We all know that what we eat matters to our health, but have you ever thought about when you eat? Does eating breakfast really matter, or should you eat the most at supper? How many hours of the day should you be eating? There is research to show that when you eat can influence your ability to lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.
For many years we have been told that a calorie is a calorie. Eat too many and your body stores them as fat. Eat fewer than what you need to fuel your daily needs and the weight will fall off as fat is burned for fuel. But newer research suggests that the same number of calories eaten early in the day as opposed to later are burned differently, and won’t cause the same amount of weight gain.
Action – In this study, the effects of eating earlier in the day and fasting in the evening were tested, and the results were positive for improving insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and oxidative stress. The study controlled for weight loss to make sure that the results weren’t due to subjects losing weight. More research is needed but this could be something to try if you struggle to lose weight or find that you are dealing with unhealthy blood sugar levels.
In another recent study, a higher eating frequency was associated with abdominal obesity, and eating less frequently helped reduce the dangerous fat carried in the abdomen. This study hasn’t been fully released yet but the preliminary conclusions are interesting.
Steps – Eating frequency and time of eating are two things that you can test for yourself to see how it makes you feel. If you have never tried intermittent fasting, eating only within a specific number of hours, there are multiple studies that show benefits. In this one, reducing the time frame of eating to between 10 and 12 hours and consistently sticking to it every day resulted in weight loss, and the subjects all voluntarily continued to eat this way after the study was over. Again, more research is needed as this was based on a small group of people but it’s worth considering.
Based on the research, try reducing your consumption of big meals at night and focus on eating earlier in the day. Minimize the number of hours during which you eat to a maximum of 10 and see how it makes you feel. Also reduce eating frequency, meaning don’t snack constantly. Two good-sized meals earlier in the day and then something lighter at the end of the 10-hour period will give you a good indication of how this will work for you.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Losing weight is the first step towards better health. If you have an excess of abdominal fat, you are putting yourself at risk of developing serious disease. By intentionally limiting the number of hours you spend eating and going to bed with an empty stomach, you begin to allow your body to burn what it doesn’t need and to spend the nighttime hours healing instead of on digestion.
Example – If you aren’t hungry in the morning, don’t force yourself to eat. Wait until you actually feel the desire to eat, and then have enough to satisfy you and keep you full for a few hours. Then when hunger comes again, eat another meal filled with healthy food and no empty calories. Stick to the time window you have decided on and allow your body to get used to the changes. You may be amazed at how quickly this can change how you feel.
If you have any preexisting issues, make sure that this plan is okay for you. Otherwise, give it a try and know that there is research that shows that it might be the answer to maintaining a healthy weight, lowering blood pressure naturally, and improving insulin sensitivity.