[HN Gopher] Timeframe of 8-hour restricted eating irrelevant to ...
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       Timeframe of 8-hour restricted eating irrelevant to weight loss
        
       Author : hilux
       Score  : 57 points
       Date   : 2025-03-14 17:24 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.nia.nih.gov)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.nia.nih.gov)
        
       | gwerbret wrote:
       | The title in HN ("(Any) 8-hour time-restricted-eating window
       | effective for weight loss") is heavily editorialized from that of
       | the NIH blurb ("Timeframe of 8-hour restricted eating irrelevant
       | to weight loss"), but actually better reflects the findings of
       | the actual paper ([1], unfortunately paywalled). They found that
       | people who fasted for 16 straight hours a day lost (a little bit)
       | more weight over 12 weeks than those who followed a Mediterranean
       | diet. However, the weight loss didn't represent a loss of
       | visceral fat (around the abdominal organs, fat which is more
       | likely to be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease)
       | and so the essential finding was that the time-restricted fasting
       | made no difference.
       | 
       | 1: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39775037/
        
         | genewitch wrote:
         | those read the same to me, to be fair; although the important
         | bit is "fasting for 16 consecutive hours", perhaps that gets to
         | the point more effectively.
         | 
         | I've read that intermittent fasting has more "holistic" value
         | than just losing a little bit more weight, specifically on
         | blood sugar or insulin levels, as well as fat storage.
         | 
         | weight loss for health reasons should probably be coordinated
         | with an expert who can look at your contemporary and historical
         | blood tests. To be safest.
        
           | NemoNobody wrote:
           | It's a bit to do with a change in diet and lifestyle to
           | accompany the eating window but there is definitely something
           | else at play as well.
           | 
           | The human body is an amazing machine and it has all sorts of
           | abilities that we are unaware of. When you starve, your body
           | starts shutting down non essential things first, starts
           | pulling nutrients from everywhere it and limiting activity.
           | Starvation has both a physical and mental element to it -
           | both during the process and following it.
           | 
           | Intermittent fasting has been demonstrated to start a
           | regenerative process in the body. It triggers cellular
           | autophagy, which is kind of like running a cellular defrag.
           | 
           | There have been a lot of studies lately that look into the
           | regenerative aspects of deep sleep following a serious injury
           | - I sus that's the same system behind both things.
           | 
           | In response to the stress of not eating as usual, the body
           | reacts. The mind does too. It sucks while you are starting it
           | but it's nice to be able to know that you can skip of day of
           | eating and be fine. After eating a big dinner and a good
           | night's sleep you should have more energy and feel better for
           | no real reason. I sus this has to do with how we ate while we
           | were evolving - life was just a cycle of involuntarily
           | intermittent fasting.
           | 
           | Unless you do strenuous activity all day - food is energy,
           | you will be wore out of you do too much. The food you first
           | eat after matters too!
           | 
           | Don't make a donut or highly processed/sweetened food the
           | first nutrients after fasting - you'll feel like you ran a
           | marathon. Simple carbs and protein - rice and black beans or
           | oatmeal with seeds is typically what I do.
           | 
           | Everyone is different tho - whatever works for you! All the
           | best of luck, sorry this is apparently my rant for the day -
           | better topic than normal
        
           | hilux wrote:
           | I've been following Jason Fung and "intermittent fasting" for
           | six or seven years.
           | 
           | I notice that the specific wording "time-restricted eating"
           | has gained popularity in the past couple of years, possibly
           | because "time-restricted" is less of a red flag to the public
           | than "fasting," which may bring up some emotional baggage.
           | 
           | The reason for renaming is just speculation on my part -
           | what's clear is that the eating protocol is the same, only
           | the wording is different.
        
         | froh wrote:
         | thanks for this summary
         | 
         | speaking of visceral fat, do you happen to have pointers how to
         | reduce that?
        
           | sixtyj wrote:
           | Visceral fat has long-term memory, and also come as the last
           | in the line. So the diet mentioned in the study may not have
           | started the visceral fat reduction at all...
           | 
           | And I forgot, you have to exercise, HIIT, calories deficit is
           | not enough.
           | 
           | Forget about Ozempic and other drugs, they are good for
           | people with diabetes. And you have to use them for the rest
           | of life, otherwise there is yoyo effect.
        
