There’s no easy way to lose weight, but there are certainly a few methods that can make the process easier. The latest of which advocates for time-restricted eating, where all meals of the day are consumed within an eight-hour “feeding window”. And here’s the kicker: this isn’t some pseudoscientific fad diet, it’s backed by a comprehensive study.
The study from Bond University analysed 29 randomised trials involving 2485 people and found that time restricted eating is extremely effective in achieving weight loss, when it’s combined with lower meal frequency and calorie-dense breakfasts and lunches.
“What we found was that all three of those interventions (time-restricted eating, lower meal frequency and altering calorie distribution across the day) have positive weight loss outcomes, ranging from 1.4kg to 1.8kg when implemented for a longer duration beyond 12 weeks,” says Dr Hayley O’Neill, a biomedical scientist who worked on the study. “In terms of metabolic benefits, we did find some improvements for diabetes markers. So this could be a plausible intervention to help manage some chronic diseases.”
You might be thinking that this eight-hour eating window isn’t all that different from how you currently operate. If you have breakfast at 8am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 6pm, that’s only a ten-hour window. But it’s more complicated than that once you factor in snacking. A late night sweet treat and smaller bites throughout the day can push your eating window out to 12-14 hours, which is quite a bit further from the mark.
This is why Dr O’Neill advises that you “Try and avoid that midnight snacking” because “when your body is coming into rest, probably around that 8-9pm, it’s better just to go to sleep rather than risk getting a second wind which can make it harder to fall asleep and increase the temptation to go to the cupboard and have some cheese and biscuits or chocolate.”
So, why is the eight-hour window the holy grail? It’s all about being strict with your habits, or having what Dr O’Neill calls dietary adherence. “It doesn’t matter what popular diet is it – low carb, paleo, keto – it’s the dietary adherence that’s sometimes lacking in terms of long-term sustainability,” she says. “[The people in the studies] had greater dietary adherence to the protocol, which means they were able to stay to it and do that intervention longer.”
Let’s be clear. An eight-hour eating window doesn’t mean you can gorge yourself on junk food within that timeframe simply because you’re starving yourself outside of it. What you’re putting into your body still matters, and Dr O’Neill recommends a nutritious diet that includes plenty of protein and fibre.
“For example, things like eggs, scrambled tofu and protein smoothies could be great options [for breakfast]. For lunch, you want to get your fibre and protein in, so probably recommending 20-30 grams of protein, this will help you feel fuller for longer,” Dr O’Neill says. “In terms of dinner, I would recommend something a bit lighter whether that be stewed or slow cooked, casseroles or meat dishes or soups.”
