Is Intermittent Fasting Right For You?
One of the trendiest - Intermittent fasting and let’s put it against one of the most used- restricting calories.
There are people who swear by both methods - but which is truly the best weight loss strategy?
This post compares studies of both IF and calorie counting.
Which results in more weight loss?
Many people have successfully lost weight through both approaches. But which method leads to more weight loss? One study involving a racially diverse group of 90 adults found that after a 12 month period both approaches had very similar results. One third of participants could only eat between noon and 8pm, one third were asked to restrict their caloric intake by 25% and the other third had no dietary restrictions. Both the fasters and the calorie counters lost more weight than the group that had no dietary restrictions, however the amount of weight lost by the fasters and calorie counters was roughly the same (about 5%).
Which is easier to keep up?
Intermittent fasting is typically easier to keep up than calorie counting, because it does not restrict what can be eaten - simply at what time foods can be eaten.
Cravings for high calorie foods can be more easily satisfied when doing intermittent fasting. When following a calorie restricted diet, it is harder to incorporate these foods without also doing some fasting in order to keep to calorie restrictions. Cravings for high calorie foods can encourage dieters to more frequently break the rules. Calorie counting also offers less flexibility than fasting - you can vary the times at which you fast to fit around plans, while calorie counting offers no flexibility in how many calories you can consume each day.
Of course, the results may depend on your eating habits. If you constantly snack throughout the day, you may find an intermittent fasting diet plan harder to stick to. If you rarely snack and eat mostly at set meal times, fasting is likely to be easier.
Which is healthier overall?
Calorie counting puts less stress on the body than fasting because you can still eat regularly and make sure that you’re getting a regular intake of water via food and nutrients.
Some people find that fasting leads to more frequent dehydration, headaches and fatigue - however this is typically due to not drinking enough during fasting periods (most fasting diets do not restrict you from drinking water at any time).
Intermittent fasting does however have some health benefits over calorie counting. One major benefit is its ability to stabilise blood sugar levels and manage/ward off conditions like diabetes. Studies have also found that intermittent fasting can help regulate blood pressure too.
Fast or count calories?
Fasting and counting calories both seem to be similarly effective at helping people to lose weight. If you find it necessary to snack throughout the day and tend to get dehydrated when not eating for long periods, you may find that calorie counting is the better option for you. If you don’t snack a lot and are looking for ways to ward off/manage diabetes or high blood pressure, then you may find that intermittent fasting is the better weight loss method.