Time-Restricted Eating: Effects on Body Weight, Fat Mass, Visceral Fat, and Liver Fat

[@45876]

TRE works for me because my appetite opens up if I eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast helps to control my hunger for the entire day.

[@dragonmummy1]

Exactly the same for me.

[@bmpwe]

Same here. A good breakfast makes me wanna eat all day.

[@pablohernandezf]

Very good explanation. I've been on a 20-4 TRE for almost three years and been able to maintain a satisfactory BMI of 23 (I'm 75 years old). Thanks.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Congratulations, and thank you for sharing!

[@ReinForce007879]

Similar to yours. 20-4 for almost 2 years. Reduce the BMI from 24 to 20. I eat as much as I want mainly whole food but I do pay attention to my protein intake.

[@tapiomakinen]

When I started to watch this video, I had an extensive, mental list of questions to ask you in this comment. I have none left, though. You answered them all. Thus, my conclusion is: well done!

[@ramonal2205]

I lost 24 lbs in three months with varying tre times 16/8, 17/7 18/6 and sometimes a 24 and one 36 hour fast, over a year later i have kept it off and reduced my A1C from 6.2 to 5.6. Biggest thing this did for me is reduced hunger and I didn't count calories, just tried to eat less carbs and eat whole foods in my eating window. I continue to monitor weight and adjust fasting as needed and have about one day a week that is a cheat day. I find if i go on vacation and gain six pounds i can lose it quickly with TRE Thanks for your videos very instructive

[@monicapoole2115]

Thank you for covering this topic. I always look forward to your programs. You are one of the few doctors who I trust to present a topic in a non biased basis.

[@gsp0819kri]

I followed Mario's advice by sticking to a diet that's the most sustainable to me. I do TRE focusing on WFPB, but I do allow myself some chicken and fish occasionally. I also do not shun canola oil because of science based facts that it's actually not bad for you. I stay away from saturated fats as much as I can, almost no refined sugar, and I limit my portions on my plate because I am trying to lose visceral fat. I exercise everyday now. Active recovery and post dinner exercise is a 30-minute brisk walking. Once my target weight is reached, I will adjust accordingly.

[@raraavis7782]

Thanks for the thorough summation and analysis! I jumped on the intermittent fasting train a couple years ago and pretty effortlessly stuck with it. I just lost any desire to eat in the morning, after a while. No appetite at all anymore. Although I partly made up for it by eating larger portions later in the day. And that and the fact, that I didn't loose weight, made me think it wasn't really working for me. So I jumped ship and just ate 'whatever/whenever' for a while. Ended up gaining 15 pounds in maybe 6-8 months 😭. And that's despite being very physically active. So yeah, it did work. In the sense, that it apparently at least stopped my middle aged ass from gaining weight. I'm back to time restricted eating and low carb now.

[@hamakua484]

I lost about 40 pounds on TRE while improving my diet. More importantly, I am continuing for weight control and to give the gut biome a solid rest period each day.

[@TorBoy9]

TRE has benefits for those of us that are insulin resistant. When our fasting window is longer our blood glucose can be used up and the body can then adapt to burning ketones instead. We therefore can become more metabolically flexible: either glucose or ketones. I also feel that TRE allows me to function with more clarity in the morning. Thank you for the topic.

[@enicnarflefebvre1]

I am a 71 years old woman and a retired nurse. I have been doing TRE (16-8) for seven years now in addition to eating low carb. At first, it was keto but I am now more low carb because it’s easier. I was slightly overweight before and I lost 22 pounds that I never regained. I am active, I walk a lot and I am doing resistance training with bands, core training and stretching twice a week. Also, I eat about 100 grams of protein every day. My health is very good and all my blood tests are excellent, so I must be doing the right things.

[@marcoantoniosundfelddagama7690]

Brilliant as usual, Dr. Kratz! it is always worth taking some time to watch your videos. Congrats!

