Weight loss miracle: Why meal breaks are more effective than any diet

What are meal breaks?

You want to lose weight in the long term and feel good - without much effort and without constantly counting calories or spending hours dealing with your diet? None of the diets or nutrition concepts you have tried have worked permanently or been enjoyable for you? Then it's worth trying out meal breaks.

Fasting is the healthy and simple alternative to traditional diets, and more and more scientists and users from around the world are convinced that the concept is healthy and effective.

Meal breaks means nothing more than taking several hours-long breaks between meals.

The concept of meal breaks is not new. This way, the body gets used to using energy from its own fat stores again.

Why meal breaks make weight loss easy

At first glance, there isn't much to a small snack. But for our body, it's like hitting the stop button on fat burning. Because as soon as we eat something, the body releases insulin and ensures that sugar is transported first into our muscle cells - and when they are full - into liver and fat cells. The body only starts using the fat reserves when the insulin level is low again and we haven't snacked for at least four hours.

The key advantage over diets: The metabolism is not slowed down and muscle mass is not broken down - because the body continues to be adequately and regularly supplied with food and energy.

How meal breaks make weight loss easier:

• By taking breaks from eating, we train our body to draw energy from fat stores instead of constantly demanding new energy supply.

• Breaks stimulate the cleaning and repair of our cells.

• Taking breaks is simple and easy to integrate into everyday life.

• You don't need to adhere to strict dietary rules, it is enough to follow a few basic rules of healthy eating: Everything is allowed - but in moderation. Simply leave out what you cannot tolerate.

• Your body can draw the best possible energy from food when the intestines and metabolism have time to regenerate during meal breaks.

• Your gut uses the time to clean up - only then can a healthy microbiome grow.

• Rest periods promote metabolic activity.

• Meal breaks are not a new invention. The past shows how effective they are, and more and more scientists are convinced that meal breaks are a healthy and simple way to lose weight permanently.

• Breaks are completely free. You can start right away and don't need anything else.

Are meal breaks not complicated?

Taking breaks from eating doesn't cost money, effort, or time - incorporating them into your daily routine is simple: no extra shopping, diet plans, or elaborate cooking are necessary. Eating breaks are also a suitable concept if you have intolerances or need to avoid or want to avoid certain foods.

How many hours of fasting are good for me?

How much time passes on average until you eat something again? Three hours or rather two? Often we are not aware of how often we actually reach for snacks or calorie-containing drinks like milky coffee. Too many snacks are often a reason why losing weight doesn't work, even if you eat less overall.

Meal breaks support the body's needs. However, everyone perceives this a bit differently. While two meals may be enough for one person, others may need a breakfast in the morning. For many, meal breaks of about 4 to 5 hours are easy and manageable. However, everyone should also individually figure out what works well for them and makes them feel comfortable. It is important to (re)develop a sense for one's body and adjust in a way that well-being and weight loss or maintaining a comfortable weight naturally fall into place.

Our body and metabolism are evolutionarily designed for periods of fasting, and over time you will notice that with longer meal intervals, your natural hunger will settle in this range again, and your body will no longer demand food in between.

Even modern nutrition science recommends longer breaks between meals and advises to have only three meals a day. Some experts even suggest having only two meals a day for those with low activity levels, although not everyone feels consistently energized and comfortable with this approach.

Important: Better than any general guideline is to only eat when you are truly hungry. Physiologically, this only occurs after a certain period of time. This varies individually, so general recommendations should be seen as suggestions. Taking breaks between meals is generally healthy for most people, but not for everyone. For those suffering from migraines, reflux, sluggish digestion, or digestive disorders, more snacks between meals may be beneficial.

Losing weight with meal breaks: How to get started

Extend the time between your meals by a few minutes each day until you reach at least four hours. You will see that you quickly get used to the breaks. After a maximum of 21 days, your hunger will no longer bother you in between - your body has adjusted to it, appreciates the break, and uses the time until the next meal for regeneration. If you wish and it benefits you, you can extend the meal breaks to 4.5 to 5 hours.

Proven meal breaks for beginners:

With three meals a day and a 5-hour eating window, meal times could be:

• 7 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.

• 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. or

• 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

At night, you automatically have a minimum of twelve to 14 hours of fasting, which facilitates weight loss and regeneration.

What is eaten between meals?

The most sustainable way to lose weight is still not a diet, but a change in diet towards a healthy eating pattern and a plant-based and balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and fats, as well as some legumes and whole grains.

No time to cook healthy? You can find a lot of inspiration in our e-book with the most delicious 10-minute dishes.

What am I allowed to drink during meal breaks?

To relieve the body and metabolism, no calories should be consumed during the eating break, not even through drinks. Ideal during the eating break are:

• Water

• All kinds of tea

• Water flavored with herbs or a slice of lemon/lime

• Coffee in moderation, unsweetened and without milk

What is the difference between this and intermittent fasting or therapeutic fasting?

When you think of eating breaks, you may think of intermittent fasting or therapeutic fasting. Unlike therapeutic fasting, where you refrain from eating for several days, eating breaks can be easily implemented into your everyday life and you can continue to eat normally at the office or with your family. Eating breaks are somewhat similar to intermittent fasting, but they are a little more flexible, as you are not tied to fixed time slots such as 16:8 (16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating) or 5:2 (5 days of fasting, 2 days of eating). In addition, depending on the method, intermittent fasting does not necessarily take into account how often you eat during the eating phase, for example, if you fast for 16 hours a day but eat many small meals and snack at short intervals during the eating phase. Many people report positive experiences with intermittent fasting, and those who get on well with it can continue without any problems. For some people, however, long periods of fasting do not fit well into their everyday lives and they feel drained of energy. Intermittent fasting also does not guarantee weight loss, as many believe. A study recently published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine investigated which is more effective at reducing weight: intermittent fasting or a slight reduction in calories. One group of participants was allowed to eat between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., while the other group ate the same amount of calories without any time restrictions. The result: both groups lost between 6.3 and 8 kilograms within a year – with no significant differences between the groups. Another study, published in Science Translational Medicine in 2021, examined the effect of so-called ‘alternate day fasting,’ in which participants eat normally one day and fast the next. The weight loss was even lower than in participants who ate daily with a slightly reduced calorie intake.

Conclusion: Very large extremes are rarely recommended - neither when it comes to a healthy diet, nor when it comes to losing weight. Eating breaks optimize nutrition in a gentle way and give our body a "nudge" towards a healthy blood sugar level, increased metabolism activity, and fat burning - especially if we eat a balanced diet. In addition, eating breaks are easily compatible with everyday life for many people and they promote our natural sense of hunger. So, if you want to maintain your well-being weight or achieve it permanently, healthily, and relaxed, it is worth trying eating breaks.