I am surprised by the results of this study. My own experience is that Time-Restricted Eating helps with weight loss when I decide to lean out. I tighten down the eating window. And, I lose weight without getting very strict on what I eat and I don't feel deprived.
I am thinking that it mostly works by just making it easier to eat fewer calories over the course of a week. When I was going through a a year plus when I was working on max strength weight lifting I could eat enough in my 8 hour window to gain muscle (and some fat) and reached my lifting goal.
When I had to skip the gym for awhile this spring due to COVID-19 I lost some of that muscle but kept eating (maybe due to stress) so I put on a couple more pounds of just fat. June first I decided to make a change and lean out. So I started restricting eating to 3 hours and sometimes down to 1 hour (OMAD). I did this M-F and gave myself freedom to eat additional meals on the weekend.
The weight immediately started dropping off. Then late June I started jogging and reduced weight lifting down to a maintenance level. I have continued all summer and lost about 7% of body weight - some muscle but mostly fat. I will likely continue this routine for awhile focusing on getting substantially leaner.
I have followed the research literature on TRE, IF, ADF and prolonged fasting, and read many personal accounts like mine that suggest TRE is an important component of overall metabolic and weight management. If this study stands up then it would seem that most of the observed effect of TRE is because it helps people eat less without feeling deprived. And, clearly it is easier and more approachable than prolonged fasting.
It will be interesting to read responses from other researchers in this space.