           | wahern wrote:
           | Fat distribution, including subcutaneous vs visceral, has
           | very clear racial/ethnic genetic associations, not to mention
           | sex. East Asian and especially South Asian groups skew much
           | more toward visceral fat, while European and especially
           | African groups toward subcutaneous fat. Beyond calories
           | in/calories out, generalized advice in this context might not
           | be as helpful on an individual basis as with other health
           | matters. In the context of diet & weight things are already
           | complicated, but at least in this area we know _why_ and can
           | more easily predict how one person 's body is likely to
           | respond vs another. (Though, it might just come down to some
           | ethnic groups having to put in alot more effort--e.g. much
           | greater reduction in overall weight--than others for the same
           | reduction in visceral fat.)
        
         | hilux wrote:
         | > However, the weight loss didn't represent a loss of visceral
         | fat (around the abdominal organs, fat which is more likely to
         | be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease) and so
         | the essential finding was that the time-restricted fasting made
         | no difference.
         | 
         | You're making a bit of a leap with "made no difference."
         | 
         | It's well-known that the body "holds on to" visceral fat in
         | many cases, i.e. in order to reduce visceral fat, we first have
         | to lose all the other excess fat. Which the TRE diet achieved:
         | 5-7 pounds in 12 weeks is no small feat!
        
           | gwerbret wrote:
           | > You're making a bit of a leap with "made no difference."
           | 
           | I was paraphrasing the results of the study, which was
           | designed specifically to see if fasting would reduce visceral
           | fat as compared to a non-fasting regimen. If you read the
           | abstract I cited, you'll see that there's not even any
           | mention of overall body weight in the abstract -- that
           | finding is buried in a figure of the paper, and mentioned
           | basically in passing.
           | 
           | As for losing losing visceral fat versus other fat, that's
           | partially true, but reality is a little bit more complex than
           | that. Two people with the same 20% body fat can have
           | radically different proportions of visceral and subcutaneous
           | (under the skin) fat, and it's the person with more visceral
           | fat who is at risk. This is why you have studies like this
           | designed to find ways to target visceral fat.
        
       | rabid_turtle wrote:
       | bREAKfAsT Is THE MOST IMpoRTaNT meAL Of THE daY!
        
         | GenerocUsername wrote:
         | Yes. It is important that every american eat grain-heavy meals
         | every 4 hours. Same regimen as pigs I bet.
        
           | hilux wrote:
           | Don't forget the sugar! Frosted Mini-Wheats ... mmm ...
        
         | d1str0 wrote:
         | If you're under 18 and not already overweight and still
         | growing, it probably is.
         | 
         | Pretty sure it's well studied that kids perform better at
         | school when they've had breakfast.
        
         | genewitch wrote:
         | > It was popularized in the early 20th century by John Harvey
         | Kellogg
         | 
         | oh weird, American breakfast cereals company says breakfast is
         | the most important meal...
         | 
         | ...for their stake/shareholders.
        
       | deadbabe wrote:
       | If you find yourself thinking about food all the time, that's not
       | healthy or normal. If you finish meals and are still hungry,
       | that's not normal.
       | 
       | Normal people think about food only when they're hungry, then
       | they eat, and don't think about it again until their next meal.
       | It's very easy to go 8 hours without eating this way.
        
         | deathanatos wrote:
         | > _It's very easy to go 8 hours without eating this way._
         | 
         | It's 16 h:
         | 
         | > _restricting daily food intake to an 8-hour timeframe [...]
         | As long as 16 hours of fasting were maintained_
         | 
         | Eating was restricted to an 8h window. Fitting 3 meals into an
         | 8h window would be ... tricky. I feel like most people's
         | schedule is "[breakfast], [work], [dinner]" (with lunch in the
         | middle of work), and assuming you work 8h, then you're already
         | outside the study's fasting window. Throw two commutes in there
         | ...
        
           | jetrink wrote:
           | > Fitting 3 meals into an 8h window would be ... tricky.
           | 
           | That's the main secret to time restricted eating, in my
           | opinion: You don't have enough time to eat as much as you
           | normally do so overall calorie intake tends to decrease. I
           | think the other reason it's helpful for some people is that
           | eating nothing for one meal takes less self control than
           | restricting yourself to a small portion, leading to better
           | adherence than normal calorie counting.
        
