Are fasting diets effective and safe for losing weight?

Although traditional reduced-calorie diets are a science-based way to lose weight, intermittent fasting is a good alternative that studies suggest is just as beneficial.

With intermittent fasting diets, people aren't necessarily avoiding all food for days on end. More often, they're just significantly reducing their calorie intake or abstaining from eating for extended hours of the day or certain days of the week.

They might restrict their eating to between noon and 8 p.m., for example, or on alternate days eat only half of their typical daily calorie needs, or choose two days a week when they only eat five hundred calories. In between those times, people eat as they normally would.

I think one reason intermittent fasting is popular is that it gives people some structure to help them restrict calories, yet it doesn't carry the mental strain of having to be on a diet every day.

Although some proponents of fasting claim it is better than a typical calorie-restricted diet at preserving muscle mass and reducing bad cholesterol and blood sugar, there isn't enough data to confirm these claims.

Some people are better able to manage hunger with periods of fasting than others. So if the fasting regimen is still making your hunger worse after a couple weeks of adapting, it's not right for you.

Total calories still matter, so don't take non-fasting days as an excuse to eat with abandon or double-up on desserts. And be sure to let your physician know if you start a fasting diet, particularly if you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, as fasting can affect blood glucose.