Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

sciencedaily.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 204 posts

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#41

Post by kenha »

mabbo wrote: post #15

11 adults in the experiment. No control group (other than against themselves). Experiment ran 8 days. I mean, I'm interested, but I want to see further research before I call this a real result.

Could you elaborate on the no control other than against themselves aspect?

I read this in the original paper, “Participants were randomly assigned to follow either the control schedule (eating between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm; 12‐hour daily eating period)”

Other than the N is on the lower side, how’s this way of setting up a control group insufficient?

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#42

Post by oldie »

catotheyoungest wrote: post #2

This is strictly anecdotal, and I would honestly love to see this subjected to a rigorous study, but I lost twenty pounds without additional exercise or dietary changes in the last six months just by having a sleep study done, getting diagnosed with sleep apnea, and being put on a CPAP machine. How much obesity and depression could be prevented or alleviated just by making sure people could get a decent night's sleep…

I'm really glad it did you do much good.

For me, it was the other way round. When I used intermittent fasting (in the form of the 5:2 diet) to get my weight under control, I stopped snoring like a rhino, and my sleep improved. As did my wife's. :-)

More anecdote: trying to fast of the weight without exercise was miserable. My weight plateaued, and I was permanently cold. Doing some sensible exercise solved both problems. Diet or exercise? False dichotomy.

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#43

Post by qwsxyh »

zmmmmm wrote: post #40
_raoulcousins wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this specific to engineers? I noticed this in college classes across disciplines. A lot of the time that someone raised their hand, it was to share an anecdote and not a question.

I find it honestly surprising that I see it so much on HN. You have a group of people who largely identify themselves as being rational, objective, intelligent people - datascientists, engineers, etc. - who stereotypically I would think to be naturally sceptical and want to examine evidence closely. But it's absolutely true, the minute some scientific study is posted there are 50 people writing comments that they bel…

It's because HN users aren't really that intelligent; they just give off that impression instead. We're all mostly normal people here, and act like normal people. This isn't some special club of 1000x geniuses.

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#44

Post by ericmcer »

noodle wrote: post #13

To add my strictly anecdotal experience: I recently started to diet for the first time ever. Never really needed it, but getting older, I noticed my weight steadily increasing despite regular exercise and finally decided to change. I always skipped breakfast, but I became a bit more strict about timing and snacking at night in order to align with IF. Switched my diet to a lazy keto (basically adkins) diet - still don…

Another anecdotal experience: IF really makes you aware of how your appetite gets going after the first meal. I usually start eating around noon and its like flipping a switch, before hand you just feel kinda numb but afterwards your brain cannot stop thinking about eating.

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#46

Post by yurishimo »

I’ll add one more anecdote to the mix here. Been doing intermittent fasting and extended fasting since February and I’m down 75 pounds in that time.

I used to snore like crazy, probably had sleep apnea but was too afraid to go get tested since my grandmother died from becoming dependent on the machine and her lungs failed. Now I don’t snore at all. My wife sleeps better, I sleep better; win win!

I haven’t exercised at all and I don’t count calories. My biggest diet changes have been cutting out soda entirely and I try to keep my carbs under 100g a day. Many days I’m under 50.

It’s honestly been amazing and I’m glad that I did it now while I’m still young and will be able to physically play with my kids in the future.

One of the other big wins has been physiological and my relationship with food and the feeling of hunger. Living in America, and especially here in the south, food is a religion. Stopping whatever is going on to eat is never looked down on. Snacks all the time, large comfort food meals, etc. While the community aspects around food are a good thing, our dependence on it as a society has crossed over into causing more harm than help.

After starting to fast, I’ve learned that hunger is just another feeling, like being too hot or too cold. Sure, it can be uncomfortable, but it won’t kill you and we can tolerate it a lot longer than we think.

Right now, I’m in the middle of a 7 day fast where I’m only drinking water. Every week I normally fast 48 hours twice a week and then one meal a day for the other 5 days in the week. My relationship with food has morphed and now I’m totally in control of my body. Skipping a meal is no problem and I have no ill side effects.

I’ll wrap this up by saying that I still enjoy food, a lot! When I do eat for my one meal a day, I can easily eat a large salad and a burger and a side. My favorite pastime is going to the movies and eating a meal and a large bucket of popcorn with my wife. Some days though, I eat a “normal” portion and call it good. Sometimes I have dessert. The difference is now that I can manage my love of food in a sustainable way for my body.

Happy to answer any questions. AMA.

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#47

Post by _trampeltier »

sbmthakur wrote: post #8
catotheyoungest wrote: post #2

This is strictly anecdotal, and I would honestly love to see this subjected to a rigorous study, but I lost twenty pounds without additional exercise or dietary changes in the last six months just by having a sleep study done, getting diagnosed with sleep apnea, and being put on a CPAP machine. How much obesity and depression could be prevented or alleviated just by making sure people could get a decent night's sleep…

Cannot comment on depression. But from personal experience and after reading Why we sleep , my understanding is that to get maximum benefits from diet and exercise, a good sleep is a prerequisite. This is paramount when you're doing these things for losing weight. I don't see good sleep being recommend enough whenever people embark on a weight-loss journey.

So true. I try not to eat anything after work, not always but usually. During daytime a softdrink with sugar is ok, but also usually after work I drink just water. I eat a bit something for breakfast, even small snacks during the whole day, eat a proper lunch and that's it .. I do sport two evenings a week so I can't eat anyway something before. So why should I eat dinner if I do nothing at home .. If I'm tired and don't go to bed .. wathever reason .. I suddenly start to eat a lot of snacks .. not because I'm really hungry .. just because of be bored.

I'm around 40 .. since ever in summer around 60 .. 63 kg in wintertime around 67kg.

The only thing I try to avoid is eating dinner at all. I drink softdrinks with sugar, eat chips, icecream, chocolate and for lunch just a standart menue.

20 years ago I was over 70kg and tryed to cook healthy dinner menus for myself .. my weight just went up ..

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#49

Post by betenoire »

yurishimo wrote: post #46

I’ll add one more anecdote to the mix here. Been doing intermittent fasting and extended fasting since February and I’m down 75 pounds in that time. I used to snore like crazy, probably had sleep apnea but was too afraid to go get tested since my grandmother died from becoming dependent on the machine and her lungs failed. Now I don’t snore at all. My wife sleeps better, I sleep better; win win! I haven’t exercised a…

> hunger is just another feeling

Exactly! I've done intermittent fasting for many many years, it works for me. I've told people, "You know how a workout 'hurts so good'? Learn to think that way about hunger/cravings. Consider it the same way you would consider a workout pain, as progress not punishment".

Re: Meal timing strategies appear to lower appetite, improve fat burning

#50

Post by barking »

yurishimo wrote: post #46

I’ll add one more anecdote to the mix here. Been doing intermittent fasting and extended fasting since February and I’m down 75 pounds in that time. I used to snore like crazy, probably had sleep apnea but was too afraid to go get tested since my grandmother died from becoming dependent on the machine and her lungs failed. Now I don’t snore at all. My wife sleeps better, I sleep better; win win! I haven’t exercised a…

Well done, 75 lbs (or 5 stone, 5 pounds in real money) is incredible.
Post reply on HN