Intermittent fasting (IF) involves not eating (aka fasting) for part of each day or a few times a week. One common example of this is called 16:8, eating during an eight-hour window and fasting for the other 16 hours. When your body doesn't have a constant energy source from the food you eat, it allows your body to utilise the fat stores it already has, helping you lose body fat and ultimately belly fat, too.
Ferrari and Luiza Petre, MD, a weight-loss specialist and board-certified cardiologist, told POPSUGAR that IF raises growth hormone levels and lowers insulin levels, both of which help burn more fat. "Insulin decreases when you fast, and lower levels of insulin results in burning more fat," Ferrari added.
Eating in a shortened window not only reduces hunger, but since you're not eating for long periods of time, there are also fewer opportunities to consume calories, which is why intermittent fasting helps people create a calorie deficit with little effort.