Anyone else eat one meal a day?

24

Replies

  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    kae612 wrote: »
    I find the intermittent fasting & fewer daily meals thing fascinating. I know I couldn't do it because if I go maybe 3h without eating something I start feeling sick and dizzy. Do none of you feel ill in the morning 2h after waking up? If I don't eat at least a small breakfast within 2h I get a massive headache. If you can do this, more power to you, I'm just super curious!

    Never really feel hungry. In fact, I only start feeling hungry if I eat. For example if it's a weekend and my wife wants to make a big breakfast or go out for lunch or something, I usually will eat because it's more about quality time together than a utilitarian meal. Once I've eaten for the day, I get hungrier throughout the rest of the day.
  • defatify
    defatify Posts: 41 Member
    I prefer to eat later in the day. There's a lot of hype about breakfast and all, but my body just does not want food at 8am. And if I'm busy/focused, I don't really feel hungry until late. To each his own, I guess.
  • jensquish1
    jensquish1 Posts: 502 Member
    I would waste away if I had to go to the gym work out and take care of a 2 year old all day with no food until dinner
  • Jmgkamp
    Jmgkamp Posts: 278 Member
    I eat my calories in the evening. It's so strange, but for me - like many of you - once I eat, I get hungrier and hungrier. But if I don't eat at all I'm not hungry. Weird.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I find I'm happiest when I eat all of my calories at dinner. I find that if I eat earlier in the day I end up feeling much hungrier than I would be otherwise and just obsess about food too much. Plus I like being able to eat a larger volume in one go in the evening.

    Just wondering whether anyone else did this? :)

    I admire people who can eat all their calories in one meal a day. I had a friend who managed her weight by eating her day's calories at dinner, and she just loved it. My brother, who has never had to consciously monitor his weight, eats something like two meals a day and an occasional snack here and there.

    I spread my calories over several small meals throughout the day.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    withoutasaddle wrote: »
    Do the same. I can pretty much eat however much of whatever I want if I save my caories for dinner. Feels a lot less like a 'diet' then.

    But, if you are losing weight, you are still eating a calorie deficit, even if it feels like you are eating however much you want to. :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    kae612 wrote: »
    I find the intermittent fasting & fewer daily meals thing fascinating. I know I couldn't do it because if I go maybe 3h without eating something I start feeling sick and dizzy. Do none of you feel ill in the morning 2h after waking up? If I don't eat at least a small breakfast within 2h I get a massive headache. If you can do this, more power to you, I'm just super curious!

    Never really feel hungry. In fact, I only start feeling hungry if I eat. For example if it's a weekend and my wife wants to make a big breakfast or go out for lunch or something, I usually will eat because it's more about quality time together than a utilitarian meal. Once I've eaten for the day, I get hungrier throughout the rest of the day.
    Now, that's sweet. :)
  • hh121
    hh121 Posts: 6 Member
    I swear by this. One big meal a day at about 6pm and two or three pieces of fruit at 10pm. I like to feel full after I eat, I guess, and this way I get to be full without exceeded my daily calorie target - heck, it doesn't even feel like I'm dieting most of the time. I often joke about how if somebody saw my average 'dinner' they'd probably guess I'd put on a kilo month!

    Back when I was actually hitting the gym last summer I'd go 2/3 times a week in the afternoon with no problems, despite having not eaten for at least 15 hours. I'd either cycle 20km or lift some weights and cycle 10km afterwards.

    I think eating 3 meals a day is just something we have all gotten used to, meaning most people get hungry if they don't eat every 4-5 hours. Eating one meal a day was hard at first but after about a week it just became normal. The human body is remarkably adaptable - getting used to eating once a day is no sweat for it.
  • gwynita
    gwynita Posts: 1 Member
    I usually only eat once a day, Glad to know I'm not alone
  • lorenswan
    lorenswan Posts: 30 Member
    Actually it depends on the person. Some
    cultures practice one meal a day. Some
    professional athletes swear by it. Some think skipping breakfast comes naturally when its actually the one reason they remain overweight. It depends on the individual. If you feel this is right for you then go for it. (If you need caffeine to keep going or are described oftentimes as having an "irritable" or even "aggressive" personality then you may want to rethink this approach. Both point to low glucose levels due to bulk eating).

    But if you truly are confident in this approach then I shall remind you that what one eats at this singular meal becomes evermore relevant. Your body can only digest what it needs of various
    vitamins and minerals. It chucks the rest. But with fats and carbs it'll hold on to every last bit whether you need it or not "for safe keeping in times of crises" so you need to focus on nutrient dense foods that consist of low calories for this one meal. It is no longer about filling up, but getting it right. The right balance of macros is everything for you. Keeping this meal consistent, whatever you decide, and your body will thank you. Good luck and shake it up!
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
    kae612 wrote: »
    I find the intermittent fasting & fewer daily meals thing fascinating. I know I couldn't do it because if I go maybe 3h without eating something I start feeling sick and dizzy. Do none of you feel ill in the morning 2h after waking up? If I don't eat at least a small breakfast within 2h I get a massive headache. If you can do this, more power to you, I'm just super curious!

