We know that what you eat matters. But can when you eat really make a difference? According to the latest research, by eating with your body’s natural circadian rhythm, you can help regulate your metabolism to lose weight more effectively.
What is Time-Restricted Feeding? Time-restricted feeding (TRF) is a strategy where you limit eating to certain hours of the day. Specifically, TRF limits food consumption to 12 hours or less, followed by a period of not eating for 12 hours or more.
Here’s what a day on TRF looks like: you wake up and have breakfast around 8 a.m., eat as planned throughout the day, then finish up your last meal by 8 pm. After that, you only consume water or kilojoule-free drinks such as herbal tea. The idea focuses on an eating time frame versus restricting calories or certain foods.
What’s the science behind it? “When an individual follows Time-Restricted Feeding, it gives the body time to reset and cleanse.”
Equally as important, is syncing eating habits with your body’s internal clock known as your circadian rhythm, which can help regulate your metabolism and support healthy weight loss, while helping to prevent disease and enhance overall wellness.
What is Circadian Rhythm? Have you ever wondered why you seem to feel tired or more lively at certain times each day? The cells in your body have their own “body clock,” which follows a circadian rhythm that parallels the light-dark periods during the 24-hour day. Your cells are working hard during the day, metabolising or managing complex chemical processes throughout your body. Your metabolism peaks toward mid-day and tapers toward the end of the day. Because of this hard work, your cells need time to rejuvenate and recover from their daily activities and “clean house,” which is why the rejuvenation period (the non-eating part of TRF) is essential. This period contributes to the many health benefits of eating naturally with your circadian rhythm.
Jenny Craig has incorporated the latest Nobel Prize-winning research on circadian rhythm and the science behind time-restricted feeding into its new program, Max Up. Members on the new program can lose up to 6.9kg and 7.8cm off their waist in the first four weeks.#
