intermittent fasting/one meal a day

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newoutlook2014
newoutlook2014 Posts: 68 Member
in Food and Nutrition
has anyone done this? how do you find it for losing weight? i'm not really a breakfast person and I think I could happily eat one main meal a day with a couple snacks, and limit the time frame in which I eat those meals...

what's other people's experience of this particular lifestyle?
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Replies

  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
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    Works for some people but not for others. I think theres a few people on here who pack all their calories in between 2pm and 8pm? You must make sure you are still eating enough though because if you get used to not eating some people find themselves eating less and less and then they are essentially starving themselves. If you have good enough self control and can trust yourself not to take it to far it could work well for you,
  • Mr_AH
    Mr_AH Posts: 32
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    Listen to your body.

    You said you're not a breakfast person, so you already have some idea about what your body wants.

    We've all heard "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and all the other sayings but, when it comes down to it, you have to do what is best for your body. I've been eating breakfast for the past few years and I really don't like it, I feel it makes me hungrier during the day and I have always been, essentially, a one meal kind of guy.

    I'm too apprehensive to stop eating breakfast, though.
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    One word: Pointless.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    I eat 1-2 meals a day usually within a 2-8 pm window just because it works for my lifestyle and how I prefer to eat. I like having 2 large meals, and have no problem eating all my calories in that time frame.

    Meal timing is personal preference and finding what works best for you and your lifestyle.

    If you don't like breakfast don't eat it. Don't over think it
  • EmoJew
    EmoJew Posts: 94 Member
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    I love IF. it works for me. It helps with control.

    I eat 12-8pm. At about 2200 cals a day.

    But you can but try, and see if you get results. Everyone is different!
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    I do IF. I fast for 20 - 23h, so I ate between one and two meals a day. Simply cos it's convenient for me and gives me more energy all day that way. I did originally tried IF for weight loss at first but honestly I did not lost a single pound more fat that if I were when just doing 6 meals a day thing in generic calorie deficit. So fasting does nothing for me when it comes to fat loss. Some people say it does for them. I do believe that each of our bodies are different genetically so there is no one best or right/wrong way how to do stuff. Even tho a lot of people want to make these fat loss and fitness things black and white, they aren't. So I would suggest you to try and see if it works for you, in any way it won't be bad or unhealthy so you won't lose anything.
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    I often wait until noon to eat anything because I've found I have more energy and get more done this way, so I often eat all my meals in the 12-8 pm window.

    I tried one meal a day but it didn't work for me. I get hungry around noon-1 pm and if I wait until 6-7 pm to eat I'll be starving and overeat... and I'm perfectly capable of taking down 3-4k calories in one meal.

    Try and see if it works for you. Just an FYI though, I remember reading that fasting can raise blood pressure.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    I stick to eating in an eight hour 'window' or so - it works well for me in helping me limit my calorie intake.

    I also eat around 1000 calories more on weights workout days.
  • Cby60
    Cby60 Posts: 38 Member
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    I started fasting and eating only between 12 noon and 6 pm on week days. I just eat normal amounts and reduce the carbs with more veggies and protein. I drink lots of herbal tea all day and have lost 12 lbs fairly easily. I have just learnt to roller blade and am not very good yet but I try and do 30 minutes to one hour per day.....just did this for one week so far. I find the fasting is great and it's nice to have my stomach actually growling around 11:30 am each day!
  • GaelleWyvernborne
    GaelleWyvernborne Posts: 1
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    I was always a breakfast person too. However, I have taken to IF quite nicely. After the first day or two my system acclimated to the timing of my feeding window (5-9 pm). I find that I have no problem controlling what I eat now, and feel so much better than before. I've only lost 8 lbs so far, but I haven't been IF for a full month yet. Slow weight loss should equal lasting results, I'm hoping.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    wont work for many people, will work for many others... from a calorie stand point it should be fine... from a performance/lethargy standpoint, results will vary greatly.

    Nobody elses experiences will mean jack... Try it and see how you respond.


