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New study shows fasting works just as well as calorie cutting for weight loss

Alternate day eating works for getting lean
Posted at 11:25 PM, May 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-22 23:25:08-04

Bestselling books and high profile celebrities swear by it. Jimmy Kimmel reportedly fasts 2 days a week to maintain his weight loss.

And a recent study showed fasting every other day can be just as effective for weight loss as counting calories. The plan called alternate day fasting involves eating about 500 calories a day on your fasting day and then eating normally the next.

Deb Young says fasting transformed her mind and her body. In 18 months this Palm Harbor mother of two went from overweight and exhausted to energetic and focused.

Young fasts one day each week and then once a month she goes without solid food for two days. She showed us how she uses powder supplements and water to get her fruits and veggies in on those fasting days.

Another version some practice is not eating in the morning but only eating in the 8 hours you are up say 12 to 8 or 1 to 9. Registered Dietician Sharon Richmond says moderate fasting provides the body with benefits.

She advises clients against fasting for a day and then going overboard the next day.

“When you do it to extremes it works exactly the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.”

Expert opinions vary as to the practicality and benefits of going without food on a regular basis. The study showed that while fasting may be just as effective for weight loss as counting calories it might be a harder plan to stick to. 38 percent of the fasting dieters dropped out of the program compared to 29 percent who simply ate less.

But for Deb Young and others who say they feel and look better thru cleanses and fasts it's a lifestyle choice they not only can live with but thrive on.