Intermittent fasting got hyped as a simple fix for weight loss, but I wonder if we're ignoring what actual hunger feels like. I tried the 16:8 schedule for six weeks last spring, and sure, the scale dropped five pounds—but my energy crashed every afternoon, and I started obsessing over the next meal instead of listening to my body. The studies I've read show mixed results, and most compare groups with different total calorie intakes, so the fasting itself might not be the magic variable. Should someone who hates strict schedules and gets headaches without breakfast really force this pattern just because it works in a lab?