If you eat the same number of calories and protein, fasting every now and then works just as well for losing weight as eating less every day.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
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The study found that intermittent fasting works just as well as cutting calories every day, as long as the total calories are the same.
The study looked at intermittent fasting and daily dieting with the same number of calories and found people lost about the same amount of weight, which supports the idea that both methods work similarly when food intake is matched.
Contradicting (2)
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Evaluation of the effectiveness of intermittent fasting versus caloric restriction in weight loss and improving cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This large analysis of studies found that fasting might lead to slightly more weight loss than just cutting calories every day.
Intermittent Fasting versus Continuous Calorie Restriction: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?
The study compares intermittent fasting to cutting calories every day, but it doesn’t say if both groups ate the same amount of calories and protein. It found fasting might lead to more weight loss, which means the results don’t fully back up the idea that both methods are equally effective.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.