Behind every public figure's enviable physique lies a personal health regimen. This series examines the diets, workouts, treatments, and beauty and fashion routines of people in the spotlight.
Actor Cha Jeong-won, 36, drew attention after sharing photos of her toned figure taken during a vacation. She has previously said she skips dinner and fits in a short cardio session each morning to manage her weight — habits that closely mirror what researchers call time-restricted eating.
Cha recently posted photos on SNS from a trip to Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan, showing her relaxing by the sea in a swimsuit and displaying her slim physique.
Earlier, Cha revealed that skipping dinner is a key part of how she manages her weight. She is also known to avoid heavily seasoned and salty foods and to squeeze in at least a brief cardio workout each morning.
Finishing dinner early and then going without food until the following morning closely resembles a dietary approach that has attracted considerable research attention: time-restricted eating, or TRE. The method limits food intake to a set window each day and requires fasting for the remaining hours.
The most widely studied form of TRE is the 16:8 method — eating within an eight-hour window and fasting for the other 16. Strictly hitting the 16-hour mark is not required, however, and researchers are also examining what is known as early time-restricted eating, in which meals are concentrated between morning and early evening.
Studies have confirmed weight-management benefits. A meta-analysis published in the international journal Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews analyzed 13 randomized controlled trials involving 859 participants. People who practiced early time-restricted eating lost an average of 1.84 kilograms more than those who ate on a conventional schedule. Body fat dropped by an additional 1.10 kg and waist circumference shrank by an extra 3.21 centimeters. Weight-loss effects were also observed in studies applying the 16-hour fast and eight-hour eating window.
A more recent analysis of 41 randomized controlled trials covering 2,287 participants similarly found that time-restricted eating helped reduce body weight, body mass index, body fat and waist circumference compared with conventional eating. Concentrating meals earlier in the day produced greater improvements in weight and metabolic markers than eating late into the night.
That is why a habit like Cha's — skipping dinner — can function as a form of time-restricted eating.
Skipping dinner matters less than total daily intake
A longer fasting window does not automatically translate into greater fat loss.
One of the main reasons time-restricted eating leads to weight loss is that a shorter eating window naturally reduces total daily calorie intake. Someone who previously ate three meals plus snacks and late-night food simply has fewer opportunities to consume calories once a cutoff is in place. Research analyzing time-restricted eating has confirmed that restricting the eating window reduces daily calorie intake even when participants make no deliberate effort to eat less.
The effect can diminish, however, if skipping dinner leads to significantly larger meals at breakfast and lunch the next day, or if high-calorie foods and snacks are consumed repeatedly throughout the permitted eating window.
That is why it is important to consider not only when meals end but also how much is eaten throughout the day and what kinds of food are chosen.
Why eating earlier beats eating late
Recent TRE research has focused not only on the length of the fasting window but also on the time of day during which food is consumed.
Human metabolism does not operate at a constant rate throughout the day. Sleep-wake cycles, hormone secretion and blood sugar regulation are all tied to the body's circadian rhythm. Eating regularly late into the night can throw that rhythm out of sync with meal timing.
The analysis of 41 randomized controlled trials found that early time-restricted eating — finishing the last meal before 5 p.m. — reduced body weight by an average of 1.15 kg more than late time-restricted eating, which extended food intake past 7 p.m., and also improved fasting insulin levels.
The takeaway is not that dinner must be skipped entirely. Rather, it is worth considering ways to cut back on late-night eating, including midnight snacks, and to finish meals at a time that fits one's own daily routine.
Morning cardio, consistently — movement is essential for weight management
Cha has said she does at least a brief cardio workout each morning.
Aerobic exercise that raises the heart rate — such as walking, running or cycling — increases daily energy expenditure and improves cardiovascular fitness. Pairing regular exercise with dietary adjustments allows a person to maintain physical fitness and bodily function more effectively than relying on diet alone.
Exercising on an empty stomach in the morning does not necessarily burn more body fat than the same workout done after a meal. The overall effect on body composition depends less on how much fat is used during a single session and more on total exercise volume, diet and long-term energy balance.
Building a consistent exercise habit — even brief sessions like Cha's — can be a more practical approach to weight management than sporadic high-intensity workouts.
Extending the fast too far can cost you muscle
When restricting meal timing, adequate nutrition deserves particular attention.
Pairing a shorter eating window with an excessively reduced food intake can leave the body short of essential nutrients — protein, vitamins and minerals. Even if body weight falls, losing muscle alongside fat makes it harder to maintain a toned physique. A recent large-scale meta-analysis of time-restricted eating studies found that reductions in body weight and fat were accompanied by some loss of lean mass as well.
During eating windows, it is advisable to consume sufficient protein from sources such as eggs, fish, meat, tofu and legumes, alongside vegetables, whole grains and moderate amounts of healthy fat. Adding resistance training helps preserve muscle during the weight-loss process.
A longer fast is not always better
Continuously extending fasting hours in an effort to lose weight faster is best avoided.
Intermittent fasting can bring on fatigue, dizziness, headaches, constipation and difficulty concentrating. Prolonged severe calorie restriction also makes it harder to meet basic nutritional needs.
For people who frequently have evening social engagements or family dinners, cutting out dinner entirely may simply be too difficult to sustain. Those who struggle with morning meals might find it more realistic to shift their eating window slightly later and adjust the approach to fit their own lifestyle.
What is worth noting about Cha's approach is not simply that she skips dinner. She reduces food intake late in the day, keeps her body moving consistently each morning and maintains a steady meal rhythm as part of her daily life. When it comes to weight management, what matters most is not achieving the longest possible fast but building eating and exercise habits that can be sustained over the long term.
rainbow@heraldcorp.com
