Eating once per day

Angelabec

I don't do this during the week, because I am still at work or travelling at the time I want to be eating, and I don't really want to eat that large a meal so late in the evening. However, it works for me at the weekends. I might eat some yoghurt or fruit during the day, and several cups of coffee, and then a decent meal around 5pm, which leaves me calories over for a few drinks and snacks if I want them later on. It doesn't seem to have done me much harm, and if I wasn't working, or finished earlier I may well eat like this all of the time.

However, it is always very much a case of horses for courses, what works for some doesn't work for others, and people really do need to be tolerant of each other.

rileysowner

Can I ask what the point of fasting is? I eat a lot of food(low calorie clean food) and I am losing weight and my diet is something I can stick to for the rest of my life. Why would you do this type of technique unless you were training for something and you have to weigh in at a certain weight at a given time? Like a mma fighter for example. This type of diet is not long term and I am willing to bet most people who lose a lot of weight this way will end up putting it back on at some point.

Not trying to be a ****...just would like the logic behind it and learn from why you think it's the way to go!

First of all if you are having success with your current plan then I wouldn't change it regardless of what I or anyone else says about IF.

In my opinion, the biggest reason to do IF is satiety. Eating 2000 calories in 1 or 2 meals doesn't feel like dieting AT ALL. It feels like eating really big-*kitten* meals, and it's amazing for some people.

Most people get used to the fasting portion because ghrelin (hunger signaling hormone) is somewhat adaptive to behavior.

Oh yeah I found something I like, I used to eat once a day because I was un healthy and eating MCD's all the time and then I switched to my current lifestyle and it is amazing.

I just seem to think this fasting thing would be better suited to people in shape or maintaining instead of over weight people like myself. The way I see it is this, I got over weight by unhealthy eating habbits and now I am eating the way I intend to eat for the rest of my life. Fasting and eating big portions seems to be a short term thing. Especcially for big people because they will lose weight but once they reach their goal, they will probably start eating more during the day and put it back on.

BTW not saying my way is right and you guys are wrong...just curious

If you are like most of us (probably all of us here) it is not just "unhealthy" (whatever that is) eating habits, it is because of too many calories in a day eating habits. There is not any reason a person who is Intermittent Fasting would not eat "healthy" From what I have seen the vast majority eat as healthy as anyone here on MFP. It is simply recognizing two facts, 1) When you eat, that is meal frequency, is pretty much irrelevant in terms of metabolism (eating more or less frequently doesn't effect your overall metabolism for the day at all), weight loss, or much else 2) What is important is that you feel satisfied with what you are eating so you can maintain that eating plan. Yes, IF is not for everyone, although there are hormonal benefits from short term periods of fasting like 18-24 or ever 36 hours, but you can lose weight and fat without those just as well. Yet, for people like me who cannot be satisfied with a bunch of 200-300 calorie meals throughout the day without constantly feeling hungry, or those who cannot fit that sort of eating into their schedule, or those who find the 5-6 meals a day thing unsustainable for other reasons, IF may be just the ticket to a lifelong way of eating that allows them to keep their calories where they need them for weight loss or maintenance.

For me it works, and works well. It is when, due to outside pressure, I go back to 3 meals a day with a traditional morning breakfast, that I find I struggle against the urge to eat constantly through the day. That doesn't mean it will work for everyone, but it is not "unhealthy" or "unsustainable" in and of itself.

teagin2002

All in moderation. Balance is key right?
I think that's a good plan when you know you're going to have a high calorie meal (dinner party, etc)
What i'll do is munch on really light snacks like grapes or salad (without dressing) so i dont go into starvation and get delirious.

Starvation mode is a myth. You know that right?

but the side effects of being hungry are real.

^^ for me. I couldn't do IF...I get lightheaded, shaky and dizzy if I don't eat every 2 to three hours (except when sleeping). It works great for some, not for others!!

You are getting the lightheaded, shaky and dizzy feelings if you don't eat every couple of hours due to the high carb (processed grains).

maybe not. could be simple hypoglycemia. some people just get low blood sugar if they go for long periods without eating. I wouldn't simply write it off and just carb related. Which hypoglycemia kind of is. The only thing to treat hypoglycemia is carbs :huh: That being said the only way to know for sure would be to see your doctor or check your blood sugar when you are feeling shaky/dizzy. I have a friend that has to eat every few hours because her blood sugar will drop but if I am busy I could go all day without eating. I think they secretly teach you in nursing school how to go all day witout eating or doing to the bathroom :laugh: If I'm busy I can get hungry but forget about it. Same with having to pee. If I'm busy I can totally forget I need to go. Now for a quick joke. All nurses will think its funny and pretty true :bigsmile:

The body of a dead nurse washed up on the banks of (insert whatever body of water you prefer). Do you know how they knew it was a nurse? Her stomach was empty, her bladder was full, and she had her butt chewed off. :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Sorry :flowerforyou:

I must say I have been diagnosed years ago with hypoglycemia and I am doing a 24 hr fast starting Suday @ 7:30pm ending 7:30pm on Monday.
I take that time to worry and take care of other aspects of my health (there than food and exercise) and I love it. I haven't gotten any dizziness at all and I know I still do get it on days I am not fasting and lifting for more than 2 hrs. I am the person riding the stationary bike and eating a protein bar or an apple at the gym after my lifting lol...

