Something similar seems to have worked for Paul Krugman:
"I have some recent experience along those lines. Yes, I’ve lost a fair bit of weight over the past two years (no special forcing event, just the approach of the big six-oh), and learned a few things about myself along the way.
...
But what has worked for me is severe caloric restriction two days a week. In case you’re wondering, it’s actually very unpleasant. But periodic suffering seems to suit my personality."
Of course, he goes on to say he has a fitbit, does daily cardio, and tracks his weight, so I'm not sure how he's teasing out the confounding variables.
i also thought about doing 2 days of calorie restriction based on a bbc show by michael mosley (linked from the article below), who claims it's the optimum for health and weight, but could only sustain it for 2-3 weeks. he also suggests 3 minutes of intense workout is all you need (2nd link), as it's the optimum for the health benefits of exercise.
"I have some recent experience along those lines. Yes, I’ve lost a fair bit of weight over the past two years (no special forcing event, just the approach of the big six-oh), and learned a few things about myself along the way. ... But what has worked for me is severe caloric restriction two days a week. In case you’re wondering, it’s actually very unpleasant. But periodic suffering seems to suit my personality."
Of course, he goes on to say he has a fitbit, does daily cardio, and tracks his weight, so I'm not sure how he's teasing out the confounding variables.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/this-dieter-is-d...