Can you live healthily without eating real food

tonyb111111
tonyb111111 Posts: 24
in Food and Nutrition
I ask this question as I am a busy guy and have found since starting my gym work that Idont have the time or inclination to prepare meals. This has led to me living off only meal replacements and supplements on gym days, and eating a meal on non gym days. Now here's the thing, every ounce of me says it is not healthy but I feel great. On gym days I am using a top quality meal replacement for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with whey protein drink mid-morning, mid-afternoon and immediately after workout. On non-gym days I have an evening meal and no further protein. I am working out 4 nights a week. Will this diet have any adverse health effects?
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Replies

  • tonyb111111
    tonyb111111 Posts: 24
    I mean food that does not come in the form of a powder or pill
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    It is certainly possible; there are countless examples of medical issues and other situations that have caused people to do this for years at a time. You might want to get blood panels done to make sure you aren't getting too much of anything from supplements. I once bought my kids some vitamins they didn't like and so I used them. My iron levels were scary high at my next physical.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Cook extra on non-gym days, eat leftovers on gym days.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,147 Member
    Even if you laps into a coma I believe the state has the obligation to keep you alive with more supplementation.......your good to go.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    Even if you laps into a coma I believe the state has the obligation to keep you alive with more supplementation.......your good to go.

    Simply being alive doesn't mean you are healthy
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    If you are eating real food most of the time, and supplementing some of the time you can probably stay healthy.

    Supplementing 100% of the time may cause you issues.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,147 Member
    Even if you laps into a coma I believe the state has the obligation to keep you alive with more supplementation.......your good to go.

    Simply being alive doesn't mean you are healthy
    Ok, lets just agree that it's healthier.:happy:
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    Nutrition > exercise for health. If you truly honestly believe you cannot juggle time to actually prepare meals with gym time, then the only logical route is for you to invest that time on proper meal prep and find time to workout at home whenever you can.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Cook extra on non-gym days, eat leftovers on gym days.

    QFW

    I do this if I'm busy - I'm eating leftover chicken curry for lunch now. :bigsmile:
  • tracymnx
    tracymnx Posts: 105
    Do you not like 'real' food very much?
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Cook extra on non-gym days, eat leftovers on gym days.

    Beat me to it. There's no need to live on supplements. If I know I've got a busy week ahead of me I cook several meals on Sunday and freeze them. Plus there are plenty of healthy meals you can knock up in a few minutes. A slow cooker (crock pot for you americans :wink: ) is also a god send.

    I can't say whether it would be as healthy because to be honest I don't really know, but I can imagine it would be miserable.
  • tonyb111111
    tonyb111111 Posts: 24
    Im open to suggestion here, but I get home at 7pm and head straight to the gym after drinking a meal replacement. I work out, mostly cardio at the moment, until about 9:30pm, and this is when I have a protein shake. Now if I eat before cardio i will be uncomfortable, and if I eat after cardio it is too late in the evening. I am not hungry on these 'foodless' days, presumably due to the 240g of protein I am getting a day. Any ideas anyone
  • tonyb111111
    tonyb111111 Posts: 24
    Cook extra on non-gym days, eat leftovers on gym days.



    I can't say whether it would be as healthy because to be honest I don't really know, but I can imagine it would be miserable.
    You would be suprised, I am never hungry, never bloated, full of enegery and mentally alert.
  • FakingFitness
    FakingFitness Posts: 325 Member
    It is certainly possible; there are countless examples of medical issues and other situations that have caused people to do this for years at a time. You might want to get blood panels done to make sure you aren't getting too much of anything from supplements. I once bought my kids some vitamins they didn't like and so I used them. My iron levels were scary high at my next physical.

    This. My dad had sinus mouth and neck cancer. He couldn't eat food and lived on supplements and meal replacement drinks.
    Had he lived through the treatment, he'd have lived the rest of his life not eating food.

    If you want to add real food, maybe start juicing. Although, juicing is fast, the cleanup is a bit of a pain.
  • tonyb111111
    tonyb111111 Posts: 24
    Nutrition > exercise for health. If you truly honestly believe you cannot juggle time to actually prepare meals with gym time, then the only logical route is for you to invest that time on proper meal prep and find time to workout at home whenever you can.