             | bitmasher9 wrote:
             | Another long term benefit is that it normalizes the feeling
             | of hunger. To be able to feel hunger after not eating for
             | 15 hours, but be able to wait that extra hour is huge for
             | managing impulsively and learning that simple hunger isn't
             | as urgent of a bodily demand as one might have previously
             | thought.
             | 
             | There's a big difference between "I'm malnourished", "My
             | body feels hungry" and "I want to eat for reasons other
             | than feeling hungry". Intermittent fasting will definitely
             | teach you what "My body feels hungry" feels like, and shows
             | you how to suppress it for hours.
             | 
             | I think the positive reinforcement of eating during the
             | time window also helps in this learning process.
        
               | jay_kyburz wrote:
               | I read a few years ago that hunger is not pain, it
               | doesn't "hurt" and you can ignore it.
               | 
               | What I find fascinating about hunger is how it interacts
               | with your subconscious. You start daydreaming about food.
               | If you're not paying attention you'll find yourself
               | standing in front of the pantry.
               | 
               | When I'm hungry I feel like my conscious mind is
               | wrestling with my subconscious.
        
             | bizzleDawg wrote:
             | I've been following 16hr fasts by skipping breakfast and
             | eating my first meal at around 12:00 each day. Normally
             | have an afternoon snack, then dinner at 18:00 with my young
             | family. Perhaps a sweet treat by 20:00 after putting the
             | little one to bed. Honestly, it's not that tricky if you
             | bulk up lunch a bit.
             | 
             | Edit: As a sibling comment says quite rightly, you do feel
             | hungry in the late morning, but reacting to that feeling is
             | optional
        
               | usrusr wrote:
               | I stopped feeling hungry in the morning a long time ago.
               | Just unhealthy amounts of coffee, without sugar or milk.
               | If I eat even just the tiniest snack or sweet, the food
               | processing tract will "wake up" and it's over. But if I
               | can avoid that, I only break the fast because of
               | convention, not because of hunger.
               | 
               | But it's also very contexy sensitive: currently working
               | from a place where I usually go for high calorie
               | throughput sports (think Tour de France climbs, but
               | higher and a heavier rider, obviously a lot slower but
               | the energy demand is mostly mass x elevation, almost
               | unpacked to speed) and my body is in "eat! you will need
               | it!" mode every day. Crazy weight gain on the working
               | days.
        
           | kbelder wrote:
           | Why would you even try to fit three meals into 8 hours? That
           | kind of defeats the point.
           | 
           | You would probably fit a snack and meal into that period. It
           | could be a really big meal, and it would still probably be
           | significantly less calories than breakfast, lunch, and
           | dinner.
        
         | nsxwolf wrote:
         | Lots of not normal people out there
        
       | paulpauper wrote:
       | "Effective" as in "not very"
       | 
       | The concept of 'eating windows' or timed eating has been studied
       | and tested forever. the difference, if any, is basically nothing.
       | It comes down to eating less. This is why GLP-1 drugs work so
       | well when nothing else does at preventing people from putting as
       | much food in their mouths.
        
         | Gys wrote:
         | In the end any eating _restriction_ has some influence on
         | lowering weight...
        
           | nxpnsv wrote:
           | the 8 minute window is probably even better...
        
         | hodder wrote:
         | People often confuse the mechanism (calorie deficit) with the
         | behavioral adaptation causing the mechanism.
         | 
         | This leads to great confusion among those not educated in
         | nutrition. Time restricted eating as you say, is not effective
         | if you equate calories to non time restricted eating, however
         | it causes many to eat less over time - assuming they adhere to
         | it and arent prone to binging.
         | 
         | Its pretty simple to explain, if you can limp through your day
         | without food, you arent likely to crush down more than say 2500
         | calories of food in a small evening window as your stomach is
         | full.
         | 
         | But yes it doesnt change thermodynamics and isnt the magic that
         | bloggers/youtubers and shills espouse, rather it is a tool
         | (among many) available for people to reduce caloric intake.
        
         | hilux wrote:
         | Did you click on the link?
         | 
         | If eating windows had been "tested forever" with conclusive
         | results, studies like this one would not be conducted.
        
