May 12, 2024

Combining high intensity exercise with time-restricted eating may boost weight loss, study finds

Research found that when women with obesity ate only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and worked out three times a week, they saw better results than engaging in the diet or exercise alone.

By Franki Rudnesky
PhillyVoice Staff

Samantha Gades/Unsplash

Engaging in high-intensity functional training as well as time-restricted eating resulted in increased weight loss in women with obesity, according to a new study.

Engaging in both time-restricted eating and high intensity exercise may improve health and contribute to weight loss, according to new research.

Time-restricted eating is a type of intermittent fasting in which people only allow themselves to eat during specific hours. High intensity functional training (HIFT) is a type of exercise that emphasizes functional, multi-joint movements. A small study published earlier this month in the PLOS ONE journal found that combining time-restricted eating with HIFT in women with obesity can result in weight loss and improve markers of cardiometabolic health like cholesterol, blood glucose and lipid levels.

In the study, 64 women with obesity were assigned to one of three groups: time-restricted eating, HIFT or both. People in the diet-only group ate only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Participants in the exercise-only group worked out three days each week with an instructor. The combined diet and exercise group engaged in both practices.

At the end of a 12-week period, all three groups saw significant weight loss and health improvements, but those in the combined diet and exercise group saw the greatest improvements overall.

"In inactive women with obesity, combining TRE with HIFT can be a good strategy to induce superior effects on body composition, lipid profile and glucose regulation compared with either diet or exercise intervention alone," the study authors wrote.

The study authors also say their study had limitations, like the small sample size, and that further research is needed. Regardless, the study showed how combining certain types of diet and exercise can work together to achieve optimal results.

"When we limit the time we eat and do intense workouts, our bodies get better at using energy and processing sugar, and it’s like they become more efficient at staying healthy," personal trainer Michael Baah told Healthline. "Time-restricted eating helps us burn fat, and intense exercise helps us build muscle."

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