Lose Body Fat and Gain Lean Muscle Mass By Compressing Your Eating Time-Window
A recent study released in the Journal of Nutritional Sciences related to an experiment done in the UK poses some exciting information about limiting the window of time you eat during the day. Based on the findings, you can lose body fat and increase lean muscle mass even if you make no other changes besides shortening the time that you allow yourself to eat during the day.
If you are running to lose weight or hoping that weight loss is an unintended consequence of running, this might be the best news you’ve heard in a while. Instead of punishing yourself by running more and eating less, all you have to do is to shorten up the time of day that you allow yourself to eat to see significant body composition changes.
The results
The study involved participants who were dividing into two groups. One group made no change to their diet or their daily habits at all. The second, or the experimental group, had one instruction. They were asked to eat their breakfast an hour and a half later than they usually would, and also, to eat their dinner an hour and a half earlier than normal. Overall, the experimental group shortened their time window to eat by just three hours.
At the end of a ten week period, researchers evaluated the two groups to see if limiting the time window that a person had to eat, would lead to unintended alternations. What they found was that those who eat their first meal later and their last earlier, had on average, a 1.9% change in their body fat composition.
Although when the participants in the experimental group weighed themselves, there was no substantial change in their overall weight; there was a significant difference in their body fat percentage. That not only means that they lost body fat by doing nothing but altering the times they ate, but that they also necessarily had to gain lean muscle mass.
Runners looking to lose a couple of pounds and gain some lean muscle…
As marathon time approaches, runners who are looking to throw a little extra into their muscle building activities and drop a couple of dead-weight pounds, now have a small change that they can make to alter their body composition significantly. Instead of eating all day, if you shorten up your window of eating daily by just three hours, and make no other changes, you can grow lean muscle and lose body fat.
Even if you aren’t looking to lose weight
Endurance runners need a whole lot of lean muscle mass to oxygenate their cells for the long run. To maintain your weight, while at the same time build muscle, all you have to do is make one simple change.
The participants in this recent study altered nothing about their routine, their schedule, or their intentional eating habits, and they ended up making a significant change in their body composition. If you want to change your body, limit the amount of time that you eat, and you will see some pretty substantial changes in your body, without effort or any effort.
Time-restricted eating has the unintended consequence of altering your body composition by losing fat and gaining muscle. There aren’t many people who can’t benefit from this small and inconsequential change to daily routine. To shed a couple of pounds to make marathon running less grueling, try this simple change. To build muscle to make marathon running less grueling, try this simple change. It is a win-win scenario! For more amazing running tips and to see a list of events in your area, check out all the information on World Marathons.
