ok... i do agree that there is no way to lose weight if the calories you burn do not exceed the calories you take in, but the timing is what i see as the most important part. take a 1200 calorie day.
intermittent fasting... with a 1200 calorie day, i would think an 18/6 intermittent fasting day would be called for. during the 6 hour eating window, i will get an insulin reaction which will store some fat, and also store easy to get at energy in muscles and my liver. when my eating window subsides and through the next 10-14 hours, stored glycogen will be burned, my insulin to glucagon ratio will lower and my body will start generating ketone bodies and start to burn fat. being in a fasting state, that's all that can happen until my next eating window. depending on exercise levels, i should be burning fat stores for the last 6-8 hours of my fasting window.
now the same 1200 spread out over 3 meals + a snack. breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, dinner at 5pm, snack at 8pm. for 12-14 hours you're keeping your blood sugar high enough to generate an insulin reaction. as long as your insulin to glucagon ratio is high, you will not be able to get at any fat stores for energy. with reduced calorie meals you may not be storing much fat, but since you can't tap those stores, your metabolism will react by slowing down to conserve the available energy. the ~10 or less you are not eating (after your nighttime eating or drinking (alcohol) stops) is just short of the time your body needs to readjust your hormone levels... then, of course, it's time for breakfast again.
there is a myth that is often debunked ...for the wrong reason. the myth states that eating at night will cause you to gain weight.
you can read
this whole article, but pay attention to this particular paragraph...
"A study in the journal Obesity added to the confusion by suggesting that there may be more to nighttime eating than just overeating calories. Northwestern University researchers found that eating at night led to twice as much weight gain -- even when total calories consumed were the same. But this research was done on mice, not humans, and the reason for the weight gain is unknown. And a single mouse study should not cause us to toss out the wealth of evidence supporting the calorie in/calorie out theory."
i believe they are missing the major benefit of nighttime fasting. added to 8 hours sleep and perhaps an hour after you awake before breakfast, you are giving your body a 12 and hopefully up to 14 hour break from eating. those extra 4-6 fasting hours (assuming you don't raid the fridge in the middle of the night) do your body a world of good.
even if you stick to the 3 meals a day routine ... i guess because everyone else does? finding 12 hours to give your digestive system a break from food is a good habit addendum to any diet.