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Intermittent Fasting Is No Better Than Any Calorie-Reducing Diet for Weight Loss

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Intermittent Fasting Is No Better Than Any Calorie-Reducing Diet for Weight Loss

Worldwide, people are preoccupied with weight loss with the increased global diet

industry. Intermittent fasting is a term used for diets that restricts food intake to specific time

windows and can include fasting for days or hours. Globally, people are seeking various

approaches to reduce pounds quickly by using both conventional and contemporary approaches

(Ziou et al., 2021). Intermittent fasting has been one of the most promising diets to have gained

attention, with media crowning it as a miracle of weight loss. This has then brought up a great

debate regarding intermittent fasting and calorie restriction concerning weight loss. It is logical

to state that intermittent fasting is frequently pitted against reducing calories, particularly

lowering daily consumed calories. The question is whether intermittent fasting helps people

achieve their health goals or better off trying calorie restriction. Therefore, this paper aims to

investigate how intermittent fasting compares with any calorie-reducing diet for the reduction of

weight to try and settle this debate.

Reducing calories seems to promote weight loss more effective compared to intermittent

fasting. Consuming fewer calories than you burn is the key to weight loss. Caloric restriction is

proven to be effective in the increase of lifespan (Rasmussen et al., 2018). Besides, it is well

known that nutritional habits and meal frequency have profound effects on human health. Studies

have shown that the reduction of calories positively impacts the metabolic parameters, which

help in prediabetic and insulin-resistant patients without any approach of the pharmacologists.

Calorie reduction leads to prolonged life expectancy because it leads to low-risk factors linked to

diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Calorie restriction regards uniformity and encompasses an increased reduction in the

amount of calories consumed daily. For instance, if you consume 2500 calories daily, you now
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start consuming 2000 calories a day. It implies minimizing the average daily calorie intake

without depriving yourself of vital needs of body nutrients. Calorie restriction in normal and

slightly overweight adults leads to better heart and metabolic health and reduced fat mass

(Mattson et al., 2017). Restricting calories for weight loss is thus potentially connected to health

benefits. A high intake of calories is well known for environmental factors that impact the

lifespan of individuals. Besides, a very low-calorie diet reduces ghrelin's hunger hormone since a

high concentration of ghrelin is linked to feeling hungry.

On the other hand, intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular to lose weight

and improve health in recent years. People consider it easier to maintain compared to other diets.

Intermittent fasting describes diets that comprise food restriction periods. This approach is

encouraged to change the body's composition through the loss of weight and fat mass.

Intermittent fasting is believed to cause an immune response that maintains the cells and

generates positive changes in metabolism. Intermittent fasting tries to address weight loss by

cycling between a low level of calories for a short time followed by normal eating.

Individuals who practice intermittent fasting eliminate food intake during particular times

of the day, week or month to lose weight, boost longevity, and gain other health benefits.

Besides, intermittent fasting is also practised for spiritual or religious reasons. Researchers have

found a significant challenge trying to distinguish between weight loss and health benefits in

relation to intermittent fasting and calorie reduction. Intermittent fasting works like calorie

restriction, but it focuses on weekly calorie averages and daily calorie averages. Concentrate on

the dropout rate; intermittent fasting is easier to stick to, which is why it is argued to be the best

approach for weight loss.

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Although many diets focus on what to eat, intermittent fasting concerns when you eat.

Intermittent fasting has gained attention as the best weight loss solution, but it is no longer

effective than calorie restriction. Intermittent fasting condenses daily food intake into a one-time

restricted period. "5:2 diet" is one of its most popular versions. The animal study propelled the

enthusiasm for intermittent fasting, which suggested it can reduce the risk of certain types of

cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes (Clayton, 2021). However, fewer studies have

researched the effect of intermittent fasting among human beings for a more extended period.

More comprehensive studies have not been possible since the outside factors can affect how

people stick to them. Individuals participating in intermittent fasting indicated that only half of

the weight loss came from body fat, while others came from the fat-free mass. People believe

that intermittent fasting is effective for weight loss.

The reduction of calories can be the best option for weight loss compared to intermittent

fasting. It has been proven to increase the lifespan of individuals. Reducing food intake in the

body without malnutrition as in the calory restriction model may lead to decreased nutrient

activities signaling pathways that mimic the nature of food shortage periods. Therefore, this

might, in turn, activate the pathways of cellular stress resistance. This has a long-term effect on

the health of obese patients. Besides, the study indicates that long-term calorie reduction can

significantly reduce metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (Aksungar et al., 2017). Therefore,

calorie reduction positively impacts metabolic parameters that are beneficial for insulin and

prediabetic resistance for patients without the need for pharmacological techniques. Although the

changes in intermittent fasting are essential for weight loss, the changes observed during fasting

are potential due to the changes in the eating pattern, thus leading to the changes in the rhythm of

metabolism.
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Going through various research studies conducted by numerous researchers on the topic,

it is convincing to state that intermittent fasting is less effective in minimizing fat content in the

body. Thus, it is not better than calorie reduction for weight loss. However, including physical

activities as part of intermittent fasting can effectively optimize the loss of body weight. While

measuring the body weight, insulin sensitivity, body fat, and cholesterol, researchers found that

intermittent fasting and calorie reduction significantly impact fat and weight loss. This was also

evident when the genes associated with obesity and metabolic diseases were analyzed.

