If you’re interested in cutting your calorie intake and losing weight, intermittent fasting is something you’ll have come across in your research. Used by celebrities like Hugh Jackman to achieve a lean figure, there is a lot of hype around the intermittent fasting lifestyle. For some, intermittent fasting sounds extreme, which leads us to an important question:
Is intermittent fasting sustainable for weight loss?
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. Intermittent fasting is not a diet; instead it’s a dietary pattern, meaning it does not dictate which food should be eaten — but when food should be eaten. Intermittent fasting is currently very popular among the health and fitness community because it essentially allows you more freedom in your diet, stopping you consuming excess calories because your window for eating is so limited.
There are several different intermittent fasting methods:
The 16/8 method: Fasting for 16 hours per day and eating during the 8-hour eating window (e.g. skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal before 8 pm)
The 5:2 diet: Eating as normal for five days of the week then eating 500-600 calories on two days of the week
Eat-stop-eat: The practice of a 24-hour fast once or twice per week (avoiding eating after dinner one day until dinner the following day)
The most popular method of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method. Working individuals who struggle to find extra time in the morning may find this method convenient. It is also convenient for those who exercise in the evening and tend not to require as much energy in the morning.
Is Intermittent Fasting Necessary for Weight Loss?
The short answer is no — you don’t need to commit to intermittent fasting if you want to see success in your weight loss program. So why do people even consider intermittent fasting in the first place? Well, as your eating window is restricted, this will naturally result in you eating less food (unless you binge on huge amounts of food), which can technically result in weight loss.
In its most basic form, weight loss works through a caloric deficit.
Your body is in a constant state of energy consumption. The energy your body needs is obtained through calories, which are present in all food. Your body is always using the fuel you put into it (food) to operate — you need energy for everything from movement and breathing to thinking and digesting. Everyone has a base caloric requirement to survive that varies depending on age, gender, weight, height, metabolism and several other biological factors. The amount of energy you need is also increased with exercise, as the body then needs more fuel to function. This is why exercise is such an important part of weight loss. It doesn’t burn away fat itself, but it means your body needs more energy to perform its basic biological functions.
This is also why a great and sustainable diet is so important for losing weight alongside exercise — which leads us back to the idea of intermittent fasting.
If you eat fewer calories than your body needs to operate, you will use the energy stored within your body fat. If you ingest more calories than your body needs, it will save those calories to support survival during leaner times. So the essential formula for weight loss is this:
Less food eaten = decreased calorie intake = weight loss.
And so, people commit to intermittent fasting diets. The core idea behind intermittent fasting is if you are eating over a shorter period, you are eating less food. If you are eating less food, you are eating fewer calories, which creates the environment required for fat loss. Some people even suggest that intermittent fasting is superior to other forms of caloric restriction, but research does not support this.
Trepanowski et al. (2017) found intermittent fasting is not superior to daily calorie restriction with regards to adherence, weight loss, weight maintenance, or improvement in risk indicators for cardiovascular disease. Another small-scale study found that traditional calorie-restrictive dieting plans were more effective for weight loss than intermittent fasting.
So, everyone carrying out intermittent fasting is wrong?
When Intermittent Fasting Works
The short answer is again no.
Every side of the argument has a study to back up their claim. While we can tell you about lots of research that shows intermittent fasting doesn’t work as well as other methods, another nutritionist and personal trainer who supports the technique of intermittent fasting will probably quote you a totally different study on why it does work.
Intermittent fasting can work when it works for your lifestyle.
Some people don’t eat breakfast. If you simply cannot stomach food in the morning or if you can’t make time for breakfast, then intermittent fasting can become a sustainable food intake pattern.
David Higgins, trainer to stars like Margot Robbie and Claudia Schiffer, is one such advocate of sustainable intermittent fasting. He tells people that the 16/8 method is a good strategy for losing weight, but only if it works as part of your lifestyle.
This idea is supported by Harris et al. (2018), who note that if you aren’t making any changes to your current eating habits, then intermittent fasting can be a sustainable weight loss tool. The study found intermittent fasting may be an effective strategy for the treatment of overweight and obesity and is more effective than no treatment. Furthermore, Patterson & Sears (2017) found that an intermittent fasting regimen may be a promising approach to losing weight for people who can safely tolerate intervals of not eating, or eating very little, for certain hours of the day, night, or days of the week.
The key point here? It’s all down to the individual involved.
Sustainable Intermittent Fasting: Why It’s Not Always Possible
Healthy and sustainable weight loss is driven by dietary plans that work for an individual. If you dislike the way you are eating, then you won’t stick with it. Willpower supports quick results, but it doesn’t keep you healthy long term. The only way intermittent fasting can be sustainable, just like with any other weight loss strategy, is if you can make it part of a lifestyle that makes you happy.
If by conducting intermittent fasting, you are feeling hungry in the morning and lethargic until you eat lunch, it’s not for you. You cannot reasonably expect to maintain a sustainable weight loss program through intermittent fasting if you hate it. This is why studies show other diets work better for some people, but then sometimes intermittent fasting works for another group. It’s because it can work for you, but sometimes it won’t.
Intermittent fasting is not a magic bullet for weight loss. There is no true magic bullet that will guarantee you the best results. We’re all different, which means if you want to lose weight, you have to find a way of doing it that works with your life. You may try intermittent fasting and love it. Intermittent fasting may be unbearable for you.
Both reactions are absolutely fine.
When you want to lose weight, it’s about finding your happy medium. Your perfect balance. Sustainable intermittent fasting is a good state of mind, where you don’t have to work to achieve it. It’s not a battle to overcome adversity.
You might say that weight loss is all about willpower and commitment; dedication and pushing through. We’ve all been taught to think this, but it’s not the truth. All the happy and healthy people in your life. The thin friends you always envy. Are they constantly battling to keep their weight down? No. Are they just lucky to have faster metabolisms than you? No.
It’s their lifestyle that results in their good health. You can find a lifestyle that does the same.
Intermittent fasting may be part of that, but it might not be.