[@AudreyM2023-yo1fb]

Great comprehensive video. Thank you. I have been doing TRE for over 6 months. I’ve effortlessly lost over 10 pounds. I eat anything that I want and for the most part, I eat as much as I want - I eat until full, but usually not until stuffed though I do overeat on occasion. My typical routine is 20/4. I usually start eating around 10 a.m. and stop no later than 3 p.m. I believe that this works well for me because it eliminates miscellaneous eating such as snacking which I don’t do now. But I know that my calorie intake has not been reduced by much. I’m really happy with this routine and plan to do it for life.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Thanks for sharing, and congrats on finding something that works well for you. How often do you deviate from the 4h TRE, for example for social reasons or holidays or such? The research would suggest that we can reap the main benefits as long as we maintain adherence at least 5-6 days per week. Have you found that? Best, Mario

[@AudreyM2023-yo1fb]

@@nourishedbyscience Thank you. I would say that the research is on the mark. I probably do deviate- on average 1 day a week. It depends on my hunger level. I find that usually one day a week, I have difficulty sticking with the 4 hour eating window. On those days I usually eat whatever I’m craving. But this is usually after a few hours of not eating when I feel distracted by hunger. I’m normally not hungry outside of my eating window. I don’t vary my eating window during special occasions. I typically find it easy to adhere to the schedule.

[@hamakua484]

Excellent! One small point. When one loses 25 pounds the body will adjust the lean body mass to an appropriate level to carry 25 less pounds around all day. If you regain the lost lean mass with exercise, your new lean mass ratio for your new weight will be an improvement. Thanks for all your time and effort in producing these educational videos.

[@markotrieste]

If I think that I've lost about 15 kg... I can't think of now walking running cycling the whole day with a bullet-proof jacket on my body. Of course I've lost some muscle mass! It simply require less effort now to move. But in relative terms, i have more % of lean mass now than I had before, and this is the appropriate metrics. But hey, if you are a nutritionist that is losing customers because they are getting healthy by simply skipping some meals without fuss, anything that sounds scary will work. "IF makes you lose muscle!" 😂

[@ElizabethTai]

Your videos are so informative! Thank you for helping us understand these matters in a simpler way.

[@tinybarabo]

That ball shape mouse at 4:40 made me burst out in laughter! 🤭 Otherwise thank you for the video Mario! It’s super interesting!

[@raraavis7782]

I've always wondered why fat animals are almost universally appealing (as in 'cute') to us, whereas fat humans are at best something we 'tolerate'. It can't be about health concerns, as fat animals often get sick very quickly and also die prematurely. With a few exceptions like hippos and whales, obviously. Why don't those get high blood pressure and diabetes, btw? Why is a fat mouse adorable and a fat human isn't?

[@littlevoice_11]

Part 2 suggestion... Tre on sleep and insulin resistance. Part 3 suggestion... Tre to support conventional cancer treatments (theres some research indicating a fast can enhance chemo and reduce side effects)

[@karolina8367]

TRE is not for me, but it was interesting to lear more about it, thank you!

[@samuellaysico541]

Thanks Dr. Mario for a very informative videos regarding TRE. As a shift worker, its very hard to follow TRE. What I do is trying longer time between my meals and follow lower carb diet and I maintain my weight. Doing some exercises now to regain my lean mass.

[@fatfrreddy1414]

surely it matters WHAT you are eating...also..losing weight isn't my aim,but to control bood sugar...etc..

[@TheWkn12]

You're doing wonderful work 👏

[@Bettina-t1g]

Brilliantly done - thanks so much! Warm greetings from Bavaria.

[@MacksCurley]

Thanks for the structured information, very informative. Looking forward to the insulin resistance video.

[@vera_6779]

Another insightful video, thank you! I have heard a lot of TRE being important for hormone health / balancing hormones in elderly (55+) females. Have this been covered, or could you perhaps consider addressing it in an upcoming video? I find it extra interesting that there is less than expected difference between TRE and non-time-restrictive eating, and that for major results in fat loss and increased liver health it is more important to restrict calories. And a little confused that most comments praise TRE despite these conclusions. Personally I have lost 60+ lbs on restricting calories (a small daily calorie reduction with the occasional larger calorie intake) alone. I will try adding a small TRE to see what happens.

[@Djangoat68]

Thank you for this very well explained video !

[@bmpwe]

I just found your channel and live your content. Thank you so much for producing this types of videos.

[@chewiewins]

My own summary 1. Yes it does help lose weight 2. Best is more fat is lost, not lean muscle mass (may even gain lean mass!). Exercise regularly and keep protein intake high 3. In regards to visceral and liver fat, TRE does not reduce this more than general fat loss. (But they do overall reduce if overall body weight lost). 4. Best form? Duration of eating window matters less than significantly reduce from current. Early (skip dinner) Vs Late (skip breakfast) no significant differences.

