When it comes to weight loss, how much you eat is likely more important than when you eat, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University asked 547 people to log their meal sizes and meal timings on a mobile app every day for six months. Scientists then used electronic health records to monitor the participants’ weight over a period of about six years (he was over five years before he started recording his meals and about six months thereafter).
In this study, we divided the recorded meals into three size categories. Small meals consisted of less than 500 calories, medium meals ranged from 500 to 1,000 calories, and large meals consisted of 1,000 or more calories. Overall, the results showed that participants who ate the most large and medium-sized meals gained weight over six years, whereas those who ate the smaller and smaller meals lost weight. showed.
This is in line with the well-known rule for many years that eating fewer calories contributes to weight loss.
The researchers found no link between weight changes and the practice of restricting food intake at specific times – often called intermittent fasting. No association was found between the timing of the first meal after, the last meal or snack before bedtime.
“This study shows that changing the timing of meals does not prevent slow weight gain over the years. Perhaps the most effective strategy is to actually monitor how much you eat. , eat fewer large meals and eat more small meals,” said Wendy Bennett, M.D., author of the study and associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The study included people of varying weights, including those who were overweight and those who were severely obese. Those who ate extra meals each day gained, on average, less than a pound per year compared to those who did not eat those extra meals.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone to change what they’re doing because the effect is so small,” says Courtney Peterson, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
But Bennett said her study does provide evidence that restricting meal sizes is effective for weight loss, even after adjusting for people’s baseline weight. , it tends to be easier to gain or lose weight.)
She also noted that the average person gains 1-2 pounds per year, which can lead to significant weight gain over time. By eating fewer large meals and more small meals, “you can prevent slow weight gain,” Bennett said.
But Peterson said he doesn’t view the study as a “slam dunk” when it comes to determining the best weight loss strategy.
Other studies have found that the timing of the first meal of the day is important.
On average, participants in Bennett’s study ate within an 11.5-hour window, with their first meal within two hours of waking and their last meal approximately four hours before bedtime.
To better test whether intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, researchers need to directly compare people who limit their food intake to a specific window with those who don’t in controlled trials, Peterson said. I have.
Previous studies on that type of design have yielded mixed results. Some studies suggest that fasting every other day or restricting calories two days a week may help obese people lose weight. Studies have found that restricting your diet for a specific period of time leads to less weight loss than restricting your daily calorie intake.
“I think timed eating can be very helpful if it helps people limit their calories,” Bennett said. “We already know that calorie restriction is the most effective strategy for weight loss. I have.”
Peterson also emphasized that the nutritional quality of a person’s diet influences weight gain or loss. It’s possible, but a diet that relies on vegetables and whole grains may help with weight loss.
“Some of the best data in humans suggest that the quality of meals is probably more important than the timing of meals,” says Peterson.
