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Weight loss can be tied to when, not just what, you eat - CNN article
alpack42
Posts: 1 Member
Article talks about research showing that frontloading calories (eat more calories early) may lead to more weight loss. Two groups consuming the same calories lost different amounts of weight - the early eaters lost more. It goes on to talk about how "metabolic circadian rhythms" of the body result in people burning calories at different rates through the day. It says in most cases the body burns calories at a faster rate early compared to later in the day.
So skipping breakfast may be a double whammy. 1) Skipping breakfast increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day and potentially eating less healthy (more sweets, chips, etc.). 2) The body metabolism will burn the calories you consume earlier at a faster rate than the calories consumed later.
If you want to read the article just search on the title of this discussion topic using your favorite search engine.
So skipping breakfast may be a double whammy. 1) Skipping breakfast increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day and potentially eating less healthy (more sweets, chips, etc.). 2) The body metabolism will burn the calories you consume earlier at a faster rate than the calories consumed later.
If you want to read the article just search on the title of this discussion topic using your favorite search engine.
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Replies
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*sigh*
Makes no difference when o'clock you eat. Calories calories calories.17 -
Link to the CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/health/weight-loss-circadian-rhythms-drayer/
And some conflicting data:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/13/477794736/breakfast-blowback-maybe-skipping-the-morning-meal-isnt-so-bad9 -
This content has been removed.
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If one is eating the same amount of calories, then how is the one eating later in the day eating more calories? That doesn't make sense.Article talks about research showing that frontloading calories (eat more calories early) may lead to more weight loss. Two groups consuming the same calories lost different amounts of weight - the early eaters lost more. It goes on to talk about how "metabolic circadian rhythms" of the body result in people burning calories at different rates through the day. It says in most cases the body burns calories at a faster rate early compared to later in the day.
So skipping breakfast may be a double whammy. 1) Skipping breakfast increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day and potentially eating less healthy (more sweets, chips, etc.). 2) The body metabolism will burn the calories you consume earlier at a faster rate than the calories consumed later.
If you want to read the article just search on the title of this discussion topic using your favorite search engine.
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that actually counters some of the recent research I've seen, which showed women who had more of the calories at night, had the same rate of fat loss and someone who front-loaded in the am/spread out during the day - but their lean muscle mass was less than the other groups - I can see if I can find the article4
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Actual study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3756673/
"Further ANOVA analyses were only performed for lunch eaters because this was the only meal timing associated with weight loss." The cutoff was lunch before 3pm versus lunch after 3pm.4 -
deannalfisher wrote: »that actually counters some of the recent research I've seen, which showed women who had more of the calories at night, had the same rate of fat loss and someone who front-loaded in the am/spread out during the day - but their lean muscle mass was less than the other groups - I can see if I can find the article
Oh I'd be interested to see that. That would be one more reason to skip breakfast.0 -
Eating breakfast makes me much hungrier during the rest of the day, as it does for a lot of people
More anecdotal evidence, but this is the case for me as well. Moving back breakfast was one of the key changes I have made to get my weight back under control.
Also, I did not got back and read the original study, but I have a little bit of an issue with this "evidence":
Another study followed two groups of overweight women with metabolic syndrome on identical 1,400-calorie weight loss diets for 12 weeks. The only difference between the groups was that their calories were distributed differently throughout the day: Both groups consumed 500 calories at lunch, but one group consumed 700 calories for breakfast and a 200-calorie dinner (the "big breakfast" group), while the other group ate 200 calories at breakfast and 700 calories at dinner (the "big dinner" group).
I am not a big fan of using someone with a medical condition to set a precedent for people without a medical condition.14 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »that actually counters some of the recent research I've seen, which showed women who had more of the calories at night, had the same rate of fat loss and someone who front-loaded in the am/spread out during the day - but their lean muscle mass was less than the other groups - I can see if I can find the article
Oh I'd be interested to see that. That would be one more reason to skip breakfast.
let me see if I can find it - someone linked it on the FB group for the RD's I work with - when there was a discussion about is eating after 6pm ok0 -
I'd also say - the two articles they cited are from 2013 - which is a huge time gap in research years - would love to see what have been looked at in the intervening time3
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I don't eat in the morning. Have had no problem hitting my weight management goals.2
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Actual study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3756673/
"Further ANOVA analyses were only performed for lunch eaters because this was the only meal timing associated with weight loss." The cutoff was lunch before 3pm versus lunch after 3pm.
