I’m getting frustrated. As far as I know fasting is depriving body of food completely (at least food with calories, I personally prefer style with water only, mineral water ok), calories restriction is restricting amount of calories in food consumed.

This cite’ forum is only one I was able to find as of now dedicated to intermittent fasting and many participants as far as I can tell discuss “real” fasting. However this site’s original idea 5:2 is said to have 500 calories on fasting days (https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/). Why do we call it fasting? Why not call it “variable calories restriction diet” something? Such usage of word “fasting” makes it confusing to people and easier for mass media to manipulate scientific data, e.g. here in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, respectable journal we have

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2623528
“Effect of Alternate-Day Fasting on Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Cardioprotection Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults. A Randomized Clinical Trial” found “Weight loss after 1 year in the alternate-day fasting group (6.0%) was not significantly different from that of the daily calorie restriction group (5.3%),” however in description I’ve found “alternate-day fasting (25% of energy needs on fast days; 125% of energy needs on alternating “feast days”),” – so IMHO it was not fasting and “IF” people were forced to eat a lot (125%) during “not-fast” days, but media can cite the study against IF easily now.

Do you know studies with results of “real” Alternate-Day Fasting?

What do you think: should “fasting” refer only to zero calories or calories restriction too?