I practice intermittent fasting some days, some weeks most days, other weeks not, although often it's just the skipping breakfast type of fast and I'll eat around mid-morning, rarely do I get to 16 hrs of not eating, 12 easily, 14 sometimes.
I don't put on weight easily, but I'm still careful with my eating, I really IF to give my stomeach a break which seems sensible, I tink IF helps me keep the weight off but I don't think it's crucial, and the science suggests that IF doesn't automatically = weight loss!
Focus on the research...
A recent review pulled together 22 clinical trials — consisting of early 2,000 people, all overweight or obese. The results? Intermittent fasting didn’t really do much better than standard calorie cutting. Whether people spread meals throughout the day or fit them into a tight window, the weight loss was about the same.
So while it is true that people on intermittent fasting lost some weight, it isn't much more than people who just count calories, or people who don't diet at all...
I guess this makes sense, because at the end of the day if you don't cut calories compared to what you've got going out, why would you loose weight?
IF works for some because they will naturally eat less overall by restricting their eating window, others will just cram the same amount in to that window!
Granted there is more to IF, other health benefits, but it's certainly not some magic pill to achieving auto weight loss!