Time Constraints May Enhance Weight Loss | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post was created for ECU News Services.

ECU nutrition science professor Dr. Kimberly Myers weighs in on a new study about healthy weight and time spent eating

    It has been long hypothesized that what and when you eat affects your bottom line (pun intended). But new animal research suggests that limiting the amount of time in which food is consumed during the day may directly relate to obesity or healthy weight — at least in mice models, that is. (While research findings using animal models cannot be directly translated to humans, these conclusions often do relate to humans in some ways.)

    A recent study published in the journal Cell Metabolism by Chaix, et al. was the inspiration for an article written for The New York Times Magazine which examined if indeed there is a 12-hour window each day for individuals to eat freely without the concern of weight gain. The article summarizes the main findings of the study and predicts that if an individual monitors the time parameters in which they eat each day, they can combat obesity. While this is true to some extent, the old adage "calories in versus calories out" still needs to be addressed.

    Some humans are very good about eating on a set schedule: breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. sharp, lunch is immediately at noon and dinner is always served at 6:30 p.m.; no snacks, no desserts, no extra calories consumed. For these individuals, it is easy to determine what and when they eat as well as estimate caloric intake versus caloric output.

    But others are less predictable as to when they eat, what they select to eat and when they stop eating throughout the day. For them, it is harder to predict caloric intake over time. Studies have shown that eating the majority of your calories during the active part of your day — so, breakfast and lunch — helps you burn off the calories consumed. Further studies have shown that "night eating" contributes to extra calories and quick weight gain.

    The condition known as "Night Eating Syndrome" affects an estimated 1.5 percent of the population. It is classified by consuming a majority of calories during nighttime hours. Individuals with Night Eating Syndrome report waking up multiple times throughout the night and not being able to sleep until they have eaten. While this condition is rare, having a late night snack is a common practice.

    Being mindful of a set time to stop eating at night has been a dietary weight loss practice for centuries. The primary reason we consume food is for "fuel." Any extra calories we consume and do not use for energy — whether it is from carbohydrates, protein or fat — will be converted and stored as fat. Over time, eating more calories than the body needs throughout the day, or at night, will lead to weight gain.

    The recent study by Chaix, et al. confirmed that having a cut-off point at night for caloric intake helps you maintain a certain weight, and for some people may help them to lose weight. Other studies in humans have found nutrition interventions using time constraints result in greater weight loss success when a larger proportion of food was consumed earlier in the day compared to later in the day.

    But no matter the time of day, the simple math of the problem is "calories consumed versus calories burned." If you burn fewer calories than you consume, over time you will naturally gain weight.