How to Lose Weight with Intermittent Fasting
Discover how intermittent fasting can help you lose weight. Methods, benefits and practical tips. Track with Voical.
Calorie calculation examples by profile
Sedentary woman, 30 years old, 154 lbs
Active woman, 30 years old, 154 lbs
Sedentary man, 30 years old, 187 lbs
Active man, 30 years old, 187 lbs
How intermittent fasting works
Intermittent fasting alternates between fasting periods and eating windows. The most popular methods are 16/8 (16h fasting, 8h eating) and 5:2 (5 normal days, 2 days at 500-600 kcal). Fasting facilitates calorie deficit by naturally limiting eating opportunities.
Does fasting make you lose weight?
Intermittent fasting doesn't cause weight loss by magic. Weight loss always comes from calorie deficit. But fasting can facilitate this deficit: fewer meals = fewer calories for many people. Warning: if you compensate by eating more during your eating window, no loss.
Benefits for weight loss
Fasting simplifies tracking (fewer meals to count), may reduce hunger after adaptation, and some studies suggest improved insulin sensitivity. However, these benefits are tied to calorie deficit, not fasting itself.
Combining fasting and tracking
Even with intermittent fasting, calorie tracking remains essential. Voical helps you verify you're creating a deficit during your eating window. Without tracking, you risk eating more than planned and not losing weight.
Important
Never go below 1200 kcal/day (women) or 1500 kcal/day (men) without medical supervision. Too aggressive a deficit can be dangerous for your health and counterproductive for weight loss.
Complete Guide to Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting has become very popular for weight loss. But does it really work? And how do you use it effectively? Here’s what the science says.
Intermittent Fasting: Tool, Not Magic
What fasting does:
- Naturally reduces eating opportunities
- Can simplify tracking (fewer meals)
- May improve insulin sensitivity
- May reduce hunger after an adaptation period
What fasting does NOT do:
- Burn more calories
- Allow eating without counting
- Work without calorie deficit
Main Methods
16/8 (Most Popular)
- 16 hours of fasting
- 8 hours for eating
- Example: eat between 12pm and 8pm
- Easy to integrate into daily life
5:2
- 5 days at normal calories
- 2 days at 500-600 kcal
- More difficult but effective
- Significant weekly deficit
20/4 (Warrior Diet)
- 20 hours of fasting
- 4 hours for eating
- More extreme
- Hard to maintain long-term
Calculating Deficit with Intermittent Fasting
The deficit doesn’t change with fasting. Example for a 154 lb woman, sedentary:
- Maintenance: 1800 kcal/day
- Desired deficit: 500 kcal
- Goal: 1300 kcal during eating window
With 2 meals in 16/8:
- Lunch: 600 kcal
- Dinner: 700 kcal
- Total: 1300 kcal = 500 kcal deficit
Common Mistakes
- Thinking fasting is enough: Without deficit, no loss
- Compensating during the window: Eating more cancels benefits
- Skipping tracking: Essential even when fasting
- Starting too aggressive: Begin with 14/10 before 16/8
Why Voical Can Help You
With intermittent fasting, each meal counts more. Voical lets you quickly track your 2-3 daily meals and verify you’re staying in deficit. 15 seconds per meal to ensure fasting is paying off.