I am finding that I feel more content on days I am not fasting and struggling less mentally, especially that is one of the aspects of my health I focus on in that 24 hr fast. I also take the time to care for my skin and pamper myself with facials and homemade bath creations and such.

I am loving it and I actually feel stronger in my body as well.

I hope this helps :flowerforyou:

magnum6

I follow a 16/8 intermittent fast schedule now - 16 hours fasting - 8 hours eating, every day. Works well for me. I understand there is controversy around this approach. Great e-book here:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

I drink about 40 ounces of brewed green tea in the morning and BCAA's around 10:30/11am. Then eating my entire 1500 calories for the day in an 8 our window is actually quite filling and I don't go to bed feeling hungry.

One last note - General (ret) Stanley McCrystal, West Pointer, Special Forces, Commander in Afghanistan, eats only 1 meal per day and he is in better shape at nearly 60 years old than I've ever been in my life. The point being - everyone is an individual. Read the research, give it a try, and decide what works for you.

Hmrjmr1

Yep

kylesmommy89

I tend to do this a lot. But, not eating NOTHING all day. I usually eat really light my first 2 meals and then eat whatever I want in the evenings and stay under my calorie goal. I enjoy it so much more on days when I do this. I feel a little deprived if I have to eat very small portions the entire day. Saving my calories for the evenings makes me feel normal and I can actually feel satisfied

yesthistime

Fasting is very bad. It's dangerous. It serves no purpose. It does not help your health, weight loss or anything else. As to eating once a day = that's just stupid. The human body is designed to eat a number of times throughout the day. Small, healthy meals. This keeps the blood sugar and the metabolism is good working order. Eating once a day will screw up your system and do a good deal of damage.

Sheesh, ma'am. Have you lost a loved one to fasting or something?

Anywhooo, thanks everyone for your first-person accounts and research suggestions. I really appreciate it:flowerforyou:

LA723

Fasting is very bad. It's dangerous. It serves no purpose. It does not help your health, weight loss or anything else. As to eating once a day = that's just stupid. The human body is designed to eat a number of times throughout the day. Small, healthy meals. This keeps the blood sugar and the metabolism is good working order. Eating once a day will screw up your system and do a good deal of damage.

The only thing stupid here is this post

The body isn't designed to graze like we do. Back in the day we'd kill and eat once or twice a day at most and grab the odd berry/vegetable that was growing wild.

A few thousand years isn't enough to change human evolution.

We also died in our 20s and 30s. :bigsmile:

I'm not saying that LF is bad or unhealthy, but we don't live AT ALL like cave men did. So why should we model their diet?

Emilia6909

I have always done this not even knowing there was a name for it until this week! I guess much is due to the fact that it is hot where I am and appetite goes out the window in summer. It results in going for as long as 8 hours just drinking water & herbal ice tea! Me loves it!

Phrak

Fasting is very bad. It's dangerous. It serves no purpose. It does not help your health, weight loss or anything else. As to eating once a day = that's just stupid. The human body is designed to eat a number of times throughout the day. Small, healthy meals. This keeps the blood sugar and the metabolism is good working order. Eating once a day will screw up your system and do a good deal of damage.

The only thing stupid here is this post

The body isn't designed to graze like we do. Back in the day we'd kill and eat once or twice a day at most and grab the odd berry/vegetable that was growing wild.

A few thousand years isn't enough to change human evolution.

We also died in our 20s and 30s. :bigsmile:

I'm not saying that LF is bad or unhealthy, but we don't live AT ALL like cave men did. So why should we model their diet?

They lived a much harder life, that was physically more taxing on their systems compared to what we live today. Access to proper amounts of food wasnt available, healthcare etc etc etc. The way they ate probably had little to do with how long they lived.

Ambrogio1

Fasting is for TARTS!!



I just happen to be one of them. Hour 19 of my 24 hour today. I shall then eat steaks, shrimp, healthy pizza, sweet potatos, asparagus and a big OLD FAT SLICE OF CH CAKE!

Knocking on single digit body fat thanks to fasting
and somehow I get stronger weekly

DOH.

Phrak

Knocking on single digit body fat thanks to fasting
and somehow I get stronger weekly
DOH.

Not quite single digit bodyfat, but i did manage to deadlift 750lbs last week. Fasting makes you weak i guess.

Thriceshy

I am very interested in hearing from those who fast during the day and only eat at night, or eat most or all of your calories as one larger meal each day. I would like to know real accounts from people who eat this way, including why you do it, benefits vs. costs of this eating style, what your meals look like, effects on your weight/muscle mass, etc.

