Calorie Restriction Vs Intermittent Fasting: The Latest Weight Loss Science Weighs In
Back in 1991, a group of 8 people embarked on an experiment of living in a self-contained artificial ecological environment near Tucson, Arizona. Think high-tech commune, but instead of hippies, the group consisted of a physician, as well as other doctors and researchers. They embarked on what was to be a two-year self-sustaining attempt at growing their own food. The domed facility they lived in was called Biosphere 2. The goal of the researchers was to assess the feasibility for future space colonists to grow their own food.
While the food-growing effort wasnt as challenging as that of Matt Damons in the hit film, The Martian,” in which Damons character survives by fertilizing the Martian soil with his own poop, nonetheless, the 8 researchers quickly realized that they wouldnt be able to grow enough food in the domed environment to sustain them.
In just so happened that one of the researchers was a devotee of calorie-restricted diets and author of a book about the subject. What better opportunity to conduct on experiment on calorie restricted diets. The 8 people living in Biosphere 2 reduced their calorie intake 30%.
Although calorie restriction has been studied for over 100 years, the Biosphere group is believed to be one of the first experiments on CR on humans.
Well, hold onnot so fast.
The Dark Side of Calorie Restriction
I still recommend breaking your 16-hour fast with Green Drink and then waiting a half hour or s
People Order A Little Less When Fast Food Chains Display Calories
You may want to slow down on fasting.
A new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that intermittent fasting fails to help dieters drop weight, with calorie counting still the most effective way to shed any unwanted pounds.
The Johns Hopkins University research teams findings are likely to shock those spending up to 16 hours a day abstaining from food in their battle against the bulge.
Intermittent fasting has become one of the hottest diet trends in recent years, with proponents of the practice including super-slim celebs Jennifer Aniston and Gisele Bündchen.
But the researchers cast doubt on the trends benefits, bluntly stating: Our findings did not support the use of timerestricted eating as a strategy for longterm weight loss in a general medical population.
Works Well With A Nutritious Whole Foods Diet
Because intermittent fasting is focused more on when rather than what you eat, its generally easy to implement in conjunction with your current diet.
You wont necessarily need to buy any special foods or diverge much from what you typically eat.
If youre already content with the state of your current diet but looking for other ways to continue boosting your overall health, fasting might be something you want to explore.
For example, intermittent fasting might work particularly well for someone who wants to pair it with a resistance training program and a high protein diet .
Still, this isnt meant to imply that what you eat doesnt matter. Theres no doubt that youll reap the most benefits from intermittent fasting by eating a variety of nutritious foods and limiting ultra-processed foods during your eating window.
SUMMARY
Intermittent fasting is often used to manage weight and metabolic health. The eating routine might help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fat levels. For some people, it also works as part of a healthy long-term diet pattern.
Read Also: How Much Weight Should I Lose On Intermittent Fasting
Why Counting Calories May Work Better For Weight Loss Than Intermittent Fasting
A person’s weight is intensely personal. But for all that people don’t like talking about their weight, methods of weight loss seem to be a perennial hot topic. Exercise trends and fad diets regularly sweep through the public. And, in their wake, many are left wondering if these crazes were worth all the hype.
Of course, some weight loss ideas stick around longer than others. And one idea that has been popular over the last few years is the concept of intermittent fasting. Johns Hopkins Medicine describes intermittent fasting as weight loss based less on the idea of restricting what you eat and more on the idea of when you eat. Generally this means that an intermittent faster will only eat between certain times of the day or that they will eat very little Johns Hopkins Medicine specifies one meal on particular days of the week. The idea behind it is that when you eat less, your body burns the energy it has stored as fat.
It makes sense on the surface. But a new study has thrown doubt on whether the idea of intermittent fasting is really any better than counting calories after all.
Mistake #: Youre Overanalyzing
“Does IF mean no food outside meal times, or no calories?”
Um, they are one in the same, no? Does anyone reading this article know of foods that have zero calories? If so, please share! This persons assumption is correct, thoughno food and no calories outside of the feeding window.
Will eating ______ break my fast?
Does anyone else feel like this question comes up about a thousand times a day? Short answer: Yes. Eating anything with calories breaks your fast. Exceptions to this rule would be black coffee, unsweetened and milk-free tea, water, and diet soda
Also Check: How Much Is Do Fasting App
One Downside Of If: Loss Of Lean Muscle Mass
While weight loss for cardiometabolic health is a sensible goal, weight loss from any intervention often entails a concurrent loss of lean muscle mass. This has been a notable finding what I might even call an adverse side effect of intermittent fasting protocols. Given the importance of lean muscle mass for revving your metabolic rate, regulating your blood sugar, and keeping you physically able overall, pairing resistance training with an intermittent fasting protocol is strongly advised.
Finally, the weight loss achieved through time-restricted eating is likely different than the cellular adaptations that happen with more prolonged fully fasted states. At this time, it is hard to determine the degree to which the cardiometabolic benefits of fasting derive from weight loss or from underlying cellular adaptations it is likely an interrelated combination of both.
