It seems that the brilliant researchers who study our circadian clock, that internal timekeeper, have tuned in to an important factor for weight management. It seems a blue light sensor in the retina measures ambient light level and sets the time to go to sleep and wake up every day.

A lecture by Satachin Panda, Ph.D., of the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences opened my eyes to this. Dr. Panda and his associates study our circadian clock as well as the body’s organ and hormonal systems, believing that each has its own circadian rhythm.

In the process of exploring how the liver’s daily cycles work, Dr. Panda found that mice who eat within a 12-hour period were slimmer and healthier than those who ate the same number of calories over a longer period of time.

When We Eat Might Be as Important as What We Eat

Based on these findings, when we eat may be equally as important as what we eat. As a health coach, I see many women struggling with obesity. Almost without exception, these women are night eaters and often forego breakfast because they don’t feel hungry.

Could it be their night eating has thrown off their circadian rhythms? It seems likely, since they also are poor sleepers.

I remember coaching a young woman who moved to the States from South Africa. She became overweight and was quite distressed by it.

She told me she ate a low-nutrient breakfast of coffee and a muffin early in the day, grabbed a quick high-fat lunch around 2 pm and grazed on snack foods in the evening until she went to bed.

When I asked her about her eating habits growing up, her response was: breakfast at six, lunch at noon, dinner at six, with no snacking. Her weight was fine in South Africa.

I think this young woman is a good example of what Dr. Panda is suggesting – that our body has a rhythm for eating as much as it has a rhythm for waking and sleeping.

The Hunger Cycle Has Its Own Clock

If you have traveled to different time zones, you’ve experienced the inconvenience of a disrupted sleep pattern. But have you also noticed that your hunger cycle is thrown off as well? It’s only natural. As we are learning, the hunger cycle has its own clock, and adjustments are required when traveling.

Let’s imagine you want to lose weight. Nutrition is like shoes – no one size fits all. There are, however, a number of tried and true methods that work.

When it comes to choosing a diet plan, the first and most important thing to do is go for high-nutrient, simple whole foods. These are foods that come in their original form – fruits, vegetables, antibiotic free meat, fish and poultry, beans, nuts and seeds.

When you eat these pure foods, your brain gets signaled that you have adequate nutrition and will turn down the appetite hormones.

Combining that with the findings that are emerging regarding circadian rhythms, you may find that you will lose weight even faster. Why? Your body will be in a healthier rhythm. Your insulin levels will be more stable, you’ll be better nourished and less stressed.

Some time ago, I wrote a piece on “Grab and Go” for Sixty and Me where I advocate for focused eating in the form of meals. This falls in line with our body’s rhythms, and our woman friend from South Africa is a good example of what happens when we snack.

How to Fit Nutrient Rich Foods into Your Diet

Could you imagine having 12-hour stretches of not eating? Think about it – if you have food at 7 pm at night, you would then have breakfast at 7 am the next morning.

Another option is having an early dinner each day, finishing your eating – except perhaps for a cup of tea – no later than 6 pm, and have your breakfast the next day at 6 am. It may be your most effective experiment with weight loss and successful outcome yet.

Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight. It is most often a slow, gradual process, where the needle slowly moves up.

That needle can be reversed with a patience-focused commitment to changing your food for the better. In addition, we get to use what we know about our body clock to give ourselves the best opportunity to burn the most energy each and every day.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Does the idea of the body’s clock’s influence on weight and metabolism make sense to you? Will you experiment with this idea? Please join the conversation.