       | hodder wrote:
       | It is important to understand that time restricted eating is
       | behavioral adaptation to reduce caloric consumption. A calorie
       | deficit is what drives weight loss.
       | 
       | Here is a list of similar things that also "work". It is key to
       | understand that "working"- meaning weight loss is the result of a
       | deficit of energy requiring the body to use stored fuel (fat) as
       | energy over time:
       | 
       | -higher protein is more satiating
       | 
       | -higher fiber is more satiating
       | 
       | -keto diets are for most people pretty satiating so they reduce
       | caloric intake
       | 
       | -GLP1s like Ozempic and Mounjaro lead you to feel "full" and eat
       | less through a few mechanisms - slowing digestion, stabilizing
       | insulin and blood sugar
       | 
       | -Drinking lots of water
       | 
       | -subbing out sugars with artificial sweeteners
       | 
       | -fasting, intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, alternate
       | day fasting. For some can lead to a binge but if you adhere to it
       | you are likely to consume less calories
       | 
       | -switching from processed foods to whole foods high in fiber and
       | protein is more satiating
       | 
       | -wearing tighter and more revealing clothing will lead one to eat
       | less
       | 
       | -weighing yourself daily will lead you to eat less (assuming you
       | understand thermodynamics)
       | 
       | -exercising and cardio will lead you to burn more calories.
       | Muscle mass accrued over time burns modestly more calories than
       | fat mass and cardio burns calories directly
       | 
       | -counting calories directly (leads to greater adherence). Just
       | like budgeting. If you don't measure and estimate what is going
       | in vs going out at all and have no experience measuring you are
       | unlikely to succeed.
       | 
       | It is important to understand that NONE of the above are a
       | substitute for a caloric deficit for losing weight but rather one
       | possible path to CAUSING a caloric deficit. The deficit is still
       | required. These are behavioral tools. Hormones, PCOS, insulin etc
       | are also not workarounds to the laws of thermodynamics. They can
       | make you more hungry or burn more or less calories at the margins
       | but they dont change the equation of calories in vs calories out.
       | 
       | Often people confuse the behavioral method to achieve weight loss
       | with the mechanism driving it, and this leads to most of the
       | confusion on weight loss outside of scientific literature (among
       | blogger quacks, fitness guru snakeoil salesman etc.)
       | 
       | Rant over.
        
         | bestouff wrote:
         | Brillant rant.
        
         | scns wrote:
         | > cardio burns calories directly
         | 
         | And lowers energy expenditure afterwards. Walking works better.
        
           | hodder wrote:
           | A few nitpicks with this:
           | 
           | -Yes some studies show that increasing high intensity cardio
           | or LISS cardio vs very low intensity cardio like walking can
           | lead to both higher hunger and a reduction in NEAT, however
           | it isn't correct to necessarily say walking is better.
           | 
           | Walking is also effective, but there is a clear dose response
           | effect here:
           | 
           | -If you run or swim etc for an hour, even with a reduction in
           | NEAT for the rest of the day, you will have burned more
           | calories net than walking for an hour, though it is more
           | taxing.
           | 
           | There are other benefits to higher intensity cardio than pure
           | caloric expenditure (there are also drawbacks).
        
           | Kirby64 wrote:
           | Walking is cardio. It's not high intensity cardio, but it's
           | cardio nonetheless. The main point of cardio for burning
           | calories is to raise your heart rate; walking is the most
           | sustainable way to do this, although it isn't the fastest
           | way, time wise.
        
         | latentcall wrote:
         | This is all true for me except counting calories. I don't
         | usually eat things with a barcode. I'm also not good at
         | eyeballing 1/4 cup of pecans, for example. In Noom, it requires
         | specific measurements. So if I eat at the hospital cafeteria
         | and get a salad that the staff makes, I don't feel comfortable
         | logging it because I guarantee the measurements are off.
         | 
         | Now this is different if I have two bananas for breakfast and
         | an apple. That is easy to track and input.
        