It seems to be more of an observational study rather than intervention study. While they gave people portion advice and asked them to weigh their food they didn't give them meal timing advice. I would be interested to see them do a more controlled study because although they had people weigh their food it doesn't guarantee adherence. It could actually be that the people who eat lighter earlier in the day actually compensated for it in the evening (not everyone does).
Also, the food choices and patterns were only analyzed for a single week of the 20 week observation period. The researchers selected the week. That sort of raises some red flags on the conclusion they reached.11 -
There was weight loss in both groups (from the two 2013 studies linked in the article), so I guess pick whichever works best for you and your schedule. All I know is eating breakfast larger than my coffee usually made me hungrier at lunch and dinner and I had a tendency to eat more throughout the day. I am also not super interested in "faster" weight loss, more finding what is sustainable for me in the long run.8
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Penthesilea514 wrote: »There was weight loss in both groups (from the two 2013 studies linked in the article), so I guess pick whichever works best for you and your schedule. All I know is eating breakfast larger than my coffee usually made me hungrier at lunch and dinner and I had a tendency to eat more throughout the day. I am also not super interested in "faster" weight loss, more finding what is sustainable for me in the long run.
You are going to do very well!7 -
I will say that I cut back my carb intake at the end of the day, and mainly stick with proteins. That's been the breakthrough I needed to break my 2 months + plateau. We're all different. Different strokes for different folks.
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Penthesilea514 wrote: »There was weight loss in both groups (from the two 2013 studies linked in the article), so I guess pick whichever works best for you and your schedule. All I know is eating breakfast larger than my coffee usually made me hungrier at lunch and dinner and I had a tendency to eat more throughout the day. I am also not super interested in "faster" weight loss, more finding what is sustainable for me in the long run.
You are going to do very well!
Thank you! I am trying 3 -
I think there is something here for people who do not calorie count. I agree if you're calorie counting, it doesn't matter when you eat. But if you're trying to maintain without logging and counting it makes sense that certain eating patterns are more successful than others. For example, they often report that the Mediterranean diet is very healthy...and if you look at these cultures you'll see that dinner is not the largest meal of the day (unless there's a celebration happening). Contrast the full English breakfast with a European breakfast. UK is the "fat man" of Europe so is a large breakfast really a good thing either? So to my mind, these studies have merit because calorie counting isn't for everyone...the vast majority of people simply do not have the discipline.5
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I didn't calorie count or eat breakfast. I still managed to lose and keep it off for over a year now.
But to be fair I was thin for most of my adult life so I knew how to do it. I didn't eat breakfast when I thin, while I was gaining, while I was losing or now that I'm thin again.0 -
Actual study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3756673/
"Further ANOVA analyses were only performed for lunch eaters because this was the only meal timing associated with weight loss." The cutoff was lunch before 3pm versus lunch after 3pm.
It seems to be more of an observational study rather than intervention study. While they gave people portion advice and asked them to weigh their food they didn't give them meal timing advice. I would be interested to see them do a more controlled study because although they had people weigh their food it doesn't guarantee adherence. It could actually be that the people who eat lighter earlier in the day actually compensated for it in the evening (not everyone does).
Also, the food choices and patterns were only analyzed for a single week of the 20 week observation period. The researchers selected the week. That sort of raises some red flags on the conclusion they reached.
This is what I was thinking. Also, they were grouped into early eaters and later eaters, so there might be something different between the two populations: "Nevertheless, late eaters were more evening types, had less energetic breakfasts and skipped breakfast more frequently that early eaters"
Maybe "evening types" on average were less likely to be as active or something.5 -
I think there is something here for people who do not calorie count. I agree if you're calorie counting, it doesn't matter when you eat. But if you're trying to maintain without logging and counting it makes sense that certain eating patterns are more successful than others. For example, they often report that the Mediterranean diet is very healthy...and if you look at these cultures you'll see that dinner is not the largest meal of the day (unless there's a celebration happening). Contrast the full English breakfast with a European breakfast. UK is the "fat man" of Europe so is a large breakfast really a good thing either? So to my mind, these studies have merit because calorie counting isn't for everyone...the vast majority of people simply do not have the discipline.
