Fasting is an ancient way to attempt to stay healthy. It is not a weight loss tool. Although you can obviously lose weight by not eating, you also lose nutrients that way. Fasting is a spiritual and cleansing technique, but those who do it historically would typically do it when not doing much of anything else -- it was a rest. If you're still doing all the things you usually do, you'll just lose nutrients that you need to do those things, especially if you're athletically active or work in a job that requires a lot of physical exertion. But if you have a life that allows for it, then fasting does provide a nice respite for your digestive system, allows it to clean itself out, and provides a nice spiritual time. I do know someone who fasted one day a week to maintain her weight, but eating a good diet all the time does the same thing. One day off won't alter your metabolism any more than one day of binging will. But there is a reason every religion has fast days -- it can make life better and in that way can make you more likely to maintain the discipline necessary to maintain a healthy diet and to learn how this is usually done.
I hear what you are saying paxiled but this is more simple than that. Example, I stopped eating or drinking anything but water at 8 last night and then didn't have anything until after 8 the next morning. 12 hours, no food or calories. I've known people and I'm sure you have too that say they stop eating at a certain time of night. And then don't start again until the next day. That's really what this is about rather than the fasting we normally think of when people mention that. The intermittent part. This doctor was talking about how this rests the body/pancreas and that there are studies that prove it helps with things like diabetes. And that people do lose weight and control their weight. This doc said that when they look at healthy people and their habits, this is what most naturally do. 12 hours is the minimum but that this doctor for those who are obese or who have issues such as diabetes, they try to get the hours even longer up to 16. And the reality is, you are likely to consume less calories during that shorter eating window of the day.
Where this comes into play for me is a long time habit of wanting something to eat later in the evening. :>) I've learned to have healthy snacks. But I had been given a tip to have a cup of tea instead and did that for a while. And overall, have gotten away from needing that little something at night.
Anyway, it was interesting to hear it presented in the way the doctor did. I'm going to try to stick to the 8 to 8 thing. I'll see if it has any effect.
But agree with the spiritual aspect and history of fasting. In my religion we use fasting as reflection, for example.
Just about any weight loss regimen reverses diabetes and also improves serum lipids. The problem, of course, is that most people won't do it.
Hi carb, lo carb, doesn't matter much. There is a well known somewhat science based anti-carb Paleo named Denise Minger who not that long ago and to her credit admitted that a diet of nearly pure sucrose reverses diabetes. That's based off the rice diet creator Dr. Kempner. But it only reverses diabetes when it is highly hypocaloric, maybe at 60%.
I'd agree with Minger (and probably most researchers now also agree) that the benefit arises when the fatty acid accumulation in cells gets cleared out during a hypocaloric diet. Then the muscle cells lose insulin resistance and also the pancreatic beta cells resume more normal insulin production. It's somewhat counter-intuitive, but appears to be true nevertheless according to the outcomes evidence. The idea that beta cells get somehow tired out isn't really accepted much anymore.
If a person reduces calorie intake by using IF, that's great.
IF probably has health benefits that go beyond those provided by weight loss alone. With the same calories consumed throughout the day, and the same weight loss, you wouldn't get the periods of hunger wherein the body sort of clears itself out more. That includes clearing out damaged proteins in cells, which possibly is anti-cancer.
Do not start a lifestyle you can't keep up forever. Just a piece of advice because of my own personal experience and what I see my clients come in with. Fat loss happens when you expend more energy than you take in. When exactly you take in the food doesn't matter as how much. I wouldn't pursue this. I would start building a healthy lifestyle.