Eating once a day?
scitz0
Posts: 2 Member
Do people really do this? Eat within their calorie deficit but only eating once a day?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
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Replies
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Do people really do this? Eat within their calorie deficit but only eating once a day?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
I'm sure some do but it's not for me. I eat several times a day, every couple hours or else I get the shakes. I do stop eating at around 7-8 pm and start up again at around 7-8 am6 -
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Instead of just having one meal to be in caloric deficit i suggest u do intermittent fasting and have eating window if that what u seeking for14
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pierinifitness wrote: »
Well I’m not exactly sure, sorry I’m very new to all this. What time did you eat your meal? Was it one big meal or a large-ish meal with some snacks after? Were you only drinking water?
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Fasting of any type doesn't do anything special for weight management. Some people do it because they either naturally prefer to eat that way, or they personally find it easier to meet their calorie goal that way. If that's how you prefer to eat, then it might be a good approach for you; otherwise, there's no reason to do it.25
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I eat one meal a day, plus snacks. I'm not sure if that's what you mean by eating once a day, or if you mean one meal and no snacks.
I don't do it for health or diet reasons. I just like not having to worry about if my dinner will go over, and I've never eaten breakfast and usually forget about lunch until it's about 3 PM anyway. It's easier for me to eat snacks and allow myself a big dinner (often about 1000 calories) than to try to force myself to eat more meals. I used to eat later, but I've been trying to eat at 5 PM lately, in hopes that the rush of energy from the meal will be gone by bedtime.6 -
I've done OMAD ("one meal a day"). It's pretty hard. If you're interested in fasting, that is probably not the best way to start. You might wanna think about 14:10 - a ten hour eating window, such as 9 am to 7 pm. From there, you can decide if it's right for you and fine-tune the approach as you go. Obviously, the wider the eating window, the easier it is to comply with. A lot of us fasters end up at 16:8 - an eight hour window, like 11 am to 7 pm - which for many is the sweet spot between fasting and not torturing yourself. I've been happily doing 16:8 for months, 7 days a week. I really like it, not only for dieting, but perhaps as a long term lifestyle change.
You aren't going to get any extra calorie burn from fasting, per se. It mostly helps with appetite (which plummets once you get used to fasting, after a couple weeks), dieting discipline (i.e. complying with the calorie limit each day), and learning to just be hungry some of the time w/o taking action by eating food, which is a huge benefit of intermittent fasting and an extremely useful skill to have when you're trying to lose weight.
There are some other health benefits, not related to weight loss, that are debated and not universally agreed upon. I've had two doctors mention fasting favorably, not in relation to weight loss but other things, and that's good enough for me. For every claim about IF, there are people on both sides of the issue, so you should get up to speed on the various viewpoints as you go forth with fasting.7 -
My “natural” tendency towards food is binging. Unfortunately once I start I eat a lot! Not necessarily unhealthy things just way too much too often. So, I use IF to curb this. I eat once a day. The main part of my day I drink black coffee, water, an occasional monster sugar free drink. I rarely feel hunger during this time. Then I eat a large supper(today I get a 16oz steak plus veggies and salad and 1-2vodka sodas) and usually a snack/dessert all within about a 2 hour time frame. Today’s dessert is berries and a protein shake. I don’t find getting my calories in difficult. Today will be 1600. And it keeps me full and happy. I like not having to think about food or plan any other meals, and this way I am not skimping on calories trying to save for the evening when I know if I am hungry I will find a bag of cookies to eat and then whatever else I can get my hands on.6
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Do people really do this? Eat within their calorie deficit but only eating once a day?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
There is a dedicated, fairly active OMAD group, here's the link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/20634-omad-revolution3 -
I drink coffee with a splash of cream one to three times a day between morning and evening. Then, in the evening, I eat my main meal, which is very satisfying because it has more calories. However, I don't eat just once a day, because I add cream to my coffee.
I am beginning to incorporate alternate day fasting, however, which means I go every other day without food, just drinking water--no tea or coffee either.12 -
I personally cannot because I always wake up hungry. I find it hard to concentrate throughout the day without breakfast or lunch. I also hate how bloated I feel after a large meal! Maybe ask your doctor about it? It could be unsafe if you have blood sugar spikes.1
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Ehhh this is tough!1
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Fasting of any type doesn't do anything special for weight management. Some people do it because they either naturally prefer to eat that way, or they personally find it easier to meet their calorie goal that way. If that's how you prefer to eat, then it might be a good approach for you; otherwise, there's no reason to do it.
I personally do it Bc I have trouble getting enough sleep...so if I stop eating by 8:30, I get to bed earlier (10) and get a full night’s rest. I find when I get more sleep, I can be more active, focused, and I meet my goals better...