One of the major studies that is being discussed is comparing two groups of people in the Mediterranean based on when they eat their lunch.2 -
2 questionable studies -- relying on the honesty of their test subjects is the opposite of science -- that really show nothing, but suggest that a real study could be worthwhile.
And then CNN reports them as gospel, to the point of making specific food suggestions. This despite the fact that there's nothing in either study to suggest that the types of food are relevant.
Bad science + bad journalism = nothing to see here.16 -
Meal timing matters in terms of weight loss vs. fat loss which ARE very different. Your body doesn't function on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle. It works second by second, moment by moment, in real time to change your body. I am not saying its as dramatic as people make it out to seem but if you find the right meal timing FOR YOUR BODY then you will see better results than doing it differntly. Some people (like myself) never feel hungry in the morning, so guess what, probably shouldn't force yourself to eat in the morning. My gf on the other hand always seems famished in the mornings so she eats a high protein breakfast. I am not saying that the study is right or wrong, I am just saying that just hitting calories for the day/week/month, will cause WEIGHT LOSS no matter what. Hitting calories based on the appropriate times (when you feel hungry, post workout, pre workout, etc.) will AID in a more efficient FAT LOSS in addition to weight loss.6
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These must eat breakfast news stories are the exact thing that kept me fat. I'm so happy someone here on mfp pointed me in the direction to do some research on intermittent fasting. Once I realized that, for me, one late snack and one big meal, is what finally worked.
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Meal timing matters in terms of weight loss vs. fat loss which ARE very different. Your body doesn't function on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle. It works second by second, moment by moment, in real time to change your body. I am not saying its as dramatic as people make it out to seem but if you find the right meal timing FOR YOUR BODY then you will see better results than doing it differntly. Some people (like myself) never feel hungry in the morning, so guess what, probably shouldn't force yourself to eat in the morning. My gf on the other hand always seems famished in the mornings so she eats a high protein breakfast. I am not saying that the study is right or wrong, I am just saying that just hitting calories for the day/week/month, will cause WEIGHT LOSS no matter what. Hitting calories based on the appropriate times (when you feel hungry, post workout, pre workout, etc.) will AID in a more efficient FAT LOSS in addition to weight loss.
Because it affects satiety, adherence and workout performance. Not because eating at any particular time conveys any metabolic advantage in terms of weight/fat loss.5 -
The thing that cracks me up about articles like this is that I know from years of reading the forums that not only is meal timing irrelevant, but more to the point, there is an optimal way of timing your meals that's uniquely suited to each individual and that has more to do with satiety and compliance than it does with optimizing fat loss.
In the end, these articles that get all breathless about rates of fat loss really, really bug me because they lure people in with the ever hopeful promise of the "hack", and all of us who are in this for the long haul have long since seen our way past all the quick-fixes promoted in the world of weight loss. Since none of them matter because there's never really a finish line, what's the point of trying to rush to it by taking on a meal style/macro split/food choices/fill in this blank with the newest media promise for faster weight loss that doesn't suit your personal preferences and lead you to greater satisfaction, compliance, and satiety?20 -
Meal timing matters in terms of weight loss vs. fat loss which ARE very different. Your body doesn't function on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle. It works second by second, moment by moment, in real time to change your body. I am not saying its as dramatic as people make it out to seem but if you find the right meal timing FOR YOUR BODY then you will see better results than doing it differntly. Some people (like myself) never feel hungry in the morning, so guess what, probably shouldn't force yourself to eat in the morning. My gf on the other hand always seems famished in the mornings so she eats a high protein breakfast. I am not saying that the study is right or wrong, I am just saying that just hitting calories for the day/week/month, will cause WEIGHT LOSS no matter what. Hitting calories based on the appropriate times (when you feel hungry, post workout, pre workout, etc.) will AID in a more efficient FAT LOSS in addition to weight loss.
Because it affects satiety, adherence and workout performance. Not because eating at any particular time conveys any metabolic advantage in terms of weight/fat loss.
It does have an effect on fat loss. It's easy to say yeah I lost X amount weight so I must be only losing fat when I save most of my calories for the night and eat whatever I want. But when you are actually diligent and pay very close attention to your weight, LBM, and body fat percentage you will find that you will lose weight either way and it will be relatively similar, but you will have more FAT LOSS if you appropriately time your meals and eat more nutrient dense foods. If your sole goal is to lose 20 pounds and you don't care if you lose muscle or fat then just eat 500 cal a day to satisfy your mind, you will lose a good amount of fat no doubt, but you will also lose a noticeable amount of muscle.
