According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, eating smaller meals is more beneficial for weight loss than intermittent fasting. According to the senior study author, Dr. Wendy L. Bennett, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, even though "time-restricted eating patterns," also known as intermittent fasting, are well-liked, studies have not established whether restricting the total eating window during the day aids in weight control.

The study assessed the relationship between weight change and the interval between the first and last meals for 550 participants from three health systems. In the two years before the study′s recruitment period, participants had at least one weight measurement and one height measurement recorded (February–July 2019).

According to the study′s findings, participants with a higher body mass index were more likely to be black adults, older, have Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, have a lower level of education, exercise less, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and have a longer time between their last meal and going to sleep and a shorter time between their first and last meal.

Based on the timing of sleeping and eating each day as recorded in the mobile app, researchers were able to determine the interval from waking to the first meal and the interval from the last meal to sleep. The other findings of the study revealed that meal timing was not associated with weight change during the six-year follow-up period.

Throughout a six-year follow-up, eating more large meals, which were estimated to contain more than 1,000 calories, and medium meals containing 500–1,000 calories, was linked to an increase in weight. On the other hand, eating fewer small meals, estimated to contain less than 500 calories, was linked to an increase in weight. In a group with a wide variety of body weights, the study failed to find a relationship between meal timing and weight change. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/calorie-restriction-is-more-effective-for-weight-loss-than-intermittent-fasting-study-479079 )