Trendy diets always gain traction in January, and this month's diet du jour is intermittent fasting, in which a person alternates hours of fasting with short periods during which they eat. The claim is that doing so optimizes metabolism by sticking to the body’s natural rhythms.

However, new research this week from the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that the specific time of day when you eat doesn’t help you lose weight. Far more important is the size of your meals.

Here's what researchers from that and other studies say really works to help people lose weight:

• Track your weight on a scale at home, says study co-author Dr. Wendy Bennett, associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Many people gain a pound every year, she says, and are often surprised when that registers on the scale.
• Keep a record of what you’re eating by using an app if you find you're gaining weight, says Bennett.
• Find a method you can stick to, because that will ultimately be the best plan for you, says Dr. Nisa Maruthur, associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

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