I’ve seen it said online that being in a fasted state (having not eaten for 12+ hours) promotes weight loss and muscle building. Right now I am in the process of losing weight and have about 15 pounds more to go, but even when I’m down to my goal weight, I’ll still probably keep doing intermittent fasting unless some sort of scheduling conflict makes it way more inconvenient. I adjust my caloric intake as a means of regulating my weight, and I don’t know for sure whether the intermittent fasting is having an effect on my body composition.
More importantly for me, I’m not sure that if I ate what I’m currently eating but at a more traditional meal schedule that I wouldn’t be hungrier more often. I’m pretty sure I’d get hungry mid-morning, and I might even get hungry mid-afternoon and/or after supper. By keeping my current eating schedule, I’ve been able to train my body to limit its hunger outside of my feeding window. Basically, outside the feeding window, I just don’t get hungry enough for it to be a distraction. It probably helps that I was never the sort of person to feel like having a big breakfast first thing in the morning. I would usually feel like skipping breakfast, but then I’d get hungry mid-morning. In that sense, my intermittent fasting works with my natural eating habits.
But hey, if four smaller meals works for you, that’s great! We all have different bodies that have their digestive quirks. I’m not diabetic, but I know from experience that my blood glucose levels are sensitive to what and when I eat (eating simple carbohydrates early in the day is just asking for trouble). So, by only eating later in the day, limiting my eating window, and eating foods high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, I’m able to keep my caloric intake at a healthy level while still avoiding getting ravenously hungry.