Two meals a day?

caretheaton

I started my Invisalign treatment on Friday and, oh boy, it has been a rough few days. Taking those aligner trays out of my mouth and putting them back in ranks as some of the worst pain I have ever felt. I can already tell that I am not going to want to do it more than a couple of times a day.

I have to take the trays out to eat or drink anything other than water, and they are suppose to be in for at least 20, optimally 22, hours a day, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for meals. Pre-Invisalign, I had been eating 5 meals a day- 3 small meals +2 snacks. Now, I'm eating 2 large meals- one mid-day, one evening. The plus side is that it has completely halted all snacking. The downside is that I am afraid my metabolism is going to freak out.

So my question to you all is: What are your feelings on eating only two meals a day? Should I just suck it up and put another meal/snack in there to keep my metabolism going, or do you think I could still loose weight at a consistant rate with only two meals a day? Anyone been down a similar road before and have some tips?

Thanks!

onelilredhen

i know my son in law lost weight while doing invisalign, and he wasnt needing or wanting to, he felt that it was such a hassle to take them out and brush afterward, he worked at different sites, so he did not carry oral hygiene items with him.... i know that is not what weight loss experts suggest, but sometimes thats what happened....

avenathus

There are a lot of people who have healthy metabolisms on just 2 meals a day. It's often referred to as "intermittent fasting" and it's been shown to have quite a few health and fitness benefits. I learned a lot about IF from Martin Berkhan; here is his guide to the "Leangains" eating protocol which I have found to be a good resource: http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

As for myself, I've been eating 3 meals per day for a few weeks now with minimal snacking. (If you go to my diary you'll see that I put food in the snacks category but that's just because I'm lazy and go to "most used"... but really I eat my "snacks" with my meals heh.) It has really benefitted me! I feel a lot fuller and more satisfied when I eat, and I believe it has helped me get leaner, as well as increasing my workout performance. And it's nice not having to worry about eating snacks all day long. I'd say as long as you are getting all your cals and your macros, you should be fine!

Tayla_Grant

protien shakes... and I used to work for an orthodontist. I used to make those invisalign retainers, and if you wear them like you are doing they work wonders! I used them as well and I promise that the "aching and soreness" that you have now will only last a few days longer. Your mouth will start to adjust to the new retainer and then when you go in for your next fitting, the same thing will happen all over, but trust me, the end result is spectacular so it's well worth it. Definitely would recommend having protien shakes . Good luck!

Qarol

It really depends. Some people are better off with a lot of little meals throughout the day. Some are better off with two (my doctor has said this). I'm of the two meal variety, if you don't count my morning coffee as breakfast.

KeyMasterOfGozer

Actual studies done to test the idea that eating lots of small meals instead of a few larger ones seem to show that you gain no benefit from eating more frequently, given that you eat the same total amount of food. This is an often repeated myth. I'm not sure where it originally came from.

There is no need to force yourself to eat a bunch of time during the day. I only eat twice a day myself and I'm hitting my goal of 2 pounds per week lost, at least so far.

glittersoul

I don't think it is going to harm your progress. This is what a lot of people do for intermittent fasting.

greatdragon

I have been eating 2 meals a day since high school, I gained weight when I was working 16hour days at a data center with no time to exercise and free pop stocked by the office.

the biggest issue is that it can cause more highs and lows in your blood sugar levels. In some people this cause an increased fat storage and less energy. my suggestion would be to add something like Cinnamon supplements to your routine as its been proven to help stabilize blood sugar levels. and if your start having low energy in the morning or afternoons some vitamin B.

photorific

My son's ortho told him he can eat with the trays in... she said it actually is a bit better, as they're so tight that food can't get in. She just said to stay away from soda, etc when they're in.

greatdragon

where the many small meals a day came from is 2 parts

1) its been proven that your metabolism kicks up after you eat for a while, so the idea came about that by eating smaller meals more often it keep your metabolism ramped up all day

2) more small meals keeps your blood sugar a more balanced levels ( Less highs and Lows ). but in most people the highs and lows are not an issue, but in some it causes your body to store more as it triggers your bodies starvation reflex.

Pangui

When I started MFP I was eating only two meals per day. That's because I was having problems eating too much food. Whenever I started eating, I couldn't stop myself until I was really full. Having two large meals allowed me to eat until I felt full without going over my calorie goals for the day. It was working and I was losing about a pound a week. Then I completely changed up my diet and eliminated all dairy and cheese and added fats. My cravings and urges to binge went away and I was able to snack in between meals and add breakfast back in and still stay within the same calorie limits. My weight loss rate more than doubled and I am now losing about 2+ pounds a week.

So in my one instance, I could have made either approach work, but I was doing it much faster with more meals than with just two. However, I cannot conclude if it was the spreading out of the meals that sped up my metabolism or if it was the change to a healthier diet since both changes were made simultaneously.

caretheaton

Thanks so much, everyone! I was slighly freaking out about it, but now I feel better knowing that other people have been able to loose weight on two meals. I am also hypoglycemic, so I'll try the protein shake and cinnamon supplement suggestions to help keep my blood sugar regulated in between meals!

amart17

Trust me, the first few days of invisalign are terrible, but they'll pass.. I've had trays in going on a year now, and believe me, the first few days are still easily the worst. Afterwards, it gets alot easier to tak them out and put them back in. My eating wasn't hampered in any way by them. It'll get better, believe me, and I would stick to a minimum of three meals a day.