Skipping meals??

Admiral_Derp

I'M GOING TO USE CAPS TO MAKE A POINT EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON

If nutrient intake is kept constant, meal timing will have no effect on the person. However, for the sake of argument, lets say there's some small benefit to eating one way versus the other.

That benefit you might gain from only eating while standing on your head when the hour is a prime number and the minute*pi is an integer is GREATLY outweighed by the benefits you'll see from increasing your ability to adhere to that diet.

For me, that means (right now with my schedule) eating very little during the day (usually nothing before 2PM) and having a large dinner. For my wife, that means eating a small breakfast, a medium sized lunch and dinner, and having both a midmorning and afternoon snack.

Find what timing protocol suits your lifestyle, get adequate nutrition from the food you eat, and stick with it.

Far healthier and more important than b*tching about how IF is unhealthy and will kill you after it melts your brain and eyeballs.

theryan244

Yes, you're wrong. Intermittent Fasting is a form of "skipping meals", and it's perfectly healthy.

First off, let me be clear. I"m not trying to dis anybody. As I said, occasionally skipping meals here and there is one thing...Heck, I usually end up only eating two meals on the weekends. On a daily basis is what I was speaking of. Also I am seeing people that are constantly eating one meal a day. THAT cannot be healthy.

People here are ****s Trisha.
It isn't healthy. Your body will not burn fat at a consistant rate, and you will not keep your metabolism high. Ocassionally is okay, all the time isn't. You're right to be concerned.

Stop. This is not even remotely close to the truth. I do not understand why this is even an issue of debate.

PrimalSiren

Yes, you're wrong. Intermittent Fasting is a form of "skipping meals", and it's perfectly healthy.

First off, let me be clear. I"m not trying to dis anybody. As I said, occasionally skipping meals here and there is one thing...Heck, I usually end up only eating two meals on the weekends. On a daily basis is what I was speaking of. Also I am seeing people that are constantly eating one meal a day. THAT cannot be healthy.

I am on the other side of the fence, I think eating 6 meals a day is highly unhealthy. Who wants to spend all day eating? No wonder people have such a hard time losing weight, they spend the entire day eating! I've been doing a daily IF every day for over a year and I prefer it. My PCOS has disappeared and I was finally able to lose all the weight I had packed on eating those 6 small meals a day. I only eat when I'm hungry, if that means once or twice a day then so be it. If I go under calories every once in a while I'm not going to die. My calories and macros always balance out at the end of the week.

Lconsla

The whole concept of skipping a meal eludes me. I never do it. Sometimes I've been known to joke "I want lunch now. I didn't get this fat by skipping meals!" Seriously, skipping meals doesn't work for me. Seems very short-term and bound to fail over the long haul.

^^this! Actually I never use to eat breakfast, and now i eat it everyday. And I notice i have much more energy, and not only that but by the time 10 am rolled around I would spend the next two hours doing nothing but thinking about lunch. It makes a HUGE difference...

Nessiechickie

I eat when I'm hungry plain and simple... if the tummy ain't talking it's sleeping and best to leave it alone.
I have a very sensitive stomach, gets upset easily, gasy , etc

Pipil503

Perfect answer except for all the "big worded" lingo. The diet plan which one can easily follow is the best one for you.

lizlkbg

Sometimes throughout the workday I "snack" instead of eating a lunch because I bill hourly so eat while working. So it might look as though I skipped lunch but my "snack" category is pretty hefty.

WhoTheHellIsBen

anyone who skips a meal doesn't have something like this

hot dogs + sharp cheddar + lean hamburg + Thick cut hickory bacon + Sweet Baby rays bbq sauce + TURTLE BURGERS!



made mac n cheese with bacon bits stuffed jalapeno meatloaf wrapped in apple cider cured BACON!! It...was...epic!!!!

lizlkbg

That looks like a turd-le burger...

WhoTheHellIsBen

That looks like a turd-le burger...

hater

lizlkbg

That looks like a turd-le burger...

hater

Didn't say I wouldn't eat it.

weird_me2

anyone who skips a meal doesn't have something like this

hot dogs + sharp cheddar + lean hamburg + Thick cut hickory bacon + Sweet Baby rays bbq sauce + TURTLE BURGERS!



made mac n cheese with bacon bits stuffed jalapeno meatloaf wrapped in apple cider cured BACON!! It...was...epic!!!!

