Research

Hormonal

Time-restricted feeding (16h fast/8h feed) combined with resistance training reduces fat mass and improves metabolic biomarkers (insulin, triglycerides, inflammation) while maintaining muscle mass and maximal strength in resistance-trained males, despite significant decreases in anabolic hormones (testosterone, IGF-1).

If you are a resistance-trained male, you can try eating all your daily calories within an 8-hour window (e.g., 1pm to 9pm) while keeping your total calories and protein intake the same as your normal diet. Do this for 8 weeks alongside your regular strength training. You may lose more fat and improve metabolic markers like insulin sensitivity without losing muscle or strength, even if your testosterone and IGF-1 levels drop slightly. Do not reduce your total calories; the timing is the key variable.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our results suggest that an intermittent fasting program in which all calories are consumed in an 8-h window each day, in conjunction with resistance training, could improve some health-related biomarkers, decrease fat mass, and maintain muscle mass in resistance-trained males.
Tatiana Moro et al. · Journal of Translational Medicine · 2016

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with isoenergetic controls, but small sample size (n=34) and short duration (8 weeks).

Source

Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males

Tatiana Moro et al. · Journal of Translational Medicine · 2016

DOI 10.1186/s12967-016-1044-0

rct · n=34Cited 718×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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