If it’s easier for you to keep track of when you’re eating than what you’re eating, a new study may bring good news for the long haul. For research published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, scientists wanted to see who lost more weight and were able to keep it off: those who consciously counted and cut back on calories, and those who took part in time-restricted eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting. Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago took 90 obese adults (ages 18 to 65) from a racially diverse population and put them in one of three groups: a control group that didn’t change their eating habits; a group that had to watch their diets and cut calories by 25%; and a group who only ate between the hours of noon and 8pm.
Both noncontrol groups lost about 5% of their body weight in the first six months. All subjects were then taken out of “weight loss” mode and placed in “maintenance” mode, with the calorie-cutting group adding a few more calories into their daily intake, and the TRE group widening their eating window from 10am to 8pm. The results? After a year, participants in the calorie-counting group lost 12 pounds, on average, while those in the intermittent fasting group shed 10 pounds—not a statistically significant difference. “The key takeaway is that you can basically achieve the same amount of energy restriction by counting time instead of counting calories,” Krista Varady, the study’s lead author, tells NPR.
That could prove a godsend for people who can’t be bothered learning how to weigh foods and track the calories they consume daily, “a big pain for a lot of folks,” says University of Alabama at Birmingham nutrition professor Courtney Peterson, who wasn’t involved in the study. By eliminating six hours of eating time per day, Varady says, that targets prime snack time—at night, when many mindlessly chow down. There was another factor that seemed key: dietician consultations that focused on healthy eating and cognitive behavioral therapy, which likely helped those in the TRE group fend off urges to eat once their window had closed, notes ScienceAlert.
“Most people who are doing this are … doing it on their own,” Adam Gilden, who wrote an editorial accompanying the research, tells NPR. As for the optimal TRE window, Varady says past research has shown metabolic health benefits more from earlier starting times, but she notes that noon to 8pm seems to be a more realistic schedule. “I just don’t know anyone who is going to stop eating by 4pm every day,” she tells NPR. “If you can do that or if it fits into your lifestyle, then sure, go ahead.” (Read more intermittent fasting stories.)
