Restricted eating for a period of 3 months might aid in maintaining weight loss.
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Ever wondered about the hype surrounding intermittent fasting and its impact on weight loss? Let's dive into the particulars.
Intermittent fasting, also known as time-restricted eating, has recently gained popularity as a weight loss strategy. Its basic concept is to have a person only eat during a specified time window throughout the day. For instance, a person might opt for a 12-hour fasting period followed by an 12-hour eating window, or a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour eating window.
But there's a bit of debate swirling around what the optimal time for the eating window should be — early morning or later in the day.
Fortunately, a new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025 sheds some light on the matter. The good news? Long-term weight loss is still achievable with time-restricted eating, regardless of when you decide to chow down.
Researchers recruited 99 Spanish participants with an average age of 49 who were deemed to have overweight or obesity. These individuals were randomly assigned to four groups over a 12-week period:
- Habitual eating with a 12-hour or longer eating window.
- Early time-restricted eating (8-hour eating window starting before 10:00 am).
- Late time-restricted eating (8-hour eating window starting after 1:00 pm).
- Self-selected time-restricted eating (8-hour eating window whenever suits the participant).
The scientists kept tabs on each participant's body weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference at the study's onset, at the 12-week mark, and a full 12 months after the study wrapped up.
After 12 weeks, the researchers observed that all time-restricted eating groups experienced greater weight loss compared to the habitual eating group. The findings suggest that time-restricted eating can be a viable strategy for short-term weight loss, even without counting calories.
All groups also saw reduced waist and hip circumferences after 12 weeks, with the most significant decline in the early time-restricted eating group.
Perhaps the most exciting part? At the 12-month mark, the habitual eating group regained some of the weight they had lost, while all three time-restricted eating groups maintained their weight loss. Furthermore, the participants in the habitual eating group experienced an increase in waist circumference over the 12-month period, while those in all three time-restricted eating groups kept their waistlines in check.
"Time-restricted eating can be a sustainable, long-term approach for maintaining weight loss — a major challenge in most weight loss programs," says Alba Camacho-Cardenosa, PhD, the study's lead author and a post-doctoral researcher at the Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and the Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS) at the University of Granada in Spain.
Further research is underway to explore the potential benefits of time-restricted eating in combination with exercise, as well as the identification of individuals who may benefit most from specific eating windows to further tailor the approach.
For those considering giving intermittent fasting a try, here are a few tips from registered dietitian nutritionist Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, to help guide you:
- Examine your current daily schedule to see how your meals and nutritional needs align, and consider adjusting them to fit within an 8-hour eating window.
- Understanding your body's digestive system, or its "housekeeper" called the migrating motor complex (MMC), can help you navigate your meals more effectively.
- Ask yourself the why, how, what, and when of your meals to create sustainable eating habits.
So, what do you think? Will you give time-restricted eating a try for weight management?
- The study presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2025 revealed that long-term weight loss is still achievable through time-restricted eating, regardless of the timing of the eating window.
- Time-restricted eating, a viable weight loss strategy, can be a sustainable, long-term approach for maintaining weight loss, according to Alba Camacho-Cardenosa, PhD, the study's lead author.
- For successful weight management, one should consider adjusting meals and nutritional needs to fit within an 8-hour eating window, as suggested by registered dietitian nutritionist Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN.
- The migrating motor complex (MMC), the body's digestive system, understanding can help individuals navigate their meals more effectively when trying time-restricted eating.
- By asking the why, how, what, and when of meals, one can create sustainable eating habits that align with a time-restricted eating lifestyle for overall health-and-wellness and weight-management.