           | hodder wrote:
           | Agreed it isn't simple, but I'm just saying tracking is
           | effective. Tracking is in fact the single most effective way
           | of ensuring a deficit. But yes it isnt easy and you can
           | absolutely be successful in achieving a deficit without
           | tracking. A food scale and weighing and understanding portion
           | sizes for a couple weeks can be a lifetime level learning
           | that you can apply though even if you don't stick to it - as
           | most won't.
           | 
           | Much like you can save money without strict budgeting. I'm
           | saying tracking is objectively "true" contrary to your
           | statement. That doesn't make it easy though. Some find the
           | other suggestions difficult. It is important to find what
           | works for you.
        
           | dwighttk wrote:
           | For me it worked to just estimate and tend to miss high... so
           | if you're not sure how much of something there is, just guess
           | and keep increasing until you're like "well it's definitely
           | not THAT much"... and if I wasn't losing weight I adjusted my
           | estimates up assuming I hadn't hit the mark.
        
           | ktimespi wrote:
           | I think the approach here is to overestimate your calories a
           | bit if you're not sure. Practice makes perfect when it comes
           | to eyeballing quantities.
        
           | Kirby64 wrote:
           | Counting calories even when you don't have a scale and/or
           | barcodes gets much easier over time as long as you do a few
           | things. One, actually bring a scale when you're eating out
           | for a bit. It's a pain, but can help calibrate how much
           | you're actually eating. This works best with meals that have
           | individual components. Two, use an app that has a good
           | database of food (I use MacroFactor, but I have no clue how
           | good Noom is). There's plenty of entries for various salad
           | types, and the majority of the calories in a salad tend to be
           | the dressing and any meat anyways. With those two things,
           | even eating out you'll be a lot more accurate. As long as
           | most of your meals aren't falling into the estimation
           | category, it also likely won't have a huge impact on your
           | weight loss goals either.
        
         | sethammons wrote:
         | Everything you say is accurate, but there is something that
         | needs a big asterisk:
         | 
         | > calories in vs calories out
         | 
         | Yes, thermodynamics. Also: the human body is a dynamic system
         | where adjusting either of those sides can alter the other.
         | Calorie restriction can lead to slower metabolism, and vise-
         | versa.
        
           | hodder wrote:
           | Yes of course. The impact of caloric restriction on
           | metabolism however is FAR overstated as we know from the
           | available literature. "Starvation mode" is largely relegated
           | to pseudo science at this point and most of the reduction in
           | metabolism you speak of is due weight loss itself and a small
           | reduction in NEAT.
           | 
           | But yes the human body is a complicated system effected by
           | hormones, and other individual factors.
           | 
           | However it is important for the layman to understand the
           | basics. It VERY rarely helps people struggling with weight
           | loss to gloss over the basics and talk about metabolic
           | adaption or provide other "excuses" like PCOS, hormones or
           | starvation mode. They miss the forest for the trees.
        
             | ktimespi wrote:
             | I agree. This nuance is overblown and the knowledge to
             | notice and deal with cues from the body aren't brought up
             | whenever people mention this, which I think is really
             | unhelpful.
        
           | ktimespi wrote:
           | It's very easy to observe the changes you mention: A lack of
           | energy in activities in the short term, which you can control
           | with diet adjustments. In the long term (over the course of a
           | few months), you should be tracking your weight chart and
           | reducing your intake.
           | 
           | The body can adjust to caloric deficits, but not so much that
           | consistent effort over weeks will be blocked.
           | 
           | I think it's necessary to mention how to deal with these
           | changes, whenever they're mentioned.
        
         | tangent-man wrote:
         | I don't think this is entirely true.
         | 
         | Way too many variables to consider here and the human
         | heart/mind/body is much more complex than this, and at the same
         | time much more simple.
         | 
         | To give one example.. by time restricted eating you are
         | breaking the cycle of eating out of habit when you are not even
         | hungry.. or eating because you crave a certain taste or
         | sensation in the body (as opposed to actually being hungry).
         | You are training the mind/body out of these behaviours so that
         | during the times when you are allowed to eat you are trained
         | not to eat unless actually hungry, for example.
         | 
         | I am sure there are many other things to consider other than
         | just calories in .. calories out - such as adapting the body to
         | use stored fuel .. rather than expecting a constant payload of
         | calories to consume.. etc. etc.
         | 
         | Peace out.
        
