While the weight-loss potential might be appealing, skipping full days of eating is not sustainable long-term. This one is similar to the method, but involves fasting for a hour window and eating for It's a little easier to stick to than because you have a longer eating window.

But that doesn't mean it's not effective. They also showed a more significant improvement in blood glucose levels after eight weeks. Given that the fasting period is short and pretty much follows the way people already eat, it may be hard for some people to achieve a calorie deficit with this diet.

Still, it could be a good way to ease into IF if you're new to it and want to see how you do when you have a specific timeframe for eating. It's also a great option if you like to get your workouts in between 8 a. and 10 a.

This diet is way different from the rest, with the majority of eating happening at night. The Warrior Diet was coined by fitness author Ori Hofmekler. It involves eating only small portions of raw fruits and vegetables during the day, then feasting on one huge meal at night within a 4-hour eating window.

There's no specific research on the Warrior Diet. While the fasting periods still allow for some food, the period when you can have heavier foods is very short, and the diet also involves focusing on paleo foods, so it's stricter than other forms of IF.

And like the eat-stop-eat diet, this option is not sustainable long-term. You're just going to hurt yourself if you go this route.

Although there is limited research, the initial findings are promising. Here are the potential benefits of IF based on recent studies. In short, the one that's easiest for you to follow. If not, then you'll likely not see the results you're looking for, as the sustainability piece will not be there.

It's worth pointing out, though, that the diet seems to be the most doable for a lot of people who are into IF. The method also scores points for preventing overeating at night, which can often be a big obstacle for weight loss. Now, any weight loss that you experience from IF is most likely due to the basic fact that you're consuming less calories, not necessarily the timing of your eating, says Lemein.

And you can totally eat less, and lose weight, without taking on fasting. Case in point: Intermittent fasting had similar weight loss results to a traditional calorie-restricted diet, a meta-analysis published in the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports found.

So, unless fasting makes dieting easier for you, there's really no reason to choose IF over other diets. Ashley Martens is a wellness writer based in Chicago. With a lifelong passion for all things health and wellness, Ashley enjoys writing about topics to help people live happier and healthier lives.

With a foundation in fitness, food, and nutrition, Ashley covers it all including sexual health and travel topics. Ashley is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill.

As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.

Dana White, RD, specializes in culinary nutrition, recipe development, and sports nutrition. She is the nutrition expert for FoodNetwork. Dana is also a certified athletic trainer, providing emergency medicine and rehabilitation services to athletes. The 12 Best Apps For Intermittent Fasting. How To Try Intermittent Fasting Safely.

These Women All Swear By Intermittent Fasting. What Can You Drink While Intermittent Fasting? Can You Drink Coffee While Doing A Fasting Diet? Intermittent Fasting Side Effects To Look Out For.

What Is The Warrior Diet And Is It Safe? A Complete Guide To The Diet. How To Start—And Stick With—Intermittent Fasting. Skip to Content Health Fitness Beauty Life Relationships.

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Certain people who typically eat one or two meals a day or do not eat for long stretches of time may show better compliance with this type of regimen. Additionally, people who tend to eat or snack excessively at night may benefit from a cut-off eating time, especially if the late eating leads to unpleasant side effects such as reflux or disrupted sleep.

More high-quality studies including randomized controlled trials with follow-up of greater than one year are needed to show a direct effect and the possible benefits of intermittent fasting. Strong recommendations on intermittent fasting for weight loss cannot be made at this time.

The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products.

Skip to content The Nutrition Source. The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat? What Is It? How It Works The most common methods are fasting on alternate days, for whole days with a specific frequency per week, or during a set time frame.

Example: Mon-Wed-Fri consists of fasting, while alternate days have no food restrictions. Example: The diet approach advocates no food restriction five days of the week, cycled with a calorie diet the other two days of the week. Time-restricted feeding —Following a meal plan each day with a designated time frame for fasting.

Example: Meals are eaten from 8am-3pm, with fasting during the remaining hours of the day. The Research So Far Physiologically, calorie restriction has been shown in animals to increase lifespan and improve tolerance to various metabolic stresses in the body.

When comparing dropout rates between the fasting groups and continuous calorie restriction groups, no significant differences were found. Overall, the review did not find that intermittent fasting had a low dropout rate, and therefore was not necessarily easier to follow than other weight loss approaches.

When examining the 12 clinical trials that compared the fasting group with the continuous calorie restriction group, there was no significant difference in weight loss amounts or body composition changes.

Ten trials that investigated changes in appetite did not show an overall increase in appetite in the intermittent fasting groups despite significant weight loss and decreases in leptin hormone levels a hormone that suppresses appetite. Their findings when comparing the two groups: No significant differences in weight loss, weight regain, or body composition e.

No significant differences in blood pressure, heart rate, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin. At 12 months, although there were no differences in total cholesterol and triglycerides, the alternate-day fasting group showed significantly increased LDL cholesterol levels.

The authors did not comment on a possible cause. Interestingly, those in the fasting group actually ate less food than prescribed on non-fasting days though they ate more food than prescribed on fasting days. Potential Pitfalls This type of dietary pattern would be difficult for someone who eats every few hours e.

Is this diet safe and beneficial for everyone e. What are the long-term effects of intermittent fasting? Is there a risk of negatively influencing the dietary behaviors of other family members, especially in children who see their parents abstaining from food and skipping meals?

Bottom Line Although certain benefits of caloric restriction have been demonstrated in animal studies, similar benefits of intermittent fasting in humans have not been observed.

Related Healthy Weight The Best Diet: Quality Counts Healthy Dietary Styles Other Diet Reviews References Persynaki A, Karras S, Pichard C. Unraveling the metabolic health benefits of fasting related to religious beliefs: A narrative review. Seimon RV, Roekenes JA, Zibellini J, Zhu B, Gibson AA, Hills AP, Wood RE, King NA, Byrne NM, Sainsbury A.

Do intermittent diets provide physiological benefits over continuous diets for weight loss? A systematic review of clinical trials. Mol Cell Endocrinol. Effects of intermittent fasting on body composition and clinical health markers in humans. Nutrition reviews.

Robertson LT, Mitchell JR. Benefits of short-term dietary restriction in mammals. Experimental gerontology.