Five things doctors wish you’d do instead of intermittent fasting

February 18, 2026 Staff Reporter 38 Views 0 Comments

February 19, 2026 — 5:00am

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Just like fashion trends, every generation can be defined by a weight loss method that promised a way to drop kilos quickly and with minimal effort.

In the ’90s, it was the carb-free craze, and the new millennium brought diets such as keto and paleo, which promoted eating like cavemen to achieve our health goals. A few years ago, intermittent fasting entered the chat as the diet du jour, with Lululemon-clad health fiends restricting their food consumption to certain hours or fasting on particular days.

The late Michael Moseley popularised the weight loss approach with his 2013 book The FastDiet. Intermittent fasting, we were told, produced significant weight loss results and improved health.

But today, doctors want you to read the fine print on the promises of intermittent fasting.

The basics of a healthy diet provide the core nutrients your body needs. Getty Images

In a major Cochrane review, researchers analysed evidence from 22 randomised clinical trials into intermittent fasting involving 1995 adults from across the world, including Australia. They looked at different variations – the 5:2 method of fasting on two days every week, alternate-day fasting and time-restricted eating – and concluded that there was no meaningful evidence to say intermittent fasting was better for weight loss compared to other diets, or doing nothing.

While there are limitations to the review – not all intermittent fasting techniques are the same, and people don’t always commit 100 per cent – it’s a reminder you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

“There is no easy fix for health and even for losing weight,” says Professor Luigi Fontana, scientific director at the Charles Perkins Centre RPA Clinic, University of Sydney.

So if you want to lose weight, but not at the expense of your health, what should you do? We spoke to five experts to find out.

Understand ‘weight loss’ is different to ‘health’

Losing weight doesn’t automatically lead to improved overall wellbeing.

“It’s of critical importance to understand that ‘health’ and ‘weight loss’ are not the same goal,” says Dr Fiona Willer, lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at Queensland University of Technology. “Often the means people use to achieve weight loss actively undermine health.”

Fontana agrees, encouraging people to think about the serious long-term health implications of quick weight loss. “You can lose weight on these extreme diets, but you’re going to disrupt your gut microbiome, you’re going to cause gut leaking, you’ll have a deficiency of fibre and struggle to feed healthy bacteria that produce microbial metabolites that are extremely important to lower inflammation and autoimmune diseases.”

Go to your GP for personalised advice

One issue with popular weight loss diets is that they make us believe one size fits all when that’s far from true.

“The best diet is the one that works for you,” says Dr Rachael Taylor, director of Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, University of Otago. “There will never be a totally universally best diet because nuance is involved, but one that concentrates on ‘real’ unprocessed food will always be a good diet.”

As a first step, Dr Clare Collins AO, professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle, recommends anyone pursuing a weight loss goal visit their GP, who can give you a comprehensive health screening that sets you up for success with a personalised approach.

“A lot of people don’t realise that, depending on their health insurance, they might already have access to a coaching program that’s covered,” says Collins, adding that these appointments can uncover other health issues. “Sometimes what starts out as ‘whoops, the school reunion’s coming up’ turns into ‘wow, I had no idea I had high blood pressure’. ”

Doctors say exercise is a non-negotiable companion to any diet. Getty Images

Integrate exercise into your daily routine

Across the board, studies have shown that your chance of regaining any lost weight on any approach is high. You can minimise that risk significantly by exercising regularly.

“If you want to lose weight and keep your weight low without exercise, forget about it,” says Fontana, who explains that most diets lead to loss of muscle mass and a a drop in your resting metabolic rate.

“Without exercise, any diet is going to maybe achieve eight to 10 per cent weight loss if you’re lucky, and then you’re going to regain the body weight for physiological reasons, there are metabolic hormonal reasons why that happens – it’s not magic,” he says, recommending people incorporate weightlifting into their regime three times a week, alongside endurance sessions.

Dr Melyssa Roy supports this.

A public health physician and senior lecturer in medicine at the Otago Medical School, University of Otago, Roy shares that her own research has shown physical activity is non-negotiable.

“Exercise is independently health promoting and critically important for preserving muscle mass during periods of energy deficit. Any recommendation that focuses solely on when or how much people eat, without addressing movement, is incomplete,” she says.

Educate yourself on potential secret kilojoules

For many, trying to lose weight can feel like you’re Sisyphus pushing the rock up that hill. Collins says that’s due to a lack of awareness around the energy make-up of food.

“Some processed foods today are so energy dense that people don’t realise that their whole week of healthy eating is blown by the big night out at the pub,” Collins says, noting that it’s not about calorie-counting, but being able to make informed decisions.

Focus on whole foods

Before you stop eating on Tuesdays, take stock of what you eat and assess whether your overall diet is made up of unprocessed, whole foods.

“The basics of a healthy diet – fruit, vegetables, grain-based foods, lean meats, fish and poultry and minimally processed dairy foods and alternatives – provide the core nutrients your body needs to function properly,” Willer says.

“There is ample room for food enjoyment beyond those basics. I just wish people would learn to accept, nourish and enjoy the body they have, whatever its size.”

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Default avatarCourtney Thompson is a Lifestyle Reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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