Diet Secrets: You Are WHEN You Eat

If diets worked we all would be thin. Now new research finds that WHEN you eat is as important as what you eat

Your fat stock is high and diets don’t work? Unless you are the stock market, that is not a very good situation to be in.

I was 15 when I went for my first diet. When I look back at my teenage pictures, I tell myself, I didn’t need a diet, I wanted a fashion consult! 15 years later, I still don’t know of a diet which works. The weight I lose always comes back. Many of you know the feeling.

But now there is new research which finds that key to dieting success is not just in how many calories you eat, or don’t, but in WHEN you eat them.

Meal timings are very important. It’s like justice, if it’s delayed it’s denied. So much stress is given to carbs, proteins and fats, and it’s only very recently that there have been studies to say that we have been ignoring timing and it maybe as important as the kind of calories you consume.
–Rujuta Diwekar, Nutritionist

Nutrient Timing

Nutrient timing sounds very science-y but it simply means the amount of specific nutrient (like protein or carbs) in specific amounts at a specific time.

We all know diets don’t work but two new findings by University of California might just help you ward off weight gain without cutting down on the calorie intake.

1. Scientists found, if the majority of the food calories are consumed in the first half of the day, it leads to weight loss in the long run.

2. Another twist to the typical three-square-meals schedule is fasting. Scientists studied 2,200 women between the age of 20-40 and found that avoiding food for 12 to 15 hours a day was linked with less weight gain over time and reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

What happens is that when you are fasting for very long, nightly intervals, your metabolism changes every day at the genetic level, lowering blood sugar and body weight, even without cutting calories.

Now given our crazy daily schedules, a 12-15 hour nightly fasting would be impossible. So what is the latest one can have dinner?

You must eat dinner by 7pm. If your schedule doesn’t allow that, then at least three hours before sleeping. And if you’re stuck late in office, then have a wholesome meal like a veg roll or chutney sandwich at 5:30 or 6pm, so even if your dinner does get delayed, it doesn’t become the largest meal of the day.
–Rujuta Diwekar, Nutritionist