If you're reading this article, chances are you know at least one person who does or has done intermittent fasting and swears by it as the BEST method to lose weight. But is this true? This article will explain what intermittent fasting is, the reason it does (or doesn't) work, and how to decide if it is right for you.
First, let's start with what intermittent fasting is. It is a dieting strategy where you limit the time per day that you consume calories, as opposed to eating throughout the entire day. There is no set window of time for intermittent fasting, but most who utilize this strategy fast during the morning into the early afternoon, and then consume their daily calories in the late afternoon/evening.
So now that we know what intermittent fasting (sometimes abbreviated to IF) is, we can tackle the question that you came here for: is IF the best way to lose weight? To answer this, let's look at an example using two (imaginary) people, Johnny and Billy.
Let's assume Johnny and Billy are totally identical; same height, same weight, same amount of muscle, same body fat percentage, same daily routine, same everything! The ONLY difference between the two is when they choose to eat their food (which is, of course, the same food for each of them).
Johnny eats normally spaced meals throughout the day, having a total of 3 meals starting right when he wakes up. Billy, on the other hand, practices intermittent fasting and therefore doesn't eat until half way through the day, opting for 2 larger meals.
So, which one do you think will lose more weight?
Neither! Let's explain why using this graph that charts out Johnny and Billy's food consumption for the day.
This graph shows the total amount of calories that both Johnny and Billy consumed throughout the day, with each spike representing a meal. If you look to the far right of the graph, you'll see that Johnny and Billy both consumed the same exact amount of calories at the end of the day. Since they are both identical and therefore burn the same amount of calories, then they're both in the same calorie deficit, which means equal weight loss!
The key takeaway here is that at the end of the day, the only thing necessary for weight loss to occur is a calorie deficit. How you achieve that deficit does not matter so long as you can do it consistently. Practicing intermittent fasting is simply one of many methods you can use to be in a calorie deficit, and is by no means better than any other method.
So, should you practice intermittent fasting? The answer to this will vary from person to person! The best diet method is the one you can stick with, so if you enjoy intermittent fasting and find it helps you sustain a deficit, then go for it, but if not, that’s okay too! The key is to make your diet as enjoyable and effortless as possible!