Anecdotally, I used 16/8 intermittent fasting to lose twenty pounds last year, and then stalled. At that point I started counting calories in addition to 16/8,

Anecdotally, I used 16/8 intermittent fasting to lose twenty pounds last year, and then stalled. At that point I started counting calories in addition to 16/8, and lost an additional twenty pounds. Any successful diet works because it makes you eat fewer calories. What makes IF, low-carb, low-fat, or anything else work for an individual is ease of compliance. I feel better when I eat a lot of protein and skip breakfast, so I'm more likely to stick with it than other eating patterns. My wife, on the other hand, feels like garbage when she tries IF. There is no magic bullet. Everyone's body and lifestyle is unique, and everyone needs to experiment to see what eating strategies work for them. IF is a very useful tool for many people. Eating six small meals per day is a very useful tool for others. It shouldn't be treated as a holy war.