Most people eat soon after waking, then graze through the day up to bedtime. This means they may eat over a 16 hour period.
This pattern of eating does not sync with our body clock or circadian rhythms, which some believe may put us at a greater risk of obesity.
Researchers believe that aligning your eating to your body clock could boost your overall health and potentially help you lose weight. The theory is that are bodies are designed to digest and absorb food during a relatively short period of each day, then to repair itself and burn stored fat when we fast. While it is not known whether there is an optimum period during the day or how critical timing is, having less opportunity to eat does seem to lead to less food intake.
A pilot study in 2018 found that by delaying breakfast for 90 minutes, and bringing forward their evening meal by 90 minutes, people lost more body fat than those who kept to no schedule.
If you are new to time-restricted eating, start off eating within a 12 hour window (e.g. 8am to 8pm). If you want to take it further, increase the fasting time to 14 or 16 hours so you eat within a 10 or 8 hour window (e.g. 8am to 6pm, or 10am to 6pm).
Source: Feature in Good Housekeeping, February 2019.
