Does Intermittent Fasting Work for Weight Loss?

If you’re wondering how intermittent fasting stacks up against traditional diet plans, a new research review from the University of Illinois at Chicago sheds some light. Does intermittent fasting work for weight loss according to science?

Researchers found that people lost clinically significant amounts of weight with intermittent fasting and generated other benefits too, like improved metabolism and appetite regulation. It can also positively affect your gut health.

But note that studies like this one have indicated a 1-8% decrease in baseline weight while intermittent fasting for 12 weeks, similar to that of calorie-restricting diets. According to studies, intermittent fasting is no more effective than the traditional diets we hate so much.

But is there more to the story?

Intermittent Fasting Results According to Method

The review considered over 25 research studies to answer the question—does intermittent fasting work? The methods used in the study were:

Alternate day fasting

This approach involves fasting days alternated with days of eating only a 500-calorie meal. The research showed a 3-8% loss of body weight in 12 weeks. During eating days, participants weren’t allowed to overeat or binge on “feast”.

5:2 Diet

This means fasting two days each week and eating reasonably on the other five days. It’s an alternative to alternate-day fasting. But surprisingly, it shows similar weight loss benefits as the alternate day approach.

For both methods, participants sustained a 7% weight loss for the year.

Time-restricted eating

This is an intermittent fasting method that dramatically shortens your eating window to 4-10 hours daily, giving your body a more extended period without food. Outside your eating window, you’re essentially fasting. How long you fast depends on the length of your eating window. A popular example of this is the 16:8 method, in which you fast 16 hours (including overnight) and restrict eating to eight hours.

According to the review, obese participants lost an average of 3% of their body weight no matter the length of their eating window (six, eight, or ten hours).

Don’t Discount the Metabolism Effect

Unlike traditional diets, fasting revs up metabolism, and researchers are just beginning to uncover the intricate connections. For instance, it’s now known that fasting stimulates your mitochondria (the powerhouses of your cells) to metabolize and release energy at higher rates. According to a recent study, “Collectively, fasting appears to provoke a much more metabolically active state than previously realized.”

Participants in the study fasted 34-58 hours, which is not recommended for the average person, especially not regularly. But the findings correlate with other studies using more practical intermittent fasting methods that suggest periodically abstaining from food improves metabolic function.

This means it’s easier to lose weight. When you fast, your body doesn’t have access to readily available carbohydrates and resorts to breaking down fat. But keep in mind that excess carbohydrates aren’t the only energy sources the body stores as fat. Your body also converts extra protein (amino acids) into unwanted pounds.

So, does intermittent fasting work for weight loss? Yes—by stimulating your metabolism to burn fat. But this advantage is only effective if you’re fasting intermittently. Continual fasting will eventually reverse the benefits and begin to slow your metabolic rate.

So, it’s important to stay within healthy guidelines and not extend your fast beyond the alternate-day fasting method. In most cases, you’ll want to fast for at least 12 to 16 hours at a time to switch from carb-burning to fat burning.

Does Intermittent Fasting Work: Consider Personal Testimonies

Every body is different, and so is every personality. Traditional diets that restrict calories regularly just don’t work for everyone. For some people, their bodies adapt and refuse to drop pounds. There are many possible reasons for this ranging from hormones to underlying health conditions that affect metabolic rate.

If you’ve been there, then you know how frustrating this can be, especially if you’re dedicated to a weight loss plan. In these cases, intermittent fasting can help kick your metabolism into gear and direct it toward fat burning.

If you’ve struggled with your weight since your youth, then intermittent fasting might be a good option. Rachel Sharp shared her dramatic weight loss journey with Women’s Health. After years of failed dieting and exercise, she began to shed pounds by fasting intermittently.

Dr. Courtney Craig, a chiropractor with a degree in nutrition and biomedical research, recommends intermittent fasting for people who have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The positive impact of fasting on mitochondria, energy, and metabolism helps these patients lose weight and improves fatigue for many.

Weight Loss for Bladder Health

Common actions like coughing, sneezing, laughing, and even exercising trigger urine leaks if you have stress incontinence. Weight loss is one way to combat this effect because it reduces pressure on your internal organs, including your bladder.

As you seek to improve health through intermittent fasting or another weight loss approach, try our premium incontinence products for comfortable, discreet protection delivered to your door with no shipping costs.