3 months of this relatively simple diet can cause significant weight loss: new study

Time to shed a few pounds?A new study suggests that a “relatively simple” dieting approach can help people lose a “significant” amount of weight in just three months — and actually keep it off. Even better, it doesn’t involve counting every calorie, so you can stop obsessing over every bite and start enjoying your meals again.CDC data shows that in the US, 2 in 5 adults are obese, along with 1 in 5 children and adolescents — and that’s not even counting the millions more who fall into the overweight category.Although restricting daily calories has long been a popular method for losing weight, research shows it’s a tough approach to maintain and for many, the lost pounds eventually creep back on.In recent years, time-restricted eating (TRE) — a form of intermittent fasting that limits not what people eat but when — has emerged as an increasingly popular alternative.In a previous study, a team of international researchers found that when people shortened their daily eating window from 12 hours or more to just 8 hours, they lost weight and saw improvements in their heart and metabolic health.But it wasn’t clear whether the specific timing of that eating window made a difference when it came to maintaining those benefits long-term.To dig deeper, the same research team ran a 12-month follow-up study in Spain with 99 adults.Half of them were women, the average age was 49, and the average BMI was 32.They split the participants into four groups, each testing a different approach to meal timing:In addition, all of the groups took part in a Mediterranean diet education program to encourage them to eat healthier. Researchers recorded their weight, waist, and hip measurements at the start of the study, after 12 weeks of following their respective meal timing plans and again a year later.After 12 weeks, the habitual eating group cut their weight by roughly 3 pounds on average.In comparison, the early TRE group dropped just over 9 pounds on average, the...