           | hodder wrote:
           | "by time restricted eating you are breaking the cycle of
           | eating out of habit when you are not even hungry.. or eating
           | because you crave a certain taste or sensation in the body
           | (as opposed to actually being hungry). You are training the
           | mind/body out of these behaviours so that during the times
           | when you are allowed to eat you are trained not to eat unless
           | actually hungry, for example."
           | 
           | You are describing what I posted above. This is a behavioral
           | tool to achieve a mechanism of caloric deficit. Getting out
           | of a cycle of pointless eating is the definition of
           | behavioral shift.
           | 
           | Not exactly sure what you are describing in the next
           | paragraph but we have studies that equate calories between
           | time restricted eating and non time restricted eating and
           | find no statistical difference in expected weight outcomes.
           | 
           | Yes there are differences is hormonal hunger signaling etc.
           | My point is rather that a calorie deficit is why the weight
           | loss occurs. The time restricted eating is the METHOD some
           | choose to help achieve it.
        
         | from-nibly wrote:
         | > assuming you understand thermodynamics
         | 
         | Even in a car engine having different kinds of fuels changes
         | how much of it gets converted to energy.
         | 
         | Your body is infitely more complex than a car.
         | 
         | Calories in calories out is not an immutable law.
         | 
         | If that were the case, you could binge eat 30,000 calories and
         | then you'd somehow add 28,000 calories worth of fat to your
         | body in one day, which just isnt how that works.
        
           | dragonwriter wrote:
           | > Calories in calories out is not an immutable law.
           | 
           | It actually can be, if you define both "in" and "out" in a
           | way which makes it so; but for any definition of those terms
           | where it _is_ an immutable law, we, in practice, have only
           | _very_ rough proxy measures for at least one, and maybe both,
           | of  "calories in" or "calories out", and the problem then
           | becomes mistaking the proxy for the actual figure of merit.
           | 
           | But the bigger problem is that CICO is only a starting point,
           | it a set of targets, and an actionable plan that works in the
           | real world isn't just the targets the plan is directed at.
        
           | hilux wrote:
           | I know that CICO has been debunked, but I've never seen such
           | a wonderfully clear example as in your last sentence. Thank
           | you!
        
             | hodder wrote:
             | CICO has not been debunked at all. If you take it to the
             | extremes like eating 30k cals in a day yes your body will
             | pass much of it undigested, but that doesn't debunk it at
             | all but rather adjust one of the 2 inputs into the
             | equation, and for the vast vast majority of people
             | following anything resembling a sane diet, CICO is the
             | determinant of weight loss. You can eat straight sugar in a
             | caloric deficit and body weight will fall off of you. You
             | can eat straight fat or protein and it'll do the same. You
             | can eat in one meal or 20 meals. It still holds in every
             | single study ever done.
        
             | kbelder wrote:
             | And yet, increasing calories will cause you to gain weight;
             | cutting calories will cause you to lose weight; increasing
             | activity will cause you to lose weight; and decreasing
             | activity will cause you to gain weight.
             | 
             | Yes, it's complicated and there's subtleties; but CICO is
             | the main truth of dieting, and trying to downplay its
             | primacy is misguided or deceptive.
        
         | myheartisinohio wrote:
         | I've struggled with being overweight my entire life. I feel
         | like I am in control and have made a lot of progress-- so I
         | want to preach about this.
         | 
         | Restrictive diets work but if you can't maintain it for a long
         | time (keto, vegan, paleo, etc.) the weight will come back. I
         | yo-yo dieted like many obese people do.
         | 
         | Anyone out there struggling here is how I've lost 160 lbs and
         | gained muscle / mobility:
         | 
         | - Make sure you get good sleep. Sleep is incredibly important.
         | - Intermittent fast (black coffee, tea, or caffeine pill in the
         | am) lunch afternoon - track what you eat (there are a plethora
         | of free apps that can help) - track how much you walk aim for
         | 10k+ steps - do resistance work outs (free weights,
         | calisthenics, ruck march, etc.) - cut back alcohol as much as
         | possible - cut back sugar as much as possible - use the scale
         | as a tool don't be afraid of it. (when I stepped on a scale I
         | weighed over lbs. it was so painful to see that but ultimately
         | worth it)
         | 
         | The biggest thing that has helped is a shift in my mindset. I
         | look at going to the gym as treat /privilege. I've envisioned
         | the end goal of how I look and feel.
        
