Scientists asked study participants to lose weight over 16 weeks and then asked them to continue using the same eating and exercise habits for an additional 16 weeks after the weight loss phase was over. They found that participants who were asked to exercise at the same time each day lost more weight and experienced better success maintaining their weight loss than those who didn’t set a time.

"Exercising at a certain time each day can help you better stick to your new habits," says Meredith Unruh, PhD, RD, a nutritionist at the New York University Center for Weight and Nutrition. "It’s easier to do all your stuff at the same time when it’s under your control." When it comes to getting into your routine, this tip may be a life-saver.

So what exactly makes some people’s schedules compatible with a healthy, successful weight-loss routine, and others’ schedules not? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, Unruh says. It’s a combination of things that might include:

Some people feel most successful when they exercise at night, she says.

Some exercise in the morning to carve out a specific time each day, which helps ensure they stick to exercising regularly.

Others exercise in the morning, then hit the gym, or vice versa, at different times of the day.

On the other hand, some people prefer to get up and go to the gym right after they wake up, which is fine, says Unruh. There’s room for how you work out to work for avis reduslim you.

"It’s all about finding what works best for you," she says. The most important thing to remember is that your schedule shouldn’t be moving around like a pendulum, constantly shifting from one moment to the next. "Pick a time and then stick to it."

Other experts say that including a healthy breakfast in your daily schedule is an easy way to get started when it comes to eating well and exercising.

"Picking a time to exercise and sticking to that time might even make it easier to eat well," says Bruce Gib, MD, author of The Diet Fix and The Bloated Busy Person’s Diet Solution. That may be because it encourages you to stick to your eating schedule, too, he says.