Mmm...bacon, cheese....

My thought is that anyone who eats 6 times a day doesn't have something like that...I do IF so that I CAN have stuff like that. WAY easier to fit it in to my macros if I'm only eating approx. 2 times per day. I mean, if you eat 6 times a day, you can have, what 2 bites of that for your meal?

professorRAT

That looks like a turd-le burger...

hater

Didn't say I wouldn't eat it.

True, she didn't. I would say stuffing bacon wrapped meatloaf with mac n cheese borders on pure genius.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Weekly debate here on MFP hey? Okay so for once I will add my 2 cents...for the little it's worth....


When I started my journey 17 months ago, I went with the whole "I'm fat because I don't eat breakfast theory" (I'm not a breakfast fan unless it's really yummy super fattening brunch type stuff) so I started eating the whole 6 small meals day thing. It worked. I wrote down my calories daily in my little notebook and off I went. I eventually started to exercise and became hungrier. I eventually became obsessed with food. With those 6 small meals a day. All I could think about was my next "fix" (meaning when the eff did I get to eat again?). I started playing with weights. I was still writing everything down.

At this point I had learned some lessons. I learned proper portion sizes. I learned how to fuel my body to perform. I learned that the reason I got fat was NOT because I skipped breakfast, lunch, or both, but because when I did eat I filled my face with junk and far too much of that junk.

I researched LeanGains and found that I could identify with the approach so I started a 14/10 routine (fast for 14 hours, eating window of 10). It has worked wonders for me and I feel SATISFIED. Now that am following the StrongLifts program, my needs might change....maybe I will have to start to eat breakfast, but maybe I won't. I will make adjustments as my body needs them.

Moral of the story is this:

1) Calories in vs calories out. TEF is TEF is TEF. 20 meals or 2....same poop different pile.

2) Magazines and talk shows and articles often reference the 5-6 small meals/day as a STARTING point. To give people guidance. Many of us got fat because we didn't know when to stop or chose not to stop and we also didn't make good nutritional choices. Many of us thought/think that "dieting" means being deprived. If you are eating 5-6 small meals per day, you are more than likely happy just because you are eating.

3) Do what works for YOU. If you think it might, try it, if it doesn't work, then move on to something else. Further, if what you are doing is working for you then stick with it.

4) This journey is often not linear and depending on your goals, you *may* have to change things up. That's okay. Be open to other thought processes.

5) Don't get stuck as a little cog in a big wheel. Take a theory you are not familiar with and educate yourself. You never know if one day that information might be applicable to you!

I think that is all. Good luck to everyone, regardless the route they choose.


Sidenote:

a) Debating SideSteel really is laughable. I definitely got a good giggle out of that one.

ETA: If you eat your supper at 6pm but don't eat breakfast until 6am the next day, you have *gasp* FASTED for 12 hours! And if you don't eat breakfast until 10am you have OMG fasted for 16 hours! :drinker:


Let the good times roll!

DamnImASexyBitch

ETA: If you eat your supper at 6pm but don't eat breakfast until 6am the next day, you have *gasp* FASTED for 12 hours! And if you don't eat breakfast until 10am you have OMG fasted for 16 hours! :drinker:

Or gasp you slept! You can't eat 24/7 and it's not fasting just because something isn't in your mouth.

geebusuk

So if I eat an evening meal at 6pm, get 8 hours sleep at night and have breakfast at 10am the next day; it's not 'fasting', or 'skipping a meal'?

What if I eat breakfast at 1pm, then my last food of the day at 9pm; and repeat?

Which would be, ya'know... around what most people are talking about when they say 'skipping breakfast'!

trishaswiss

I am amazed how people attack each other around here. Why anyone is getting nasty I don't get...we are all working toward the same goal. Like I said in my second post: Everyone has to do what works for them, and I just hope they are being healthy about it. In no way was I judging anyone, like someone said. I was simply asking the question is it healthy to frequently skip meals. I was under the impression that it is not. Guess it does work for some people, and more power to them. I'm new to this whole MFP thing, so I wanted to get some opinions. If you believe in this IF, good for you! If you don't, good for you. We have to do what works for ourselves.

honkytonks85

I am noticing that an awful lot of people are skipping meals daily, and some are skipping multiple meals. That doesn't seem like the best way to stay under your calories. I can see skipping a meal if you're busy or plain old not hungry...but on a daily basis? Not super healthy, am I wrong??