Besides, individuals can easily stick to both diet groups, but intermittent fasting can be

hard to maintain. While conducting my studies, I also found that time-restricted feeding, another

form of intermittent research, is receiving considerable attention. People eat during a fixed hour

period. However, the studies suggest that the day a person eats is essential, like what one eats.

This might make intermittent fasting to be less effective. However, there is no depriving of

nutrition required by the body when it comes to calorie restriction. Therefore, calorie restriction

and intermittent fasting can be effective, and it determines what best fits one's lifestyle.

The best possible objection to this paper's argument is that although many people believe

calorie restriction is more effective than intermittent fasting, both techniques can be equally

effective for weight loss. Most people have considered calorie restriction for weight loss since

they believe that what you need to do in practice is to ensure you consume reduced calories than

you take in daily (Frey, 2019). Individuals have different amounts of calories they require every

day. In reducing calories, given that one consumes almost fewer calories than your body is

known to use, one should experience weight loss. It thus suggests that there is no significant

difference between the two groups when it comes to weight loss.

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Intermittent fasting functions equally as calorie reduction. However, it focuses on the

average calories lost weekly compared to calorie reduction that is considered daily. Intermittent

eating is the least body needs or no eating for normal functioning in the fasting days or hours. On

the other hand, one can eat as much as they want during feasting days. Therefore, intermittent

fasting is effective in weight loss, like calorie reduction. Both approaches result in better

outcomes when it comes to weight loss, and they can both easily be easier to follow, and thus,

people should choose what best fits them. It is difficult to determine the best approach for weight

loss without conducting any experiment. Various experiments have been performed, but

concluding the best approach has never been easy. Therefore, regardless of the approach, people

should consider the approach they can easily follow and consider their weight changes.

In conclusion, the debate on calorie restriction and intermittent fasting is expected to

continue for some time to come. Intermittent fasting has been getting much hype in recent days

as the best method for weight loss (Napoleão et al., 2021). However, it cannot be considered as

being superior to calorie restriction. Besides, most people have been experienced drop out of

intermittent fasting, implying that it is a challenge to follow and maintain for an extended period.

Therefore, individuals with the desire for weight loss should choose the approach depending on

which they think is best for them. Weight loss can be experienced if one chooses whichever

method and sticks to it. It is good to understand that weight loss is not immediate since dieting is

not a magic trick that can occur instantly. There is a need to conduct a medical expert if one fails

to get the required results. As indicated by various research studies, neither calorie reduction nor

intermittent fasting is better than the other. Both techniques are effective for weight loss and

have individual benefits.

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References

Rasmussen, M. H., Juul, A., Kjems, L. L., & Hilsted, J. (2018). Effects of short-term caloric

restriction on Circulating free IGF-I, acid-labile subunit, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs)-

1–4, and Igfbps-1–3 protease activity in obese subjects. European Journal of

Endocrinology, 155(4), 575–581. https://doi.org/10.1530/eje.1.02246

Frey, M. (2019). How intermittent fasting compares to other diets. Verywell Fit.

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-does-intermittent-fasting-compare-to-other-diets-

4688810.

Aksungar, F. B., Sarikaya, M., Coskun, A., Serteser, M., & Unsal, I. (2017). Comparison of

intermittent fasting VERSUS caloric restriction in OBESE subjects: A two YEAR

FOLLOW-UP. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 21(6), 681–685.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0786-y

Napoleão, A., Fernandes, L., Miranda, C., & Marum, A. P. (2021). Effects of calorie restriction

on health span and insulin resistance: Classic calorie restriction diet vs. ketosis-inducing

diet. Nutrients, 13(4), 1302. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041302

Clayton, D. (2021, September 1). Intermittent fasting is no better than conventional dieting for

weight loss, new study finds. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/intermittent-

fasting-is-no-better-than-conventional-dieting-for-weight-loss-new-study-finds-107829.

Mattson, M. P., Longo, V. D., & Harvie, M. (2017). Impact of intermittent fasting on health and

disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews, 39, 46–58.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005
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Ziou, Munuhe, N., Chalicha, E., Johnson, O., & Mukhwana, J. (2021, March 10). Intermittent

fasting vs calorie restriction: Which approach can propel your weight loss into high gear?

BetterMe Blog. https://betterme.world/articles/intermittent-fasting-vs-calorie-restriction/.