           | hodder wrote:
           | Great to hear!
        
       | beardyw wrote:
       | I mostly have breakfast at about 7am. So no more food after 3pm?
       | Sounds hard to sustain in a normal kind of life.
        
         | hilux wrote:
         | You're not forced to have breakfast at 7am.
         | 
         | If you're healthy, keep doing what you're doing.
         | 
         | If (like most people) you are overweight and unhealthy, what
         | are you going to change?
        
         | mehphp wrote:
         | I find if i eat an early breakfast, it is indeed hard to not
         | eat after the 8 hours. I find the opposite to be quite easy
         | though. Just skip breakfast and don't eat until around 1. I get
         | to look forward to food later while actually being hungry.
        
         | jay_kyburz wrote:
         | I find it easier to skip breakfast and start eating a late
         | lunch. That way I can enjoy a normal dinner with the family.
        
         | myheartisinohio wrote:
         | What has worked for me is to delay my meals until noon or even
         | later. Eat protein and veggies for lunch.
        
         | __turbobrew__ wrote:
         | black coffee for breakfast
        
       | nsxwolf wrote:
       | So just skip breakfast?
        
       | rich_sasha wrote:
       | I have only ever gained weight with intermediate fasting. When my
       | window opens, I feel so hungry that I keep eating.
       | 
       | I know supposedly you adapt to it and don't feel that extra
       | hunger eventually, but somehow not me.
        
       | bhaney wrote:
       | As other people are mentioning, I think the key factor for weight
       | loss in any of these diets (intermittent fasting, keto, etc) is
       | just making it more difficult to consume calories, which leads to
       | a caloric deficit.
       | 
       | I have a somewhat odd diet, where I naturally prefer to eat a
       | single large (~2000 kcal) meal each day, and don't really eat
       | outside that. I've been maintaining pretty much the exact same
       | weight to within 5lb for years like this, despite it effectively
       | being an extreme ~30-minute time-restricted-eating window.
        
         | jweather wrote:
         | I've been doing this since Jan 1, sometimes called OMAD for One
         | Meal A Day. I had already been skipping breakfast, so lunch is
         | now a cup of tea or diet soda. Maybe it's just the excitement
         | of a new diet plan, but it's helped me lose 25 pounds so far
         | this year, on track for 35 total before I re-evaluate. I just
         | don't seem to have the willpower to only snack in moderation,
         | but limiting myself to an hour a day is working. I can still
         | have that dessert I'm looking forward to, it just has a
         | specific timeframe now. Do I feel hungry sometimes? Yes, but I
         | need some practice being hungry after years of stuffing my face
         | whenever I felt like it.
        
           | bhaney wrote:
           | So would you agree that the main reason for your weight loss
           | on OMAD is caloric restriction from not being allowed to eat
           | when you're sometimes hungry, when you probably would have
           | eaten extra at those times before OMAD?
        
             | jay_kyburz wrote:
             | Yeah, I've been attempting OMAD as well and one thing that
             | never occurred to me is how slowly you get through the
             | groceries. And I never seem to get back to those leftovers
             | :)
        
           | dingaling wrote:
           | > Yes, but I need some practice > being hungry after years of
           | stuffing > my face whenever I felt like it.
           | 
           | Why do you need such practice?
           | 
           | I'd honestly rather suffer an hour doing unpleasant cardio to
           | burn off carbs than spending all day feeling miserable and
           | shaky from hunger. Particularly on jobs or tasks where mental
           | focus is essential.
        
           | kbelder wrote:
           | It's the most effective way I've found to lose weight. I
           | don't think it's doing anything magical to my metabolism.
           | Like you say, it's just a convenient and easy-to-maintain way
           | of eating less. I just know that I don't eat anything in a
           | day until after I get home from work, and I don't even have
           | to think about it.
        
       | parliament32 wrote:
       | Turns out the key to weight loss is just "eat less" (calories,
       | not volume).
       | 
       | If you need a schedule and restricted hours to do that, great. If
       | you need to track your calorie numbers (or some abstraction-of,
       | like Weight Watchers points), great. If you need to "trick"
       | yourself by eating high-volume-low-calorie foods, great. Whatever
       | works for you. Just, less.
        
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