2 Meals a Day Intermittent Fasting

nickloschin
nickloschin Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So a couple of days ago I started a 2 meals a day program suggested by Max Lowery. His website is super useful because it offers scientific research to back up his claims. Has anyone ever tried a program like this or something similar?

Personally, I have just been skipping breakfast because I eat it infrequently already. So I really only fast for 16ish hours like he suggests. I haven't noticed any negative impacts thus far and plan to continue for a couple of weeks but I wanted to know if this was a good program for sustainable weight loss? Once I reach my goal I wouldn't necessarily go back to eating breakfast but I may up my calories in the other two meals.

Also for quick background, I'm 20, 6'0 and about 243 lbs (Down from 280 yay!). My typical routine is HIIT twice a week and lifting during the week.

Just hoping for feedback, especially if I am making the wrong choice!

Replies

  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
    Personally, I would go insane. Do what works for you.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    It sounds like a good fit if you're already skipping breakfast most of the time. As long as you stay in a calorie deficit and reach your macro and micro goals you should be fine :)
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited November 2017
    I practice IF during the week because I keep my M-Th calories low in the event I go out on Friday or Saturday. It still requires you to maintain a calorie deficit if you are going to lose, but if you are already on a limited calorie budget for the day then skipping a meal might help. Just remember to stay within your calories for the hours you are eating. For weight loss calories are what matter, not timing of meals.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    No matter how, when, or what you eat if you are on a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

    A lot of people skip breakfast for more food later in the day, just aim to meet your nutritional goals.

    If you are using MFP numbers don't forget to eat back your exercise calories.

    No idea who max lowery is, maybe you could link us to his site.

    Cheers, h.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I've been eating that way for several years now. I like it because if I eat breakfast then I am hungry all morning. And it's very convenient for me to only think about making/cooking 2 meals.

    There is no right or wrong answer to your question, at least on that any of us can answer. You can try it, and if it allows you to maintain a calorie deficit over the long haul, then it is "right" for you.
  • nickloschin
    nickloschin Posts: 2 Member
    Here is his website by the way! https://2mealday.com/
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I honestly hope you haven't already bought into that plan.

    Weight loss is all about calorie balance, not when or what you eat. Aiming to hit your nutritional goals is good for health.


    For absolutely no money you can put your stats into MFP, choose food you like to eat instead of what someone says you should eat, eat twice a day (if you want to), and lose weight.

    Cheers, h.
  • cbohling1987
    cbohling1987 Posts: 99 Member
    Some of the hype surrounding intermittent fasting seems like health woo to me; however, I usually do it anyway because I just want to be able to eat a big dinner, and it's also a good exercise in self-restraint, which I never really had before. So most days I don't eat breakfast, eat a small lunch (300-500 calories), and then eat a very large dinner.
  • DISCIPLINEEQUALSFREEDOM
    DISCIPLINEEQUALSFREEDOM Posts: 1,384 Member
    I practice IF 19/5......I have no complaints....my diary is open.
  • DISCIPLINEEQUALSFREEDOM
    DISCIPLINEEQUALSFREEDOM Posts: 1,384 Member
    ^^ Truth^^
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    edited December 2017
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I can't wait for all the mumbo jumbo about this to go away.

    Honestly, I'm a natural breakfast skipper who only eats 2 meals and a dessert a day, and it makes me want to pull my hair out.

    Forget ALLLLLLLL the BS claims, here's the bottom line, because I've been doing this since the 90's before it was a "thing". This is what I've gleaned from my own experience and from that of other people who adopted the practice naturally:

    1. Some people have an appetite switch that gets turned on for the day if they eat an early breakfast
    2. This subset of people, if eating ad libitum, will eat more throughout the day if they start the day with an early breakfast
    3. If this same subset of people simply skip/delay breakfast, that appetite switch doesn't get turned on, and their appetites are regulated, thus controlling their calorie intakes to a relative extent.

    Saying that, you still have to count calories. You can totally overeat past a caloric deficit doing IF by dint of food choice.

    There's no magic involved. If it suits you and your lifestyle have at it. Just don't buy into some of the nonsense being touted about its supposed "benefits".

