Limiting intake to 500 calories every other day: mild headache in 2 people, constipation in one

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 10:32 am Email this article

Having people limit their calorie intake to 500 calories every other day, which is 25% of their calorie needs, and allowing them to eat as much as they wanted to on the other days, causes an average weight loss of 5-6% of body weight in 2-3 months according to studies done by Krista Varady, PhD from the University of Illinois in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

“A couple of adverse events were reported during the study,” the paper notes.

“Two subjects experienced mild headaches during week 1 of the trial, which may or may not be related to dietary treatment.

“One other subject reported constipation during week 1 and 2 of the trial. The subject was advised to consume more fruits and vegetables on feed days, and the constipation subsided by week 3 of the dietary intervention period.”

Modified Fast

Every Other Day Modified Fast

This is called an “every other day modified fast”.

This article was first published on Sept 23, 2015.

Reference

Varady KA, Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Haus JM, Hoddy KK, and Calvo Y. Alternate day fasting for weight loss in normal weight and overweight subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr J, 2013; 12(1): 146.

The paper is posted here and here.

Author’s Contact Info

Krista A Varady, PhD
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition
University of Illinois at Chicago
1919 West Taylor Street, Room 506 F
Chicago, IL 60612, USA
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Every Other Day Modified Fast

• Fasting, Intermittent