[@NanWellins]

Agree with his observation that the main benefit of TRE is just plain old EATING LESS. No 10 pm snacks of chips and salsa or crackers/cheese, plus a bit more exercise, have led to a 10 lb drop in 2 months w/o a lot of overt self-denial. I fast 7 pm - 10 am. Most days I'm having 2 meals, maybe a small snack, and fewer carbs overall without going crazy (keto/paleo). I will never give up pasta and polenta - just have LESS!

[@alexm7310]

I eat one meal/d at ~16:00. It suits me, it's effortless & it's developed slowly over the years. I also don't stress about it. My sleep is good too. I didn't do it to lose weight (my weight is okay), but I secretly hope it'll hold back the onset of any chronic diseases. I'm of the age when they invariably start (to show, that is)! Thanks Mario, excellent as always ❤

[@nourishedbyscience]

That's great if you found something that works for you and that you can maintain. You probably know this, but the three things I would make sure I get is a high protein intake, a high micronutrient density, and regular resistance or high-intensity interval training. I do think the risks with OMAD are potential issues with meeting micronutrient needs (absorption is lower for some micronutrients if all are consumed in one meal than when spread out over the day) and a loss of muscle mass due to the long fasting window. Other than that, this way of eating basically makes it impossible to overeat and suffer from the consequences of energy toxicity, which is the biggest issue for most people. Cheers Mario

[@littlevoice_11]

I think changes in muscle mass to fat ratio would be interesting. Also the impact on mental health, cognition etc

[@alexandremiguelbastos6176]

Great video ! Thanks !

[@peterbedford2610]

Eating 16:8 really helped me reduce weight and maintain lower body fat. I've been on this for 7 years

[@olgabaeva2087]

Thank you for the video! Yep, video about health benefits TRE would be even more interesting. Also interesting to know why some people can't tolerate TRE (I became extremely tired and hungry and irritable, so it seems that my body can't tolerate low glucose levels...)

[@2009raindrop]

Very valuable information - thank you! I did not understand what you meant around 22:43 when you said something like "see how the 95% confidence interval does not include zero". I am really looking forward to the next one about effect TRE might have on metabolic health.

[@nourishedbyscience]

If you'd like to understand what the 95% confidence interval tells us, I suggest you watch this video about one of the TRE trials in which I explain this in detail: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3u0gaOIqL9kr7csi=cpbErEF_WSDLRkEc Cheers Mario

[@felipearbustopotd]

OMAD - from my understanding it means eating all your kcals in a 1 hour window not 4 hours. 4 hours is time restricted eating. I did OMAD with the odd 36 / 42 hour fast and that resulted in 39 lbs / 18 kgs total body weight loss. Not kidding myself it was all fat. One distinction I make, and I am led to believe is not followed by the researchers is, starting the fasting clock once 5 hours has pasted. It takes this amount of time ( apx ) to fully empty the stomach - so if the stomach is digesting how is it possible to be in a fasted state? Example. My last meal was all eaten by 1700 + 5 hours, so I would start my fasting clock at 2300. If I wanted 12 hours of what I would deem a true fast, my next intake would be 1100. The general consensus is fasting would be calculated from ( example ) 1700 to 0700 giving a 'so -called' fasting window of 14 hours. But what about the time the food is still being digested - again, how is that deemed being in a fasted state? *** I find it easier to prolong the fast by not eating my first meal till mid pm. If I eat earlier - this for me opens the flood gates to eat more. Akin to opening up the sluice gates and allowing what is being held back to rush forward. By eating this late in the day and knowing it takes 5 hours for the stomach to fully empty negates the need to eat again. Unless you are a night owl - bed is soon on the agenda and for me there is nothing worse than laying down with a stomach churning with food. *** Each to their own 😀

[@alexanitebabo2970]

Thank you once again for the video and the effort you put into its creation. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the carnivore diet, if possible.

[@x-pilot6180]

One important point is missing: It is easier to stick to time restricted eating than to reduce calories!

[@nourishedbyscience]

Yes, agree. Thought I said that somewhere, but maybe I forgot ...!?

[@chewiewins]

Been doing Late Intermittent Fasting by skipping breakfast most days of week (have breakfast weekends for socially with kids, high fiber and savory breakfast) with OMAD once a week. Working well.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Yes, finding an approach that we can happily live with long-term is the way to go. This sounds pretty sustainable to me, but will probably help you gain excessive weight. Cheers Mario

[@jerzybaczyk2769]

By eating one meal a day and bathing in the cold Baltic Sea I lost 15 kg in 20 days. I think that these baths enhanced thermogenesis and I wonder if cold showers would help as well.

