One meal a day

jwooley13

Wow suddenly MFP is just teeming with biochemistry experts

SideSteel

If you're going to claim that fasting or breakfast skipping is detrimental specifically due to the order in which substrates are utilized (claiming essentially that you're increasing protein breakdown since muscle catabolism would occur at a higher rate) I think you'd need some data looking at net differences in skeletal muscle rather than trying to look at things in a snapshot.

Additionally, if total daily protein intake is sufficient you would need to consider the effects that large doses of protein have on blunting protein breakdown.

See here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3595342/

Basically, if you're eating one big-*kitten* meal of sufficient total daily protein intake then you're going to effectively blunt protein breakdown for a long period of time. And what we are really after is protein accretion (difference between synthesis and breakdown).

Finally, if there are all these supposed negative muscular effects from skipping breakfast, one would expect that to turn up in the literature in the form of reduced skeletal muscle or inferior body composition results when comparing a breakfast skipping or IF group to a more traditional approach. I've not seen that shown yet but if it's been done I'd like to see it. We do have some data looking at calories concentrated at night vs daytime but I'm not sure if these are completely fasted during the daytime.

Martin Berkhan has a handful of references here but I don't think we have enough total data that we can make any concrete recommendations about it: http://www.leangains.com/2011/06/is-late-night-eating-better-for-fat.html

Lastly, having this sort of discussion without mentioning effects on adherence and lifestyle factors seems beyond ridiculous especially for people who are training clients or advising others. While I don't think 1 meal per day is optimal for most people, if I have a client who is not an advanced athlete and they are truly able to maximize adherence, and they don't encounter any lifestyle or performance related detriments in consuming a single meal then I'm certainly going to stand behind that decision especially when the alternatives result in making their diet harder to stick to.

ydailey

Awesome if you happen to be a caveman.

stealthq

Wow suddenly MFP is just teeming with biochemistry experts

This doesn't require anything but a couple of undergrad classes in biochem. There's nothing expert-level here.

gem0692

hiya,
everyone is completely different they say if you only eat below a certain amount of calories then your metabolism slows down but everyone body reacts differently. the way you will tell is if you don't loose weight (this is when they call it body starvation mode) because you are consuming fewer calories than you need so your body stores in everything you do it (this is where your friend is correct as if you don't normally have breakfast and your body is in starvation mode then it will absorb the fat if you do have breakfast) but as I said everyone is different you will be able to tell over the next few months how your body is reacting also you may find yourself reaching for more carbs than health options.

A few years ago I lost a lot of weight over a period of 6-8 weeks (because I wasn't eating proper) and although it had taken me a few years to gain all the back at the time I would be constantly exhausted and ill and found myself not eating because I didn't want to gain the weight I had lost. and even though my body has put back on all the weight and I am now trying to loose weight sensible I am a lot happier being this weight than when I was before when I lost about 3 stone in 2 months (I ended up being underweight as I wasn't overweight to begin with).

If you want to do it this way I recommend when you get to your goal weight you slowly start adding in an extra meal or snack over a period of time until you start having 3 meals a day this will help your body adjust and maintain your weight.

VeryKatie

I agree with you! It's not going to mess up your metabolism. But make sure you hit your calorie goal! And do try to make sure to hit your macronutrient needs.

JoRocka

The above goes perfectly with the last paragraph of Sidesteel's post imo. You know that prolonged fasting periods would not work out well for you so it would not be a smart thing to do. You took into consideration your lifestyle and made the decision that was best for you.

PRECISELY!!!

good lord.

almost 10 pages and we are back to square one.

aarondavitian

So.......an appeal to the OP, and a bit of sane reason. Plus a couple opinions thrown in for good measure.

Its clear multiple strategies work for different reasons. Some are related to the diet or focus, but we are still all individuals and need to learn how our bodies respond to things based on our body composition, goals, etc...

Eating 6 meals a day in small portion with low fat is old school thinking. That being said, i know pros that still use these methods, and win competitions. So it isn't just as simple as 6 meals in there case.

Intermitent fasting in a few forms, is also proven at this point. As is carbohydrate loading either weekly or daily depending on goals.

