Does eating only during the day help you lose more weight?
Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Time-restricted eating didn’t lead to significantly greater weight loss despite strong public belief in its superiority.
Many popular diets and influencers claim eating within a narrow window boosts fat loss — but this rigorous 12-month trial found no advantage.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to lose weight, focus on consistent calorie control — you don’t need to restrict your eating to 8 a.m.–4 p.m. to see results.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Time-restricted eating didn’t lead to significantly greater weight loss despite strong public belief in its superiority.
Many popular diets and influencers claim eating within a narrow window boosts fat loss — but this rigorous 12-month trial found no advantage.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to lose weight, focus on consistent calorie control — you don’t need to restrict your eating to 8 a.m.–4 p.m. to see results.
Publication
Journal
The New England journal of medicine
Year
2022
Authors
Deying Liu, Yan Huang, Chensihan Huang, Shunyu Yang, Xueyun Wei, Peizhen Zhang, D. Guo, Jiayang Lin, Bingyan Xu, Changwei Li, Hua He, Jiang He, Shi-qun Liu, Linna Shi, Yao-ming Xue, Huijie Zhang
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Claims (4)
If you eat only during certain hours of the day or just count your calories, you’ll lose about the same amount of weight—roughly 4.5% of your body weight—after six months.
If you're an adult with obesity, eating only during a certain window each day for a year won't help you lose more waist size, weight, or fat—or improve your blood pressure and metabolism—any better than just eating fewer calories every day.
If you're overweight and eat only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a year, you’ll lose about 8 kg — but if you just eat fewer calories without worrying about when you eat, you’ll lose about 6.3 kg. The difference is so small that it doesn’t really matter which method you pick — cutting calories is what matters most.
If you're an adult with obesity and you eat only during certain hours of the day for a year, it won't make you more likely to have bad side effects than if you just eat fewer calories every day.