Eating the majority of my calories in one sitting

skinnywoofwoof

Hi Everyone.

I have been trying to lose this bloody weight for 6 years now. I tried all sorts. crash diets, healthy eating, 5 small meals a day, cutting carbs. Nothing works. Not because its not a good diet but because I give up. I have thought of a way that might work and would like some feedback. I know it isn't the healthiest or cleanest way to eat,but I am 222 pounds and 25 years old. I need to change my life. I have thought of doing the following.

Eating a very very light breakfast or lunch of around 100-200 calories. Only one meal. Either breakfast or lunch. Maybe 1 or two cups of tea in between with no sugar.

Then save up all my calories and have a nice dinner and dessert of around 1000 calories. I think this would work so well for me as I would feel like I can eat a normal dinner with my boyfriend and not feel deprived all the time. I could also have the occasional take away and not feel like I am ruining anything.

What do you guys think?

TavistockToad

That only adds up to 1100-1200 cals? You probably don't need to eat so little. Are you planning on any exercise?

skinnywoofwoof

I can't exercise at the moment as I'm doing physio on my knees as the kneecaps are not in the right position. I will eating around 1300 calories per day and it is always a struggle to eat under this but I have quite a slow metabolism and even eating at this level I only lose around a pound a week.

TavistockToad

I can't exercise at the moment as I'm doing physio on my knees as the kneecaps are not in the right position. I will eating around 1300 calories per day and it is always a struggle to eat under this but I have quite a slow metabolism and even eating at this level I only lose around a pound a week.

Only 1lb per week? 1lb per week is great! It's not a race, slow and steady will keep it off....

jadethief

Hi Everyone.

I have been trying to lose this bloody weight for 6 years now. I tried all sorts. crash diets, healthy eating, 5 small meals a day, cutting carbs. Nothing works. Not because its not a good diet but because I give up. I have thought of a way that might work and would like some feedback. I know it isn't the healthiest or cleanest way to eat,but I am 222 pounds and 25 years old. I need to change my life. I have thought of doing the following.

Eating a very very light breakfast or lunch of around 100-200 calories. Only one meal. Either breakfast or lunch. Maybe 1 or two cups of tea in between with no sugar.

Then save up all my calories and have a nice dinner and dessert of around 1000 calories. I think this would work so well for me as I would feel like I can eat a normal dinner with my boyfriend and not feel deprived all the time. I could also have the occasional take away and not feel like I am ruining anything.

What do you guys think?

My breakfast during the week is usually around 200 calories, my lunch around 400. And then I have the remaining 1000 to 1600 calories (depends on how active I've been during the day) for the evening.

On the weekends, it's usually a later breakfast of around 400 calories and then an earlier dinner with the remaining calories.

eta: didn't catch that you were only eating 2 meals.

LouiseB1991

Why not try making healthier versions of the dinner and lower fat desserts? If you go on bbc good food you can search for dessert recipes by setting the calories. And remember to have smaller portions than your boyfriend as men need a higher calorie intake

JamiesMummyX

You're just gonna be starving every day until dinner time. If you're ok with that and it'll work for you then go for it. Eventually your body will get used too it.

Only thing is though, I wouldn't think your body would be getting all the different vitamins and things it needs in a dinner meal every day.

Could you not split it into 2 meals, 600 each, have 400 calories of whatever for lunch, with 200 calories of salad, then same for dinner, 400 calories of whatever with 200 calories of vegetables. You'd be surprised how much food 200 calories is in veg and salad.

ThePlight

Edit: Posted this in the wrong place, please ignore this post

SeriousBen

I eat around 200-250 calories for breakfast, no lunch and then around 1000 calories for dinner. I keep 100-150 for a late snack. I do try to eat healthy stuff though, no junk.

I'm doing this because I'm not very hungry in the morning, I get hungry in the afternoon and when it's dinner time, I really enjoy a full satisfying meal. I find it way more rewarding than various small meals/snacks during the day.

Works well so far for me: ~40 lbs lost in 3 months.

One thing though: I don't cheat.

susannamarie

As long as you can control yourself doing that -- some people, when they don't eat during the day, get to the evening and NOM ALL THE FOODS -- it will be as good as any other.

I usually eat two big meals a day and maybe a snack in between.

lacroyx

This is what I do with my night shift job. During my work week I typically eat all of my calories at work and have been steadily losing weight just fine.

stickytapir

This is what I do, and I feel satisfied and never hungry.

I don't eat breakfast, because I never really am hungry until it's lunch. On the off chance I do have breakfast, it's usually a cup of tea and 2 of those Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. Dude, I love those. 4 biscuits is around 240 calories and they have a decent amount of fibre as well Lunch is around 200-300 calories, then I have dinner which can range from 600-900 calories, and I fill in my remaining calories with some snacks to round it out. I work on a 1430 calorie plan

rdianemu

This is similar to what I do. If you can keep it under control at night it works great. I like to feel full once a day instead of starved all day. Try it for a week or so. If it works great. If not keep trying things out. You will find the right strategy before long.

trunkfish

The best thing I've found - particularly for digestion - is to eat an amount at each meal that leaves you feeling you could eat more and doesn't make your stomach feel stretched or uncomfortable. I like to feel that I could get up and run quite hard for a bus after a meal - not that I'm stuffed and need to lie down. For that reason I try and make each meal about 400 calories, plus snacks and then lose about 400 of those calories through daily exercise.

If you eat a lot in one go you're asking your kidneys etc to work hard digesting that and your stomach may not shrink to the point where it just doesn't want as much food. But if it works for you - it works for you!