    I have never experienced anything you've described so it worked for me (until I started getting up at 4am, which throws me off). Without knowing that's what I was doing, I did 16:8 for most of my adult life. I guess you're either naturally cut out for it or you're not.

    I get nauseated if I eat too close to wake-up. I am capable of going hours without food with no consequences. The one meal a day, though--where do you put all that food? I could easily get 1500 calories in one sitting if I'm eating cheesy fried things, but my gallbladder . . .
  • pzyxian
    pzyxian Posts: 22 Member
    i eat 3 main meals plus 3-4 snacks a day. Doing so I don't over eat if I were to eat out or anything. It's like a rhythm to me.

    I used to love buffet and eat a lot in 1 setting. However, I was hungry after like 4-6 hours again...
  • kd6984
    kd6984 Posts: 16 Member
    I usually eat once a day and have a snack or two its just so much easier than 5 small meals and Im not a breakfast person
  • helenkaraven
    helenkaraven Posts: 27 Member
    i eat so very very light during the day, because i have a lovely fella who , bless him, likes to buy me nice food and wine :) which i can then have without my numbers going over. and i dont tend to get hungry during the day, its working for me!
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
    I practice intermittent fasting and often eat my food within a small window towards the end of the day. I'm another who is hungry from starting to eat, whatever the time, so find if I don't start eating until 2-4pm I am less likely to overeat - I used to just graze all day and it was so hard to keep within my calorie allowance, IF was a revelation.
    I have a 4 year old, and work out early morning, and haven't found changing to this way of eating a problem at all. If anything I have more energy. :smile:

    I have done having just the one meal a few times and it works okay, but I prefer to have two meals with a couple of hours between them.
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
    edited July 2015
    kae612 wrote: »
    I find the intermittent fasting & fewer daily meals thing fascinating. I know I couldn't do it because if I go maybe 3h without eating something I start feeling sick and dizzy. Do none of you feel ill in the morning 2h after waking up? If I don't eat at least a small breakfast within 2h I get a massive headache. If you can do this, more power to you, I'm just super curious!

    I used to be like this, absolutely. I would eat within half hour of waking without fail, else I would feel nauseous and dizzy. I decided to give IF a go on a day that I knew I would struggle to fit in breakfast, decided to just see how far I could push back my first meal. I didn't eat until lunch. It really surprised me. I just made sure I was very busy in the mornings for the first week and haven't looked back. :) It has totally changed my attitude towards eating. Today I am fasting until 4pm - I'll likely have a big meal when I get in from work, and maybe something lighter before I close my eating window, and otherwise just have water or black coffee today. A few months ago I would have been pretty much eating constantly from 8am.
    That said, IF is all about flexibility. You can have your eating window whenever you like in the day. I prefer to eat late, but plenty of people eat early.
  • Magenta529
    Magenta529 Posts: 100 Member
    Zedeff wrote: »
    Never really feel hungry. In fact, I only start feeling hungry if I eat. For example if it's a weekend and my wife wants to make a big breakfast or go out for lunch or something, I usually will eat because it's more about quality time together than a utilitarian meal. Once I've eaten for the day, I get hungrier throughout the rest of the day.

    Yup same here. I usually have a protein bar in the morning and then save my meal for dinner. If I'm eating throughout the day I tend to eat more and feel hungry all the time. I'm pretty active during the day too because of work, usually get 12-18 thousand steps in per day, I don't feel hungry till I stop going.
  • IanRS
    IanRS Posts: 68 Member
    I eat in a window from about 1pm to 7pm - I find it easy in the morning to go with just coffee (black) and water then I feel very satisfied with my calorie intake. It also helps me with decision making.
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
    I used to just have one meal a day, but i just physically can't do it anymore-i need to eat during the day to keep my focus up during my job. However, i only eat light during the day as i find that i get sluggish on a full stomach. Plus, i eat with my boyfriend in the evenings who isn't calorie conscious at all, so i tend to save all my calories for them so i don't feel like i'm restricting him with my calorie needs.

    Except on a Friday- a load of us go to a local chicken place during our lunch break (grilled chicken, not KFC style). It's my one exception, and i am always too full to be able to do any decent amount of work after that. But it is a Friday afternoon :p
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    I'm maintaining now, but even when I was losing weight never ate just one meal a day. I now eat something small every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Once a day wouldn't be enough food for me no matter how much I ate at that time.

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