What do you think of eating only 2 meals a day?

Nevergiveup_mfp2020

Hello Everyone

My goal is to lose fat. I have failed so many times!! I failed because I snack a lot and then this makes me wanna eat more and more. Yesterday I did 16/8 IF 2 meals a day for the first time. I felt really good! I wanna do this everyday. I had brunch around noon and I had my dinner at 7pm. I did not snack in between. I wasn’t hungry. For the first time I felt I can eat this way forever. The thing is I don’t know if eating 2 meals a day is healthy.
Pls advise me x

Hanibanani2020

As long as you’re hitting your calorie target and not going under fly free

janejellyroll

There are many people here who work with a limited eating window. I'm unsure how it could harm you (unless you've received instructions from a doctor that you need to eat more frequently due to a medical condition). Three meals a day and/or three meals with snacks is a made-up custom, your body doesn't automatically require food at a certain frequency.

missysippy930

Whatever works for you within your calorie budget. Unless there’s a medical reason for eating schedule.

HeidiCooksSupper

What time you eat, how many times you eat, and the relative sizes of meals has no long term effect on weight loss. Therefore, do what works for you. Figuring that out will take trial and error.

nanastaci2020

This works for some people. Not for all. Personally - its not for me. But I have a cousin who loves it, and her blood sugar levels and some other medical conditions have improved as a result of it.

lgfrie

There's nothing unhealthy about eating two meals a day. As long as you get the required nutrients the body does not care when they are delivered. The only issue is whether IF delivers additional health benefits beyond weight loss; that is hotly debated (and unresolved for now); I've never heard the inverse said, that IF could be bad for you.

I've been eating lunch @ noon, dinner @ 7, and a small snack in between for over a year. Never felt healthier, and this is the only approach that has ever enabled me to lose weight and keep it going strong for more than 4-6 weeks.

Do take note that when you do IF, it is important to take a look at the nutrients and make sure you're getting everything you need. With three meals and multiple snacks, the odds of missing something in your diet are pretty low. When your diet consists of two meals and no snacks, you really have to make sure those are healthy, well balanced meals. That's my 2 cents.

SeanD2407

2 meals a day or 10 meals a day. Doesn't matter. deficit matters. Do what works for you.

corinasue1143

I think it sounds awful. I eat 4 meals a day, and sometimes I snack in between.

But it doesn’t matter what I do.

What matters is if it works for you! Try it! If it really does help you, keep doing it.
And best of luck!

Leah_62803

I’ve been doing one meal a day (OMAD) for a month now and love it. It’s all about finding something that works for you.

Shortgirlrunning

When you eat, how many meals you break your food into...none of that really matters. Just do whatever works for you. 2 meals isn’t healthier or less healthy than any other number of meals.

Terytha

I usually only eat one to two. Some people eat 5 or 6. If you're getting enough calories and nutrition, the number of meals is arbitrary.

Nevergiveup_mfp2020

Thank you everyone for the replies x
Im gonna continue to eat 2 meals a day☺️

karahm78

I used to make myself eat breakfast, I believed the ol “most important meal of the day” idea. However I naturally am not hungry in the morning. So about a year ago I stopped eating breakfast and have only coffee until lunch. Never been happier and I get more calories for later in the day.

Do what works for you!!

MHarper522

I eat one meal a day - except on Sundays where I eat the normal 3 meals, because it's a full day I spent with my family and I enjoy the shared meals.

It helps with controlling my calories, and my personal experience is that it has helped with limiting my inflammation (I have psoriatic arthritis). It also simplifies things since I'm gluten intolerant and have to really be careful with what I eat.

Megan_smartiepants1970

I have coffee in the mornings ...then lunch and dinner...and sometimes nuts or ice coffee or a fruit smoothie for my munchies

dawkson2017

Hi.... I have a pot of black coffee on waking, a meal at 10 am ish, and a meal finished by 4pm ish. Kitchen cleaned up by 5pm. A pot of black tea for the rest of the night. No snacks, no treats. Daily calorie count average over a week is 1200 cals. Current weight: 52kg.... height: 5' 2" (157cm).
Works for me..... it does help that we are in Stay at home orders, and I live by myself....if you dont buy it, you cant eat it!

ninerbuff

2 meals a day is fine. That's what I do. No breakfast, just lunch and dinner. I do have snacks, but I'm well within my calorie deficit each day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hanibanani2020

For the last week I’ve started going vegan keto just for fun for the next month and have noticed after lunch I’m just not hungry so For the last few days I’ve eaten all my calories for breakfast and lunch with a tad left over for an afternoon snack. I feel much more satiated

Annie42019

To me nothing would be more unsustainable than splitting my calories over three meals a day. I started this with a strict no eating before noon policy. I save most of my calories 800-1000 for dinner ( out of 1250). This has worked beautifully for me. 75 pounds gone in 10 months. On maintenance for over a year. (I have one day a week where I eat 1800-2200 calories but otherwise stick to 1250). Works for me.

jajenkins1978

I've been doing a 14 hour intermittent fast each day. So, I think it's totally doable. Just make sure that you aren't starving your body of nutrients. Good luck on your journey!

swimmchick87

It's important to find what style of eating will help you stick to your goals long term. I don't know that I buy into the supposed "other benefits" of IF. But for me, it does help me significantly with feeling satisfied and sticking to my calorie goals. I used to try the small meals/grazing thing because at the time there was a lot of hype about how that was best, and you're not supposed to be hungry because you're eating all of the time.

Yes, I was eating all of the time, but I was ravenous all day long. I never ever felt satisfied, even though I was eating plenty of calories. It took me a long time to realize big, but less frequent meals are SO much better for me. Lately with mostly being at home I eat lunch and dinner, with both meals being about 700-800 calories each. When I was working (not from home) it depended on my plans for the evening but I preferred to save a big chunk of my calories for the evening. Sometimes I'd have a much smaller lunch (300 ish calories) and then have the freedom to go out to a restaurant for dinner and eat whatever I wanted (within reason, of course). Or even if I was eating at home, I liked having most of my calories in the evening when I could relax and enjoy them. I'd have a good sized dinner and sometimes dessert.

Love_2_Hike

I'm keto and fat-adapted, I only eat 1- 2 times a day.

paperpudding

Your total calories is what matters, not how they are divided.

Me personally - would not fare well on 2 meals per day. I do not like big meals.

I usually eat 5 meals per day, some bigger than others.

or 3 meals, 2 snacks if you want to label it that way.

caseydimples

I tried it and it didn't really suit me. I was starving by lunchtime and then would overeat the rest of the day. Maybe I could have put more effort into it but I realize I really like more meals a day than just one or two.

sianlr87

I often eat 2 meals on the weekend. Whatever works best for you.