fotorieIntermittent fasting has a reputation for causing weight loss “without counting calories.” The reality, with studies in hand, is more boring: when compared to a normal diet with the same calories, weight loss is practically the same. Fasting works because, by having fewer hours to eat, many people eat less without realizing it. If you eat the same amount as before during your eating window, nothing happens.
That doesn’t make it useless. For many people, it’s a convenient tool: fewer decisions, less nighttime snacking, more simplicity. The key is knowing what you’re doing. Here’s how to count calories within fasting and how to track it without it becoming a chore.
The most common protocols
- 16/8: 16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating. The most common approach is to skip breakfast and eat between 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM, or have an early dinner and eat between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
- 14/10: a milder version, which almost everyone can manage.
- 5:2: five normal days and two very low-calorie days (around 500-600 kcal). More demanding and less advisable without supervision.
For most, 16/8 or 14/10 is sufficient. More extreme protocols do not yield better results and lead to more dropouts.
Step 1: Your calories don’t change by fasting
Your body’s expenditure is the same whether you eat in 8 hours or 14. Calculate your number with the daily calorie calculator, apply a reasonable deficit of 300-500 kcal, and that’s your budget, which you now distribute over fewer meals.
Example: a woman with an expenditure of 2,000 kcal and a goal of 1,600. Instead of 400 + 600 + 600 in three meals, she eats 800 at 1:00 PM and 800 at 8:00 PM, or 700 + 300 + 600 if she prefers to include a snack.
Step 2: Protein is distributed less effectively, so plan it
With two meals instead of four, reaching 1.6-2 g of protein per kilo is harder. For 70 kg, that’s 110-140 g, meaning 55-70 g per meal. This requires each meal to have a serious protein source: 150-200 g of chicken, fish, or legumes with egg, and some dairy or a shake if you fall short. If you fast and strength train, this point matters even more.
Step 3: Be careful with the first meal
The classic 16/8 mistake: arriving at 1:00 PM so hungry that the first meal turns into a 1,200 kcal feast. It helps to have the meal decided beforehand, ensuring it includes vegetables and protein, and to drink water, coffee, or unsweetened herbal tea during the fast. A coffee with milk technically breaks the fast, but it’s 40 kcal; if it helps you get through, don’t obsess over it.
An example 16/8 day (1,600 kcal)
| Time | Dish | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | Grilled chicken breast with rice and broccoli | 620 | 48 g |
| 5:00 PM | Greek yogurt with walnuts and an apple | 320 | 14 g |
| 8:30 PM | Grilled sea bream with Mediterranean salad | 480 | 40 g |
| 8:30 PM | Ricotta cheese with honey and cinnamon | 210 | 18 g |
Total: approximately 1,630 kcal and 120 g of protein. The window closes at 9:00 PM and reopens at 1:00 PM.
How to track it without it becoming a chore
This is where fasting has an advantage: with two or three meals a day, tracking is quick. In Fotorie, you just take a photo of each dish; the app identifies the foods, estimates the portion, and adds calories and macros to your daily total. If you have a yogurt in the afternoon, you tell the coach via text or voice note, and they add it to your snack. At the end of the day, you see how many calories you have left and how much protein you’re missing, which is exactly the information you need to decide on your last meal.
The app doesn’t enforce a meal schedule: if you don’t eat breakfast, the breakfast slot remains empty, and the budget shifts to the rest of the day. The coach knows you’re fasting if you tell them, and they won’t suggest breakfast.
Who it’s not for
Intermittent fasting is not suitable during pregnancy and lactation, for minors, for those with diabetes treated with insulin or sulfonylureas (risk of hypoglycemia), with a history of eating disorders, or with medication that must be taken with food at fixed times. If you have any of these situations, speak to your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting.
And if you’re someone who experiences intense hunger while fasting and ends up eating worse, don’t overthink it: fasting is a tool, not an obligation. Eating four times a day with the same deficit works just as well.
In summary
- Fasting doesn’t cause weight loss on its own: the caloric deficit does. Calculate your calories and apply it.
- Plan your protein intake, because with fewer meals, it’s easier to fall short.
- Decide on your first meal before you get hungry.
- Track with one photo per dish; with two or three meals a day, it takes less than a minute.
Informative content, based on the criteria of Vitasane nutritionists. It does not replace professional assessment.
