Weight Management

Intermittent caloric restriction

Intermittent caloric restriction, or ICR, is a weight loss approach that utilizes periods of fasting or reduced calorie intake alternated with periods of normal daily calorie intake.

Purina’s research

A Purina study compared obese cats on an ICR weight loss program to obese cats on a continuous caloric restriction (CCR) weight loss program. On a monthly basis, rates of fat and weight loss did not differ between groups. Since ICR group cats were energy restricted for only half of the month, this suggested that they maintained higher energy expenditures than CCR group cats.¹

More studies are needed to develop optimal ICR regimens for obese pets.

Key thing to remember

With further research, intermittent caloric restriction may provide another option for weight loss.

Beyond nutrition: Partnering with pet owners

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MANAGING A HEALTHY WEIGHT

DEFINING HEALTHY BODY CONDITION

WEIGHT-RELATED CONDITIONS

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Pan, Y. (2015, March 26–28). Intermittent caloric restriction: A new way to feed cats for weight loss. Proceedings Companion Animal Nutrition Summit: The Future of Weight Management. Barcelona, Spain, 59–64.