Meal Timing May Affect Weight Loss, Study Says

A new study conducted in Spain and published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests there is a correlation between when you eat and how successfully you lose weight. As it turns out, meal timing is almost as important as what's for dinner.

Background Information

There are a few relevant bits of information that research has already told us about meal timing and its effect on weight loss.


First, eating a meal soon after waking up helps to jump start your metabolism. By skipping breakfast, your metabolism is forced to start conserving calories instead of burning them.

Spreading your calories out throughout the day also increases your metabolic rate because you're forcing your metabolism to stay active. We know, for example, that eating 2, 300 calorie meals a few hours apart is far better than eating 1, 600 calorie meal in the same amount of time even if you end up eating the exact same things.

The Study

Marta Garaulet and Dr. Frank Scheer, who is the director of the medical chronobiolosy program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recorded the progress of two separate groups participating in a 20-week weight loss regiment. The first group, dubbed the "early eaters," ate lunch before 3 p.m. while the second group, dubbed the "late eaters," ate lunch after 3 p.m. (In Spain, it is common for lunch to be the largest meal of the day, comprising approximately 40% of their daily caloric intake.)

The Results

The researchers found that the first group, the "early eaters," lost 25% more weight than their counterparts in the "late eaters" group. The researchers did not notice a difference in weight loss based on when participants ate breakfast and dinner.

Controls 

Garaluet and Dr. Scheer controlled for other factors that lead to weight loss like energy expenditure (exercise levels), what the participants ate, appetite hormones, and sleep patterns so there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Limitations

The nature of this study was observational, meaning it cannot imply causation, it can only show a correlation. To imply causation, the researchers would have to randomly assign participants to two or more groups and then change the independent variable accordingly.

Takeaway

The study mentioned several possible explanations for these results. First, you have a biological "clock" that regulates your internal organs. If you're eating a large meal later in the day when your metabolism is getting ready to slow down, those extra calories may stay with you longer than you'd like. Another possible explanation cited is that for whatever reason, participants in the "late eaters" group had a smaller breakfast or no breakfast more often than the "early eaters." The authors suggested that some people may be more genetically wired to eat later in the day, which could disrupt their internal timing.

The most important thing for you to do is to eat a large breakfast. You'll ultimately consume fewer calories throughout the day and your metabolism will work hard all day long to burn those calories.

If possible, avoid eating a large dinner, especially if you go to bed soon afterwards. Instead, try shifting your calories towards earlier meal times. For example, eat 100 extra calories for breakfast, lunch, and have a larger mid-afternoon snack than usual. Also, load up on fruits, vegetables, and lean meats at dinner. They're filling, easy for your metabolism to handle, and low-calorie options.

Eating at the right time is easy with this meal plan. You'll learn when to snack and how large your meals should be to keep your metabolism running strong all day long!

For more easy to understand information about nutrition, fitness, general well-being, and simple every day substitutions, visit http://www.delveintohealth.com/

Thanks for reading!
Nathaniel



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