Does anyone do one meal a day?

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2

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  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    My boss does that ...... goes home starving & then eats an entire pizza, plus soda & a bag of candy ...... he's overweight.

    A coworker eats 3 heavy meals a day (breads, pasta) plus snacks all day on baked goods ...... he's overweight.

    Me and my two other coworkers eat a reasonable breakfast & lunch, plus small snacks of veggies, hummus, fruit & yogurt ...... dinner is whatever we want (in moderation) ...... we've lost between 45 lbs and 100 lbs !

    I think I'll stick to my way of doing things :drinker:

    Best of luck, whatever you decide.
  • skhuu
    skhuu Posts: 25 Member
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    Before my husband met me, he would only eat 1 meal a day. He is a nurse working 12+ hours a day. When he is working, he only works and sleeps, and only eats 1 large meal during his shift. When he wasn't working, he would continue to stick to this schedule. He did that for many years at his lowest weight until he met me where we now eat multiple meals a day. He no longer does this, but it had worked for him at one point.
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
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    BTW---this comes from my certified trainer.
    Certified in what? Certainly not in Nutrition. Trainers are the worst people for nutrition advice they are responsible for at least 90% of the stupid nutrition myths that fly around. Let your trainer train you don't let them talk about food

    Only 78% of quoted statistics really support the statement the person uses it to support, while 83.5% of statistics are made up on the spot. Including every one in this and quoted post.

    And I'm not going to tell you my degrees, but they are definitely bigger, tougher and more expensive than yours! By 89.7%

    I could not do one meal/day. But unless you are trying to build lots of muscle, or have a medical condition, it wont really work against you if you can handle it, there is even a lot of inherent advantage in it for caloric restriction to those who can deal with the hunger pangs.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    DO:
    Eat one meal a day if you plan on meeting your calorie goal (eat all your alloted calories) and macros in one sitting.

    DON'T:
    Eat your regular breakfast of 300 calories and not eat the rest of the day.
  • 2dogzrule
    2dogzrule Posts: 245 Member
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    Do whatever works for you! I would personally die if I had to save it all for one meal, LOL. I do try to eat 500-600 calories between breakfast and lunch and then have a heavier dinner cause I get the munchies at night.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    My boss does that ...... goes home starving & then eats an entire pizza, plus soda & a bag of candy ...... he's overweight.

    A coworker eats 3 heavy meals a day (breads, pasta) plus snacks all day on baked goods ...... he's overweight.

    Me and my two other coworkers eat a reasonable breakfast & lunch, plus small snacks of veggies, hummus, fruit & yogurt ...... dinner is whatever we want (in moderation) ...... we've lost between 45 lbs and 100 lbs !

    I think I'll stick to my way of doing things :drinker:

    Best of luck, whatever you decide.

    Because you found what works for you in meal timing... which is personal preference. I've lost 108 lbs eating 1 or 2 meals a day.

    OP just like you when I was eating breakfast because when I started I believed it was important I found I was hungry all day long and struggled to maintain my deficit. This change helped me better maintain my deficit, and is something I can sustain because it's how I enjoy to eat.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Others have said "you have to do what suits you" but eating 1 meal a day is not good for anyone to do for an extended period of time ever! You are basically stopping your metabolism. You have to continually feed your body to keep your metabolism up so it will burn off the calories. If you only feed your body 1 time a day it will think it is not going to get food and will hold onto every bit you give it because it doesn't know when it's next fueling will be. An occaisonal fast(500-700 calories for the day) where you eat breakfast and then maybe have a VERY low calorie snack and then have dinner is ok but also not on a consistent basis.

    BTW---this comes from my certified trainer.
    FIRE your trainer. They are WRONG WRONG WRONG. This has been completely dis proven for many years! I lost over 100 lbs eating all of my food within an 8 hour period each day. There is an overwhelming amount of scientific research to disprove the "eating multiple times a day increases metabolism" myth!
  • strawberrypopsicles
    strawberrypopsicles Posts: 39
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    I used to eat one meal a day just because I was too lazy to cook more than that :laugh:
    The only problem was that once I got used to eating 1200 calories in one sitting it made it feel natural to overeat when I started eating multiple meals again -- now 400 calories just feels like a bite
  • 120by30
    120by30 Posts: 217 Member
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    Others have said "you have to do what suits you" but eating 1 meal a day is not good for anyone to do for an extended period of time ever! You are basically stopping your metabolism. You have to continually feed your body to keep your metabolism up so it will burn off the calories. If you only feed your body 1 time a day it will think it is not going to get food and will hold onto every bit you give it because it doesn't know when it's next fueling will be. An occaisonal fast(500-700 calories for the day) where you eat breakfast and then maybe have a VERY low calorie snack and then have dinner is ok but also not on a consistent basis.

    BTW---this comes from my certified trainer.

