Rathomi Hilmi S, Mavaddat Nahal, Katzenellenbogen Judith M, Thompson Sandra C
School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia.
Nutr Diet. 2025 Sep;82(4):423-433. doi: 10.1111/1747-0080.12922. Epub 2025 Feb 2.
Adherence to any dietary approach is crucial for achieving long-term benefits. This qualitative study aims to explore the facilitators and barriers to adherence, and how individuals in community settings navigate time-restricted eating in their daily lives.
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 participants who had practised time-restricted eating (confining the daily eating window to <10h a day; and excluding periodic fasting methods like the 5:2 approach or alternate day fasting) for periods ranging from 3 months to more than 5 years. A qualitative content analysis, underpinned by the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour Model, identified multiple facilitators, barriers, and strategies that evolved over the practice.
Key facilitators included the simplicity and versatility of time-restricted eating, maintaining a non-obsessive and non-dieting mindset, and having a supportive environment. Barriers included hunger and food cravings, an obsessive mindset during the initial stages, and conflicting schedules with social eating occasions, including holidays. Participants employed several coping strategies to successfully navigate adherence and reported confidence in maintaining time-restricted eating as a lifestyle that contributes to better health and weight management.
Our findings suggest that successful implementation of time-restricted eating in community settings requires flexibility and viewing it as more than a short-term weight loss tool. Guidelines are needed to help individuals and practitioners implement better practices and promote healthier behaviours.
坚持任何饮食方法对于实现长期益处都至关重要。这项定性研究旨在探索坚持的促进因素和障碍，以及社区环境中的个体在日常生活中如何应对限时进食。
对21名参与者进行了半结构化的深入访谈，这些参与者践行限时进食（将每日进食窗口限制在每天<10小时；不包括5:2饮食法或隔日禁食等周期性禁食方法）的时间从3个月到5年以上不等。基于能力-机会-动机-行为模型进行的定性内容分析，确定了在实践过程中演变出的多种促进因素、障碍和策略。
关键促进因素包括限时进食的简单性和灵活性、保持非强迫性和非节食的心态以及拥有支持性环境。障碍包括饥饿和食物渴望、初始阶段的强迫性心态以及与社交用餐场合（包括节假日）相冲突的日程安排。参与者采用了几种应对策略来成功应对坚持问题，并表示有信心将限时进食作为一种有助于改善健康和体重管理的生活方式持续下去。
我们的研究结果表明，在社区环境中成功实施限时进食需要灵活性，并将其视为不仅仅是一种短期减肥工具。需要制定指导方针，以帮助个人和从业者实施更好的做法并促进更健康的行为。
