA. Effects of 4- and 6-h Time-Restricted Feeding on Weight and Cardiometabolic Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Adults with Obesity. Cell Metab. 2020 Sep 1;32(3):366-378.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.06.018. Epub 2020 Jul 15. PMID: 32673591; PMCID: PMC9407646.
6. Cui Y, Cai T, Zhou Z, Mu Y, Lu Y, Gao Z, Wu J, Zhang Y. Health Effects of Alternate-Day Fasting in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Nutr. 2020 Nov 24;7:586036. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.586036. PMID: 33330587; PMCID: PMC7732631.