by hilux on 3/14/25, 5:24 PM with 87 comments
by bhaney on 3/14/25, 7:58 PM
I have a somewhat odd diet, where I naturally prefer to eat a single large (~2000 kcal) meal each day, and don't really eat outside that. I've been maintaining pretty much the exact same weight to within 5lb for years like this, despite it effectively being an extreme ~30-minute time-restricted-eating window.
by gwerbret on 3/14/25, 5:45 PM
by paulpauper on 3/14/25, 7:01 PM
The concept of 'eating windows' or timed eating has been studied and tested forever. the difference, if any, is basically nothing. It comes down to eating less. This is why GLP-1 drugs work so well when nothing else does at preventing people from putting as much food in their mouths.
by hodder on 3/14/25, 7:06 PM
Here is a list of similar things that also "work". It is key to understand that "working"- meaning weight loss is the result of a deficit of energy requiring the body to use stored fuel (fat) as energy over time:
-higher protein is more satiating
-higher fiber is more satiating
-keto diets are for most people pretty satiating so they reduce caloric intake
-GLP1s like Ozempic and Mounjaro lead you to feel "full" and eat less through a few mechanisms - slowing digestion, stabilizing insulin and blood sugar
-Drinking lots of water
-subbing out sugars with artificial sweeteners
-fasting, intermittent fasting, time restricted eating, alternate day fasting. For some can lead to a binge but if you adhere to it you are likely to consume less calories
-switching from processed foods to whole foods high in fiber and protein is more satiating
-wearing tighter and more revealing clothing will lead one to eat less
-weighing yourself daily will lead you to eat less (assuming you understand thermodynamics)
-exercising and cardio will lead you to burn more calories. Muscle mass accrued over time burns modestly more calories than fat mass and cardio burns calories directly
-counting calories directly (leads to greater adherence). Just like budgeting. If you don't measure and estimate what is going in vs going out at all and have no experience measuring you are unlikely to succeed.
It is important to understand that NONE of the above are a substitute for a caloric deficit for losing weight but rather one possible path to CAUSING a caloric deficit. The deficit is still required. These are behavioral tools. Hormones, PCOS, insulin etc are also not workarounds to the laws of thermodynamics. They can make you more hungry or burn more or less calories at the margins but they dont change the equation of calories in vs calories out.
Often people confuse the behavioral method to achieve weight loss with the mechanism driving it, and this leads to most of the confusion on weight loss outside of scientific literature (among blogger quacks, fitness guru snakeoil salesman etc.)
Rant over.
by rich_sasha on 3/14/25, 7:43 PM
I know supposedly you adapt to it and don't feel that extra hunger eventually, but somehow not me.
by nsxwolf on 3/14/25, 7:34 PM
by beardyw on 3/14/25, 7:17 PM
by deadbabe on 3/14/25, 6:34 PM
Normal people think about food only when they’re hungry, then they eat, and don’t think about it again until their next meal. It’s very easy to go 8 hours without eating this way.
by moltar on 3/15/25, 12:11 PM
by parliament32 on 3/14/25, 8:55 PM
If you need a schedule and restricted hours to do that, great. If you need to track your calorie numbers (or some abstraction-of, like Weight Watchers points), great. If you need to "trick" yourself by eating high-volume-low-calorie foods, great. Whatever works for you. Just, less.
by rabid_turtle on 3/14/25, 5:46 PM