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Do people really do this? Eat within their calorie deficit but only eating once a day?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
I've done it numerous times, the first couple of days might be hard so I suggest you do it on days when you aren't at a job. I ate in the morning, I never tried in the afternoon or evening.0 -
Do people really do this? Eat within their calorie deficit but only eating once a day?
If you do, could you please offer some advice?
I cozy up to the line by eating 90 percent of my calories at lunch and I have a small snack later in the afternoon. This is very natural for me and I have a strong understanding of nutrition.
I do benefit from eating this way but only with calorie control. I am currently losing weight but this has not enhanced my fat burning at all. I lose weight at the same rate that someone who eats 6 meals a day would with the same level of calorie deficit.
The internet is full of hype about fasting that is bogus or unverified. If you want to experiment with it then give it a try but don't be miserable for no good reason. If it looks like you might do well with it you will really need to manage your nutrition until you have established a good routine.5 -
I used to be a one meal a day person due to high workload but now I’m a grazer.1
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Fasting of any type doesn't do anything special for weight management. Some people do it because they either naturally prefer to eat that way, or they personally find it easier to meet their calorie goal that way. If that's how you prefer to eat, then it might be a good approach for you; otherwise, there's no reason to do it.
You answer a question that wasn’t asked.
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pierinifitness wrote: »
Well I’m not exactly sure, sorry I’m very new to all this. What time did you eat your meal? Was it one big meal or a large-ish meal with some snacks after? Were you only drinking water?
Sorry for my belated reply, out and about today. To answer your questions:
I began eating each day at sunset and ate within a 2-hour or less eating period. I didn’t consider what I ate as being snacks. I had a big meal during this period and generally ate maintenance-level calories since I was at my ideal weight range (5 lb. range.). I lost a few lbs. during this 45 day period which was Lent 2019.
I drank a single cup of black coffee in the morning and water only the rest of the 22-hour fasting people.
I believe I’ve answered your questions.10 -
Yes. Yes. I did; found out it was an unsustainable weight loss/weight control model for me as via trial and error I learned eating twice a day, >6 hours apart, is what works best for me. YMMV. If curious, give it a try. Who knows, you might discover you like and thrive on it.1
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Some of our ancestors were lucky to have one full satiating meal day over thousands of years. If it suits you, why not?4
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Um really? Is your body designed for this? Isn't the healthy thing to regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. My sister used to eat one big fast food meal per day and has type 2 diabetes ten years later. Not really sure about this... Granted quality food that is made of veggies and lean protein and slow carbs would always be healthier. I personally would be a grouch on this plan! After saying that, yes other people may love this. Been around the block before. Still worried, yep a Mom, about your blood sugar.18
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pierinifitness wrote: »Fasting of any type doesn't do anything special for weight management. Some people do it because they either naturally prefer to eat that way, or they personally find it easier to meet their calorie goal that way. If that's how you prefer to eat, then it might be a good approach for you; otherwise, there's no reason to do it.
You answer a question that wasn’t asked.
Good thing on a public forum people are free to offer any information they think may be relevant to what the poster was inquiring about as long as it’s within the terms of service. Perhaps you don’t care for the response because you feel it isn’t a blind and exuberant testimonial to your preferred method?
OP it may be helpful if you clarify what piqued your interest about OMAD in the first place. What are your goals? What is your current approach? What challenges do you find with what you’re doing today?
While yes some people choose OMAD because they like having a very narrow window of calorie intake, others find it difficult to get adequate nutrition in a single meal regardless of your calorie goal.22 -
I do it and I love it. I was never a breakfast person and I used to make myself eat it because I bought the myth about it being important for weight loss/metabolism/whatever. Now I skip lunch too and I like not thinking about what I'll eat during my work day (I just don't!). I get plenty of calories in my "fed" window. I suppose I technically do 20:4 (20 fasted:4 eating) most of the time but it's often just dinner then I'm done. Since I'm tracking calories I don't worry too much about the window being exactly four hours. If I'm hungry before bedtime I'll eat more.
Meal timing is totally a you do you thing.6 -
I can't do it. I am T2Dm and my blood sugar spikes if I don't eat. That may seem counter intuitive but if the body does not get regular fuel, it will draw glycogen from the muscles (aka a glucose dump) and send it throughout the bloodstream. In non diabetic people it often works fine. In diabetics it can cause a spike.
OP, if you have no health conditions and you feel it is a way you can be satisfied and eat at the proper calorie deficit go for it. You can try it for a week and see what happens. There is no right or wrong way, in general, to space out your meals.2 -
If it suits you, sure. I doubt it suits most. I'd have a hard time consuming a reasonable number of calories if I also got sufficient fiber, protein, and veg (personally I like to have 10+ servings of veg). Granted, it's not hard to consume maintenance cals if one doesn't care what one eats.
