The study indicates that meal size affects weight loss more than food intake

When you eat during the day, you may have less impact on your long-term weight loss goals than the size and number of meals.

A study published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association found a positive association between the number and size of daily meals and weight change over a six-year period. The study found no association between time-restricted eating and weight loss.

Some weight loss plans include some level of intermittent fasting, or limiting food intake to specific times of the day and/or fasting for a number of hours or days in a given week. Study findings suggest that eating fewer meals overall and fewer large meals may be more effective for weight management than restricting meals to a specific time window.

“I think intermittent fasting may have its benefits, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily the best option for everyone,” said Kim Griffin, a registered dietitian with Metz Culinary Management at Albion College, who read the study. “If people want to see weight loss results and long-term health benefits, I try to help them focus on eating healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, no matter when they eat.”

More than 500 study participants used a mobile phone app to record meal and sleep timing. The researchers analyzed the participants’ weight and comorbidities going back 10 years and forward 10 months after baseline using electronic health records.

For each recorded meal, participants indicated when they ate it and whether the meal was small (less than 500 calories), medium (500-1,000 calories), or large (more than 1,000 calories). Participants are encouraged to use the app as much as possible for the first four weeks and again for one week per month for six months.

The time between the first and last meal, as well as the time from awakening to first meal, last meal to bedtime, and total sleep duration were not associated with weight change. However, the daily number of large and medium meals was associated with weight gain, and the total number of small meals was associated with decreased weight.

Consuming energy earlier in the day may facilitate weight control, the researchers said, as participants who had a shorter time from waking to the first meal and a longer time from the last meal to bedtime appeared to have less weight gain.

While previous studies have indicated that intermittent fasting may improve body rhythm and regulate metabolism, the AHA study did not detect this association within its large group of individuals of varying weights.

Intermittent fasting can benefit individuals with high insulin and sugar levels, but it doesn’t apply to everyone, said Dr. Parag Patel, family physician at Corewell Health East, formerly Beaumont Health. Often, the success stories with intermittent fasting are the result of caloric restriction, which can be done in other ways.

“Eating smaller meals changes what a person perceives as fullness, so over time, by eating smaller meals, you can feel less hungry allowing you to reduce how much you eat,” Patel said. “

More long-term research is needed to better understand the association of eating time with weight change as it relates to a person’s metabolism.

Griffin and Patel agree that the best way to achieve healthy weight loss in the long term involves creating an individualized meal plan based around healthy foods, as well as staying physically active, drinking enough water, and getting plenty of rest.

Many people focus on unrealistic goals, especially when setting resolutions for the new year. Griffin said these people are better off setting healthy choices as their goal rather than the outcome they hope to achieve.

“For example, viewing every meal and every snack as an opportunity to make a healthy choice,” she said. “My philosophy is that all foods are suitable. It’s just about making healthy choices and eating small meals frequently throughout the day.”

“Weight loss difficulties are cut across the board and every individual is unique, so it’s difficult to generalize,” Patel said. “I think the study is good in that caloric restriction is more effective; it’s just how you reach and maintain it, that’s the key component for everyone.”

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