we're going to talk now about new research looking at the effectiveness of alternate day fasting does this trendy diet really help you lose weight long term ABC's Mars gav compo is here with a closer look Mar good morning hey Dan good morning we on the surface it sounds great diet every other day and then eat pretty much whatever you want on non-diet days but does it actually work any better than good oldfashioned calorie cutting and is it something you can actually stick with it's quickly become a Top Choice for weight loss now let's talk about
this new new diet crave watch what you eat 2 days a week and eat what you want the rest alternate day fasting a hugely popular diet that many swear by but now new research is doubting its Effectiveness does fasting one day and then eating pretty much whatever you want the next day really work it's simply not sustainable and it's also confusing because it can put you at risk of actually over eting on the days when you're able to quote unquote Feast on fasting days you eat about 20 5% of your normal caloric intake for someone
on a 1600 calorie diet that's just 400 calories for the entire day what does that look like 3 oz of grilled chicken five almonds a small apple and half a cup of Greek yogurt for 34-year-old Alicia maer it was a great jump start to weight loss she lost 31 lbs in 10 months from eating just 500 calories 2 days a week and Alicia says for her it was easy to maintain I love that I could still eat pretty much anything I wanted on the nonfasting days so you know it was a small price to pay
for still getting to eat cookies and drink beer and like have burgers and have bread but a recent study Compares those on an alternate day fasting diet with those who simply cut their calories every day the result both groups lost approximately the same amount of weight so as long as you are reducing your food intake it really doesn't matter what the pattern of calories restriction is you'll lose weight the study also found that the alternate day fasting group had a higher dropout rate some arguing it's a tough diet to maintain longterm if I decided spontaneously
to take a bike ride or a walk through the park or walk home I would be really hungry and tempted to eat a lot more than what was allotted for that day now the study also found that alternate day fasting didn't offer any added protection against heart disease compared to those who just cut their calories across the board now the biggest issue is sticking with it that's one of the biggest challenges experts say alternate day fasting is best for those who only eat a few times a day it's really hard for people who snack or
graze a lot because then going long stretches without food is going to be tough sticking with it is the hardest part often of habit new habit formation so consistency is key so if you stick with it you'll be okay yeah good luck to [Laughter] me
