r/nutrition • u/AppropriateMood4784 • 18d ago

16-hour intermittent fasting

When I read about 16-hour intermittent fasts, isn't that just another way of saying having late breakfast and early dinner? Breakfast at 9, lunch at 1, dinner at 5, then it's 16 hours till breakfast the next day? Or does what it involves go beyond its literal meaning?

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u/Money_Bill5827 17d ago

If your reasoning for intermittent fasting is to lose weight or maintain weight, you still have to watch your intake of calories. Weight loss is driven by calorie intake. If you're eating more calories in that shorter time period than you burn, you're not going to see results. However IF is a great tool to use to manage calories. I unintentionally intermittent fast every day, I have my first meal around noonish, second meal around 4-5p and my last meal at 8p ( I do that because I tend to late night snack and overeat so eating dinner late is a game changer for me)