How can time-restricted eating help you lose weight?
In the past, the advice was: eat little and often. This was to prevent blood sugar levels from dropping too low. Added to this advice was the recommendation to only consume slow-release complex carbohydrates, which would ensure that blood sugar levels would not rise too high either to avoid insulin spikes. Keeping blood sugar and insulin levels at a balanced level was thought to be the best way to lose weight – and it works, especially for those accustomed to a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. After all, small, regular meals of healthy foods are already a big improvement for many.
Time-restricted eating means that nothing will increase insulin for 12, 14 or 16 hours, and only in the absence of insulin can we burn fat. Humans are designed to alternate between using glucose (carbohydrates) and fat for fuel. We store body fat as an energy reserve so that when food becomes scarce, we can live on it for a while. When we eat carbohydrates, insulin is secreted and one of the things it does is stop fat burning. If we continue to stock up on insulin, we will have a harder time losing body fat. Even now, while we sleep, we burn fat because the body also needs fuel throughout the night. Extending the night almost simply allows us to burn more.