Research
Energy balance
Intermittent energy restriction (IER) does not significantly differ from continuous energy restriction (CER) in preserving fat-free mass (FFM) or fat mass (FM) when expressed as a percentage of total weight lost.
Don't worry that IER will cause more muscle loss than daily dieting. When you lose weight, the proportion of muscle vs. fat lost is similar for both methods. To protect muscle, incorporate resistance training into your routine.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
However, this reduction did not differ between groups when expressed as the percentage of weight lost rather than as the absolute reduction.
Why this rating
Heterogeneity in measurement methods (BIA vs DXA) limits confidence.
Source
Intermittent Versus Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss and Metabolic Improvement: A Meta‐Analysis and Systematic Review
Shasha He et al. · Obesity · 2020
DOI 10.1002/oby.23023
Meta-analysis · 11 studiesCited 56×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Intermittent energy restriction (IER) involving 2-3 fasting days per week produces greater short-term absolute weight loss and percentage of weight loss compared to continuous energy restriction (CER) when total energy deficit is matched.Moderate
- Intermittent energy restriction (IER) improves insulin sensitivity (reduces fasting insulin and HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic populations compared to continuous energy restriction (CER).Moderate
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