True that! Fasting has numerous health benefits, including weight loss, it lower blood pressure etc.
We do this in the holy month of Ramadan for like 18-22 hours a day, and yes there are proven medical benefits of fasting like:
1 - Level of cholesterol decreases if you eat Organic or healthy stuff when you break the fast (Exclude the oily Fritters, junk etc).
2 - You get full soon by eating little food.
Exercise alone cannot do wonders. People like me "Working in the graveyard shift" face this problem almost everyday. I work, eat, sleep that's all I'm doing these days, and it is effecting me a lot. Like I'm overweight and I have started noticing shortness of breathe. FML