Research

Energy balance

While fat-free mass gains are similar, 16:8 TRE results in less fat mass accumulation and lower total training volume compared to continuous feeding during a caloric surplus.

Be aware that if you switch to an 8-hour eating window, you might naturally train for less total volume and accumulate slightly less fat than if you ate all day, even in a surplus. This isn't necessarily bad—it might mean you are more efficient with your energy—but it is a trade-off to consider if your goal is maximum fat gain (bulking).

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
FED added 1.4 ± 0.6 kg more fat mass (p = 0.04)... Total exercise volume was significantly lower in TRE than FED
Daniel T. Blake et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025

Why this rating

Same RCT design, clear statistical difference in fat mass.

Source

Hypercaloric 16:8 time-restricted eating during 8 weeks of resistance exercise in well-trained men and women

Daniel T. Blake et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025

DOI 10.1080/15502783.2025.2492184

rct · n=17Cited 2×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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