I only eat one meal a day.

jenmarie72011
jenmarie72011 Posts: 25 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm having a hard time eating healthy, I can only afford to eat once a day, and when It comes time to eat it's usually unhealthy, I don't buy the food, so I have no control over what there is to eat. Any advice, like cheap healthy meals to make.
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Replies

  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Who has the food buying control?
  • jenmarie72011
    jenmarie72011 Posts: 25 Member
    My parents.
  • jenmarie72011
    jenmarie72011 Posts: 25 Member
    I just recently found a job, so maybe I can start to buy some of my own food, and I just want healthy food ideas that won't be too expensive.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Veg is so cheap if you stay away from supermarkets. Buy at local green grocers and it costs very little.

    It might be better to tell your parents that you want to eat more fresh foods though, do you pay them board/bill money?
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    I'm having a hard time eating healthy, I can only afford to eat once a day, and when It comes time to eat it's usually unhealthy, I don't buy the food, so I have no control over what there is to eat. Any advice, like cheap healthy meals to make.

    What do you class as unhealthy?
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    Cheap staples

    Dried beans
    Lentils
    Potatoes
    Rice

    Asst. Fruits and veg in season
    Eggs ( I think, haven't bought in years)
    Bulk chicken thighs
    Ground beef
    Oatmeal
    Grits
    Ect, ect ect.......
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    edited July 2015
    Do some more reading, as you have fundamentally misunderstood the problem. Caloric volume, not caloric sources, are your problem. If doesn't matter what food you're eating, it matters how much of it you eat.

    If anything, dieting should be cheaper than not dieting.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?
  • This content has been removed.
  • Kellyymcd
    Kellyymcd Posts: 19 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    Do some more reading, as you have fundamentally misunderstood the problem. Caloric volume, not caloric sources, are your problem. If doesn't matter what food you're eating, it matters how much of it you eat.

    If anything, dieting should be cheaper than not dieting.

    The above is true but when you are eating calorie laden foods you can't eat very much volume which leaves you hungry which will make it very difficult to have a deficit.
  • velveteen7845
    velveteen7845 Posts: 70 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    Do some more reading, as you have fundamentally misunderstood the problem. Caloric volume, not caloric sources, are your problem. If doesn't matter what food you're eating, it matters how much of it you eat.

    If anything, dieting should be cheaper than not dieting.

    I disagree. I used to eat a lot of junk, mostly BECAUSE it was cheap for the amount of calories offered. I have been eating better for 1 year today and I have lost more than 100 pounds. I am thrilled with my results but I can tell you that I definitely have to spend more to eat healthier foods, especially since I can't eat the high number of carbs that I used to (I got Type 2 Diabetes).

    Laurend224 gave some excellent advice on lower cost healthy food, however, especially if you can have a fairly high amount of carbs.

  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    @velveteen7845 You may disagree, but you will be wrong. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.

    You lost weight eating healthy foods; the fact that you lost weight confirms that ate less calories than you used to. You could have lost the same weight eating the same junk food, just less of it. While this is a strategy that works, it is a) not as healthy as what you did and b) harder to do, because junk food is less satiating. Still, it's possible.

    You did a great job and I am not trying to take that away from you, but it is entirely possible to lose weight on a "bad" diet.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Maybe the middle ground between "you can lose weight eating anything" and "you lose more weight if you eating healthy/little junk" is that people may be more prone to overeating the junk and therefore have a harder time achieving a calorie deficit.
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    Maybe the middle ground between "you can lose weight eating anything" and "you lose more weight if you eating healthy/little junk" is that people may be more prone to overeating the junk and therefore have a harder time achieving a calorie deficit.

    Agreed!
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    I'm having a hard time eating healthy, I can only afford to eat once a day, and when It comes time to eat it's usually unhealthy, I don't buy the food, so I have no control over what there is to eat. Any advice, like cheap healthy meals to make.

    You already lost 20 pounds presumably on the food your parents buy and I congratulate you !
    Is the picture in your profile recent ? Because looking at it and if it is recent I don't quite understand why you want to lose another 45 pounds......

  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    @velveteen7845 You may disagree, but you will be wrong. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.

    You lost weight eating healthy foods; the fact that you lost weight confirms that ate less calories than you used to. You could have lost the same weight eating the same junk food, just less of it. While this is a strategy that works, it is a) not as healthy as what you did and b) harder to do, because junk food is less satiating. Still, it's possible.

    You did a great job and I am not trying to take that away from you, but it is entirely possible to lose weight on a "bad" diet.

    YEP.

