Why do you worry about calorie counting or limiting carbs? If you are planning to diet, then just eat cross fewer hours each day.
The '8 Hour Diet' proposes that limiting your food intake to just eight hours of the day is an easy diet technique that supports weight control, reports News.com.au.
Here's how calories and meals need to be consumed within just eight hours of the day- brunch at 10am, lunch at 1 or 2pm and your final meal of the day by 6pm.
The report further says that the amount of calories or even fat consumed, here, is not important, rather it is argued that our long days, in which food may be consumed across as many as 16 hours each day, is one of the key reasons so many of us are struggling with our weight.
The physiological aspects of this argument is that prolonged periods of feeding, in which food is not only consumed relatively frequently, every few hours and across many hours of the day means that more insulin (the hormone that controls blood glucose levels) is released in an attempt to keep blood glucose levels stable.
High levels of insulin over time promote inflammation and fat storage in the body. In addition hunger is less likely to be experienced, as we never really let ourselves get really hungry and fat is more likely to be stored in the liver.
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Studies on animals support this approach when it comes to weight loss and hormonal control. In some preliminary studies, rats given free access to high fat foods but only for relatively short periods of time, weighed less, and had no issues with their cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels or inflammation in the liver.
On the other hand, rats given free access to food across 24 hour periods gained weight, developed high cholesterol and high blood glucose as well as impaired motor control.
Researchers concluded that constant feeding results in the body going into storage mode - gaining weight and placing stress on the liver which in turn results in increased blood glucose levels.
In real life though, this is easier said than done with long hours and shift work resulting in meals and snacks being consumed at all times of day and night. The environment in which we live too encourages food consumption constantly, regardless of hunger or meal time.
The biggest issue with diets that limit calories in some way is that extreme hunger is then experienced which makes compliance challenging. The key thing with fasting is that for it to work you need to not eat anything, whereas in real life little extras slip in which negate the benefits.
As such, for the 8 Hour Diet to be effective, you will need to consume a substantial meal at some point during the day so that your hunger does not get the better of you.