Can the time of day you eat impact weight loss? It turns out, absolutely. Studies show eating earlier in the day and less in the evening can boost weight loss—even when calories are the same. “Ten years ago, I would have said that it probably is nonsense,” says Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, via Harvard Health. “But science keeps learning new things about the human body. How many calories you take in, and how much activity you engage in, still matters… a lot. But several studies over the past decade have shown that eating late meals might make it harder to lose weight.” Here’s why, according to experts.
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Harvard Experiment
iStockA study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School tracked 16 overweight young people, some of whom ate between 9 a.m.—5 p.m., and others who ate between noon and 8.30 p.m. The total number of calories was the same for both groups, but the outcomes were not the same. “Late eating greatly increased hunger, decreased levels of an appetite-reducing hormone (leptin), increased the amount of fat that was stored, and decreased the amount of fat that was burned, over the 24-hour day,” says Dr. Komaroff. “Late eating did that by changing the activity of the genes that control the burning and storage of fat. Thus, this new study confirmed earlier studies that said eating late encouraged weight gain, and the study also showed why.”
Circadian Rhythm and Diet
ShutterstockThe results of the Harvard experiment is supported by other studies that show how sticking to a circadian rhythm is best for how we eat. “The circadian rhythm, as I’ve discussed previously, suggests that late-night eating is not optimal for weight loss,” says intermittent fasting expert Dr. Jason Fung. “This is because excessive insulin is the main driver of obesity, and eating the same food early in the day or late at night have different insulin effects.”
Sleep Issues
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Eating later in the evening negatively impacts sleep. “We know from our sleep loss studies that when you’re sleep deprived, it negatively affects weight and metabolism in part due to late-night eating, but now these early findings, which control for sleep, give a more comprehensive picture of the benefits of eating earlier in the day,” Namni Goel, PhD, a research associate professor of psychology in Psychiatry in the division of Sleep and Chronobiology, tells Penn Medicine News. “Eating later can promote a negative profile of weight, energy, and hormone markers—such as higher glucose and insulin, which are implicated in diabetes, and cholesterol and triglycerides, which are linked with cardiovascular problems and other health conditions.”
No Night Snacking
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Many people snack at night, so eliminating night time eating prevents that. "For many of my patients, there are certain times of the day when they consume unnecessary calories - what I call ‘mindless calories,’ endocrinology and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Deena Adimoolam tells TODAY. "Those extra calories are typically after dinner when mindless snacking and drinking occurs while watching television and relaxing after a long day."
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Blood Sugar Benefits
Shutterstock Eating earlier in the day is better for blood sugar, experts say. “The best blood-sugar control is mid-morning, which suggests it may be the optimal time to eat,” saysCourtney Peterson, PhD, via University of Alabama at Birmingham. “If you eat the same thing in the morning and in the afternoon, data suggests your blood sugar will spike higher in the afternoon. You also burn very slightly more calories by eating in the morning.”
Beyond Weight Loss
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Early time restricted feeding has benefits beyond weight loss—and you don’t have to do it every single day. “A lot of people find eTRF challenging because it’s hard to adapt your schedule, especially when you’re planning dinner for your family every night,” Dr. Peterson says. “Other studies have found you can reap many benefits of time-restricted feeding if you stick to it five days a week. It doesn’t look like you have to do it every day. But there are other meal-timing strategies to try if time-restricted feeding isn’t feasible. You’ve probably heard the old adage, ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.’ Research outside UAB shows that eating according to that strategy improves blood sugar and helps with weight loss, metabolism, and fertility.”