You (like me), would prefer due to professioanl and personal reasons, to do more of an intermitent fasting approach. I think that is fine. I would however say there aresome downfalls with only doing one meal in the evening.

1) it is very likely you will have digestive problems. Your stomach acid, and gut, might deal with this oddly.

2) Are you getting enough nutrition, and a balance/variety?

3) Usuall on an IF diet, your largest meal of the day comes POST workout, not pre-yoga.

So like I said before, alot of different protocols work. You know what seems not to? Trying to combine multiple protocols. Something always seems to give.

My humble suggesting is fit in one more meal (a smaller one), and have some sort of snack somewhere. If you have to wake up at 4:00 AM....try this maybe.

Wake up. Coffeee or tea with a teaspoon of coconut oil and stevia if needed (whole leaf, or liquid. NOT truvia)

Pick a 6-8 hour window before you go to bed, and break your fast with a small meal or sme simple snacks. maybe a premade salad with chicken, or some leftover steak from the night before in a wrap? Something fatty. Then do your workout, and have your "big meal". You can have 2 meals at least, if not 2 and a snack in 6-8 hours, and you will fit in enough macros, and not screw with digestion too much.

People overlook digestion enough. Its not that you CANT digest a whole chicken......its SHOULD you digest a whole chicken.

Romyarts2014

I'm really not sure regularly eating a whole chicken is healthy. Chicken is healthy in moderation, sure, but using it most days as your primary source of calories?

ALRIGHHHHT I GUESS I SHOULD OF BEEN MORE CLEAR


I CAN EAT A WHOLE CHICKEN !!!


BUT I DONT... JUST ENOUGH FOR MY CALORIES


THANK YOUUUU

Romyarts2014

I'm really not sure regularly eating a whole chicken is healthy. Chicken is healthy in moderation, sure, but using it most days as your primary source of calories?

I am so screwed then, cause I have chicken like everyday, and sometimes twice a day

looks like we are both in the screwed boat :sad:

Romyarts2014

Reality is this.... Do what works for you. Some people like to eat a little, often. Some don't. I have lost weight on IF pretty quickly .. there are a lot of benefits for ME Personally (Not based on science article, just my personal experience)

When eating one meal a day I (again, just me) Feel:
- Its a real easy rule "DON'T EAT' -
don't have to worry about scheduling or planning the day of food so I don't go over. Not counting points or filling out
spreadsheets

-With Only 1 meal a day, I naturally want to make it an excellent one
I look forward to eating, and plan a great home cooked meal. I stop at the store and get fresh ingredients, try new recipes
more often. I don't have to plan/prep/cook 3 meals a day .. just one, the effort is lowered and the satisfaction is raised.

- I feel a lot more open to new foods and veggies I previously didn't like
I hated onions really hated them. When a recipe called for them, i would as little as possible. When fasting I could really
taste the sweetness of the onion like never before. Now I add them all the time, same with broccoli and peppers. Food does
seem to taste a lot different when fasting (again, FOR ME)

- If I eat a big meal at night, I can fall right to sleep
I am not super hungry at night as I used to be. I eat that one big meal and I am good for the rest of the night. I don't know if
anyone else tends to go over calories especially in the evening, but I used to all the time. I would do well all day and then
mess it up at night.

- Super easy to track
Because its one big meal its pretty easy to enter into MFP and be totally accurate. I didn't forget to add a snack or extra side
of ranch with lunch salad.

- Naturally become more resilient to temptation
I found once I could fast for a few days, I became more confident about saying no to food I used to eat all the time, that I really
loved.

- Blood sugar lower for longer
Please note: The following is what I have learned on my own internet research, as such it may or may not be true, please
take it with a grain salt
I found that fat oxidization levels are at a mere 10% - 20% percent after eating, at about 4 hours after eating they jump to 50%
and after 6 hours its up to 80%. The Idea being I want to burn more longer and as efficiently as possible. The moment you
you eat food, your blood sugar goes up and fat oxidization level drops to nearly nothing and has to restart that climb back to
the top. You could probably accomplish a similar result with a low glycemic index diet as well.

