Globally, one in eight people are dealing with obesity. This poses a problem because excess fat increases the risk related to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and specific types of cancer.
Modifying your diet is crucial for controlling obesity and avoiding weight gain. This could involve decreasing your caloric consumption, altering your eating patterns and prioritising healthy food.
However, is one weight-loss formula more prone to lead to success compared to others? Our new research we compared three different weight-loss approaches to determine if any of them resulted in greater weight loss than the rest:
- changing the caloric intake timing – consuming more calories during earlier meals instead of later ones in the day
- eating fewer meals
- intermittent fasting.
We examined information gathered from 29 clinical studies that included nearly 2,500 participants.
We discovered that after 12 weeks or longer, all three techniques led to comparable weight reduction of around 1.4–1.8 kg.
Therefore, if losing weight is your goal, pick an approach that fits well with your personal routine and preferences.
Having meals earlier during the day
When our metabolism isn’t functioning properly Our bodies may not react correctly to insulin hormones, which can result in weight gain, feelings of tiredness, and an elevated chance of developing several long-term health issues like diabetes.
Having meals later in the day – with a heavy dinner as well as late-night eating – appears to result in worse metabolic function This indicates that the body becomes less effective at transforming food into energy, controlling blood glucose levels, and adjusting fat storage.
In contrast, consuming calories earlier during the day it seems to improve metabolic function.
Nevertheless, this may not apply to all individuals. Certain people inherently possess an "evening chronotype," which means they tend to rise and retire later in the day.
Individuals with this chronotype seem to possess less success losing weight Regardless of the approach used, this is attributed to various elements such as genetics, a greater tendency towards consuming a less healthy diet altogether, and elevated levels of hunger-related hormones.
Eating fewer meals
Skipping breakfast Is this commonplace issue actually impeding weight loss? Or isn't it? bigger morning meal and lighter evening meal ideal?
While frequent meals Recent research indicates that consuming food six times daily could potentially lower disease risk more than having one to two meals per day. weight loss success .
However, this isn't representative of the wider body of research, which generally indicates that consuming fewer meals may result in more significant weight reduction. Our research recommends having three main meals per day instead of six smaller ones. A simple approach to achieve this is by eliminating snacking and maintaining only breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Many studies contrast the effects of having three meals versus six meals daily, offering scant evidence regarding other meal frequencies. Two meals are preferable to three. .
However, front-loading your calories (eating the majority of your daily caloric intake during morning and afternoon hours) seems to be more effective for shedding pounds and could potentially provide additional benefits. reduce hunger Throughout the day. However, additional research with an extended timeframe is required.
Fasting, or time-restricted eating
A lot of us consume food over an extended timeframe exceeding 14 hours a day .
Eating late at night can throw off Your body's inherent timing mechanism and change how your internal organs operate. Prolonged disruption may elevate your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes along with various long-term illnesses, especially within shift workers .
Time-restricted eating , a type of intermittent fasting, involves confining your calorie intake to a specific window of time each day. six- to ten-hour window During the times when you're most energetic throughout the day. The focus isn’t on altering what or how much you consume. when you eat it .
Animal studies Proposing that time-restricted eating may result in weight reduction and enhanced metabolic function. However, the research in human subjects remains scant, particularly concerning the potential long-term advantages.
It remains uncertain whether the advantages of time-restricted eating stem from the specific timing or simply result from consuming fewer calories overall. In our analysis, when individuals were allowed to eat as much as they wanted within an eight-hour period each day without intentionally restricting their caloric intake, they still ended up consuming approximately 200 fewer calories daily.
What will be effective for you?
Previously, healthcare providers viewed weight loss and preventing weight gain through the analogy of balancing calorie intake and expenditure. However, elements like how we spread our caloric consumption throughout the day, the frequency of eating, and the timing of nighttime meals might also influence our metabolic rate, bodyweight, and overall well-being.
Losing weight isn’t simple. Thus, pick an approach, or blend multiple strategies, that work best for you. Consider
- planning to consume food within an eight-hour timeframe
- having your calories earlier, by concentrating on breakfast and lunch
- choosing to have three main meals daily rather than six smaller ones.
The On average, an adult gains between 0.4 to 0.7 kilograms each year. . Improving the quality of your diet is important to prevent this weight gain and the strategies above might also help.
Ultimately, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding these dietary approaches. Most current research is limited to short durations, involves few participants, and employs different methodologies, which complicates direct comparisons.
Further studies are ongoing, encompassing rigorously controlled trials featuring larger sample sizes, varied demographics, and standardized methodologies. Consequently, upcoming research may provide deeper insights into how modifying our dietary habits could lead to improved overall health.
In addition to her teaching position, Hayley O'Neill also serves as a wellness consultant.
Loai Albarqouni is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council as well as the Heart Foundation.
