All the diets in all the world more or less come down to a simple philosophy: Eat less.
Where those diets go after that makes all the difference. But what if you could eat what you want, but just not at any time?
That's the idea behind Time Restricted Feeding. You eat what you want (within reason) for 12 hours per day and you don't eat for 12 hours. The key is a 12-hour period without eating.
So, if you go to bed at 10 p.m., you would not eat again until 10 a.m., creating a 12-hour fast.
While the idea is not precisely new, the research is new and promising.
The findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, suggests that when people restrict their eating to a 10-hour window for 16 weeks, they lose about 4 percent of their weight.
In addition, the study authors say the subjects slept better and felt more energetic. The idea is that the body in fasting mode has time to repair cells, break down toxins and even repair damaged DNA in the skin and stomach.
One family medicine doctor told the Wall Street Journal that her TRF patients have been able to go off blood pressure medications and even reverse pre-diabetes.
TRF dieters should limit their daily food intake to a 12-hour window, ideally working up to a window of only eight to 10 hours. No-calorie drinks, water, and black coffee are allowed during fasting hours, but no food.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.