Effectiveness
From a weight loss standpoint, intermittent fasting and calorie counting tend to produce similar results, Eid says. Some studies give intermittent fasting a slight edge, but the difference is usually modest and may have more to do with which plan people can follow consistently.
4:3 Fasting vs. Daily Calorie Restriction
One year-long trial included 165 adults who were overweight or had obesity. One group followed the 4:3 approach to intermittent fasting. This involved eating freely four days a week and cutting caloric intake by 80 percent on the other three, roughly taking in between 400 and 600 calories a day for women and 500 to 700 calories a day for men.
The other group practiced daily calorie restriction, consuming between 1,300 and 1,800 calories a day for women and 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day for men.
By the end of the study, the fasting group had lost about six pounds more than those who cut calories every day. The fasting group also had fewer dropouts and followed the calorie target more closely.
Time-Restricted Eating Without Calorie Counting
Another year-long trial, including 90 adults with obesity, compared time-restricted eating to daily calorie restriction. One group ate only between noon and 8 p.m. daily and did not count calories. Another group followed a calorie-restricted plan, cutting daily intake by 25 percent, while a third group made no dietary changes.
The people in the time-restricted eating group lost about 10 pounds, or nearly 5 percent of their starting weight. The calorie-counting group lost about 12 pounds, or just over 5 percent. Both weight loss groups did better than the group that made no changes.
The authors noted that the time-restricted eating group cut about 400 calories a day, similar to the calorie-counting group, even though they never counted calories.
Intermittent Fasting vs. Calorie Counting in a Larger Review
A review analyzed the results of 11 studies of adults who were overweight or had obesity at the start of the research period. The studies compared the effects of different forms of intermittent fasting with standard daily calorie counting.
That said, many of the studies reviewed had a small number of participants, lasted for different lengths of time, and used different fasting structures.
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