Ashley Rowen
Intermittent fasting keeps things simple, and it has become a very popular eating pattern to lose weight.
This article looks at 5 reasons why intermittent fasting and weight loss go hand-in-hand.
What Is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern where you strategically skip one or more meals for a set period of time.
So unlike other diets, the focus is not on how to cut calories from each meal, but rather cutting out the entire meal itself.
This makes IF one of the least complex eating patterns to follow and is one of the big reasons behind its growing popularity.
The other main reason is how useful it is for losing belly fat and its associated health benefits.
Summary: Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves strategically skipping meals rather than focusing on calories.
1. Weight Loss Requires A Caloric Deficit… Intermittent Fasting Does This Automatically
The reason any weight loss diet works is because it reduces your total calorie intake.This means you’ll burn more calories than you consume (called a caloric deficit), leading to weight loss.
Intermittent fasting is no exception to this rule.
Skipping entire meals greatly reduces your calorie intake… So much so that you don’t really have to worry about calories in the meals you do eat.
For example, you’ll save about 500 calories each day by skipping a breakfast of peanut butter toast and orange juice, as well as whatever you might eat or drink for morning tea.
Given the average woman might aim for 1600-1800 calories per day to lose weight, that’s a whopping 30% of calories saved instantly.
If you skip the morning food, even indulging in two large 750 calorie meals later that day, plus a 300 calorie dessert (totalling 1800 calories) would keep most on track for weight loss.
Summary: Weight loss requires you to consume fewer calories than you burn. Missing one meal per day by fasting can save around 30% of calories in one go.
