Eating Your Breakfast at This Specific Time Could Help You Lose More Weight

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.

“Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”

You don’t need us to tell you that weight loss is complicated. While some people can shed weight effortlessly, plenty of others need to take a careful, strategic approach to lose weight and keep it off.

New research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity suggests a strategy worth considering: focusing on the timing of when you eat. While it sounds similar to other strategies, like intermittent fasting, it’s a little different in that it focuses more on timing habits rather than sticking to a strict schedule. According to the findings, tweaking when you eat may be linked to a lower BMI over time.

If it feels like you’ve been doing everything right on your weight loss journey but the number on the scale still isn’t budging, experts say timing may be one factor to consider—and this one in particular may be a sustainable way to start.

Meet the experts: Camille Lassale, PhD, study co-author and assistant professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health; Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan; Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

What did the study find?

For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 7,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 65 who participated in a long-term study in Germany. At the start of the study, participants shared information about their height, weight, meal timing, lifestyle habits, and socioeconomic background.

After five years, more than 3,000 of the study participants returned for follow-up assessments. Researchers then took updated measurements and survey data to track changes over time.

After analyzing the data, the team discovered that two habits were linked to having a lower body mass index (BMI): an extended overnight fasting period and eating breakfast early. Essentially, these people didn’t eat late at night and then had breakfast early.

Exact timing varied by sex, but researchers found that women with the lowest BMI had breakfast around 7:30 a.m. and a 10.5-hour gap between their last meal of the day and breakfast the following day. For those curious, a 10.5-hour gap before breakfast at 7:30 a.m. would mean you stop eating by 9 p.m.

Delaying breakfast until later in the day was associated with higher BMI, the researchers also found.

Why might this combination help with weight loss?

It’s important to note that while this study showed a link between these two eating habits and a lower BMI, it didn’t prove that the habits caused the lower BMI. However, there are some theories on what could be behind this.

“The handling of nutrients, specifically by the insulin, metabolism, and hunger hormones, follows changes throughout the day,” says Camille Lassale, PhD, study co-author and assistant professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. “It is more efficient when following the daylight (particularly in the morning) and less efficient at night.” As a result, eating earlier in the morning and having dinner as early as possible in the evening can help with weight management, she says.

Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, agrees. “Both hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar impact weight and body fat levels,” she explains.

Late-night eating is also often linked to snacking, which doesn’t always involve healthy dietary choices, points out Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “Doing this regularly can lead to weight gain,” he says.

How is this different from intermittent fasting?

The words “timing” and “fasting” can often make people think of intermittent fasting, but experts are quick to point out that these two tips are a bit different. Intermittent fasting usually involves longer fasting periods, says Moskovitz. One popular intermittent fasting schedule is the 16:8 method, in which you fast for 16 hours and eat for eight. By comparison, “this approach is more flexible, and in my opinion, more sustainable,” she says.

Lassale also adds that intermittent fasting is more of a conscious decision, whereas “most people [in the study] did not intentionally adopt an intermittent fasting regimen,” she adds.

What’s the takeaway?

Experts say the findings underscore the importance of regular mealtimes and of allowing your body time to digest before bed. “Skipping breakfast is not the best strategy to prolong the overnight fast,” Lassale says. Instead, she suggests aiming to have a healthy, consistent meal in the morning and a light (and early!) dinner.

Moskovitz agrees. “You don’t need to make drastic changes to benefit your body fat levels and BMI,” she says. With this strategy, she explains that you’re essentially “front-loading” your meals so the majority are in the first part of the day, and shifting when your calories come in. “This can be a difficult adjustment if you’re used to eating a big meal for dinner and then snacking a lot before bedtime.”

While this can be a big change for people who prefer eating more at night, Moskovitz notes that “if you’re someone who consumes the majority of your calories in the second half of the day, you’ll likely see the biggest improvements with this shift.”

And the benefits may extend beyond just a lower BMI. She also adds that better sleep, energy, digestion, and reduced cravings can all come from eating to support blood sugar and insulin balance.

You Might Also Like