Why are all the IF dieters getting their knickers in a knot for..... All OP was asking is why people are skipping meals and that it doesn't seem healthy.... she didn't post to point out IF dieters in specific, she just posted what she has come across....

Some MFP members really peeve me off... Why tell people what you are doing is right and what someone else is doing is wrong??? Are we all not here for the same reason?? And just because what you are doing works for YOUR body doesn’t mean it will work for someone else’s body!!! Stick to what works for you and leave other people to diet how they choose....

HAS NOBODY EVER HEARD THE SAYING DIFFRENT STROKES FOR DIFFRENT FOLKS???

I am pretty sure all of the IF'ers here have said do whatever works for you. What makes us frustrated is when someone makes a statement like "skipping meals will make your metabolism slow down" which isn't at all true, and it annoys us that people would rather ignore science and believe something their local fitness rag says. I don't care how many times a day a person eats, but it has been proved already that meal frequency has no impact on fat loss or gain, it is calories in vs calories out and also the macro nutrient content of your food that makes a difference.

If you hadn't noticed, the original post was criticising people for skipping meals. Of course we're going to disagree.

I don't think anybody here is being nasty. They are just debunking the myth that eating 6 meals a day is the best 'way' for everyone.

theryan244

I am noticing that an awful lot of people are skipping meals daily, and some are skipping multiple meals. That doesn't seem like the best way to stay under your calories. I can see skipping a meal if you're busy or plain old not hungry...but on a daily basis? Not super healthy, am I wrong??

Why are all the IF dieters getting their knickers in a knot for..... All OP was asking is why people are skipping meals and that it doesn't seem healthy.... she didn't post to point out IF dieters in specific, she just posted what she has come across....

Some MFP members really peeve me off... Why tell people what you are doing is right and what someone else is doing is wrong??? Are we all not here for the same reason?? And just because what you are doing works for YOUR body doesn’t mean it will work for someone else’s body!!! Stick to what works for you and leave other people to diet how they choose....

HAS NOBODY EVER HEARD THE SAYING DIFFRENT STROKES FOR DIFFRENT FOLKS???

I am pretty sure all of the IF'ers here have said do whatever works for you. What makes us frustrated is when someone makes a statement like "skipping meals will make your metabolism slow down" which isn't at all true, and it annoys us that people would rather ignore science and believe something their local fitness rag says. I don't care how many times a day a person eats, but it has been proved already that meal frequency has no impact on fat loss or gain, it is calories in vs calories out and also the macro nutrient content of your food that makes a difference.

If you hadn't noticed, the original post was criticising people for skipping meals. Of course we're going to disagree.

I don't think anybody here is being nasty. They are just debunking the myth that eating 6 meals a day is the best 'way' for everyone.

This ↑... Or you can just keep believing you're some kind of special snowflake and the universal laws of thermodynamics don't apply to you. Until a more thorough, truthful understanding is reached, I'm likely going to continue getting frustrated when people make fallacious claims and attempt to pass them off as truth... And probably piss people off inadvertently on MPF.

tigersword

ETA: If you eat your supper at 6pm but don't eat breakfast until 6am the next day, you have *gasp* FASTED for 12 hours! And if you don't eat breakfast until 10am you have OMG fasted for 16 hours! :drinker:

Or gasp you slept! You can't eat 24/7 and it's not fasting just because something isn't in your mouth.

Um, huh? Do you know what fasting is? The human body has 2 states, it is either fed, or it is fasting. If food is in your stomach or small intestine, you are fed. If food is not in your stomach or small intestine, you are fasting. It takes roughly 6 hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine, into your large intestine. That means anytime you go longer than 6 hours without food, you are fasting. Which means you fast when you sleep, particularly if you don't eat directly before going to sleep, or immediately after waking.


So yes, it IS fasting.