From 363.4 to 197.7 lbs: My One-Meal-a-Day Success Story

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Replies

  • Yellerie
    Yellerie Posts: 221 Member
    Fantastic Weight loss! Thanks for posting this it is nice to see that it really is the calories that count & not the # of meals eaten. Congrats on how far you have come :)
  • Kchloee
    Kchloee Posts: 16 Member
    I can't see the photos, but that's GREAT!!!

    You are truly a testimony that you have to listen to your body and do what works for YOU.

    Great job!
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,706 Member
    I can't see the photos, but that's GREAT!!!

    You are truly a testimony that you have to listen to your body and do what works for YOU.

    Great job!

    You should be able to see the pics. Hmmm.
  • JShawSarah
    JShawSarah Posts: 22
    Now I am going to try this! This sounds absolutely perfect for me. Gonna try this for the next couples months and hope my results are even half as good as yours! I weigh about 300 pounds and want to weigh less than my husband (he weighs 180) hoping to wear a bikini by next summer! And your story made me feel like it's completely achievable
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    amazing !
  • hannamarie88
    hannamarie88 Posts: 231 Member
    My dad did the same thing and lost an incredible amount of weight too - he was in the mid 300s (6'3"). He even wanted to start marketing the plan, but I talked him out of it because I didn't see it as sustainable. He believed in the hunter/gatherer one meal mindset and lived by it for months. He called it the "Caveman Diet." He went off it and gained some of the weight back, but that's because he went back to his old habits.

    Congrats to you! You look awesome! Whatever works for you - as long as you are healthy and happy - I say more power to ya! What works for some, doesn't work for others - you need to do what works for you.
  • JShawSarah
    JShawSarah Posts: 22
    When you did this did you follow it religiously or were there days where you strayed? For instance if someone wanted to take you out for breakfast or you went on vacation etc
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Thats awesome.
    One meal a day seems radical to many nowadays, but it is something thoughout time was the norm.
    I do alternate day fasting and do it in a very familiar fashion as you do. I fast 24 hours, then have a meal.

    There are lots of ways to drop weight. Unfortunately, the way I chose is still viewed as a radical and reckless method that is "unhealthy." Well, blood panels and practical, measurable results don't lie, friends. It's not unhealthy, and it isn't as hard as it seems and can offer hope when hope seems altogether gone. The Macedonians, the Greeks and Romans, our hunter-gatherer ancestors, not to mention the followers of Elijah Muhammed, all ate one meal a day.

    -BEFORE-
    Age: 39
    Height: 6'4
    Clothing sizes: 4X shirts, 54' waist pants
    Blood pressure: 152/117

    3634lbs050713_zps3d0e7a46.png
    IMG_0633_zps2542d866.jpeg
    IMG_0963_zpsa4d58ca2.jpeg
    IMG_0524_zpsf7504dff.jpeg
    IMG_1341_zps8797a65b.jpeg
    288 lbs, 3X shirts, 42 inch waist pants

    -AFTER-
    Age: 40
    Final clothing sizes: Large and XL shirts, 34' waist pants
    Blood pressure: 106/67

    IMG_1554_zps788aeefa.jpeg
    234 lbs

    1977lbs040114_zps68618648.png

    These last ten months have changed me in ways that it is hard to begin to describe. Going from a mouth-breathing, weazing, inactive fat guy who was sick all the time to an active guy who can actually live and interact in the world around him WITHOUT having to take 3-hour naps after eating is something that is hard to comprehend (unless you've gone through it). And, well, it makes me think I should pinch myself because it must all be a dream. I can't even imagine how I once managed to consume 9,500+ calories a day!

    You start out with "baby steps," eating what you want to minimize discomfort, nursing your stomach to a smaller size all the while. Then, gradually, you make healthier eating choices (not because you have to but because it just feels right). Then, that extra energy and go-ahead power allows you to bring in exercise and see yet better improvements. Every little step is a step forward.

