Eating all your calories in one go?

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Maggie1960
Maggie1960 Posts: 322
in Health and Weight Loss
Someone I know has just told me that she never gets hungry during the day, she has a multi-vitamin tablet in the morning and survives all day on sparkling water or decaffeinated coffee, then in the evening, when she IS hungry, she will eat a big meal that works out at about 1500 - 2000 calories.

How can I tell her, without sounding patronising, that this isn't the best way? She's a few pounds overweight and wants to shift them, but can't face eating at time other than at the end of the day.
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  • cem789
    cem789 Posts: 231 Member
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    her stomach is probably trying to recover through the days for her feast the night before!! her metabolism will be low no doubt, why not ask her out for breakfast one morning, or lunch, and if you cook her dinner only give her a small amount so she is hungry in the morning!
  • saychzzz
    saychzzz Posts: 69 Member
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    you might want to point out that the body works kinda' like a wood heater. If you just have coals laying in the bottom all day, you'll never start up the fire to burn calories. Even if you only feed it a little wood (or food) during the day at different times, your fire will be more regular and burn more and better. You might also want to mention that every organ in the body needs energy to work properly and if you don't give it the proper energy throughout the day, it cannot function efficiently. This includes the brain- for memory and quick thinking- the immune sysytem for fighting off illness- the skin to protect the body- you name it. I used to be anti- breakfast. I get carsick and as a child I puked on the bus every day. If I didn't eat breakfast- there was nothing to puke up. It became a bad habit. I started making myself eat breakfast and I started noticing that my mind works much better throughout the day. I have much more energy and I sleep better. There is no law that says we have to eat 3 times a day but to give your body food on a regular basis is a healthy practice. Good luck!
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    I would start by just asking her if she wanted your advice on how to shed those few pounds that she's trying to lose. If she wants advice, give it to her straight up. No judgement. Just tell her how it is. If she doesn't, then don't bother.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    :grumble: Double post.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    TBH, this isn't really that horrible. In the end the most important thing is calories in versus calories out. If she just eats a little something in the morning, that's really the only change she needs to make. People make to big a deal of when you eat. It is definitely true, however, that not eating in the morning slows the metabolism and is hurting her chances of losing weight.

    One thing that gets me is the importance people put of how they feel. It doesn't mean a dam thing how you feel, including hungry and not hungry, in regards to whether you should be eating or not. I feel like a broken record, but if our bodies were doing a good job of telling us when and when not to eat, most of us would have never been overweight. Your brain is smarter then your stomach.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    There are many healthy people that eat one meal per day. The only problem that some people might have is the digestion process while laying down. If she has no digestion problem, and her weight is "normal"...what's the problem? This obviously works for her, after all she has stayed a relatively "normal" weight. As her body changes, she may find the need to change her habits but I would not try to force someone else to do something that "works" for Me/you. Actually, I think the way she eats is GREAT...I also eat one meal a day (in the evening), with fruit/protein drink during the day; I eat My meal before 8PM and I have no problems, I have lost over 80 lbs. in 12 months. Also, digestion is NOT equal to metabolism...when one eats or how often has nothing to do with metabolism, clearly her metabolism is working well because she is not fat or obese...1500 calories a day is 1500 calories a day no matter how she breaks it up (or don't) as long as she has the energy she needs there is no problem. What works for one won't work for everyone.
  • shygirlscents
    shygirlscents Posts: 2
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    I used to be guilty of eating a huge dinner and surviving on coffee and soda through the day...oh, and throw in a candy bar or two when I started to lag. BAD HABITS!! I recently (the last two weeks) have started cutting out the extra sugar and eating small meals through out the day. I started with a simple granola bar with my coffee and after two weeks I'm so hungry in the morning.

    Ask her if she wants your advice...and share accordingly. Ask if she warms up her car in the morning during the winter...if she does...then shouldn't she warm up her body to get it to run right with a little food in the am.

    Good Luck!!
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
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    I guess what works for her doesn't work for everyone and I know I couldn't go all day on no food at all. However she has asked me why she is finding it difficult to shed the pounds (about 10 - 12lbs) when I am visibly shrinking - woohoo, go me! - but always eating:laugh: Though when I say that, I eat every 2 - 3 hours and it's always healthy, low calorie stuff as anyone who peeks at my food diary can see.
    I suggested breaking her main meal into 3 smaller ones and eating throughout the day but she is totally resistant to this. So maybe she just needs to reduce the calories slightly in the one meal she has.

    I think I'll email her the link to MFP and let everyone else help her out!!!
  • macshetler
    macshetler Posts: 1
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    There is a guy who states that you can eat all of them at night.

    www.warriordiet.com
  • rochelleac8
    rochelleac8 Posts: 8 Member
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    i don't know that i have a suggestion as more of an 'issue' that is similar to this woman's. I calorie count ALL day long and then work out in the evenings. So some nights (especially Mondays) I may be RIGHT at my mark for cals and then hit the gym for a quick run, and then teach my ballet/jazz classes and I've suddenly burned 300 more cals. and i'm having to eat SOMETHING because i'm feeling totally depleted. Lately, Zumba has become my Monday-night work out. There is no "Zumba" listing here on MFP so I just use 'aerobics high intensity' and i end up burning about 1000 cals in an hour and then have to teach two classes and now i'm back to where i started because i just burned my my WHOLE day of food in 2 hours. So then i have to go home and chow down because its unhealthy to basically have eaten nothing (due to calorie burning).

    sigh...
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    Someone I know has just told me that she never gets hungry during the day, she has a multi-vitamin tablet in the morning and survives all day on sparkling water or decaffeinated coffee, then in the evening, when she IS hungry, she will eat a big meal that works out at about 1500 - 2000 calories.