Nevertheless, it seems clear that in a 24/7 world of around-the-clock eating opportunities, all of us could benefit from aligning with our circadian biology, and spend a bit less time in a fed state and more time in a fasted state each day.
About the Author
Richard Joseph, MD, Contributor
How To Do Intermittent Fasting Right
There is a right and wrong way to do intermittent fasting. It shouldnt be restrictive, it should be used as a way to give you that extra little push that you might be needing. Intermittent fasting is a technique that should be used somewhat sparingly. It can help you cut fat and give you an energy boost, but only if done right.
You shouldnt be fasting every single day. Its common to fast for up to 24 hours, but not beyond that point. Whats more, you should not be fasting for days on end. This falls under the category of unsafely cutting your calories. If youre fasting for 12, 18, or 24 hours and youre doing it multiple days per week, it will be difficult for you to get in a healthy amount of calories when you are supposed to be eating. As such, many people choose to simply fast one to two days per week or maybe even less. Some individuals choose to only fast when they simply want to cut their fat percentage down a bit, so they just use it occasionally. Others, use it when their body is feeling overwhelmed which also doesnt require weekly use.
All of this is actually contingent upon constantly counting your calories. If youre not doing a good job of eating a healthy amount, intermittent fasting probably wont work for you. You can only see a difference in how you feel if you have a solid calorie plan set out in advance.
Also Check: Which Intermittent Fasting Is Best For Me
Calorie Counting Vs Intermittent Fasting: Which One Is Better For Weight Loss
Lets say your best friends wedding is coming up and youre the maid of honor. How best to lose those stubborn 5-10 pounds so you can squeeze into that sexy, new dress? Should you drastically cut down on calories? Or should you just eat whatever you want as long as youre doing intermittent fasting for 10-14 hours per day? Which method does science say is better for weight loss? Keep reading to find out.
Is Macro Tracking Beneficial During Intermittent Fasting
As stated above, IF does not interfere with the ratio of macronutrients you are allowed to eat, but rather focuses on narrowing down your eating time-window.
For instance, if you want to cut, IF can be quite beneficial since it promotes satiety and suppresses the production of hunger hormones.
Before you decide to track your macros while following IF, it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with both concepts to avoid any unnecessary adverse effects.
In other words, if you have been tracking your macros for a while, it wont be a problem to also add intermitting fasting to the mix.
To make things easier for you, we programmed an intermittent fasting calculator to provide you with all the information you need for optimal results.
Don’t Miss: What Foods To Avoid When Intermittent Fasting
Coronary Heart Disease Risk Indicator Assessment
Blood pressure and heart rate were measured in triplicate each week using a digital automatic blood pressure/heart rate monitor with the subject in a seated position after a 10-min rest. Fasting plasma glucose was measured in duplicate at week 1, 3, and 10 with a glucose hexokinase reagent kit . Insulin, C-reactive protein , homocysteine, adiponectin, and leptin were assessed in duplicate at week 1, 3, and 10 by ELISA .
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is the practice of fasting for a set amount of hours each day, followed by a window of time in which you are permitted to eat.
During the fasting period, you need to avoid solid foods and limit your diet to calorie-free beverages like water, coffee, and unsweetened teas. During the eating window, you can consume solid foods but are encouraged to follow a balanced diet and avoid junk foods.
While not a weight loss strategy, intermittent fasting may result in weight loss if you consume fewer calories than you are using for energy.
Some people find it helpful to follow the Mediterranean diet while doing intermittent fasting to ensure that they are getting enough nutrients during their eating window. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, seafood, and healthy fats.
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Is Intermittent Fasting A Reliable Strategy To Achieve Weight Loss
To date, the answer has remained murky due to the quality of the evidence, which often involves very small sample sizes, short intervention periods, varied study designs , different fasting protocols, and participants of varying shapes and sizes. The data on intermittent fasting and its impact on weight loss largely involves studies that employ the time-restricted eating methodology of intermittent fasting. A recent compilation of the evidence suggests that limiting your eating window might indeed help you shed a few pounds.
What About Muscle Loss And Metabolic Rate
The other big concern is that fasting will burn muscle. In the aforementioned study the CR group lost statistically significant amounts of lean mass, but not the IF group. Yes, there is LESS lean muscle loss. Maybe it has to do with all the growth hormone and nor adrenalin being pumped out.
Lean mass % increased by 2.2% with fasting and only 0.5% with CR. In other words, fasting is 4 times better at preserving lean mass. So much for that old fasting burns muscle.
What happens to basal metabolism? Thats what determines long-term success. If you look at the change in Resting Metabolic Rate , using CR, basal metabolism dropped by 76 calories per day. Using fasting, it only dropped 29 calories per day . In other words, daily caloric reduction causes almost 2 1/2 times as much metabolic slowdown as fasting! So much for that old Fasting puts you into starvation mode.
