If he is trying to lose weight/burn fat it absolutely has scientific backing. Now, I don't know this mans health statistics but if you cut off food intake after 7 you not only put yourself in a catabolic state, you run the risk of your blood sugar levels dipping too low and becoming unstable because its used to being stabilized from food intake coming in so often during the day. How do you lose weight/burn fat the most healthy way? by ingesting something every three to four hours and speeding up your metabolism correct? Bodybuilding nutrtion and regular/proper nutrtion are both rooted in ingesting/grazing and speeding up your metabolism. Bodybuilding/fitness nutrition only comes into play after when your are counting macros, determining how much protein/carbs, nutrient timing, etc that you need to create growth. We(bodybuilders) push the envelope to the extremes but the basics are the same, period. Sure there are other ways such as ultra low calorie diets, Atkins, etc but those have been proven to create just as many problems as the rapid weight loss it promotes. And, we all know those aren't conducive to long term success/change. If he is counting macros/calories a better way would be to space them out more or take in smaller amounts so that his metabolism keeps running and burning fat. I'm not flaming you at al, btw and I'm always up for a good discussion.