    I could probably prep food for the next day but the thought of eating before going to the gym does not appeal to me, and I really dont want to eat just before I go to bed. Having said that, i could eat food at lunch time and have a meal replacement before the Jim, ensuring one full meal a day. The thing is everything feels right the way I am doing it now, just want to know if there are unhealthy consequences

    Nice Kwak btw
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Im open to suggestion here, but I get home at 7pm and head straight to the gym after drinking a meal replacement. I work out, mostly cardio at the moment, until about 9:30pm, and this is when I have a protein shake. Now if I eat before cardio i will be uncomfortable, and if I eat after cardio it is too late in the evening. I am not hungry on these 'foodless' days, presumably due to the 240g of protein I am getting a day. Any ideas anyone

    Is there a reason you are doing 2 1/2 hours of mainly cardio?
    And why is it too late to eat afterwards?
  • tonyb111111
    tonyb111111 Posts: 24
    Im open to suggestion here, but I get home at 7pm and head straight to the gym after drinking a meal replacement. I work out, mostly cardio at the moment, until about 9:30pm, and this is when I have a protein shake. Now if I eat before cardio i will be uncomfortable, and if I eat after cardio it is too late in the evening. I am not hungry on these 'foodless' days, presumably due to the 240g of protein I am getting a day. Any ideas anyone

    Is there a reason you are doing 2 1/2 hours of mainly cardio?
    And why is it too late to eat afterwards?
    In all honesty, it is ore like 1 1/2 hrs cardio, and an hour of sauna, swim and shower. I am doing the cardio to get fit for the start of the rugby aseason, to lose body fat and also to get below 18 stone for my freefall jump. When i have done my freefall, i will start the resistance training, with the the cardio 50/50. I have always believed that eating this close to going to bed would increase fat production. If this belief is wrong, please let me know
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Im open to suggestion here, but I get home at 7pm and head straight to the gym after drinking a meal replacement. I work out, mostly cardio at the moment, until about 9:30pm, and this is when I have a protein shake. Now if I eat before cardio i will be uncomfortable, and if I eat after cardio it is too late in the evening. I am not hungry on these 'foodless' days, presumably due to the 240g of protein I am getting a day. Any ideas anyone

    Is there a reason you are doing 2 1/2 hours of mainly cardio?
    And why is it too late to eat afterwards?
    In all honesty, it is ore like 1 1/2 hrs cardio, and an hour of sauna, swim and shower. I am doing the cardio to get fit for the start of the rugby aseason, to lose body fat and also to get below 18 stone for my freefall jump. When i have done my freefall, i will start the resistance training, with the the cardio 50/50. I have always believed that eating this close to going to bed would increase fat production. If this belief is wrong, please let me know

    Cardio is great to create a larger calorie deficit, but adding strength training could help with training for rugby season. However, it sounds like you have a plan for after the jump, so cool. :smile:

    As far as increase fat production by eating close to bedtime? False. Meal timing etc. does not matter at all in this game, it is preference. I understand about not wanting to eat before a workout, but there is no reason to not eat before bed. :smile:

    Edited to fix my fumble fingers.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    if you feel good then i don't see a problem - just make sure you get enough fibre (veggies with your dinner/bit of fruit etc) maybe a multivitamin incase you're missing out on nutrients.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
    It is wrong. Timing of meals has no effect on the metabolisation/storage. Your body works over hours, not minutes so the food you eat now is not used or finally stored. But you might feel uncomfortable/windy as your digestive system will be trying to digest as you are trying to sleep :(

    I had a great uncle who loved for 30+ years on meal replacement drinks plus a tot of whisky at bedtime - most of his stomach had gone due to cancer. So it is possible.

    So (and I teach elite junior rugby boys and girls, so I appreciate the pressure on you to regain fitness levele, especially cardio, pre-season) I would say that for you, at this time, it should be fine. But as soon as you can you will need to change and start eating more reasonably. Apart from anything else it would be good not to set up any habits you might become unreasonably attached to. That and I would worry about your colon, constipation etc.

    Basically, do it for pre-season if you must, but as soon as season starts and you cannot fit in so many cardio sessions, start building in better meal times.

    And good luck with the free fall :)

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