The list goes on and on... I have tried a lot "Diets" but this simple rule of DON'T EAT seems to have lead me to healthier eating habits not through a program or rules or policies but through my own inner-personal desire.

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Romyarts2014

I'm not going to jump in on all the health discussions here, but I would just throw this out there: I'm in nursing school too, and I have to wake up crazy freaking early for my clinical rotations (4am, to be exact). If I didn't eat anything until 13 hours after I woke up, I don't think I'd make it. I'd be a heap on the floor of the hospital by noon.


If you're going to be waking up really early for classes, or especially for clinicals, I wouldn't recommend not eating until such a late time. Plus, with clinicals, you often don't really have time to sit and eat a proper meal halfway through- you're not guaranteed any breaks! So I'd definitely suggest you eat something before hand, or you'll be experiencing first hand the symptoms of low blood sugar.

Agreed. As a former nursing student, you'll be waking up for clinical around 4 AM and will be at clinical from 7AM-7PM on the days you have 12 hour shifts. You'll be running around like a chicken with its head cut off the whole time. You'll be on your feet the entire time. You'll be lucky to get your lunch break at the allotted time, let alone a break at all; as patients are first priority. Some days you'll find yourself stuffing your face in between seeing patients.

Food=fuel. You will NEED that fuel to get you through clinical, meaning you likely won't make it to 5PM having only consumed water all day.

my body will adjust , however in europe we dont have these extreme clinical things yall do like in america. I went to school there as well and by the time i was done with a day i felt like i couldnt do another..
its very nice pace here. with 1 hour break. and school is 10 minutes from my house enough to get my one meal in
and water really fills me

Romyarts2014

Oh man I wish I had the discipline to do one meal a day, because that meal would be 1700ish calories of pure epic gluttony. Mmmmm.......

ill probably get roasted for this BUT.. mfp said to eat at 2,100 calories. ive been at 1200-1400 calories per day within that meal.
Today I had chicken breast, cesar salad, cucumber a little krab and the tinyest bit of yoghurt all was at 1220 calories.
water rest of the day.
it has not been hard waiting but its only because im constantly going doing excercise, going to a store etc..
Anyone can do it.

aarondavitian

Throw in some healthy fats, make a dressing from raw olive oil and apple cidar vinegar, take 2 tbl of fish oil a day or coconut oil in a smootie......but 1200 is no bueno.
It just isn't.

You could be hurting your results.

Romyarts2014

Ok so I re went through all of the comments. I think I will add in one snack through out the day with 200-300 calories to get some more calories in. I have been floating between 1200-1400 and MFP set me at 2100. However I think staying at around 1500-1600 calories might be best ?

Romyarts2014

WOAH HOW COOL!!!!!

So i guess this guy dosent count? looks like his metabolism is horrid


https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1257158/from-363-4-to-197-7-lbs-my-one-meal-a-day-success-story/p1


https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1241325/how-to-do-one-meal-a-day-the-basics/p1

Showcase_Brodown

As repackaged from the informed responses, one meal is fine, do what works for you. The important thing is total calories for the day (or week, if you prefer). I usually do 2 meals, in which I have no problem getting enough calories/nutrients. If you can cram it all into one and it's not bothering you to go without food for that long, do it.

Romyarts2014

I dont even need to do the snack. i can do what ive been doing but ad a juice or something to add cals

It violates all modern dietary advice, but this is how our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate since the time before humans could even be called humans. And this is the ONLY way I know of that basically guarantees that you will lose the weight and keep it off forever. Not only that, but you will feel better and be sick less. I am living proof. Here are the basics...

#1) Pick a goal weight range--not a weight, but a weight range of about 15 pounds since we humans are always in a state of flux. This will change as you get more confidence and approach where you first set out to be at.

#2) Weigh yourself to begin with. Weigh yourself when you wake up and use the same scale.

#3) Continue to weigh yourself ONLY ONCE every seven days. Don’t break this rule! Pick a day of the week and weigh yourself on that day without fail. Body weight fluctuates, so don’t weigh everyday. You will psych yourself out. For every 3,500 calories reduced over 7 days, that is generally 1 pound of body fat lost. You lose weekly, NOT daily. So weigh weekly.