    To whom it may concern, here is how I did it. You should ignore the haters and armchair dieticians out there and give it a try if you have serious trouble with obesity, are a binger, a psychological eater, or otherwise struggle with serious resistance to other, more lenient programs. Mind you, THIS WILL WORK when everything else has failed...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1241325-how-to-do-one-meal-a-day-the-basics

    Once you get your system down and can readily remember WHY you must make the changes and stick with them, it isn't that hard to see them through.

    But however you choose to knock off your pounds, the key is consistency and doing it for you. When all is said and done, you can only do it for you, not for anyone else. Aside from some loose skin and the need to keep getting rid of old clothes, I am left with incredible energy and gasping reactions from people who knew the fat me and the disbelief they experience in seeing the new me. I figure I'll ride this high for at least a year or so as I continue to maintain and "firm up," now with 2,100+ calories a day. It can absolutely be done, folks. It can be done. Food doesn't have to own you.

    Feel free to add me if you'd like.
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,706 Member
    When you did this did you follow it religiously or were there days where you strayed? For instance if someone wanted to take you out for breakfast or you went on vacation etc

    I never cheated. I was THAT sick of being huge!

    When people took me out, I made them accept I wasn't going to eat, and instead, just had a diet Coke or something and we chatted. It was nice. Doesn't detract from the social experience.
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,706 Member
    Thats awesome.
    One meal a day seems radical to many nowadays, but it is something thoughout time was the norm.
    I do alternate day fasting and do it in a very familiar fashion as you do. I fast 24 hours, then have a meal.


    That's cool. I've heard that works, too.
  • arguablysamson
    arguablysamson Posts: 1,706 Member
    My dad did the same thing and lost an incredible amount of weight too - he was in the mid 300s (6'3"). He even wanted to start marketing the plan, but I talked him out of it because I didn't see it as sustainable. He believed in the hunter/gatherer one meal mindset and lived by it for months. He called it the "Caveman Diet." He went off it and gained some of the weight back, but that's because he went back to his old habits.

    Congrats to you! You look awesome! Whatever works for you - as long as you are healthy and happy - I say more power to ya! What works for some, doesn't work for others - you need to do what works for you.

    Oh it is sustainable. I get 2 or 3 plates now instead of the one. And while it takes adjusting to get those higher calories, it can be done. Even though I no longer have to do it, it's too easy to stay with.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    It's not as hard as you'd think, peeps. I'm not some Vulcan with unearthly mind power, nor is anybody else who's done this. But anything worth doing is worth sacrificing for and costs something.

    Yes, the first week is really hard, less so the next 3 weeks. After that, if you're still doing it, you're saying: "I can keep doing this!" And that means you've as good as already done it since you know you've adopted it and can do it forever. The reason people fail on so many eating plans is because they can't make peace to live with the changes. This is not that hard to get used to. it requires sacrifice, but the payoff is worth it.

    And once you know that you can ONLY EAT ONCE PER DAY, the conviction sits in your mind and you get less hungry because you know when you can eat and that you only have to wait 23 hrs at the most for your meal (which will consist of just about whatever you want). You set a boundary and know you can never cross it for the sake of yourself. Therefore, it gets easier.

    Plus, multiple meal portion moderators are doing it the hard way since it's way easier to jinx your efforts by overeating 3 times a day as opposed to 1. The one-plate rule is yet another safeguard. The result is that this works and I'm almost never sick anymore. I have tons of energy and a more full day at my disposal.

    “Eat a single meal a day, no matter what anyone says. If your doctor says that you should eat more than one meal a day, ignore him with a smile and eat only once a day. If he tells you he eats three meals a day, tell him that his length of life is about the same as his patients. Then, tell the doctor to try eating one meal a day.”

    -Elijah Muhammed, How to Eat to Live, Book 1.

    That quote is so true.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    The one meal a day thing doesn't bother me at all .. but it would never ever work for me. I hate eating .. I am not a food person. I only do it now to keep me breathing, but if I could I would just avoid it altogether. Well except chocolate .. lets be honest.