    How can I tell her, without sounding patronising, that this isn't the best way? She's a few pounds overweight and wants to shift them, but can't face eating at time other than at the end of the day.

    Perhaps it is just her own way of managing her weight loss. It could be that she looks forwards, all day, to a nice big nosh-up in the evening and this looking forward stops her snacking in the day. After the meal, of course, she will be too stuffed to snack.

    For her it may work.

    I couldn't do it all that way, I have to admit, but if she is happy, leave her be.
  • daryls
    daryls Posts: 260
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    Is there an emotional component to eating more at night?

    For me it's the only meal I get to eat with my husband - so it is the largest one I eat. It's often the first time of the day where we can sit down together and talk. I know you are supposed to eat more in the morning, but I've never been a morning eater - even as a kid and teenager. I have to work really hard (mentally) to eat breakfast....

    Is she tired throughout the day? Has she seen a medical doctor or dietitian to discuss her nutrition and eating habits?
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
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    She doesn't complain of feeling tired and she's got bags of energy - she just never gets hungry until the evening when she eats a big meal. It's not to be sociable either, she's single. The only reason I asked on here is because I am currently the office weight-loss queen:bigsmile: and she specifically asked me how she can shed the pounds without changing her eating pattern.
  • paniolo5
    paniolo5 Posts: 186 Member
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    The answers seem to be focused on her food habits. Is she exercising at all? I do think breaking her calories up is a better way to go, but if she's not willing to change that, I would suggest exercise. If she's not doing anything physical now she might lose some weight by walking after her meal in the evening? Just a thought...
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    She doesn't complain of feeling tired and she's got bags of energy - she just never gets hungry until the evening when she eats a big meal. It's not to be sociable either, she's single. The only reason I asked on here is because I am currently the office weight-loss queen:bigsmile: and she specifically asked me how she can shed the pounds without changing her eating pattern.

    The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    She doesn't complain of feeling tired and she's got bags of energy - she just never gets hungry until the evening when she eats a big meal. It's not to be sociable either, she's single. The only reason I asked on here is because I am currently the office weight-loss queen:bigsmile: and she specifically asked me how she can shed the pounds without changing her eating pattern.

    I guess I would say she needs to either add more exercise, or eat less and/or lower calorie options. Sticking to the simple equation of calories in vs. out. If her nightly meal is too high in calories for her activity, she won't lose.
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
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    Perhaps it is just her own way of managing her weight loss. It could be that she looks forwards, all day, to a nice big nosh-up in the evening and this looking forward stops her snacking in the day. After the meal, of course, she will be too stuffed to snack.

    For her it may work.

    I couldn't do it all that way, I have to admit, but if she is happy, leave her be.

    She isn't happy though, hence me posting on here - I wasn't being dismissive of her eating habits.

    And the reason she spoke to me about her eating habits is because she's 10 - 12lbs too heavy and can't shift it.

    Everyone is entitled to eat what they want, when they want - I would never be judgemental about anyone in that way. If it suits someone to eat just once a day then that's great.


    But when someone eats all their calories in one sitting and then asks me for weight loss advice, I need to have some answers.
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
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    You don't really have to tell her anything (at least not in the, "do it this way" sense). How does everyone loose weight? by eating less calories than they burn. So just encourage her and suggest that she maybe curtail her diet by 100 or 200 calories. Since she is only eating once, she'll have to remove calories from that one meal. Cause and effect relationships as they are, she should be slightly hungrier slightly earlier in the day, so she'll need to add a small meal before dinner.

    I think in her case a little encouragement will go a lot farther than you think.
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
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    Sadly, she's a master of the game "Why Don't You/Yes But" and always has a reason why she can't exercise more or cut her calorie intake and always ends up saying 'oh I guess it must be genetic' and 'it's just impossible to lose weight for me':ohwell:

    Thanks for all the input anyway guys, much appreciated:smile:
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    Sadly, she's a master of the game "Why Don't You/Yes But" and always has a reason why she can't exercise more or cut her calorie intake and always ends up saying 'oh I guess it must be genetic' and 'it's just impossible to lose weight for me':ohwell:

    Thanks for all the input anyway guys, much appreciated:smile:

    You can only do what you can do. If someone will make excuses for any suggestions, they may not be ready to put in the effort. For that little amount of pounds, it is hard work to lose them - at least in most cases. If she only wants to eat one meal, doesn't want to exercise, or eat fewer calories/better foods, there's nothing more you can do. But good for looking out for her and trying to help.

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