Google intermittent fasting and the first few hits you’ll get are from Hopkins medicine, Healthline, and Mayo Clinic.
While I have nothing against any of those organisations, reading nutrition articles from such sources should be done so with a pinch of salt. Sometimes the scientific studies references are incorrect or devoid of context with poor control. They're also often written by people who haven't worked with real people, or tried to combine the most suitable training programme with the most suitable nutrition programme based on the individual. The practice of questioning what we read and hear is a lost skill, and very often when presented with a persuasive theory, we want to believe it to be true, and so it becomes true.
How’s this article on intermittent fasting any different, then? Well, for one it comes from someone who has:
a) tried it themselves
b) tried it with the people they’ve worked with
c) understands the limitations and benefits of it both from a scientific as well as a practical POV based on both the literature and anecdotal evidence
You should still question this article, as you should anything you read.
Let’s delve in.
What is intermittent fasting?
Let’s start by saying what it isn’t. Intermittent fasting or IF is NOT a superior tool for fat loss to any other diet out there.
It is simply a way of structuring your diet so that you have a shorter eating window during the day.
In real life, this is how it could look like:
Normal eating: 8am - 9pm (13 hour eating window)
IF eating: 12pm - 8pm (8 hour eating window with a 16 hour fast)
This 16/8 method is the most commonly practiced.
That’s as simple a definition as we need to give it, anything more is overcomplicating things.
Pros
Can reduce hunger in the evenings during periods of caloric restriction [PRACTICAL PRO]
One of the downsides of prolonged and more aggressive diets with caloric restriction is that you can often end up going to bed hungry. This makes falling asleep more difficult, which can make the following day tougher as poor sleep leads to a cascade of negative physiological and mental effects. If we forego breakfast with IF and instead portion our normal calories for the day from 12pm to 8pm, not only do we have more food to eat during a smaller window, but it also means that our portion sizes with each meal are going to be bigger.
Can potentially improve metabolic regulation [SCIENTIFIC PRO]
This is based on a circadian rhythm hypothesis. IF can in some cases, in particular in special populations (obese, TD1, TD2, Cardiovascular disease, cancer) reduce inflammation, improve satiety hormones, blood lipids, and increase insulin sensitivity. It can also improve our gut microbiome.
Can be a good way to experience the feeling of hunger during dieting in a “safe” way [PRACTICAL PRO]
Most people struggle with the idea of hunger. Perhaps it’s that the majority of us have never had to restrict anything and have always had food in abundance. The notion that we might have to feel a little hunger in order to see results can put people off. With IF, the periods of hunger are typically restricted to the morning up until before the first meal around lunchtime. This is also when most people are busy working, and this can serve as a distraction from hunger. Knowledge that the hunger will only last until the first meal is a strong psychological deterrent from going off the rails with diet, as there is plenty of calories left to consume until the evening.
Can make it easier to restrict the total daily calories consumed [PRACTICAL PRO]
Due to restricting the feeding window, we can find it harder to consume our usual amount of calories. With IF, we can take advantage of that by lowering our total daily calories to accommodate lower appetite levels, thus allowing us to stay in a caloric deficit to see improvements in body composition.
Cons
Training in a fasted state may not be optimal for everyone [SCIENTIFIC & PRACTICAL CON]
If training takes place in the morning, especially strenuous resistance training, some may find it hard to maintain high performance following a 12-16 hour fast. As we know that resistance training uses predominantly glycogen or carbohydrates for energy production, and despite having glycogen stored in muscles and the liver as a result of the previous day’s meals, many can experience low blood sugar during sessions.
May not suit all lifestyles [PRACTICAL CON]
This drawback could easily be associated with any number of diets, and isn’t specific to IF. The best diet for fat loss is one that can be sustained long-term, and lifestyle factors such as socialising, work, family dynamics, etc., may not be conducive to the constraints that IF is practiced under. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be used as a strategy from time to time, such as on holiday to help manage calorie intake.
The takeaways here are that IF can be a good way to structure eating during periods of caloric restrictions, and that the potential benefits outweigh the drawbacks. That said, the best way to find out is to test things for yourself and get first-hand feedback. Knowledge is one thing, but applied knowledge is another.
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