There are many approaches to weight loss. Two eating plans—heart-healthy and high-protein intermittent fasting—both yield results, according to a study recently published in the Obesity Journal. But the small study found that high-protein diets, in conjunction with intermittent fasting, resulted in more weight loss1 than heart-healthy eating plans.
Here’s the gist: The study’s 39 participants all consumed and burned a similar amount of calories overall over the course of the trial. All participants were overweight or obese and lived sedentary to lightly active lifestyles.
Those who followed the heart-healthy eating plan followed a diet of around 1,200 calories daily for women and 1,500 calories daily for men, while those following the high-protein plan consumed around 1,450 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men most days, except for one to two days a week when they consumed very few calories while intermittent fasting.
In the study, participants in the high-protein group followed a diet of about 35% protein, 30% fat, and 35% carbohydrates. The heart-healthy group’s diet consisted of 50 to 60% carbohydrates, less than 30% fat, and 10 to 20% protein.
The high-protein meal plan included both animal-based protein and plant-based protein like vegetables, and nuts, as well as protein shakes. The heart-healthy meals were similar (minus the protein shakes) but included more carbohydrates in the form of things like whole grain pita, oatmeal, and crackers.
The high-protein group participants lost, on average, 18 pounds over the course of eight weeks1, while an average heart-healthy group participant lost 11 pounds. People who followed the high-protein eating plan also lost around double the amount of body fat1 compared to those in the heart-healthy group. Blood pressure improved for participants in both groups.
