Intermittent fasting and calorie-counting give similar weight-loss results, study finds. The best diet is the one you can stick to, experts say.

• Intermittent fasting could be a good way to lose weight without calorie-counting, a new study found.
• Participants lost the same amount of weight over six months and kept it off for a further six.

If you want to lose weight but don't want to count calories, intermittent fasting might be a good approach, a new study suggests.

Weight loss occurs when you're in a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than you're burning), but that doesn't mean you need to count calories — some people find doing so stressful and time-consuming, which can make it unsustainable.

A new, small study found that intermittent fasting (consuming a day's worth of calories between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.) without counting calories led to about the same amount of weight loss as food tracking and trying to stick to a 25% deficit.

The randomized controlled trial, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, assessed 77 individuals with obesity from diverse backgrounds. One third were asked to intermittent fast, one third counted calories, and the final third (the control group) made no changes to their diets. The fasting and calorie restriction groups also regularly met with a dietitian over the year-long experiment.

After six months in a weight loss phase, the participants began a maintenance phase, where the eating window for the fasting group was extended by two hours and the calorie-counting group increased their daily calorie target.

After 12 months, the fasting group had lost about 10 more pounds than the control group, eating about 425 fewer calories per day. And the calorie-restricted group had lost about 12 more pounds, eating about 405 fewer calories per day.

The researchers said in a press release that their study highlights that individual preferences should be taken into account when it comes to approaching weight loss.

Krista Varady, a nutrition professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, told NBC News: "What we're showing is that people don't have to do these complicated calorie counting diets, where people are always logging stuff into MyFitnessPal on their phone.

"Instead of counting calories, they could just count time."

Fasting doesn't work for everyone

The fasting group were not asked to count calories but ended up in a calorie deficit by reducing their eating window, so intermittent fasting can be a good way for some people to lose weight. It's not the first study to find intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss either.

However, it doesn't work for everyone — people who've tried the lifestyle before previously told Insider they found it unsustainable because they felt too hungry, struggled in workouts because of a lack of energy, felt the urge to binge eat, or found it hard to have a social life.

One study also found intermittent fasting led people to lose more lean mass (not fat), which is not the type of weight people want to lose.

If you want to try intermittent fasting for weight loss, eating enough protein and fiber may help you feel full, Dr. Paul Arciero, health professor at Skidmore College and author of The Protein Pacing Diet, previously told Insider's Gabby Landsverk.