How bad is it to eat once a day?

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redraidergirl2009
redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a friend who weights 165, 5'2", basically my old starting weight. She only eats one or two meals a day. I don't know how she does it. How bad is it to eat only once or twice a day?

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  • inspiration345
    inspiration345 Posts: 218 Member
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    I don't think it matters as long as she is eating enough calories in her one or two meals. I used to eat like that for several years when I was younger and I was slim. After my bf moved in with me we have 3 meals a day and I gained a lot of weight.
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
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    You have to remember, that everyone's body works differently. I for one couldn't manage just eating once or twice a day, if it works for your friend, good for them!!
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
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    to be honest on a weekend i find i do this because i have lazy days where i wake up about 11-12 then have one big lunch/dinner meal and thats it. but during the week im very strict on lunch breakfast and dinner with the odd snack in between!
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 965 Member
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    My personal logics suggests that if you're only eating once a day, though still getting enough cals, you'll probably end up storing more of that than you need too because you're body wont know when it's next meal is, but I dont have any evidence to back that up, and I have a feeling I read something recently that contradicted that.

    I expect it can't be good for blood sugar/energy levels though.
  • Blackthorne99
    Blackthorne99 Posts: 250 Member
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    Depends on what you mean by 'bad'.

    Ever been down to your last dollar and payday was 3 days away? You know how you scrimp and cut corners until then? Well, your body does the same thing. If it doesn't know when it's going to get it's next deposit, it starts to slow down. It cuts corners in terms of energy, and the quality of 'non-essential' processes like skin tone, strong & healthy hair & nails, etc. Minor injuries may not heal as quickly or as well. Your body temperature may run low. And it may not be immediately noticeable - maybe you're running at 92% instead of a 100 - but it adds up. It may choose to slow your metabolism down and store excess energy as fat in case the famine is coming.

    When you train your body that you're going to feed it regularly several times a day, it knows it has energy to do everything it needs to do, and it will splurge expending extra calories on things like replacing skin cells, keeping you warm, keeping you awake & alert.

    The key is - if you used to eat once a day, you cannot consume the same size meals. You still need to eat the same amount of food, but in smaller quantities at each meal. Twelve hundred calories in one meal is 400 calories in three meals - but if you're used to eating 1200, you may feel like you're starving yourself by only eating 600, but if you do that 3x a day, you're actually taking in an extra 600 calories a day than before.
  • etchvee
    etchvee Posts: 9
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    eating 1 or 2 meals a day is OK -- 1 meal a day is tough. 1 big and 1 small meal is much more doable and sustainable. what's important is your total calorie intake and the time of day when you consume. my formula for calorie distribution is 50% at breakfast, 30% at late lunch, and 20% at dinner. lost 30 lbs with that. good luck.

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