Intermittent fasting/1 meal a day.....Anyone trying this?

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tworth01
tworth01 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work offshore so I can't really control how the food is prepared or what is put out so i've been trying the 1 meal a day IF approach for the last 4 weeks. I'm on a boat so I can't really weigh myself until I get back home but my work clothes certainly seem loser! Just wondering what results others have had. It really hasn't been as hard as I thought and even when I do load up my plate for my one meal I tend to try and make it mostly veggies and nothing fried or breaded. Just curious to see how others are doing it and looking for a few friends along the way.

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  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    1 meal a day just seems silly to me.

    So does 6 meals a day.

    I can't imagine eating my entire day worth of food in one meal. Sometimes I'm stuffed after one meal regular sized meal.

    And 6 meals, don't you have jobs? Who has time for 6 meals.

    But if it works for you that's good :smiley:

    I hear a lot of people doing IF so it most likely has good results.

    I guess you will find out when you get home but looser clothes is a good sign.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    If you are genuinely happy doing this and you feel this is a sustainable approach, then by all means..

    But I can't see this being brilliant for an adult working male to be doing. Your body is like a car - it needs to fuel to work properly. Not enough fuel and it'll struggle. Are you packing all your calories for the day in to this one meal? It's hard to say if this is actually a healthy thing to be doing but it doesn't sound like something your body would particularly appreciate. I understand it's going to be a bit difficult for you being on a boat and having no control over the food preparation but would it be an option to prepare your own meals and take a lunch box?
  • ibnfaqir
    ibnfaqir Posts: 139 Member
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    I tried IF didn't seem to make a difference. Couple of my friends used IF to get below 10% bodyfat. I am not that lean. In my opinion there is no need to do it unless you are trying to get super lean. Just stick to a deficit and move as much as possible.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Congrats on the loose clothes! :)

    So long as your calories in are less than your calories out, you'll lose weight whichever way you try.

    My only concern is that you're eating enough, and that you don't go back to overeating once you hit your goal weight.

    Are you learning good habits by logging and weighing your food portions? These are little habits that will keep you at a healthy weight for life.

    Kind regards.
  • smal15
    smal15 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have been doing one meal after 6pm - sometimes as late as 10pm most days, combined with 5:2. Worked well for me with about 4lb a week since mid Jan weightloss despite at least one day a week of eating out, pizza, wine, puds etc. recently had full blood work and all good. My only thought would be that if you have a physically demanding job, then I would advise some carbs in the evening meal. Good luck and if the clothes are looser it is working!
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,719 Member
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    I've done IF for years. That's how I naturally eat. More cals in the evening. I'm healthy.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    Does IF make you feel better? If so, keep doing it. If not, then find a method that does. I do IF. It's part forced schedule and part chosen. It works, so it doesn't matter how I got here. If you're happy and can sustain it and you can hit all your macros, then alright! Go you!
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    I always IF, and eat from like 5p-9p. Some days I have a huge or very unhealthy meal tho, and so I only eat once in that time..working for me!
  • boogiewookie
    boogiewookie Posts: 206 Member
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    I've been doing IF for about a week and its working well so far. I'm just always hungry lol! I eat between 12-5 but keep forgetting to have a meal so I have a few small snacks in that window and by 7 I'm starving. I had hit a plateau and now I'm dropping weight fast. how much weight are you trying to lose?
  • Jimmy_Jack
    Jimmy_Jack Posts: 12 Member
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    extreme dieting is unsustainable
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    I've been doing IF for about a month now (5:2). 9 pounds down and it fits my lifestyle. I had a few rough days at first, but I learned a few tricks and feel great now. How are you feeling?
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    No. I exercise too hard for that.
  • tworth01
    tworth01 Posts: 2 Member
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    Got one more week to go on this hitch and that will be 6 weeks of IF - only one meal a day. It's really helped logging my meal so I can keep track of my protein. Every meal but 2 have been under 1000 calories with the majority being around 700. All low carb. It really hasn't been that bad. Breakfast is always easy to skip and when lunch rolls around I drink some coffee or tea and hydrate all day. It will be interesting to see what the total loss is when I get home.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    MostlyWater wrote: »
    No. I exercise too hard for that.

    That's my issue as well. I would like to try IF but I only have certain times to exercise and it would never fit in with my schedule.

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I have always preferred to eat my meals in a SIMILAR manner. I don't really call it "IF" but i guess it kind of is?

    I will have roughly 300 calories for breakfast and lunch. After i workout (around 6 PM) I eat dinner and eat the additional 1000 cals on dinner and 2-300 on dessert.

    I like being able to eat one big *kitten* meal where I don't feel deprived and i go to bed full.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    tworth01 wrote: »
    Got one more week to go on this hitch and that will be 6 weeks of IF - only one meal a day. It's really helped logging my meal so I can keep track of my protein. Every meal but 2 have been under 1000 calories with the majority being around 700. All low carb. It really hasn't been that bad. Breakfast is always easy to skip and when lunch rolls around I drink some coffee or tea and hydrate all day. It will be interesting to see what the total loss is when I get home.

    It's probably okay (??) to have that crazy ridiculous deficit right now since you are classed as "morbidly obese" and have 100+ to lose. Generally this calorie range is monitored by a physician or RD.

    HOWEVER, i highly suggest that you look into eating a more reasonable deficit (maybe 1500-2000 cals per day), and learn to change your actual eating habits. Once you reach your goal weight it may be difficult to sustain if you just revert back to your previous eating style. And you will need more calories to maintain your weight once you've lost it all.

    Best of luck to you!
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 667 Member
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    I've always gravitated to IF just by personal preferences. For as long as I can remember even the smell of food in the morning makes me queasy. On top of that eating makes me tired any meal even a salad makes me want to take a nap. So I generally consume less than about 200 or so calories by 5:00 and then have my dinner and then snacks later at night when the sleepiness works to my advantage. Only thing is since being on MFP it's telling me all day that I'm not eating enough calories because my steps are being sent from my I phone. Then boom,when I start eating it doesn't tell me that any more!lol!
  • Kexessa
    Kexessa Posts: 346 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »

    And 6 meals, don't you have jobs? Who has time for 6 meals.

    Ha! I needed a giggle. Thanks for that ;)

  • Bhlinebee
    Bhlinebee Posts: 71 Member
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    I do a version of IF - don't eat from 7pm to 10 am, but from there still have three meals between 10 am - 7pm. WORKS wonderfully, still hit all my macro nutrients and within my calorie goal. Plus I'm learning portion size and paying attention to cravings - actual hunger vs stress/emotional eating.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    No, I don't think I deserve to be punished.

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