Time-Restricted Eating Within Eight Hours Linked to Sustainable Weight Loss: Study - Video

Could simply limiting your eating hours help you keep weight off for the long term? A new study suggests that time-restricted eating may do exactly that. Researchers found that adults with overweight or obesity who followed a 16:8 intermittent fasting pattern were better able to maintain weight loss one year after completing a 12-week program.

The study, published in Clinical Nutrition, involved 99 adults, about half of them women, from Spain. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: a control group with a regular eating window of 12 hours or more, an early fasting group that ate between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., a late fasting group that ate between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., or a group that selected its own eight-hour eating window. All participants also received guidance on following a Mediterranean diet.

Researchers measured body weight, fat mass, and lean mass before and after the 12-week intervention and again one year later. Both the early and late fasting groups maintained significantly greater weight loss than the control group after 12 months. The early fasting group also sustained a greater reduction in body fat, suggesting an additional benefit for body composition.

The study builds on earlier findings from the same research project, previously published in Nature Medicine, which showed that participants practicing time-restricted eating lost an average of 3–4 kilograms more than those receiving dietary advice alone.

Researchers also reported that nearly one-third of participants continued practicing intermittent fasting voluntarily during the follow-up year, indicating that the eating pattern may be practical and sustainable in everyday life.

Although the study involved a relatively small group of participants, the findings suggest that both early and late 16:8 intermittent fasting schedules can support long-term weight management, giving people flexibility to choose an eating window that best fits their lifestyle.

REFERENCE: Camacho-Cardenosa, A., et al. (2026). Effects of an early, late, and self-selected time-restricted eating intervention on weight loss maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: A 12-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Nutrition. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106706. https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(26)00133-0/fulltext