Timing your meals to improve weight loss
Official title: Effect of time-based energy intake goals on weight loss during obesity treatment.
Funded at University of Tennessee Knoxville · NIH-11262296 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Sees if eating more calories earlier in the day and fewer later helps adults with obesity lose more weight while reducing hunger.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Knoxville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Knoxville, United States) |
| Project start | January 10, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $607,676 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK137752-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11262296 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older with overweight or obesity who are willing to follow a reduced-calorie eating plan and try specific meal-timing goals are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot alter meal timing because of work schedules (e.g., night-shift workers), have medical conditions affecting eating, or are unwilling to follow a reduced-calorie plan may not receive benefit.
What this research studies
You would follow a reduced-calorie program that sets goals about when to eat, favoring a morning-loaded versus an evening-loaded energy pattern. Researchers will track your weight, hunger and fullness ratings, and patterns of food timing over the course of the intervention. They will also measure circadian-related factors, like chronotype, to see if your natural daily timing affects results. The team aims to learn whether timing goals produce earlier and sustained weight loss and how appetite changes may explain any benefits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help people with obesity lose more weight and feel less hungry by changing when they eat rather than what they eat.
How similar studies have gone: Short-term trials (generally under three months) have shown earlier-day calorie intake can increase weight loss and reduce hunger, but long-term effects and links to appetite regulation remain untested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Knoxville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Raynor, Hollie a — University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Study coordinator: Raynor, Hollie a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.