alt Hacker NewsIt's always calories in and calories out. The idea is that intermittent fasting makes you less hungry over time and thus you take in less calories.
If they had their test subjects eat the same amount to see if intermittent fasting metabolized food better then it seems obvious that there would be little to no difference.
My SO did IF and strict calorie counting for around 2 weeks to a momth, and it drastically reduced their appetite to something more akin to a normal level. Now, they can barely finish a large meal at McDonald's without leftovers.
They've cut quite a bit of weight since then and mostly have just focused on keeping their appetite low, and eating healthier more fibrous meals in general.