Now to sit back and wade through all of the "Don't do this, because you'll be fat and die" comments to get to the answers I am looking for.... Thanks in advance! :flowerforyou:

I guess this is what I do--I have a bar and a piece of fruit for breakfast, then a bar and maybe some Planter's nuts mix or more fruit for lunch, and then I have a largish dinner. Heavy on the veggies, of course: tonight, I"m having Dreamfields pasta with parmesan-garlic sauce and clams with salad, julienned carrots and squash, and fresh grated asiago and parmesan. Last night was lightly breaded, baked fish (homemade breading), steamed snow peas, baked (no oil) butternut squash, salad, and spinach. It's how I do most days because I don't tend to be very hungry earlier in the day--dinner is both about food and about being with my family, so we make it the big one.

Seems to be working for me just fine, and it's in keeping with my natural tendencies anyway--again, I'm more an evening eater. I like being not full during the day, which makes me more likely to climb on the bike or go walking. Won't work for everyone, but it does the job for me.

narrington77

I didn't realize there was a name for what i did!.. intriguing!.. and if it is called Intermittent Fasting, i have to admit that i do feel better getting a nice healthy meal later in the day.. i've never been a breakfast eater and it was hard doing it after i initially started dieting a few years ago... now i feel i'm going to eat when i'm hungry.. i have coffee in the AM, a Slimfast shake for lunch, a snack between and a really yummy healthy meal for dinner... its worked... what can i say?

snaus70

I am so glad to read these posts about eating during a 6hr period or so. I haven't been doing this on purpose, but since tracking my food have found that I am hungry from around 7am-noon, eat constantly for those 5 hours (about 1000 cal total) and then have a light snack every few hours the rest of the day. Cardio in the evenings and I net around1200 cal so I was worried that I was being a very unhealthy binge eater by eating mostly during a 5 hr period.

escloflowneCHANGED

If you are like most of us (probably all of us here) it is not just "unhealthy" (whatever that is) eating habits, it is because of too many calories in a day eating habits. There is not any reason a person who is Intermittent Fasting would not eat "healthy" From what I have seen the vast majority eat as healthy as anyone here on MFP. It is simply recognizing two facts, 1) When you eat, that is meal frequency, is pretty much irrelevant in terms of metabolism (eating more or less frequently doesn't effect your overall metabolism for the day at all), weight loss, or much else 2) What is important is that you feel satisfied with what you are eating so you can maintain that eating plan. Yes, IF is not for everyone, although there are hormonal benefits from short term periods of fasting like 18-24 or ever 36 hours, but you can lose weight and fat without those just as well. Yet, for people like me who cannot be satisfied with a bunch of 200-300 calorie meals throughout the day without constantly feeling hungry, or those who cannot fit that sort of eating into their schedule, or those who find the 5-6 meals a day thing unsustainable for other reasons, IF may be just the ticket to a lifelong way of eating that allows them to keep their calories where they need them for weight loss or maintenance.

For me it works, and works well. It is when, due to outside pressure, I go back to 3 meals a day with a traditional morning breakfast, that I find I struggle against the urge to eat constantly through the day. That doesn't mean it will work for everyone, but it is not "unhealthy" or "unsustainable" in and of itself.

Unhealthy eating habits would be eating fast food 3 times a week even if you stay in your calories...it would still be unhealthy!

InvidiaXII

Curious bump. I eat small meals throughout the day and it's working well for me, but I find it fascinating to hear what works for others.

rileysowner

If you are like most of us (probably all of us here) it is not just "unhealthy" (whatever that is) eating habits, it is because of too many calories in a day eating habits.

Unhealthy eating habits would be eating fast food 3 times a week even if you stay in your calories...it would still be unhealthy!

Just curious, why is 3 times a week somehow unhealthy as opposed to say 2 times? I think the documentary Fat Heads pretty much shows you can even eat healthy at fast food restaurants.

LA723

Fasting is very bad. It's dangerous. It serves no purpose. It does not help your health, weight loss or anything else. As to eating once a day = that's just stupid. The human body is designed to eat a number of times throughout the day. Small, healthy meals. This keeps the blood sugar and the metabolism is good working order. Eating once a day will screw up your system and do a good deal of damage.

The only thing stupid here is this post

The body isn't designed to graze like we do. Back in the day we'd kill and eat once or twice a day at most and grab the odd berry/vegetable that was growing wild.

A few thousand years isn't enough to change human evolution.

We also died in our 20s and 30s. :bigsmile:

I'm not saying that LF is bad or unhealthy, but we don't live AT ALL like cave men did. So why should we model their diet?

They lived a much harder life, that was physically more taxing on their systems compared to what we live today. Access to proper amounts of food wasnt available, healthcare etc etc etc. The way they ate probably had little to do with how long they lived.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm not an archaeologist. I just think defending a lifestyle choice by citing the lives of cavemen and/or people in third world countries isn't an altogether prudent way of going about such decisions.

Jenny_MSW

I didn't read everyone's post so hopefully no one already said this, but there is a book called the Warrior Diet that is about this. It's based on early humans who were hunter/gatherers and prepared one meal in the evening after hunting and everything all day. This was not an obese society, but of course they were very active... Anyway, my husband eats like this a lot or he will juice fast during the days and eat a meal at night for a variation on that. Just throwing it out there.