One meal a day.
zainabanwer
Posts: 25 Member
What are your views on the one meal a day diet, is it effective?
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Replies
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It's effective if it puts you in a calorie deficit.
You can have a calorie deficit with 6 meals a day too.
You just have to choose what sounds less torturous to you.16 -
No way could I live on one meal more like 4 to 6 - with low blood sugar n working out6
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Depends on your preferences.2
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Effective how? One meal a day isn't a diet, it's a meal pattern. I wouldn't want to do it, I like to spread my daily intake over three or four meals.3
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I don't do diets. I have had success with just eliminating bad foods and focusing on delicious meals, and running a calorie deficit. That way, when I get to my goal, I won't be getting off a diet.7
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If you eat a lot of fats in your diet (like a keto style diet) it is a lot easier to do. The fats keep you satiated longer and will make it easier to go a longer period of time before you feel hungry again.
I follow a keto diet and will do the intermittent fasting after a 'carb day' to get back into ketosis. Intermittent fasting for me is a 4 hour eating cycle (get all my nutrition in 4 hours) and a 20 hour fast. I have a hard time eating a 'clean' 1800-2000 calories in one meal. I'll break it up into 2 meals for comfort.
Bottom line- don't starve yourself for a fad. Eat when you're hungry and eat things that will kep you fuller for longer.8 -
I could not do this!3
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I do that when I need to, for example when I know I will be doing a buffet I just save my whole day's calories for it. It's not really a diet, just a way to schedule meals in a way that makes dieting easier for you. I personally wouldn't do well on one meal a day every day, but some people find it easier to keep a calorie deficit when they do it that way. Try and see if you find it easier than regular meal scheduling.5
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It is not easy to get all your nutrition needs in one seating, especially protein. I like having one meal a day but the only way to get all your calories in one meal is either not clean eating or Thanksgiving dinner. So I stretch it and make it a 6 hour feeding window.
With that said, if I know I have a big meal coming ( going out or going to Mom's for dinner), I save my calories for that meal.1 -
zainabanwer wrote: »What are your views on the one meal a day diet, is it effective?
I hear it's very effective form of intermittent fasting.5 -
I did it as an experiment I had a feeding window 6pm to 9pm. Waiting all day was worth it when it was time to feast. It was amazing but problem is i lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks2
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zainabanwer wrote: »What are your views on the one meal a day diet, is it effective?
Effective for what? Weight management? Time management? Using fewer dishes? Eating whole large pizzas by yourself for dinner? Winning eating contests? Annoying people in your life who eat more often?
Meal timing is preference. Calorie deficit is for weight loss.
It might suit you to eat once a day or 6 times a day. Do what works for your life.
I prefer to eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day... eating every 3-5 hours. This makes it easy to eat meals with other people.
I could probably get used to 1 meal per day but would find it more challenging.6 -
That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.1 -
BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
Using a car analogy:
Putting $5 of gas in 6 times a day is no different than putting $30 of gas in once a day.51 -
If you eat a lot of fats in your diet (like a keto style diet) it is a lot easier to do. The fats keep you satiated longer and will make it easier to go a longer period of time before you feel hungry again.
I follow a keto diet and will do the intermittent fasting after a 'carb day' to get back into ketosis. Intermittent fasting for me is a 4 hour eating cycle (get all my nutrition in 4 hours) and a 20 hour fast. I have a hard time eating a 'clean' 1800-2000 calories in one meal. I'll break it up into 2 meals for comfort.
Bottom line- don't starve yourself for a fad. Eat when you're hungry and eat things that will kep you fuller for longer.
fats dont keep everyone satiated,for some its carbs for others it may be protein.its going to vary from person to person.
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I do this, in a way, even when gaining weight. I'll have small snacks throughout the day and then one large dinner. This is usually five or six days a week. It will be Intermittent fasting, 8 hour eating, 16 hour fast. The big dinner will be anything I want, but is usually healthy... such as chicken, beans, and rice. Some people consider snacks meals, but I've never thought of them that way. My snacks would be a protein shake or a drink called Orgain (protein/carb drink), or piece of fruit.
I'm only really hungry around dinner time, so I just have a large meal at that time. I've always done this and it's easy to me. I just manipulate calories to gain or lose weight. I usually ignore blogs for advice, but this one was interesting and discusses who eats one meal a day and the research behind the benefits of it: https://lifeforbusypeople.com/2016/07/23/longevity-why-i-eat-once-a-day/1 -
BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
So you're saying that our ancestors are ridiculous for hunting and not eating for days before they catch a hunt. And that they would die in weakness after not eating for a day. We were not evolved to eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day. If that was so, people who do fasting would die very shortly throughout the fast. Our bodies actually evolved to store our macros effectively. That's why fasting is very efficient.10 -
BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
Yeah no. You're wrong though.5 -
BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
Using a car analogy:
Putting $5 of gas in 6 times a day is no different than putting $30 of gas in once a day.
Yep.
