How should you eat to look cut on the beach this summer? You might try fasting—if you were a rodent. Mice fed a high-fat diet that fasted for 16 hours a day weighed 28 percent less than a group of rodents that nibbled on an identical diet throughout the day, revealed a new study in the journal Cell Metabolism. Fasting may make metabolism more efficient and burn more fat, the researchers say.
So should you fast? It’s too early to tell exactly how fasting affects human metabolism. Experts agree that the best diet for you is the one that you can stick to. “The way you diet is all about your personal preferences,” says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health nutrition advisor. “You’ll lose weight on any plan that helps you cut calories.” But you do need some sort of plan in order to shed pounds successfully, Aragon says. (Our pick? The Men’s Health Diet, of course—it’s a real-world plan you can follow for life!)
Here, we examine the benefits—and pitfalls—of three popular ways to eat.
Diet Plan: Six small meals
You eat small, 300-calorie meals six times a day. The problem: It’s easy to overeat. “Many people think that every meal has to be a balanced mix of protein, starch, and veggies, but that’s when those meals become too big,” says Aragon. Not to mention, 300 calories looks puny on your plate.
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