Or is it just the fact you are taking less calories in overall? I mean I drink coffee with milk which I know has calories in it but don’t consume any food until later in the day. I’m still losing weight.
I just wonder if there is too much hype around the fasting period or if I am missing something.
There’s some advantages towards controlling insulin and that better directing the body to prefer burning fat when at a deficit, but otherwise IF is ultimately a tool for adherence when it comes to strictly weight loss. It’s just easier, preferable, and/or naturally inclined for folks to eat less on a smaller eating window.
If you were to eat exactly the same amount of food spread throughout the day and then shove it all into an OMAD it would equal roughly the same results. You would gain weight on a surplus, stay the same at maintenance, and lose weight on a deficit.
Depends on what you are going for and your activity level. For weight loss it matters if you are also doing exercise because you can get into ketosis faster. Otherwise think about 8 hour blocks each representing a usual meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Each of those 8 hours means you are skipping one of those meals.
If you are going for Autophagy then yes the amount of hours absolutely matter. At least that’s how I see it, there’s people here with a lot more experience that might correct if I am incorrect here in anything.
Depends on what you’re measuring. If you’re strictly talking about calories, then “of course not”. But if you’re talking about insulin spikes or how people feel or other behaviors that indirectly link to more calorie intake, then that does matter.
What does it matter that you think it is hype?
Calories in calories out will always be the undisputed heavyweight champion of weight loss.
IF helps people accomplish that. Most people that do IF can’t out-out eat their fast. Some can however. Those than can just have to fast longer until they reach an amount they can’t out eat.
Me personally I can out eat omad. So I throw in two 48s a week and the rest of the week I eat omad. That is what works for me.