- A clinical trial found intermittent fasting produced similar weight loss to daily calorie restriction.
- People fasting did not feel the same need to constantly monitor, restrict or count what they ate.
- That difference may matter because the hardest part of weight loss is often not losing weight, but keeping the approach going.
Intermittent fasting may help people lose weight without the constant mental load of counting calories every day.
A new trial from the University of Adelaide compared intermittent fasting with continuous calorie restriction and standard care.
More than 200 adults with obesity took part in the 18-month study.
The intermittent fasting group ate only 30% of their daily energy needs between 8am and midday on three non-consecutive days each week.
After that, they fasted for 20 hours.
On the other days, they ate their usual diet.
- Alternate day fasting leads to fat loss and muscle loss
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The calorie restriction group took a more traditional approach, eating about 70% of their usual calories every day.
After six months, both dieting groups had lost around 7kg on average.
The standard care group lost around 2kg.
So the weight loss result was similar between fasting and calorie restriction.
The difference was how it felt.
People in the calorie restriction group reported needing to consciously control intake, avoid overeating and keep restricting themselves.
Researchers estimated that this sense of effort accounted for about 15% of their weight loss.
The fasting group did not report the same level of constant food control.
That may be the useful part.
For some people, deciding when to eat may be easier than trying to micromanage every meal, snack and portion.
The study also found improvements in depression and wellbeing in both dieting groups, including on fasting days.
That does not mean fasting is automatically better, or suitable for everyone.
- Fasting diet may reduce gum disease inflammation
- Seven days of fasting triggers major changes across the body
- Intermittent fasting linked to lower Crohn’s disease activity in a randomised trial
Some people find fasting miserable, and people with diabetes, eating disorders, pregnancy or certain medical conditions should seek clinical advice first.
But the study makes a fair point.
The best weight loss plan is not just the one that works on paper.
It is the one people can actually live with.
