Mixed
Continuous energy restriction (CER) leads to greater improvements in diet quality (Healthy Eating Index) compared to intermittent energy restriction (IER) over 12 months.
If your goal is not just weight loss but also improving your overall diet quality (e.g., eating more fruits, vegetables, and less saturated fat), continuous daily restriction may be more effective than intermittent restriction. However, if your main goal is simply weight loss and maintenance, intermittent restriction is equally effective for that specific outcome.
There was an increase in the Healthy Eating Index at 12 months in the CER compared with the IER group (CER 8.4 ± 9.1 vs. IER −0.3 ± 8.4, P = 0.006).
Why this rating
Same RCT limitations as N1 (small sample, high dropout), but the statistical significance (P=0.006) is robust for this specific metric.
Source
Effects of intermittent compared to continuous energy restriction on short‐term weight loss and long‐term weight loss maintenance
Jennifer Keogh et al. · Clinical Obesity · 2014
DOI 10.1111/cob.12052
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