[@davepaul8975]

The biggest problem with these studies is the food composition of the diet. Without restricting refined carbohydrates, seed oils, and ultra-processed which have been shown to metabolically affect the functioning of the various hormones associated with the bioenergetics of body these studies are narrowly focus just on eating patterns and not food content. For example Dr. Lustig has shown by eliminating sugar form children with NAFLD can improve/reverse this condition.

[@nourishedbyscience]

There is a lot of value in isolating one specific factor, and the consistency between these studies shows quite clearly that all of the things you mention don't matter: adopting TRE compared to control leads to a loss of body weight and fat mass. That's not to say that reducing refined carbs or UPF from the diet can independently also have major health benefits. Cheers Mario

[@PardieDiem]

Wouldn't the type of foods they ate make a big difference in the outcomes?

[@vadimesharak726]

Calories are very-very bad proxy. In studies, they showed the lower basel insulin level during fasting period and consequently, over the day. What we know about the lowerish insulin level? It will promote the lipolyses over the lipogenesis and fat immobilization! That's the answer but investigators for unknown reason avoid it. And only during some interviews would point out on as the insignificant finding

[@nourishedbyscience]

You have a very insulin centric view here that I don't agree is adequate. Insulin is extremely important, and no one emphasizes this more than me. Take a look around my channel. But not everything is only caused by insulin; of course, energy balances does matter for weight loss. In fact, fasting insulin remained elevated in several of the RCTs I reviewed even as participants lost weight on TRE.

[@ratava6325]

I don’t eat from supper at 8 or 9 to Lunch at 1230 so that is 16 hours, effortless 9

[@lesliemerei726]

Thanks!

[@nourishedbyscience]

Thank you for your support!

[@scottishfoldmocha5875]

In a long run, too short eating window, or too long fasting window might trigger formation of gallstones.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Hm, haven't heard that. Do you have a reference?

[@CitizenKETO]

Does having ONLY 10 MINUTES to gobble down dinner count as Time Restricted Eating? Ho ho ho! (my attempt at a joke!)

[@tatersquad2000]

Every new revolutionary weight loss trend always eventually converges back to boring ol' calorie restriction.

[@nourishedbyscience]

True. But if one can acchive calorie restriction using different approaches, including one such as TRE that doesn't require any calorie counting or portion control, I would count that as a win.

[@teresamexico309]

Even my grandma knew that :) In seriousness, TRE has way more good effects than just the weight loss, fat loss, etc..TRE is more in tune with our circadian cycle which leads to other benefits on human health.

[@UnCoolDad]

Looking forward to the next video. When might we see it?

[@nourishedbyscience]

I've done all of the research, so hopefully within the next two weeks. Cheers Mario

[@UnCoolDad]

@@nourishedbyscience last I looked into it there were (from memory) some China studies which showed an effect on blood sugar between TRE depending if it was a morning fast or evening.

[@woofinu]

What do you recommend as the success metrics of TRE? Most people don't have an easy way to measure fat accurately. Is body weight good enough?

[@nourishedbyscience]

Good question, because that's a tricky one. Maybe weight together with waist circumference to see if you are weight where it matters the most, in our abdominal area? Best would certainly be to combine TRE with at least occasional resistance or high-intensity interval training, and to keep protein intake at all meals consistently high (as a rough estimate, >15% of energy at each meal, or at least >25g for women or >30/35g for men per meal). Best, Mario

[@markotrieste]

I'd suggest the ratio between waist circumference and height, it should be less than 0.5 (for men, I don't remember for women)

[@woofinu]

@@nourishedbyscience Thank you. I have not noticed any significant changes, including in weight or waist circumference (judging by belt tightening or loosening), although weight reduction is not my goal. I don't track closely but I think I have not changed what or how much I eat. I just changed from 3 meals to 2, and reduced the eating window from about 15 to 11 hours (but I eat more per meal).

