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Can alternating feast and fast days beat daily dieting for lasting weight loss?

NCT ID NCT05184361

Disease control Sponsor: Universidade do Porto Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether intermittent energy restriction (alternating normal and reduced-calorie days) works better than continuous daily calorie cutting for weight loss in women with obesity. Researchers will measure changes in body fat, muscle mass, and metabolic adaptation — the body's tendency to slow metabolism during weight loss. The goal is to find a diet pattern that helps women keep weight off long-term.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
intermittent energy restriction (IER) compared with continuous energy restriction (CER)
What this could lead to
If one diet pattern proves more effective, it could offer a better strategy for long-term weight loss and weight maintenance in obesity.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 75 women, so results may not apply to men or other populations. Dietary adherence can vary, and metabolic adaptation may still limit long-term success.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

75 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2022

Finished

Jun 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

20 to 45 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Women * BMI ranging between 30 and 39.9 kg/m2 * Age between 20-45 years * Weight stable in the last 6 months (less than 5% weigh variation) * Inactive (less then 150 min/week of moderate physical activity or 75 min/week of vigorous physical activity * Living in Lisbon Metropolitan Area and being able to drive to Faculty of Human Kinetics and Germano de Sousa Laboratory (Algés) * Available to be randomized to any of the trial groups (CER or IER) * Willing to commit with the assigned group protocol, including the nutritional intervention and lifestyle recommendations, as well as being available for participation in all evaluation moments. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous or present health disorders: cancer, autoimmune, cardiac, psychiatric, kidney and liver disease (except liver steatosis), diabetes, chronic intestinal inflammatory disease, or other medical conditions known to affect energy balance homeostasis * Menopause * Hormonal or thyroid disorder * Medications that promote weight gain or alter energy balance, including corticosteroids, antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood-stabilizing, and antipsychotics * Medications or dietary supplements for weight-loss in the past 3 months * Pregnant for the past 6 months or breastfeeding * Planning to get pregnant in the next 2 years or getting pregnant during the study * Current consumption of more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week or other substance abuse, and/or current acute treatment or rehabilitation program for alcohol/substance abuse * Surgery or in hospital admission for the last month * Positive for Covid-19 in the past 3 months or testing positive during the intervention phase of the study

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Obesity obesity disorder Weight Loss

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Obesity Weight loss

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Faculdade de Motricidade Humana da Universidade de Lisboa

    Cruz Quebrada, Lisbon District, 1495-751, Portugal

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