When we talk about dieting and weight loss, much of the emphasis tends to fall on what you eat. However, when you eat and how much you eat are also important considerations.
You may have recently heard about intermittent fasting. In fact, this is a diet I hear a lot of questions about in my practice. There are many types of intermittent fasting. However, most people are referring to Time Restricted Eating, or TRE. This type of fasting means limiting the time that you are eating in the day to 12 hours or less. TRE has shown promising results in weight loss, and it also has positive effects on insulin sensitivity and inflammation.
What is it?
With Time Restricted Eating, you would limit your eating hours to a window during the day of 12 hours or less. The average American will have a window of 15-16 hours of eating time during the day, and that can lead to problems with overeating, insulin sensitivity, and metabolism.
Does it work?
More research is needed to understand the efficacy of TRE. Yet, we do see positive results anecdotally among patients, indicating that this type of diet does work. What we tend to see in people using TRE is that insulin sensitivity drops, metabolism improves, and inflammation is reduced. Subsequently, dieters tend to reduce their caloric intake and lose weight successfully.
Is it safe?
Fasting can sound scary, because you are forcing your body to go for longer periods without food. But, the body actually responds positively to this practice. You simply need to remember to make healthy eating choices during the hours you are eating, so that you can maintain balanced nutrition.