[@peanutbutterjellyjam2179]

I have found that people educated in nutrition are often incorrect in their assessment of TRE. TRE coupled with a high meat and fat diet in combination with low, to zero, carb/sugar intake provides the best results.❤

[@nourishedbyscience]

That may well be, but there is no real published evidence to support this. And given that this is an evidence-based channel, that's what I am going to present. Aside, the dietary changes you suggest by themselves often lead to weight loss, so of course adding TRE to that regimen would be expected to lead to even more weight loss. That is very consistent with the conclusion from this video. Not sure where you disagree!?

[@chewiewins]

Think just pushing his Carnivore agenda haha

[@susibul5320]

How do I reduce my fatty liver and pancreas when I am underweight? I am 5ft 6” and 8stone, I lost weight from autoimmune which happened after covid infection, my doctor put me on intravenous antibiotics and oral high dose clarithramycin, then prednislone. I believe this medicine has damaged my liver and pancreas, I’ve stopped taking everything. My diet is TRE 16/8 whole foods including fish, unrestricted amounts 6 months, weight still 8st.

[@nourishedbyscience]

How do you know you have fat in your liver and pancreas?

[@jeffshepard972]

Great summary, thanks. Question… did any of these studies take into account type of diet with TRE, such as a keto diet? Does burning ketones for fuel have any impact when combined with TRE?

[@nourishedbyscience]

That's a good question, and to my amazement, something that hasn't really been well studied. It would seem that combining two states that facilitate ketogenesis would be kind of natural and may enhance the effects of each, but there hasn't been a good RCT on this one yet. The only study that is somewhat related is this one here that tested TRE alone, a low-carb diet alone, and TRE + low-carb diet. Unfortunately, they didn't include a control group that received neither TRE nor the low-carb diet, which would have been a proper 2x2 factorial design and much more conclusive to interpret: He et al.; Time-restricted eating with or without low-carbohydrate diets reduces visceral fat and improves metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. Cell Reports Medicine 2022; 3: 1007777. It's not a bad study, but IMO carb intake was too high at up to 130g per day or up to 26% of total energy intake, and the lack of a control period that didn't receive any intervention makes the data hard to interpret. Basically, the changes in the TRE only and low-carb only groups are meaningless because they could have been caused by hidden-time effects, i.e., changes that could have also occured in a control group. I do hope we'll get some better evidence on this soon. Particularly with regard to reversal of metabolic diseases such as T2DM or NAFLD, I have heard of a lot of anecdotal evidence that people have reversed these with a combination of keto + TRE/OMAD, so it would be interesting to see some good-quality data on this. Cheers Mario

[@konbattles1570]

No mention of what foods were consumed? Eating high carb foods, even in a reduced eating window window, will spike insulin preventing burning fat. Seems like a fairly useless conclusion without including insulin levels in the evaluation.

[@nourishedbyscience]

You do you. I have long given up fighting the low-carb doctrine that only insulin matters for everything. For everyone else who is reading this: If this commenter were correct, the available studies would all show no weight loss on TRE unless the intervention diets were also low-carb. That is demonstrably not the case. People simply consumed their normal diets, either as TRE or not, and on TRE they lost weight, independent of what the baseline diet was. These results are directly are at odds with the commenters statement that "Eating high carb foods, even in a reduced eating window window, will spike insulin preventing burning fat". If it was this easy, we could just dish out a few sugar cubes to starving people, and - voila - they are saved from ever losing any more body fat. Insulin matters, but so do other factors and, of course, the overall energy intake relative to energy expenditure.

[@Franklin-pc3xd]

Get to the point, please. next time, do not tell us how to build the research watch, just tell us what time it is.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Sorry it's not your style ...

[@MrTeow]

Mice 24 vs 8 hours. Human 12 vs 8. The difference is far too great. The key is the amount of hours.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Good point. And that's just one of several issues with the rodent studies. Cheers Mario

[@markotrieste]

Mice internal clock is way faster too. A 16 hrs fast for a mice is like 3-4 days for humans.

[@teresamexico309]

Good review Dr. Mario, thank you!. Those trials include people that want/need to lose weight, while there are some people that (we) do not want to lose weight and certainly not muscle. Anecdotal: earlyTRE 9-10 hr has given me; better sleep, my gut function has improved, my hair is growing fuller, etc..and my weight is stable. Longer TRE is not for everyone and certainly not for me, I would lose weight. Sometimes I do break the TRE because a family/friend gathering in the evening as well.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Yes, it's the same for me. 10-hour TRE is really effortless for me, and just an easy way to prevent weight gain without needing to count calories or restrict in any way. Cheers Mario