    NOW the replies are going to get nasty......
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
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    Guys, I undoubtedly have an unhealthy relationship with food-I love it! but it's been much worse thinking about food all day and eating all day. I wondered if just planning to eat all the kcal's (measured out initially) might force me to feel hunger again and find away to address feelings during the day, rather than stifle them with food. I love all food - veggies, fish, yogurts to dark chocolate> with me it's quantity. I also find at the end of any meal, however stuffed I am I feel sad the meal is over!

    When I was younger my mum noticed when I had bread sugary things I would keep eating, whereas everyone else would be full after their meal.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
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    I usually eat twice a day but there are times that I have only one. As far as results go, the number of times a day you eat is meaningless. Just do whatever allows you to hit your calorie goals be it 1 meal or 6.

    ^This
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    DO:
    Eat one meal a day if you plan on meeting your calorie goal (eat all your alloted calories) and macros in one sitting.

    DON'T:
    Eat your regular breakfast of 300 calories and not eat the rest of the day.

    Excellent post.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    Every 2nd day I have one meal at the end of the day...those days in between I have nothing cause I fast. On the day I do eat I eat whatever I like in my 8hr window...and usually it's veggies and greek yoghurt. I love my bread so I'll eat about a loaf on my own as well.
    I'm fit, not hungry, not putting on weight & not losing it (only cause I have no need to go further) and I have heaps of energy.


    Do what is right for you.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I am exactly the same as soon as I start eating I want to carry on eating and think about food all the time.

    Yup. They say the thing about most addictions is you can put the addiction away and not get into that environment.

    But people with food addictions take their addiction out three times a day and play with it.

    If you can get away with eating one meal a day, go for it. But I personally find my willpower buckles when I reach a certain hunger point. Once I reach that point, all bets are off I will eat anything and I will eat to satisfaction.

    For me, everything boils down to hunger. What I want is a safe, effective appetite suppressant. Still waiting.
  • gabbygirl37_2001
    gabbygirl37_2001 Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm the same. Once I eat then I'm hungry all day long. If I eat breakfast that is the beginning of wanting to eat all day long. Its like a drug and I can't get enough. I always do much better by waiting to eat later. I'm the most successful in weight loss when I eat 1-2 meals a day. I get it and I say do whatever works!
  • taramaclaren
    taramaclaren Posts: 95 Member
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    This pattern of eating is called Intermittent Fasting and you can read all kinds of cool facts about it across the web. Check out the basics here:
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/#axzz2aeEOMKxC
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
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    This is all really useful thank you. There is some stuff in the UK about Michael Mosley on the horizon programme (sp?) I don't think I would be restricting kcal's though, not every day. I need a long term strategy! I think what I find hard is the craving for food that isn't hunger... that just want to keep on going. Gluttony!


    If I am truly hungry then I will crave any foods, ie. meat and vegetables.

    Another slight side note of eating less during the day, when I am really hungry I will eat anything, so I think it may make me eat healthier too - salads with olive oil, meat and veg/sweet potatoes, a healthier pudding! I know it may sound a bit a bit more obsessive, but at the moment I'm obsessed with food anyway and have tried, three meals a day, mini meals, I just find I get up, make my hold and husband breakfast and then start bubbling after I have had mine... then all I can think about is food!. I know breakfast probably stops TRUE hunger later in the day but it doesn't seem to be helping me at the moment. I have usually overeaten by 11am...

    A bit girly, but have quite bad skin too, so was hoping if I had healthier meals it may calm down (I know I could do this by eating three meals a day).

    I am not sure if it's right to keep my kcal stable but my foods very healthy (non trigger foods- guys if you're not binge eaters, compulsive, you won't understand..I doubt)

    If I can't handle it, I might go for two meals a day.
  • PurpleCupcakes01
    PurpleCupcakes01 Posts: 141
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    if you are doing a meal once a day i would do two meal rea[placment shakes to get all vitamins and things needed for you body i have order from diet direct shake and pudding meal replacement when i lost my weight 3 years ago and i help alot i lost about 30 pounds in 7 wekks and that was eating eating one meal a day whatever i wanted to eat

    You don't need shakes or supplements or anything else.. and 30 lbs in 7 weeks? No .. whatever you are selling or promoting NO

    Lol
  • qatfat
    qatfat Posts: 2 Member
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    In the end, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. I eat one meal a day and have done for many years. My brain hasn't exploded and the planet hasn't cracked in half. I have gained weight doing it and I have also lost weight doing it. It all depends on what I eat not how often.
    Some people do need to eat more often but eating once a day works for me. :)
  • Bexatex
    Bexatex Posts: 12 Member
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    It sounds like it might be worth you looking up the Intermittent Fasting (Or 5:2) Diet. I always found the same thing as you and have lost a lot of weight doing this diet. I have a few of the books and the science behind why it works makes sense to me.

    Good luck, whatever you choose :)

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