Weight regain differed during fasting vs CR. The fasting group tended to regain lean mass and continue to lose fat, while CR group gained both fat and lean mass. Part of the issue was that the fasting group reported that they often continued to fast even after the study was done. Of course! It is easier than they thought, with better results.
Calorie-restriction diets ignore the biological principle of homeostasis the bodys ability to adapt to changing environments. Your eyes adjust whether you are in a dark room or bright sunlight. Your ears adjust if you are in a loud airport or a quiet house.
Read Also: A1c And Fasting Blood Sugar
Women Who Are Pregnant Or Breastfeeding
That same study indicated that breastfeeding isnt the best time to fast or reduce calorie intake, since women need an extra 300 to 500 calories per day to keep up their energy level and milk production, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Also, people who need to take medication with food should eat at regular intervals so they don’t miss a dose, says Harvard Health.
Its a good idea for everyone whether you have any of the conditions listed above or not to check with a doctor before starting a fast, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Counting Calories Is King When It Comes To Losing Weight
- Counting calories is the only thing that matters when losing weight, a study says
- Researchers found that time between meals did little to affect weight loss
- Intermittent fasting has risen in popularity in recent years
05:01 EST, 18 January 2023 | Updated:
Put all the eating schedules away – the best way to lose weight is by flatly reducing calories, a new study suggests.
A Johns Hopkins University research team found that the timing of meals is irrelevant to the amount of weight a person loses over time. Instead, eating smaller meals with fewer calories is the key to shedding pounds.
Intermittent fasting, when a person will only eat within windows of eight or ten hours throughout the day, has been a growing trend in recent years – with the likes of Elon Musk and Halle Berry singing its praises.
While it can help a person control food cravings and reduce calorie consumption, just basic calorie counting is just as effective.
Researchers found that calorie counting is a key to weight loss, no matter the timing between meals – going against claims made by intermittent fasting proponents
Researchers – who published their findings Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association – gathered data from 550 adults in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Participants were about 51 years old on average, had a college education or higher, and were mostly female.
About 240 participants were obese, while 169 were overweight and 138 were a healthy weight.
Recommended Reading: How To Do Diet Fasting
Caloric Reduction Doesnt Work
It has never worked. Practical personal experience confirms it. Weve all done it. Weve all failed to lose weight. So, whatever else you may believe, focusing on caloric reduction DOES NOT WORK for most people. But, no matter how many times I say it, I get the uncomprehending gaze of an anxious monkey.
So, what happens with focusing on calorie reduction? A detailed review can be found in the Calories series. Essentially, the body maintains its body set weight . As you start reducing calories, weight goes down, and the body compensates for this weight loss by trying to regain the lost weight. Hormonal mediators of hunger increase. This means that measures of hunger and desire to eat increase. This happens almost immediately and persists almost indefinitely. This is no psychobabble that people lose their willpower over time and compliance wanes. People are really, physiologically hungrier because the hunger hormones are stimulated.
Next, the bodys metabolism starts to shut down. In response to a 30% decrease in calories, there is a roughly 30% decrease in total energy expenditure. We may start to feel tired, cold, and we have little energy for things like exercise.
Heres the bottom line. As you reduce calories, appetite goes up, and metabolism goes down. Yowzers. You reduce Calories In, but Calories Out goes down, too. This is likely to fail.
Choose The Best Type Of If For You
For instance, if you often socialize late at night, 5:2 likely will be a better fit than 16:8. If you decide to try 16:8, Gottfried says to ease into it. I recommend starting slowly at first and ramping up, with a 12-hour fast and a 12-hour eating window, then move to a 14-hour fast with a 10-hour eating window, and from there to 16:8, she says. She says to keep in mind that people have different fasting windows. Some like to eat at 10 a.m. and stop at 6 p.m. others prefer to wait until 12 p.m. and stop eating at 8 p.m., she says. Find what works for you.
Also Check: Intermittent Fasting To Get Ripped
Why Portion Control Simply Doesnt Work
The portion control strategy of constant caloric reduction is the most common dietary approach recommended by nutritional authorities for both weight loss and type 2 diabetes. Advocates suggest that reducing daily caloric consumption by 500 calories will trigger weight loss of approximately one pound of fat per week.
The American Diabetes Associations main dietary recommendation suggests to focus on diet, physical activity, and behavioral strategies to achieve a 500750 kcal/day energy deficit. The portion control advice to reduce calories has been fairly standard since the 1970s. This reduction of average calories should be spread consistently throughout the day, rather than all at once. Dieticians often counsel patients to eat four, five or six times a day. There are calorie labels on restaurant meals, packaged food, and beverages. There are charts for calorie counting, calorie counting apps, and hundreds of calorie counting books. Even with all this, success is as rare as humility in a grizzly bear.
After all, who hasnt tried the portion-control strategy for weight loss. Does it work? Just about never. Data from the United Kingdom indicate that conventional advice succeeds in 1 in 210 obese men and 1 in 124 obese women . That is a failure rate of 99.5%, and that number is even worse for morbid obesity. So, whatever else you may believe, constant caloric reduction does NOT work for most people.
