- A recent study found that people who bounce from one diet to another — or “yo-yo dieters” — may have better results following an intermittent fasting diet plan.
- The study compared intermittent fasting to traditional calorie counting for weight loss.
- The results suggest that people following intermittent fasting experienced psychological benefits related to food.
Over the last few years, intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular diet plan for people looking to lose weight.
During intermittent fasting, you eat for a set number of hours or days, and then fast for the remainder. For example, if following the 16/8 Method, you would eat for 8 hours and fast for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
A new study found that following an intermittent fasting dietary plan may be more beneficial for people who tend to “yo-yo diet” — those who jump from one diet to another rather than following a lifelong healthy eating plan.
The findings showed that people following either diet lost about the same amount of weight. However, those who adhered to fasting protocols experienced psychological and behavioral benefits, feeling they didn’t need to monitor overeating or count calories to lose weight. The study was published on July 16 in Clinical Nutrition.
“Many chronic dieters become trapped in a cycle of constantly tracking, counting, restricting, and thinking about food,” said Monique Richard, MS, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“If a structured eating window helps simplify decisions and reduce decision fatigue, that may improve long-term adherence for some people,” Richard told Healthline.
The study analyzed data from more than 200 people with obesity.
Participants were randomly split into three groups:
- intermittent fasting
- traditional calorie counting
- standard balanced diet
People following the intermittent fasting diet were asked to eat only between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., then fast for 20 hours. This cycle took place three times a week on non-consecutive days.
Those following the calorie counting diet were asked to eat 70% of their usual diet, and those on a standard balanced diet didn’t have any restrictions.
The researchers found that people following the intermittent fasting and calorie-counting diets lost about the same amount of weight.
However, those in the intermittent fasting group reported said they felt that they didn’t need to make major changes to their eating behaviors — such as monitoring overeating or counting calories — in order to lose weight.
“Previous research shows that people who improve their relationship with food and gain better control over cravings lose more weight — regardless of the specific diet they undertake,” said lead study author Leonie Heilbronn, PhD, professor and clinical research scientist in the School of Medicine at Adelaide University in Australia.
“What our study suggests is that we may be able to better personalize diet recommendations. If someone finds it difficult to improve eating behaviors, intermittent fasting might be better to help them still lose weight,” Heilbronn told Healthline.
Although intermittent fasting is a popular diet, experts agree that it’s not for everyone.
“Intermittent fasting may not be the best for people with certain medical conditions like diabetes and things like that, where maybe they’re on medication (or) their blood sugar may go too low,” said Mir Ali, MD, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Ali wasn’t involved in the study.
“It’s best to start with their primary doctor, see if that’s a reasonable approach to dieting for them with their medical concerns,” he told Healthline.
Richard said intermittent fasting is also not an appropriate diet for those who are:
“The best dietary pattern is rarely the one that produces the fastest weight loss — it’s the one a person can realistically sustain while meeting nutritional needs, supporting metabolic health, and maintaining a healthy relationship with food,” Richard said.
For some people, Richard explained, intermittent fasting may simplify eating decisions.
Creating clear boundaries around when you eat, rather than requiring continuous calorie calculations and monitoring throughout the day, can help make diet adherence feel less rigid.
“Constantly monitoring, counting, and evaluating food choices can create what some refer to as ‘food noise’ — persistent thoughts about food, eating, and restriction,” Richard said. “It could also include self-judgment, criticism, and/or shame and guilt around food choices.”
“Reducing mental preoccupation with food may allow people to reconnect with internal hunger and fullness cues, but also satisfaction, a combination I often observe is missing in many individuals’ daily intake.”
For those who wish to give intermittent fasting a shot, Ali suggested starting slow, such as with an 8, 10, or 12-hour fast, and scheduling it so that most of the fasting time is while you’re sleeping.
“If you start your fast at 6 p.m. and then don’t eat until 8 a.m. the next day, which is a 14-hour fast, a lot of that you may be sleeping, so that makes it a little easier,” he said.
Of course, anything consumed during your eating window should also be nutritious.
“An eating window filled with highly processed foods is unlikely to provide the same benefits as one built around protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats,” Richard said.
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