The time you eat has no impact on weight loss, researcher claim

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen found that the time you eat actually has no impact on weight loss, and metabolism burns just as many calories in the evening as it does in the morning

When it comes to weight loss, there’s an abundance of information on fad diets and tricks to burn fat fast – but are they actually true?

One common theory is that bulking your food earlier in the day can help you shed pounds and lower your risk of obesity.

But a recent study has debunked this method and revealed it won’t help you blast fat.

The research suggests that the time you eat actually has no impact on weight loss, and metabolism burns just as many calories in the evening as it does in the morning.

But the study highlighted one benefit of eating more food in the morning – that you are less likely to snack as you aren’t as hungry.

The diets of 16 men and 14 women were controlled over a four week period, as part of the study conducted at the University of Aberdeen.

Researchers observed whether their weight was impacted by the time of day they ate the most calories.

Each participant was given the same healthy diet but half were made to eat the majority of calories in the morning, and the other half at dinner time.

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After a two week period they swapped, so people eating most of their calories at the end of the day now ate them in the morning, and vice versa.

The results found that the time of day people ate most of their calories had no impact on the amount of weight lost.

All participants lost the same amount of weight during each of the four weeks, which suggests they burned the same amount of energy in the morning as they did in the evening.

Professor Alexandra Johnstone, lead author of the study, said that participants “felt satisfied throughout the rest of the day” when they had a bigger breakfast, and that their appetites were “better controlled”.

She told the Sun: “This could be quite useful in the real-world environment.”

But the expert explained that there is not one diet that fits all, and “it’s something that’s very difficult to measure”.

One popular method that works across the board is calorie deficit, this is achieved when you consume fewer calories than your body expends.

According to Healthline, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is sufficient for weight loss and unlikely to significantly affect your hunger or energy levels.

To create a calorie deficit, you need to know what your maintenance calories are – the precise number of calories your body needs to support energy expenditure.

If you are worried or concerned about your weight, it is recommended you speak to a GP about how to lose weight in a healthy way.