Eating dinner early or skipping it could be the key to fat loss. According to a new study, this strategy may alter fat and carb burning patterns, causing a decrease in body weight. At the same time, it regulates your appetite and helps curb hunger. Skipping dinner is quite common among dieters. However, until now, its benefits were not backed up by science.
Also known as early time-restricted feeding or eTFR, this weight loss strategy can increase fat burning by as much 10 percent. Actually, it’s just another form of intermittent fasting. In a recent test, subjects who had their last meal by mid-afternoon and abstained from food until next morning experienced less hunger and burned more fat at night.
The study has also found that having an early dinner may improve metabolic flexibility, which refers to the body’s ability to burn stored fat instead of carbs. Although time-restricted feeding doesn’t affect the amount of calories burned, it helps in fat loss. This eating pattern fits the body’s circadian clock and can boost overall health.
These findings indicate that meal timing does have an impact on metabolism. Some of the most popular diets out there, such as the 16/8 fasting plan, are actually based on meal timing. Those who practice intermittent fasting abstain from food for eight to 36 hours, and eat normally between fasts. This habit has been shown to increase longevity, regulate blood sugar, enhance mental focus, and boost metabolism. Compared to crash diets, it doesn’t cause muscle loss.
Skipping dinner is a simple, effective way to break through plateaus and lose those stubborn pounds. If you can’t go without food for so long, have your last meal earlier in the day. There’s no need to count calories or track your protein, carbs, and fat intake. You may feel hungry at first, but this feeling will go away once your body adapts to your new eating habits.
