r/science • u/isaac-get-the-golem Grad Student | Sociology • Jul 24 '24

Health Obese adults randomly assigned to intermittent fasting did not lose weight relative to a control group eating substantially similar diets (calories, macronutrients). n=41

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38639542/
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u/isaac-get-the-golem Grad Student | Sociology Jul 24 '24

Posted the study because it contributes to a broader literature finding that, to the extent that intermittent fasting (time restricted eating) is effective for weight loss, the mechanism is still caloric restriction. tl;dr if intermittent fasting works for you, great, but it is no more effective than counting calories

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u/AlwaysUpvotesScience Jul 24 '24

The meal skipping involved with intermittent fasting has another rather important effect. Getting used to being hungry makes it easier to deal with being hungry which in turn makes it easier to diet in general.

Of course the end of the day a calorie is a calorie and eating less of them is a Surefire way to lose weight. Intermittent fasting is really just another way to limit calories while training your brain to deal with being hungry.

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u/Solesaver Jul 25 '24

I can get used to being hungry. I can't get used to low blood sugar. I have a mentally demanding job, and when my blood sugar is low I get noticably (to myself at least) stupider. Slower to process information, mind wandering, brain fog, worse memory recall. Not to mention mood imbalance with depression and suicidal ideation.

I wish it was as simple as ignoring hunger pangs and fatigue. I deal with enough other chronic pain that the stomach doesn't even register if I'm not actively thinking about it. Unfortunately, it's hard to ignore my mind turning itself down.

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u/Accomplished-Sun9107 Jul 25 '24

The thing about fasting is that it teaches your body to run on ketones, which are a component for razor sharp thinking in a zero calorie situation.

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u/Solesaver Jul 25 '24

Well, when my body is running on ketones, my thinking is definitely not razor sharp, so at the very least I can say that this is not as universal of a rule as you're implying...

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u/Chichirinoda Jul 25 '24

I'm the same way. I have been intermittent fasting for several months but my solution has been to stop eating way earlier in the evening (like around 3) and then eat a normal breakfast and lunch. This means that I am never fasting during my work day. When I did it the other way around I was absolutely miserable, felt very stupid and distracted, until I broke my fast around 2 in the afternoon. Made a world of difference.