New diet focuses on counting time, not calories
There are thousands of diets around - many of them fads - but a new eating plan is proving successful for those struggling to keep weight off long-term.
It's not about avoiding certain foods, but the time of day you eat them.
Not too long ago, Lorna Shelton weighed close to 115 kilograms.
She had to have both knees replaced and was walking with a cane.
A healthier diet had helped her lose weight, but not enough, so she shifted her focus from what she ate to when she ate.
Lorna began having meals earlier and over less time, eating only from 8am to 2pm.
She lost another 22 kilograms and says she feels she has added "years" to her life.
It's called time-restricted feeding, a diet that is about counting time instead of calories.
"It's about eating in a narrow window of time and then having an extended daily fast each day," University of Alabama researcher Courtney Peterson said.
Meals usually take three to five hours to digest.
By limiting eating to an six-hour period and starting early, food is metabolised by bedtime, leaving stored fat to burn.
"We found that the early time restricted feeding helped improve fat burning," Ms Peterson said.
Results also show reduced blood pressure and better insulin processing.
While the diet doesn't make you cut calories or entire food groups, experts say dieters should still exercise, avoid junk food and binging, and during fasting hours only have zero-calorie drinks like black coffee or water.