    You don't have to count if the scale is going down. You can overeat doing IF and if the scale isn't going down, you should count. I've lost 57-lbs and maintained for two years doing a 20:4 for losing and 16:8 for maintenance and I always eat ad libitum when I eat.
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I've been eating that way for several years now. I like it because if I eat breakfast then I am hungry all morning.

    I'm the same way. If I eat breakfast, I'm hungry an hour later. If I skip breakfast I don't even think about lunch till at least noon.
    I much prefer a reasonable lunch and a big dinner than 3 or more smaller meals. Gotta do what works for you.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    blambo61 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I can't wait for all the mumbo jumbo about this to go away.

    Honestly, I'm a natural breakfast skipper who only eats 2 meals and a dessert a day, and it makes me want to pull my hair out.

    Forget ALLLLLLLL the BS claims, here's the bottom line, because I've been doing this since the 90's before it was a "thing". This is what I've gleaned from my own experience and from that of other people who adopted the practice naturally:

    1. Some people have an appetite switch that gets turned on for the day if they eat an early breakfast
    2. This subset of people, if eating ad libitum, will eat more throughout the day if they start the day with an early breakfast
    3. If this same subset of people simply skip/delay breakfast, that appetite switch doesn't get turned on, and their appetites are regulated, thus controlling their calorie intakes to a relative extent.

    Saying that, you still have to count calories. You can totally overeat past a caloric deficit doing IF by dint of food choice.

    There's no magic involved. If it suits you and your lifestyle have at it. Just don't buy into some of the nonsense being touted about its supposed "benefits".

    You don't have to count if the scale is going down. You can overeat doing IF and if the scale isn't going down, you should count. I've lost 57-lbs and maintained for two years doing a 20:4 for losing and 16:8 for maintenance and I always eat ad libitum when I eat.

    That's great. And true. And whatever. The point I was making is that restricting your eating a window doesn't necessarily restrict your intake to the right amount of calories to create a deficit.
  • jbbjbb2017
    jbbjbb2017 Posts: 10 Member
    edited December 2017
    I've been skipping breakfast for many, many years except for a morning cup of coffee. I think it has always helped me eat less. If it becomes a habit you don't notice it at all. I don't get very hungry until I think I'm about to have lunch.
  • OHFlamingo
    OHFlamingo Posts: 239 Member
    edited December 2017
    Skipping breakfast would never work for me; if I don't eat something right away when I wake up, I get a horrible headache and nauseous! Might be because I have GERD and tend towards low glucose levels, although I am not diabetic. But, what ever "game" works, without harming our health, so Good Luck to all!
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    edited December 2017
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    blambo61 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I can't wait for all the mumbo jumbo about this to go away.

    Honestly, I'm a natural breakfast skipper who only eats 2 meals and a dessert a day, and it makes me want to pull my hair out.

    Forget ALLLLLLLL the BS claims, here's the bottom line, because I've been doing this since the 90's before it was a "thing". This is what I've gleaned from my own experience and from that of other people who adopted the practice naturally:

    1. Some people have an appetite switch that gets turned on for the day if they eat an early breakfast
    2. This subset of people, if eating ad libitum, will eat more throughout the day if they start the day with an early breakfast
    3. If this same subset of people simply skip/delay breakfast, that appetite switch doesn't get turned on, and their appetites are regulated, thus controlling their calorie intakes to a relative extent.

    Saying that, you still have to count calories. You can totally overeat past a caloric deficit doing IF by dint of food choice.

    There's no magic involved. If it suits you and your lifestyle have at it. Just don't buy into some of the nonsense being touted about its supposed "benefits".

    You don't have to count if the scale is going down. You can overeat doing IF and if the scale isn't going down, you should count. I've lost 57-lbs and maintained for two years doing a 20:4 for losing and 16:8 for maintenance and I always eat ad libitum when I eat.

    That's great. And true. And whatever. The point I was making is that restricting your eating a window doesn't necessarily restrict your intake to the right amount of calories to create a deficit.

    You are right. It can be easy to overeat even in a short eating window. I would count if my weight didn't go down and I was eating in a short eating window but it hasn't been necessary for me fortunately.

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