    When I did IF I ate 2 meals of about 1K each.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    One word: Pointless.

    maybe to you you.

    it works well for me- only because it helps me organize my hunger into the day.

    It's not a magic fix for a deficit- I still know that I'm at a defiit- but consider I'm really pushing a heavy cut- for me it helps- if I started eating first thing- Id' be hungry ALL day and cranky- I can push back eating till 2 PM almost and be fine- but I don't deal with hunger well in the evenings.

    So I IF because I"m cutting- when I'm bulking I don't care.

    Gotta figure out what works for you and your schedule.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Give it a try, you may find it works well.

    I'm not a breakfast person either. so 4 months ago I decided to not bother eating until I felt hungry, which is generally about noon (sometimes 4pm on weekends, if I'm busy).

    Just make sure you get the calories you need when you eat (it really doesn't matter when you consume them).

    Just do what feels right for you.
  • derryckl
    derryckl Posts: 5 Member
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    Great topic. I saw mosley on Dr Oz last week, and picked up his book. I am half way through his book. He also did a horizon BBC programme (which I am also half-way through).

    I habitually fasted one day a week (total, friday night to saturday night) and found that quite good. I stopped for a couple of years, and now (having read the book) - I am on my 2nd intermittent fast day. I study Ayurveda, and I instinctively feel that the IF diet is better suited to some "doshas" more than others (analogues of blood type or body type). My dosha (kapha) finds long periods of fasting easier, but I can see other types (vata and pita) having a lot of challenges with this.

    Like almost everyone else has said, I think that if you are open to IF, it is definitely worth a try - and if it feels right, stick with it!

    The book - http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Diet-intermittent-fasting-healthy-ebook/dp/B00ALYY6ZA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397655543&sr=1-1&keywords=mosley+fast+diet

    The BBC video -http:// vimeo.com/54089463

    Dosha test from ayurveda.com - http://www.ayurveda.com/pdf/constitution.pdf
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I do this occasionally but never on purpose. It just happens to work out that way sometimes. I don't think I could make it a lifestyle, however.
  • tmpecus78
    tmpecus78 Posts: 1,206 Member
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    IF works great. Some people including myself enjoyed it and so great results. What people fail realize is that it doesn't matter if you eat your meals in a 8 hour feeding window or if you eat all your meals spaced throughout the day, losing weight is being in a caloric deficit. So for example: Say you're eating 1,800 cals a day spread throughout the day and you're struggling losing weight. Now just cause you try IF, doesn't mean you'll start to lose weight.
  • ethieman
    ethieman Posts: 99 Member
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    It is working wonders for me! Cravings, inflammation, obsession with thinking about food (when I do the eatings small meals often thing), and blood sugar issues have reduced greatly!

    I spent some time with a friend on Friday who is a researcher at the university I work at specializing in obesity and the interaction between the gut, brain, and nutrition. She strongly advocates for an intermittent fasting approach with a 6-8 hr feeding window. There are massive positive impacts on the hormones that control our natural circadian rhythms when doing this as opposed to constantly eating. Without sugars in the blood to expend for energy during the fasting, your body opts to burn fat instead. There is a lot of really solid non-biased research available on the internet about IFing. Do some homework and decide if it's right for you.

    I also am "not a breakfast person" and appreciate the freedom I now have from feeling obligated to fix breakfast. If you decide to try it out, feel free to friend me for support :)
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
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    I am sooooo glad I read this post!! This sounds like something that could really work for me. I'm not a breakfast person and when I do force myself to eat I'm hungry all day. Question...I usually exercise ( intermit walk/run) around 10 or 11 am. Is it ok to exercise when I haven't ate over 8 hours?
  • mwkimmel
    mwkimmel Posts: 9 Member
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    I do 16/8 IF, but also at the same time I use the keto diet.

    Having lunches, heavy or not, were actually the reason I was crashing mid-afternoon.

    With IF and keto, I'm more energetic and started seeing better results in my weight goals.

    I must warn though, IF or keto isn't for everyone. Keeping a HFLC diet is quite difficult.

    I ADORE rice, pasta and potatoes. Giving all that up was torture.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Edit - nope.

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