    Anyway, OP, what do you mean "afford"? Calorically or financially?
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    edited July 2015
    Ramen noodles imo and find a boyfriend.
  • Healthexp693
    Healthexp693 Posts: 17 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode. In response your body will store more fat when it has the chance. Also not getting proper nutrient intake can lead to vitamin deficiencies, which can in turn alter your ability to lose weight. The best way to increase your metabolism and facilitate weight loss is to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. Calories are not all equal, for instance if you eat 100 calories in potatoes chips, you have just consumed 100 calories with no nutritional value. Your body also responds differently to certain foods, some foods like simple sugars will cause a spike in the hormone insulin and thereby cause more fat storage. The same amount of calories consumed in complex carbohydrates will not result in such an insulin spike and therefore would be less fattening. It is very unfortunate that she cannot afford a proper diet. Junk food is cheaper.
  • JoshLibby
    JoshLibby Posts: 214 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode. In response your body will store more fat when it has the chance. Also not getting proper nutrient intake can lead to vitamin deficiencies, which can in turn alter your ability to lose weight. The best way to increase your metabolism and facilitate weight loss is to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. Calories are not all equal, for instance if you eat 100 calories in potatoes chips, you have just consumed 100 calories with no nutritional value. Your body also responds differently to certain foods, some foods like simple sugars will cause a spike in the hormone insulin and thereby cause more fat storage. The same amount of calories consumed in complex carbohydrates will not result in such an insulin spike and therefore would be less fattening. It is very unfortunate that she cannot afford a proper diet. Junk food is cheaper.

    THIS!
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode.

    Stopped reading here, and everyone else should have too.
  • This content has been removed.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode.

    Stopped reading here, and everyone else should have too.

    So at what point did you stop reading the post directly above yours?
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    ncboiler89 wrote: »
    Zedeff wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode.

    Stopped reading here, and everyone else should have too.

    So at what point did you stop reading the post directly above yours?

    "TH"
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    ncboiler89 wrote: »
    Zedeff wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode.

    Stopped reading here, and everyone else should have too.

    So at what point did you stop reading the post directly above yours?

    "TH"

    lol
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode. In response your body will store more fat when it has the chance. Also not getting proper nutrient intake can lead to vitamin deficiencies, which can in turn alter your ability to lose weight. The best way to increase your metabolism and facilitate weight loss is to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day. Calories are not all equal, for instance if you eat 100 calories in potatoes chips, you have just consumed 100 calories with no nutritional value. Your body also responds differently to certain foods, some foods like simple sugars will cause a spike in the hormone insulin and thereby cause more fat storage. The same amount of calories consumed in complex carbohydrates will not result in such an insulin spike and therefore would be less fattening. It is very unfortunate that she cannot afford a proper diet. Junk food is cheaper.

    Starvation mode does not exist. Meal timing/frequency are all personal preference. And when it comes to weight loss, 100 calories of potato chips are exactly the same as 100 calories of complex carbs.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    MFP needs to to create some sort of code to insta-delete all posts that speak of starvation mode as being a thing.
  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
    Salads, fresh fruits, tuna
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with eating one meal a day if you're meeting your calorie and macro goals. But if you're looking to eat healthier, can you discuss your desires with your parents and tag along with them when they go to the store?

    There is plenty wrong with eating just one meal a day. There are many factors that determine weight loss/weight gain, including resting metabolism and hormones. Eating one meal/day will put your body into a starvation mode.

    Stopped reading here, and everyone else should have too.

    I literally swiped up my screen right after that line! :laugh:
    Zedeff wrote: »
    @velveteen7845 You may disagree, but you will be wrong. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.

    You lost weight eating healthy foods; the fact that you lost weight confirms that ate less calories than you used to. You could have lost the same weight eating the same junk food, just less of it. While this is a strategy that works, it is a) not as healthy as what you did and b) harder to do, because junk food is less satiating. Still, it's possible.

    You did a great job and I am not trying to take that away from you, but it is entirely possible to lose weight on a "bad" diet.

    YEP.

    Anyway, OP, what do you mean "afford"? Calorically or financially?

    This was exactly my question

  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Lol I was amazed at all the wrongness in one post, is it real?

    I got the impression that it was financial restrictions and thats more or less confirmed in her subsequent posts as she talks about parents and expense.

    OP my two tips would be

    1. Oatmeal is fantastically cheap and makes a nutritious meal for the day, its a winner all the way along and you cna have plenty of variation. It gives you pritein, fibre and complex carns which in turn provide slow seady energu over a period of time.
    2. Frozen veg us cheap as well as normal veg can be cost efficient.
    3. Use Aldi and you cna make yourself a nutritious stew with a variety of veg and then a bit of stick and lean protein. Gte soem containers and you cna make several servings which you cna then warm up during the week. It will work out cheaply.
    4. One meal a day is actually ok as long as its reasonably nutritious and you are ok in terms of avoiding hunger. Iggnore the 693 post it was incorrect in many ways.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited July 2015
    You're 21. Go get a job and buy some food. You're creating trouble out of nothing.
This discussion has been closed.