When I lost a lot of weight in the past, I just couldn't 'stomach' (literally) the amount of food I was eating before and my portion sizes when down by half for lunch and dinner. I only generally eat a bowl of porridge in the morning anyway, so breakfast is easy for the calories. Good Luck!

JesterMFP

Try it, and see if it works for you. I do something similar in that I usually don't eat until about 1pm, but I have about 4-500 calories then. I have the majority of my calories in the evening. Suits me pretty well. 1 lb a week loss is great.

JesterMFP

The best thing I've found - particularly for digestion - is to eat an amount at each meal that leaves you feeling you could eat more and doesn't make your stomach feel stretched or uncomfortable. I like to feel that I could get up and run quite hard for a bus after a meal - not that I'm stuffed and need to lie down. For that reason I try and make each meal about 400 calories, plus snacks and then lose about 400 of those calories through daily exercise.

I think this is one of those things that comes down to personal preference. Some people really hate feeling full, some people can't stand feeling the slightest bit hungry. Personally, I like feeling very full (although not stuffed or uncomfortable or like I need to lie down, but pretty full), and I don't mind the feeling I have when I haven't eaten for 16 or so hours. I quite like building up an appetite. I don't like that feeling of never quite being full and never quite being hungry. I like to have just enough at lunchtime to keep me going, and then to go to bed feeling nice and full.

Watching other people eat, I sometimes wonder if some of those people that never seem to struggle with their weight are the ones that really hate feeling too full, and so don't overeat because it just feels too uncomfortable.

Eleonora91

I don't think that's the best idea for you. If you've tried having 5 meals a day with not much success, I think that having just 1 big meal a day would leave you ravenous for the rest of the time. Especially if you're overweight and you've been used to eat, this would be pretty much like going on a crash diet. The only reason they recommend you to eat a little often when you're on a diet is because the less hungry you feel, the better it works. If the problem is that you give up after you've started, maybe you should seek for help from a nutritionist especially if you can't workout yet. Sometimes we can't do it all by ourselves.

jmayerovitch

I've done what you're doing with pretty good success before. It worked well for me during periods when I couldn't exercise a lot.

PooksInBoots

It really doesn't matter when you get your calories over the course of the day. I'm a two-meal a day eater (a latte made with almond or coconut milk for breakfast, a small lunch, and a larger dinner with wine and sometimes dessert), and I've lost 41lbs doing it. It really depends on how your body feels doing it. If not eating for an extended period of time is something that feels good for you, go for it. If it doesn't feel good, try something different. There will be many people on this site telling you that you have to eat over regular intervals, and if that works for them, that's great. However, some of the leanest people on the site practice a version of intermittent fasting (which is what we're talking about here).

Do what feels right for you!

featherbrained

Yes, perfectly healthy, and perfect for you if you think it will work for you. This is essentially IF, intermittent fasting. My only suggestion would be to throw in a couple of higher calorie days throughout the week, to up your weekly average a bit. This will keep things moving, and keep you feeling good about what you're doing.

I'm not an expert on the number of calories. I do firmly believe that the larger you are, the fewer you can eat. But you will have to readjust as you move down the scale.

I am using IF, and on only 2 fast days a week (granted, my fast days I only eat 500cals, and more like 1400 to 1600 the rest of the week) I've lost 23 lbs in 4 weeks. With almost no exercise (not by choice, due to injury/illness) I love it. It is easy for me to not think about food for those two days. I wish I could fast every single day, but THAT would not be healthy! So I just pre-log the other 5 days.

I had gotten to the point where nothing was working for me, and I've tried everything. Doing this, it's been like hitting a reset button on my body, and in the second week (the one I was able to workout in) I lost 12lbs.

Good luck.

SeriousBen

Some people really hate feeling full, some people can't stand feeling the slightest bit hungry. Personally, I like feeling very full (although not stuffed or uncomfortable or like I need to lie down, but pretty full), and I don't mind the feeling I have when I haven't eaten for 16 or so hours. I quite like building up an appetite.

We're pretty similar on this. Being hungry during the day is fine for me, what I truly dislike is being hungry AFTER a meal. I find it frustrating and that's why I prefer to eat most of my calories in one single meal.

susannamarie

Some people really hate feeling full, some people can't stand feeling the slightest bit hungry. Personally, I like feeling very full (although not stuffed or uncomfortable or like I need to lie down, but pretty full), and I don't mind the feeling I have when I haven't eaten for 16 or so hours. I quite like building up an appetite.

We're pretty similar on this. Being hungry during the day is fine for me, what I truly dislike is being hungry AFTER a meal. I find it frustrating and that's why I prefer to eat most of my calories in one single meal.

Right, if I'm hungry after a meal, it's sort of like I've primed the pump for more food and I'll never be able to stop now.

Francl27

Doesn't matter when you eat them. Just weigh your food and log it and stay under your calories.

You can probably eat around 1600 calories easily though.

healthyhappywarrior

For me, i'm fairly active and maintain on around 1800 calories. I eat around 200-300 calories for breakfast, 300-400 for lunch, and i have a small snack before dinner. This leaves me with around 1000 calories left for dinner. Dinner for me is around 500 calories. I save that extra 500 calories for one of those Friendly's sundae cups - yummm! I can't resist! This is what i've been doing for awhile. It won't make you gain, so I'm assuming it won't make you lose. I, like you, was concerned about that, so I asked my nutritionist about it. Apparently, it doesn't matter when you eat your calories. So whatever is most comfortable for you and your schedule and lifestyle!

lindsey1979

I think it really comes down to personal preference. A lot of IFers do this and it works well for them. I do it on my fasting days and it's shockingly easy. For me, it's much easier to fast and I save the calories for dinner. Others, really need to break it up into several smaller meals. It all comes down to what works for you.