    How did I get fat .. junk food and pop and endless eating a couple of bad food items.

    So .. my only question, how much did you eat in that one meal ? You never did disclose that.

    My meals can be 200-300 cal for lunch or supper, so having a to eat 6 times that in one meal would be very very hard.

    But you do deserve credit for your progress. Your one meal must have been one **** of a meal though.

    Losing, I started out ridiculously nuts. 700 calories a day. I got smarter and quickly upped this to between 1,100 and 1,400 per day, and later, to 1,400 to 1,600. My loss was consistently fast, especially after getting above 1,100 calories. I had short plateaus and averaged 2.4 lbs per week.

    The one-plate rule is for starting out, but yes, you fill up a standard-sized 10-inch plate full as I describe in the article. Everything is on the plate with the exception of one healthy calorie beverage. All others are non-calorie for the rest of the day. And you can't get more than 1,878 calories on one plate. I've tried.

    This will work for anyone. But snacking or grazing - on anything - is why and how people get fat.

    Now that I'm maintaining, I'm at 2,100 to 2,800 calories a day. That fills two to three plates easy. Tonight was about 3,000 calories, mostly protein. I vary my days and still follow my tastes. Eating is serious work now. For the first time in my life, I have to work to tank up and the only time I think about food is basically when I get ready to prepare it--aside from some occasional phantom cravings from the old days.

    "Hunger high" is pretty cool. It feels so good to run on reserves after you're used to it.
    Congratulations on your loss. I will however say however many meals a day makes no difference but for any newbies I would urge and caution them not eat such low calories as you did. A 6'4 inch man eating what you did you basically starved yourself and would have lost large amounts of muscle mass (which in reality you want to keep)

    You really do not need to do that to lose weight you can eat a reasonable amount and still lose weight and. Just because you need to lose weight does not mean you need to suffer.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexy+pants

    Congratulations again
  • 143tobe
    143tobe Posts: 620 Member
    I lost some weight once while eating one meal a day. Honesty, out of all the diets I tried, it was the easiest for me to follow and Instead of just shoving food in my face all day, I really planned for that one hour and appreciated every single bite. I started my meal with a traditional well balanced dinner, but the awesome part was that I got to eat dessert every night! It also made it easier to say no to something that I really wanted to eat, because I knew that I COULD have it. Just not in that exact moment. I'm a huge fan of finding out what works for you.

    You did an amazing job, congratulations!
  • IcanIwill1
    IcanIwill1 Posts: 137 Member
    One meal a day absolutely works.
    25yrs ago, I lost a significant amount of weight by eating one meal a day.
    I was in my early 20s and did not bother to cook, what I would do is stop by a restaurant on my way home, and eat whatever I wanted and went home. I also did quite a bit of walking.
    I moved to Europe and my plan went out the window, and the weight came back.

    I have found out that, for me, eating sets me up to eat more.
    I could go all day without being hungry, but once I eat, my appetite seems to wake up, and demand more and more food.
    That's why I could never do that eat 6 small meals a day routine...I would inhale a whole district and its inhabitants.
  • nikkiworld2
    nikkiworld2 Posts: 75 Member
    I don't see anything wrong with eating one meal a day. It worked for you & that's all that matters & you were healthy while doing it. Good for you. Congratulations!
  • gopgirl425
    gopgirl425 Posts: 140 Member
    Awesome job! Congrats!
  • Pie319
    Pie319 Posts: 129 Member
    I'm really interested in trying this! I've been counting calories for a long time. It works, but it's so involved. Can you point me to more reading on the subject? (aside from the link in the OP which I already read)

    Edit to add: the reason i want more reading is because i have an inquiring mind, not because I doubt your success. I love researching stuff!
  • katieburdison
    katieburdison Posts: 3 Member
    bump
  • ljb304
    ljb304 Posts: 151 Member
    Congrats on your loss! :drinker: I am doing Fast 5, but really with a window of 4 hours. I love the lifestyle. It's so much easier for me than eating three times a day!
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