Three Days to Slim: Is Intermittent Fasting the Ultimate Weight Loss Hack?
Intermittent fasting, practiced three days a week, results in more consistent weight loss than traditional diets that restrict calories on a daily basis.
This is the conclusion of a new US study that compared the effects of two diets on 125 overweight or obese people divided into two groups.
One in which the participants practiced intermittent fasting, which entails eating without restrictions four days a week and three days with a drastic reduction of 80% of the calories normally consumed; the other in which the volunteers followed a diet with 35% fewer calories than usual.
After a year, the intermittent fasters lost approximately 18 pounds more than those who followed a standard calorie-restricted diet, and they lost 7.6 percent of their body weight, compared to 5% for the others. “Over time, intermittent fasting appears to be easier to stick to, as the body adjusts more easily than daily calorie restriction,” said study author Victoria Catenacci, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, stated that participants received regular support from dietitians and fitness experts.
