Everyone (or almost everyone) wants to lose weight at one point or another in their life. But how to refine yourself effectively? Scientists at Bond University in Australia have conducted a meta-analysis of 29 clinical trials and reveal three easy-to-do tips that work.
Here’s what to do to lose weight effectively
Of the 29 studies studied, 17 studies focused on time-restricted eating, eight studies focused on meal frequency and only four studies were based on calorie counting. After analysis, the researchers deduced that the three effective tips for losing weight were as follows:
Apply intermittent fasting
Limited eating involves shortening the time window during which eating takes place. This therefore involves practicing intermittent fasting during the day. This could for example be an 8 hour eating window, for 16 hours of fasting.
According to experts, this gives the digestive system a break, so the body can focus on other functions. It can also lead to ketosis, during which the liver creates ketones from fat cells, rather than relying on dietary sugars for fuel.
Reduce the number of meals per day
Reducing the number of meals per day or skipping meals can have the same effect as time-restricted eating, giving the body a longer fasting window.
Choose to eat more calories earlier in the day
The third option is to eat more calories earlier in the day. For what ? Because this is when the digestive system is most efficient at processing food, especially sugar, and using it for fuel rather than storing it.
Further studies are needed to support these results.
In total, these different studies bring together the data of 2485 participants. However, scientists have concerns about the results. They thus report “major concerns” regarding the risks involved, for 22 studies out of the 29 analyzed. In addition, regarding certain works, they note some inconsistencies regarding the methodology of certain studies.
In conclusion, they therefore call for additional research to be carried out on larger groups of volunteers, and for longer periods, to better study the true effectiveness of these methods.