First, it is important to note that time restricted eating is not for everyone. We see it as another diet & lifestyle lever focusing on the how we eat that you might want to try if it fits your lifestyle. For example, shorter eating windows may not work well if you are training heavily, doing shift work, undergoing menopause (some women report worse symptoms when fasting) etc.
Time restricted eating is not for everyone. The most important thing is that you focus on meeting your nutritional needs and on adopting balanced and sustainable healthy diet & lifestyle habits.
There is a wealth of literature on time restricted eating and its potential health benefits. Different studies pick slightly different Eating Windows, typically ranging between 8 and 12 hours.
We reviewed the published evidence and assessed the expected impact of reduced Eating Windows. Whilst the majority of evidence suggests that 10 h is associated with the greatest improvements in health, we appreciate that this may not be a feasible target for everybody. We have therefore concluded that aiming for Eating Windows that are around 8 to 12 hours each day should lead to health benefits such as improved weight management, energy levels, gut microbiome, and cardio-metabolic health, whilst also removing some of the potential restrictiveness of a 10 h window.
Please be aware that you may have received prior advice on shorter (8-10h) 'Excellent' Eating Windows. This advice may still be reflected on previous reports. We only update your reports when you change your logs. When a report is updated, it will be based on the latest advice.
Studies on shorter Eating Windows including One-Meal-A-Day (OMAD) are less common and therefore the evidence in terms of their potential health benefits is, at present, less clear. Moreover, while Eating Windows below 8 hours may work well for some, in general we don't believe there is any clear additional benefit of shorter Eating Windows. This is why we label this as GOOD and not EXCELLENT. Moreover, very short Eating Windows are likely to not meet nutritional requirements for optimal health and to not be enjoyable or sustainable.
Shorter Eating Windows (under 8 hours) are labelled 'Good' not 'Excellent' to indicate that this may not provide additional health benefits but we appreciate these eating patterns may work best for you.
Lastly, trying to have consistent eating windows around 8 to 12 hours is generally speaking a good idea. This helps you build a routine and adjust your body clock. Studies have also shown that less day to day variation in first and last mealtime is directly associated with weight loss.
However, in general, you should always be mindful of working out a balanced pattern that fits with your lifestyle in order to achieve sustainable changes, perhaps by only implementing time restricted eating 5 days a week rather than every day.