A traditional approach to weight loss is to count calories and try to reduce your daily intake. This is a time-consuming and error-prone process that often has disappointing results. intermittent fasting And the popular version, known as timed eating, could be an easier option for those looking to achieve a healthy weight.
But is intermittent fasting better than calorie counting for weight loss? new research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, aims to provide the answer. This study showed that the two strategies can be equally effective with professional counseling.
In this year-long study, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago recruited 90 obese adults between the ages of 18 and 65. Participants were randomly assigned to one of her three groups:
- A timed eating group that requires all calories to be consumed between noon and 8 p.m. each day
- daily calorie restriction group. I needed to cut my calorie intake by 25% by closely tracking my diet.
- A control group maintained a normal eating pattern throughout the study.
Participants lost approximately 5% of their starting weight on both diets over the first 6 months. Diet was then adjusted to maintain this weight loss for her next six months.
The time-restricted eating group extended meal times to 10 hours (10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), while the daily calorie restriction group met a calculated need based on weight, height, age, and activity level. increased calorie intake. A control group maintained the same dietary pattern.
The researchers hypothesized that participants who focused on reducing intake time would be able to achieve and maintain weight loss better than those who focused on calorie counting. The effects of these two diets on body composition (muscle, fat, and bone mass), waist circumference, and various health markers were also evaluated.
The study found that restricting meal times and restricting the number of calories were equally effective in losing weight. Participants in both groups lost approximately 4% of their starting weight after 12 months.
Both diets reduced waist circumference and fat mass to the same extent. Dietary records revealed that both diets reduced calorie intake to a similar extent, despite the different approaches.
Neither diet changed health markers such as glucose, insulin or cholesterol levels. One reason for this may be the use of a late restricted meal slot (12:00 PM to 8:00 PM), which was considered more acceptable to the participants.
there is evidence Consuming an early restricted meal window (e.g., 8:00 am to 4:00 pm) achieves greater weight loss and improves glycemic control.
Scientists are not sure why this is the case. but, Research suggests Our metabolism is more efficient during the early hours of the day, in line with our natural waking and sleeping patterns. This means that the body may be able to more efficiently utilize nutrients that are ingested earlier in the day.
These findings are previous research Time-restricted diets and other common intermittent fasting versions ( 5:2 diet), to daily calorie restriction.
All of these studies found that caloric restriction was the main determinant of weight loss, whether achieved by reducing the time allowed to eat or by counting the number of calories consumed. indicates that there is
A new study shows that restricted eating can lead to weight loss without clear instructions to reduce calorie intake. Another strength of this study is the racial diversity of the participants (79% are Black or Hispanic). This means that these results are more broadly applicable than most previous studies.
Counseling
However, one important aspect of this study that makes it difficult to conclude that these interventions alone are sufficient to help people lose weight is that participants in both dietary intervention groups It is a fact that I received a lot of counseling during.
This includes healthy eating guidance and cognitive-behavioral therapy (a type of talk therapy) to reduce impulsive eating. This probably helped participants curb the urge to eat high-calorie foods after completing a fasting period.
It is controversial whether this study shows that time-restricted eating and daily calorie restriction are equally effective for weight loss, or whether expert support on healthy eating can help with weight loss. There is room.
Interestingly, Recent research It turns out that eating restricted times without additional support does not lead to weight loss after 3 months.
There were also large differences in weight loss between individual participants on each diet. This suggests that there may be factors that make time-restricted diets and daily calorie restriction more effective for some people than others.
Dieting is difficult no matter what method you use. This new study suggests that intermittent fasting can be used to achieve weight loss, but perhaps some people benefit more than others. I don’t know at this time why.
David ClaytonSenior Lecturer in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Nottingham Trent University
This article is reprinted from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
