Do I need intermittent fasting to lose fat?

On Ep. 34, Nikkiey explains that fasting gets talked about constantly in the fitness space, and that it may have a place in managing some health symptoms. But it isn't required to lose body fat, and if you're trying to build muscle it can work against you. Muscle is active tissue that never shuts off, even while you sleep, and it needs energy from food to be built, repaired and ready for workouts.

She speaks from experience. On Ep. 13 she describes skipping breakfast and lunch early in her journey, then eating around 3,000 calories at dinner because she was starving. She says skipping meals can lead to overeating later, can slow your metabolism, and can cause low blood sugar that leaves you tired, irritable and hangry. Her alternative is regular, balanced meals through the day.

On Ep. 233 she adds nuance. There are right and wrong ways to do intermittent fasting, and the version many people reach for, one meal a day, is in her view something that has been studied and tested on men. Women have a different hormonal profile and different fuel needs. Eating that little creates an extreme deficit, so you may lose weight fast, but eventually your metabolism adapts and you plateau. Ask yourself whether you could eat one meal a day for the rest of your life. If not, it's not the plan for you.

There is one exception she mentions. On Ep. 161 and Ep. 171 she says fasting or low-carb approaches may have a right time for people addressing specific health issues or hormonal deficiencies, and a good coach will recognize that. If that might be you, work with your doctor. If your body is working normally, she says you can skip the time windows and food rules and just learn the basics: eat well, move, strength train. If fasting hasn't held for you before, it's the plan, not you.