If you go on TikTok (or any social media), you’ll find well-known health and weight loss experts (even doctors) saying that intermittent fasting is really just a way to get into a calorie deficit without calorie counting - and you can get the same benefit by simply calorie counting.
Wondering WHY (especially when I see so many positive results) some experts are anti-IF and if their thinking on this is correct?
I think there are other side benefits other than weight loss - but if you’re only going for weight loss - is IF pretty much the same as simply cutting calories/calorie deficit?
Speaking for literally ONLY myself, I actually think being able to go into caloric deficit without counting calories is…the whole point. Counting calories just doesn’t work for me; it takes the joy out of eating for me and is extremely hard to do accurately. Waiting until a certain time window requires so many fewer mental gymnastics, and has allowed me to eat the foods I really enjoy while losing weight. So like…I agree with those experts AND it’s why I love IF.
I enjoyed IF mainly because I was always bloated and it helped tremendously in that aspect plus it made it easier to not eat all day / night
In terms of weight loss though it really does boil down to calories in calories out
Weight loss will always boil down to calories in vs out. But IF does have other health benefits on top. They are right, though - in terms of weight loss it isn’t going to be much different if calorie deficit is the same. The other benefits aren’t as easy to quantify but they are there for most of us (feeling better, gut health/digestion, improved blood sugars, etc.)
If you take a cursory look at IF, it does seem to boil down to calories in and calories out, so most people probably don’t research farther.
What they miss is the insulin response and why it’s important.
If your insulin is up, you will not lose weight. Period. CICO cannot help you.
IF specifically helps reduce insulin levels so that you can burn fat. The “how” is well explained in “The Obesity Code”
I would imagine they are basing that on long term statistics of people that use IF strictly for weight loss. As with Keto, Vegan, Whole30, etc.
Most of them are effective in short term, but the majority of people find all of these various methods unsustainable in the long term for one reason or another. At the end of the day, the best one is the one you can follow long term.
For good and bad reasons. It’s not recommended for people who have underlying health issues and often times, fasting may cause light headedness, kidney issues, fainting, low blood sugar, and other complications. Not to mention the huge loss in electrolytes. But my theory that it is hard for companies to make money by telling the masses to eat less. Even if that will save your life.
Cereal and Bread sales are down and they are panicking.
Terrible IF studies are funded daily to generate headlines that “IF doesn’t work”.
Any IF study that equalizes calories is a garbage study …. And most do it.
IF weight loss is mostly from it making it easier to lower hunger and food intake.
Because it doesn’t work fast, best, or longterm for everyone. Nor does CICO. Nor OMAD or Noom or WW or Slimfast. Not for everybody. Some have to combine programs or methods. Go on and off them. Change them significantly from the recommended ways to use them. Cut out entire foods/food groups such as dairy or meat (which many doctors and others are also iffy on/fully against).
It can be challenging, if people need carbs to fuel their regular daily activity levels (and brains), to tell them to cut them to near zero as in some Keto plans. CrossFit can cause serious injuries for people starting at a much lower level of fitness than most who commit years to it.
And doctors gave to deal with the after effects of so many people losing weight rapidly—then regaining it all over again, almost as quickly. Sometimes, repeatedly.
Just because one thing works really well for me, doesn’t mean it’s the end-all, be-all answer to yours or someone’s else’s addiction issues with food, or their current hormone/age, disability/fitness situation.
For the same reasons the financial industry keeps selling complex products/investments when something much simpler (and cheaper) can actually work - potential profits.
There are also plenty of health professionals/influencers who do promote IF - just depends on who you listen to.
I’ve saw people saying that it doesn’t work because you won’t stick to it(?) I spend months since 2020 counting calories for all my meals(Wich left me with not satisfying enough food for me)and didn’t lose more than water weight. Now I can eat spaghetti everyday if I want to and still don’t gain/lose weight.
They don’t take into account glucose spikes and insulin exposure.
IF is obesity-hormone theory. Your hormones dictate your metabolism.
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CICO WILL result in losing weight but it may not result in resetting the metabolic thermostat according to obesity-hormone theory.
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Every wonder why athletes can eat more calories and not gain weight or some people can eat less and maintain weight. Our bodies adjust our metabolism.
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Experts may argue that the effects on metabolism is overstated. IF has other benefits such as increasing NAD+ levels as well.
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> you’re only going for weight loss - is IF pretty much the same as simply cutting calories/calorie deficit?
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Yes and no.
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Tl;dr: What you eat and when you eat is just as important as how much you eat. If people only focus on how much you eat (calories in) they don’t factor in other important factors like micronutrient intake and glucose spikes which affect metabolic health.
IF proponents feel that glucose spikes and obesity-hormone theory is understated.
IF opponents feel that glucose spikes and obesity-hormone theory is overstated.
\>saying that intermittent fasting is really just a way to get into a calorie deficit without calorie counting - and you can get the same benefit by simply calorie counting.
Um, that’s the entire point? They either don’t understand IF or are being intentionally obtuse