KICKSTART weight loss by switching your focus from what to when.
In a world driven by hectic lifestyles, our health is suffering.
What we put in our stomachs has been widely criticised for contributing to weight gain.
But new research has revealed the time you eat could be the elusive key to weight loss.
A review of 28 studies has pointed to night time as obesity’s best friend. 
Those who eat the majority of their calories earlier in the day are consistently less prone to gaining weight.
Co-author
of the review Dr Gerda Pot said: “There seems to be some truth in the
saying ‘eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
pauper’.”
The research blames our change in food
consumption patterns over time on social jet lag, estimated to affect
more than 80 per cent of the population in central Europe.
It’s led more of us to live by social clocks rather than our internal body clocks, which throws the body out of balance.
“This
discrepancy between our internal body clock and social clock has been
linked to a greater risk of diseases like obesity and metabolic
syndrome, whilst shorter periods of sleep have been linked to weight
gain,” the report said.
Other damaging factors are shift work and irregular or skipped meals.
While
it’s clear that late night snacking is far worse than eating earlier in
the day, it’s not yet clear which meal should be biggest.
“We
are still far from understanding whether our energy intake should be
distributed equally across the day or whether breakfast should
contribute the greatest proportion of energy,” said Dr Pot.
Who we eat with is also a sizeable factor in the health formula.
Regular family meals for instance, contribute to healthy eating in children and teenagers.
Another rthan previously thought.
Identical
twins Lisa and Alana MacFarlane looked and weighed almost the same
until they hit their 20s eight years ago. At that point things changed
for the north London-based radio and TV presenters.
Lisa
became more than a stone heavier than her sister, even though she ate
less and exercised more. Scientists studying the twins as part of
cutting edge research into gut health believe these girls highlight the
secret to both health and weight loss.
Their research
demonstrates that a key determinant of both weight and health is not
what we eat, or how much we eat. Nor how much we exercise. In fact a
growing number of studies are showing our weight is influenced by
differences in our individual gut bacteria.
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