Should I still fast if I'm close to my ideal weight?

Intermittent fasting has potential benefits independent of weight loss, including increased insulin sensitivity, fat oxidation and reduced inflammation. You can still practice IF even if you don’t want to lose weight, although you will need to make a concentrated effort to eat enough on your “feast” days or during your daily feeding window to maintain your current weight and energy use.

“People who don’t want to lose weight can add a few more calories to their fast days,” Dr. Krista Varady says. In a study of research participants of healthy weight, she found that these people lost half a pound per week, on average, while practicing alternate day fasting, while obese individuals lost 2-3 pounds per week. “Healthy individuals need to make sure they get enough calories and carefully monitor their weight to make sure they don’t fall into the underweight category. But they can still expect to see metabolic benefits with very little weight loss.”