However, those who adhered to fasting protocols experienced psychological and behavioral benefits, feeling they didn’t need to monitor overeating or count calories to lose weight.
During intermittent fasting, you eat for a set number of hours or days, and then fast for the remainder.
Over the last few years, intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular diet plan for people looking to lose weight.
The researchers found that people following the intermittent fasting and calorie-counting diets lost about the same amount of weight.
However, those in the intermittent fasting group reported said they felt that they didn’t need to make major changes to their eating behaviors — such as monitoring overeating or counting calories — in order to lose weight.
“If a structured eating window helps simplify decisions and reduce decision fatigue, that may improve long-term adherence for some people,” Richard told Healthline.
“Many chronic dieters become trapped in a cycle of constantly tracking, counting, restricting, and thinking about food,” said Monique Richard , MS, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, who wasn’t involved in the study.
The findings showed that people following either diet lost about the same amount of weight. However, those who adhered to fasting protocols experienced psychological and behavioral benefits, feeling they didn’t need to monitor overeating or count calories to lose weight. The study was published on July 16 in Clinical Nutrition .
A new study found that following an intermittent fasting dietary plan may be more beneficial for people who tend to “yo-yo diet” — those who jump from one diet to another rather than following a lifelong healthy eating plan.
During intermittent fasting, you eat for a set number of hours or days, and then fast for the remainder. For example, if following the 16/8 Method , you would eat for 8 hours and fast for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
Over the last few years, intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular diet plan for people looking to lose weight.
The study analyzed data from more than 200 people with obesity.
Participants were randomly split into three groups:
intermittent fasting
traditional calorie counting
standard balanced diet
People following the intermittent fasting diet were asked to eat only between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., then fast for 20 hours. This cycle took place three times a week on non-consecutive days.
Those following the calorie counting diet were asked to eat 70% of their usual diet, and those on a standard balanced diet didn’t have any restrictions.
The researchers found that people following the intermittent fasting and calorie-counting diets lost about the same amount of weight.
However, those in the intermittent fasting group reported said they felt that they didn’t need to make major changes to their eating behaviors — such as monitoring overeating or counting calories — in order to lose weight.
“Previous research shows that people who improve their relationship with food and gain better control over cravings lose more weight — regardless of the specific diet they undertake,” said lead study author Leonie Heilbronn, PhD, professor and clinical research scientist in the School of Medicine at Adelaide University in Australia.