Most people would not like the outcome of that.
Meal timing matters.9 -
Meal timing matters in terms of weight loss vs. fat loss which ARE very different. Your body doesn't function on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle. It works second by second, moment by moment, in real time to change your body. I am not saying its as dramatic as people make it out to seem but if you find the right meal timing FOR YOUR BODY then you will see better results than doing it differntly. Some people (like myself) never feel hungry in the morning, so guess what, probably shouldn't force yourself to eat in the morning. My gf on the other hand always seems famished in the mornings so she eats a high protein breakfast. I am not saying that the study is right or wrong, I am just saying that just hitting calories for the day/week/month, will cause WEIGHT LOSS no matter what. Hitting calories based on the appropriate times (when you feel hungry, post workout, pre workout, etc.) will AID in a more efficient FAT LOSS in addition to weight loss.
Because it affects satiety, adherence and workout performance. Not because eating at any particular time conveys any metabolic advantage in terms of weight/fat loss.
It does have an effect on fat loss. It's easy to say yeah I lost X amount weight so I must be only losing fat when I save most of my calories for the night and eat whatever I want. But when you are actually diligent and pay very close attention to your weight, LBM, and body fat percentage you will find that you will lose weight either way and it will be relatively similar, but you will have more FAT LOSS if you appropriately time your meals and eat more nutrient dense foods. If your sole goal is to lose 20 pounds and you don't care if you lose muscle or fat then just eat 500 cal a day to satisfy your mind, you will lose a good amount of fat no doubt, but you will also lose a noticeable amount of muscle.
Most people would not like the outcome of that.
Meal timing matters.
You have a study that shows all else being the same (protein, deficit, lifting routine) that eating within an 8 hour window resulted in greater lean mass loss than spacing meals?
I only have my competition prep results as a baseline. For me it seemed that intermittent fasting (eating within an 8 hour window from noon to 8pm) didn't cause any additional lean mass loss compared to prior preps when I ate according to the methods you've described. Added bonus of the short feed window was larger meals and better diet adherence compared to the smaller spaced out meals.8 -
Meal timing matters in terms of weight loss vs. fat loss which ARE very different. Your body doesn't function on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle. It works second by second, moment by moment, in real time to change your body. I am not saying its as dramatic as people make it out to seem but if you find the right meal timing FOR YOUR BODY then you will see better results than doing it differntly. Some people (like myself) never feel hungry in the morning, so guess what, probably shouldn't force yourself to eat in the morning. My gf on the other hand always seems famished in the mornings so she eats a high protein breakfast. I am not saying that the study is right or wrong, I am just saying that just hitting calories for the day/week/month, will cause WEIGHT LOSS no matter what. Hitting calories based on the appropriate times (when you feel hungry, post workout, pre workout, etc.) will AID in a more efficient FAT LOSS in addition to weight loss.
Because it affects satiety, adherence and workout performance. Not because eating at any particular time conveys any metabolic advantage in terms of weight/fat loss.
It does have an effect on fat loss. It's easy to say yeah I lost X amount weight so I must be only losing fat when I save most of my calories for the night and eat whatever I want. But when you are actually diligent and pay very close attention to your weight, LBM, and body fat percentage you will find that you will lose weight either way and it will be relatively similar, but you will have more FAT LOSS if you appropriately time your meals and eat more nutrient dense foods. If your sole goal is to lose 20 pounds and you don't care if you lose muscle or fat then just eat 500 cal a day to satisfy your mind, you will lose a good amount of fat no doubt, but you will also lose a noticeable amount of muscle.
Most people would not like the outcome of that.
Meal timing matters.- Citation needed. Meal timing can affect adherence and energy levels for workouts, but meal timing with the same food eaten has not been shown to affect weight/fat loss in any well controlled study to date that I have seen and is not supported in the current body of research.
- You are now introducing what you eat into the equation, which is not part of the discussion. Different macros DO have an effect on lean mass retention given appropriate resistance training, and nobody is arguing that.
- See above.
- And now you are bringing the amount of the deficit into the discussion, which is AGAIN, not part of the debate here or what the study attempted to find.
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Such broad correlation research is interesting but not definitive
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It does have an effect on fat loss.
No. And as mentioned above, you're moving the goalposts.
Science:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494
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