Is the weight lost just because the body is in a fasted state?
Or is the fat loss as a result of a reduced amount of calories consumed within the eating window?
Lets say Person A is doing 16:8.. and their maintenance calories are 2000. If they are sticking to 16:8 everyday but eating 2000 or 2200 calories, will they lose weight?
Also, lets say the Person B is not doing any IF at all. But they consume 1600 calories everyday & losing weight..
Will person A lose weight more than person B? Please can someone clarify this for me. Thank you.
In short:
General studies show that intermittent calorie restriction caused a similar amount of weight loss as continuous calorie restriction — but with a much smaller reduction in muscle mass. IF is often more manageable than regular low calorie diet since people don’t feel so deprived of food.
In IF your eating window is restricted, therefore there is less mindless eating - hence lower calorie input in most cases. But there is also more time for the body to start burning fat (ketosis). Normally the body just uses the constant influx of food for energy. When you fast it starts to use the stored fat in much larger quantities.
IF is providing hormonal balance. When you eat, insulin is released. Insulin blocks metabolism of fat. If you eat 1600 calories spread throughout the day (5-7 meals), your insulin is always in an elevated state. With chronic elevated insulin, you have no access to stored fat, your body will need to adapt to those 1600 calories, slowing your metabolism. On the other hand, if you eat those same 1600 calories in a condensed window, your insulin has a chance to baseline. Once that happens, the locked door to your fat stores is opened. Now if you eat the same 1600 calories and your daily needs are 2000, your body can use the stored energy and make up the difference, no metabolic slowdown. This is the reason we carry fat. It’s stored energy.