There is a big debate about this and I haven’t found an answer.
Most people say that IF only works because you are eating less and restricting your calories.
So that made me think, is it really necessary to stick to a strict eating schedule like IF or as long as I just manage my CICO will I get the same results in the long run?
I’m new to IF but I’ve read a couple books by Dr Fung as mentioned on this sub The Obesity Code & The complete Guide to fasting. Eat, Fast, Repeat I just finished and IF works on the principle of hormonal regulation of insulin. Fasting is more than about CICO. Longer fasting windows decrease insulin levels which allow you to access fat stores whereas just counting calories and grazing through the day doesn’t bring insulin levels down enough to tap into fat stores. You can technically eat more calories on a fasting regimen than on a calorie restriction diet while maintaining your basal metabolic rate or even increasing it on longer fasts 24-48hrs and still lose weight. Simple Low calorie diets can lower BMR in the long run and make weightloss more difficult!
It has absolutely nothing to do with counting calories. Literally couldn’t be further from the truth. I routinely consume several thousand calories after a fast. I pay absolutely no mind to how many calories are consumed, whatsoever. It’s all about what you eat, and when.
Intermittent fasting triggers ketosis. That’s it. Consuming fat and protein to break a fast maintains ketosis throughout the day which is where the fat burn occurs.
There is also a great YouTube video Fat Fiction. It’s not cico, it’s a whole lot more. Think about it- 100calories in brownies or 100 calories in salad- they are not same. It’s what and when you are eating
CICO will always be the final arbitrator of weight loss.
Fasting however is about more than just minimizing calories, changing the insulin and other hormone responses in the body, the anti-inflamatory aspects of fasting and the psychological aspects of fasting all play a role in long term success (CICO only type approaches has very bad long term success rates although they work well in short term studies).