#4) Set aside a 4-hour window to eat in. It should be the same time everyday. It can be morning, noon, or evening. It won’t change the results, but keep the same window everyday.

#5) Eat your one meal within your window always. Do not vary the times.

#6) Eat with "the 4 ones" in mind…

A. Only ONE meal per day - no snacking or anything with calories afterwards. Any medications or supplements can be taken with the meal. Eat whatever you want. You'll find you crave healthier foods as time passes and your stomach shrinks. Don't worry about that now. Just no "junk food" (i.e. foods like chips or candy that you'd never want to make a meal of anyway).

B. Eat ONE average-sized dinner plate completely filled up - including any desserts, sauces, etc. No eating from containers or bags, but fill up your plate. Don’t starve (there is a difference between being hungry and starving, btw). The idea is not to starve, but to shrink your stomach back to a reasonable size. This is especially important if you are a binge-eater and can consume six plate-fulls of food and thousands of calories per day. Don't try to overdo your efforts. Fill up. It is mightily difficult to get more than 1,700 calories on one plate. This is a form of de facto calorie-counting, but also invokes the fasting portion to reset and regulate blood-sugar levels and metabolism. This is why this plan works when others do not. There is a reason why every culture the world over has historically had fasting as an integral part of their regimens. It helps the mind and body.

C. Have ONE calorie beverage with the meal - this will help get your calories (beer, milk, or juices, but should generally be no more than 12 to 16 oz in size). Save the calorie-free beverages for later as meal replacements. You want your body to associate them with no insulin production.

D. Finish within ONE hour. Eat and be done with it.

#7) After the meal, only calorie-free liquid consumption can be had, like water, coffee, and teas. Diet sodas and water enhancers are also an option, but teas and coffees are preferred since they aid in weight loss tremendously and have next to no calories at all. It is best, however, to vary your beverages since you build up resistance to the weight loss effects if done every single day. Mix them up.

*** If you are diabetic and have unsafe blood-sugar drops, you can use juices to raise it back up, but only if medically necessary to do so. You don’t want your pancreas active during fasting. ***

#8) At least twice a week at meals, consume 1 cup of the juice of your choice with two tablespoons of raw, un-distilled apple cider vinegar. This is an old folk remedy, but will help enormously in losing weight. It makes the body more alkaline and has a plentitude of health benefits.

#9) Allow one splurge day per week. For this splurge, you still eat one meal, but ignore the one-plate/one-beverage rules. Try not to gorge, but it’s ok if you do (generally, when you are more thirsty than hungry, you can stop eating). The splurge will push your metabolism into high gear and help to make up for any deficiencies. Vary your splurge days, but never have two splurge days back to back unless you are close to your goal weight.

#10) Do not deviate from any of the above rules. You can have what you want, but you only have 23 hours at the longest until your next meal. Don’t get talked out of it. OMAD doesn’t “teach your body to store fat,” does not “mess up your metabolism,” and is not “unhealthy.” Don’t listen to the parrots. They only know what they hear from the nonsense dietary wisdom of their time, which happens to be false.

This will work if you do it. “The shakes” will go away and you’ll feel better as the weeks progress, although the first week will be difficult. It is no different from a drug addict having to detox. You must learn to break your dependence on food. Your following your cravings and psychological eating is what made you need to lose weight in the first place, not pigging out at Thanksgiving. By eating at the same time everyday, you will never again struggle with weight for as long as you do this. But your body will always go for what it is IN your stomach instead of ON your stomach if you keep up the multiple feedings. This is why those who carry on about eating multiple times a day either don’t lose weight, or don’t lose beyond a certain point. Serious weight loss requires being a little hungry, even though this is against modern dietary advice.

This demands some sacrifice, yes, but the difficulty passes, and it calls for less sacrifice than merely “moderating” portions three times a day. It is precisely because this is difficult that you know it will work--because anything worth anything costs something. Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does. For you, you eat once a day. Stick to that resolution and the pounds will fall right off!