I don't get this focus these days on trying to fit some recommended eating pattern. I'd say figure out what eating pattern makes it easiest for you to eat the right number of cals and healthfully and don't otherwise worry about it. It's not like it makes you more virtuous or more skilled or what not to eat in a smaller period of the day.
I hated it when the advice was too often "eat a bunch of mini meals or 5-6 times a day), as I dislike eating that often and am not satisfied (I prefer eating 2-3 times a day). I also now hate when people act like it's some big thing and preferable to eat in a narrow window or once a day. I think that's great for those who prefer it, but there's no reason to bother if you don't, and other things, like being satisfied, eating healthfully, and eating with friends and family if that's something that matters to you (it's more historically what happened to have a cultural/communal schedule than having a personalized eating schedule).
I also find it eye-rolling when people act like it's some advanced skill or impressive feat to eat once a day, but for whatever reason that's always been pretty easy for me. It's just when I did that for a period of years I didn't eat particularly well, and when I've done that for religious fasting it's been easy enough that I decided to do full day fasts. But I have weird hunger signals, probably. Nevertheless, not eating for a longer period of time is not a skill to pride oneself on, that's messed up.6 -
youngmomtaz wrote: »My “natural” tendency towards food is binging.
This is why I eat once a day. I can 'binge' on my one meal and not feel guilty because it's near impossible for me to go over my calorie limit for that day. It's definitely not for everyone though and it took me a couple weeks to get use to only eating during that time but it's what I prefer now. I've never liked eating breakfast, I'm not at home 5 days a week for lunch so I just eat supper and then I'm full the rest of the night. Works great for me, I'm down 30 pounds.
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I did it for awhile last year. I was successful in keeping my weight trending down, but still had to track/weigh/measure my food. I struggled to get enough protein.
It worked for awhile and I thought I had found what worked for me - but a move to a different part of the country completely changed my living situation for the better, and now it's not hard for me to cook or store frozen meals, so I've gone back to eating more frequently.
I'm also far more active now than I was then, so my calorie needs have increased, and I would have really struggled to eat my full day's calories in one sitting with my current activity levels.
Reasons I did OMAD included the fact that I was doing a lot of eating out, and I enjoy a big meal when I sit down to eat. It was nearly impossible to lose weight with how my lifestyle was while still eating 2-3 meals+snacks. I was also traveling a fair bit, and again, with my lower activity level, it was easier to stay in a slight deficit while eating out regularly/on the road. I had 3 other adults I shared my house with at the time, so cooking was very difficult and not at all enjoyable, so I tended to avoid it. I also couldn't store much food with 4 people trying to share one normal sized fridge/freezer, and trying to go grocery shopping with our parking situation was also very difficult!
It's certainly not for everyone, and takes some getting used to and flexibility to see what version works best for you. It served a purpose for me for a time, and was a helpful tool in my toolbox, that I now know I can use if I need to.2 -
I eat once a day for no particular reason. I just am not hungry right away in the morning and get too busy in during the day to remember to eat lunch (teacher...). I've tried meal planning, but it usually ends up with 3-5 uneaten lunches in the fridge at the end of the week. I do drink a fair amount of water to keep me going, and don't deny myself a healthy snack or a lunch break if the opportunity presents itself. It just kinda is the way it works for me.1
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I also find it eye-rolling when people act like it's some advanced skill or impressive feat to eat once a day, but for whatever reason that's always been pretty easy for me. It's just when I did that for a period of years I didn't eat particularly well, and when I've done that for religious fasting it's been easy enough that I decided to do full day fasts. But I have weird hunger signals, probably. Nevertheless, not eating for a longer period of time is not a skill to pride oneself on, that's messed up.
I definitely agree with this but then I don't understand this social media driven age of attention seeking for workaday activities/talents.
It is not special to me. It is not even that surprising that I can do it even though I choose not to do it fully. Like you I have odd hunger signals to the degree that on 2 occasions I have accidentally fasted for a full day. It happened years ago. Each time was when my wife was not home and I assumed I had eaten earlier in the day and I had not. Missing meals was too common during the first years of running my own business.
You would think something like that would have given me an advantage and insurance from gaining weight but as it turns out it does not. If you miss enough meals you can create a overfeed cycle and shoot way past the calories you missed.
I have channeled it back into an advantage for myself now but it has to be paired with mindful decisions which puts it back on the level of a person that eats 3 meals. It always comes back to calorie management.
Oh and I can eat most of my maintenance calories in a single meal which means I can eat in a surplus in a single meal too.
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