One meal a day doesn't appeal to me (but neither does 6 meals a day, I'd find that harder than one). People are different, and I'm always surprised at how many people actually like having lots of little meals or snacks. 3 meals is my bias, though.6 -
Usually I eat two regular sized meals, a small breakfast, and small meal in the late evening. If I get hungry between meals a piece of fruit or cuppa. I used to be a three meal a day gal, that got modified over the years and somehow fits the schedual of the place I'm in now.1
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I have never tried it so I'm not sure. I think for myself I might be prone to binging but my ex father in law only ate one meal a day and he did fine. Maybe it's something you get used to. If it's your personal preference I say go nuts but if you think it's a clever way to stay in a deficit and you're forcing yourself... get ready to binge!2
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BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
I could never eat 6 small meals personally. Anyone on these forums has plenty of fuel in their tank haha. As long as your deficit isn't dangerously low, eat 1 eat 6; eat what you wish it makes 0 difference.5 -
It would be effective for putting me a jail after I killed someone from being hangry. Other than that, no it wouldn't be very effective for me. I would binge and eat far more calories than usual with smaller meals.3
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I've started an "Eat less than 1000Kcal per day at Breakfast and fast through the Day" diet and in a week I've reduced my Blood Sugar from avg 12 to 6.3 tonight. Lost over 2 Kilos as well. I've cut out carbs as much as I can too, so my one meal a day misses out pasta, potatoes, bread and rice.
Skipping Lunch hasnt been a problem, I drink more flavoured water to fill the stomach, but during the evening I wait until 20:00 to go swimming. I tell my Inner Child who does all the comfort eating, that I cant swim 2 hours before a swim, so that gets me thru until after the swim when its way too late to eat before bed.
That gets me thru to breakfast when I go down to the motel rest'rant & look at the All-You-Can-Eat Continental Buffet.
I hope to reverse my Diabetes 2.0 -
I've started an "Eat less than 1000Kcal per day at Breakfast and fast through the Day" diet and in a week I've reduced my Blood Sugar from avg 12 to 6.3 tonight. Lost over 2 Kilos as well. I've cut out carbs as much as I can too, so my one meal a day misses out pasta, potatoes, bread and rice.
Skipping Lunch hasnt been a problem, I drink more flavoured water to fill the stomach, but during the evening I wait until 20:00 to go swimming. I tell my Inner Child who does all the comfort eating, that I cant swim 2 hours before a swim, so that gets me thru until after the swim when its way too late to eat before bed.
That gets me thru to breakfast when I go down to the motel rest'rant & look at the All-You-Can-Eat Continental Buffet.
I hope to reverse my Diabetes 2.
you know for most people less than 1000 calories is not healthy right?5 -
cocoradical wrote: »BrooklynBooty wrote: »That is ridiculous! I could never live on one meal a day. I eat 6 small meals a day and lost tons of weight. Your body needs fuel just like a car. When it starts to run low on gas you need to fill it up. Not overflow the tank but enough to get it to the next stop. If you don't it will just run on fumes which we all know is really bad for your car and starts to affect other parts.
That's how I feel about it.
So you're saying that our ancestors are ridiculous for hunting and not eating for days before they catch a hunt. And that they would die in weakness after not eating for a day. We were not evolved to eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day. If that was so, people who do fasting would die very shortly throughout the fast. Our bodies actually evolved to store our macros effectively. That's why fasting is very efficient.
While I agree we're not evolved to need 4-6 small meals a day, you are wrong about the dietary patterns of ancient peoples. Yes, they hunted. But when they had killed a large animal or caught a net full of fish, they dried/preserved the excess meat and then ate that between "kills." You also forgot that humans gathered food. Nomadic hunter gatherers even sowed patches of crops so that as they migrated through, say next summer, there would be seeds/grains or vegetables to be gathered. This lasted for millennia before some peoples settled down and started agriculture in earnest. Studies of our human ancestors coprolites show that in a hunter gatherer diet of ancient peoples there was daily intake of food and most of the daily intake of food was from gathering plant based sources of food. Forensic studies of the Iceman and his kit and stomach contents back this up as well. So the idea of ancestors only hunting for food fasting between "hunts" for days at a time is a myth.5 -
I tried the "Warrior Diet" which is essentially eating one meal between 4 pm and no later than 7 pm, but you can eat all that you want until you are full. Although I didn't have all that much difficulty eating one meal per day, what I found was I would seriously overeat at night, so it didn't work for me.
The car analogy is novel, however people are not cars, we can run for quiet some time on empty.3 -
moonstroller wrote: »I tried the "Warrior Diet" which is essentially eating one meal between 4 pm and no later than 7 pm, but you can eat all that you want until you are full. Although I didn't have all that much difficulty eating one meal per day, what I found was I would seriously overeat at night, so it didn't work for me.
The car analogy is novel, however people are not cars, we can run for quiet some time on empty.
The car analogy is excellent but can be expanded. With obese people we are talking a car that burns 5 gal a day but has a 500 gal reserve tank (fat).
Whether we put in x1 gal at regular intervals or 5 gal once a day, we rarely ever pull from the reserve tank and never run on empty.
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Charlie Beans - I'm doing this under medical supervision.2
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