Is eating one meal per day bad for you

ilovefood9998
ilovefood9998 Posts: 24 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I am currently on a diet and I am trying to lose weight from 185 pounds to 150 pounds. I blame the most of my weight on my addiction to soda as I normally drink around 4000 calories worth of it per week. I have stopped drinking soda and I have stuck to my original diet with the removal of snacks. So I have one meal per day and I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch since I was around 12 years old. To be honest changing this isn't an option either since my parents don't buy any breakfast things as they don't eat it either and I have no money to buy lunch and I have developed this weird thing about eating in front of people so I can't eat lunch either. I have no variety in meals at all and can honestly say I have eaten the same 2 meals for the past year. I eat either microwave curry which has 500 calories with fries and around 4 slices of bread and the bread is around 400 more calories. I have that 3 times a week as my parents buy me 3 microwave meals. Then for the rest of the week I have to hope that my parents order a takeaway. If we get a takeaway I will have 3 slices of pizza half a portion of fries and also 4 slices of bread. That is all I ever eat. Both meals of takeaway and microwave curry probably only come upto around 1000 calories each which is half my daily intake. Will I lose weight just by removing the soda alone which is 4000 less a week or will I need to remove the bread and things like that. I have only just started my diet and I haven't got much choice in what I can change. Is my body in starvation mode hence why I won't lose weight. Could I potentially eat the meals earlier at around 5pm or something like that.

Replies

  • MarcoMDO
    MarcoMDO Posts: 1 Member
    From my personal experience there isn't a huge difference between spreading meals out or going for one big one. The only thing I noticed is that I tend to overeat less, but you can simulate that by taking a roughly 20 minute long break after half your meal. Your stomache needs a while to tell your brain you're full. If you're still hungry after waiting a little, eat up!

    More importantly, if time and money at all permit it, you should really look into changing what you eat. You remind me of that girl who only ate chicken mcnuggets for years. That didn't end well.
    Coming from a family with terrible, terrible eating habits myself, you can pick up basic cooking skills pretty quickly. I'm not from the US, so I'm not sure what takeout pizza costs over there, but where I come from you could easily throw a healthy meal together for the same cost and a little bit of time and effort.

    Otherwise, yeah, at least take a multi vitamin every now and then.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    Eating one meal a day is fine.
    As long as you are eating the right things, and giving your body the nutrition it needs, but also not overeating.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    At some point, consider adding some variety: apple, banana, . . .
  • Xymheia
    Xymheia Posts: 65 Member
    edited May 2017
    Talk to your parents, I'm serious, you can't live like that for long periods of time without getting nutrient deficiencies. You can survive on 1 meal per day just fine if nutrition is okay, but your energy level is probably not ideal and maybe your brain is a little foggy at times. Your productivity and well being likely improve when eating regularly. Removing soda and eating less fast food will certainly help with losing weight and frees up some budget for healthier foods, but you need a variety of foods for proper nutrition.

    It doesn't have to be very expensive/complicated either:
    1. You can buy oatmeal in bulk, fruit and yogurt. With this you can make overnight oats and breakfast smoothies. With wholegrain flour (also bulk), eggs (cheap protein) and milk you can make pancakes, with just eggs you can make scrambled eggs or an omelet and with oats and milk you can make traditional oats.
    2. You can buy fruit and vegetables at farmer's markets, they are usually cheaper than supermarkets, particularly if you buy foods that they have in excess or are in season.
    3. You said that you eat bread already. Perhaps you can ask your parents to buy the wholegrain variety and some peanut butter, then you can eat it for lunch instead of dinner. I live in a culture where it's normal to eat bread for lunch (and sometimes breakfast as well), it's not ideal, but it gets you through the day and is easy.
    4. For dinner you can buy dry bulk foods like rice, couscous, peas, lentils, (wholegrain) flour, (wholegrain) pasta in large quantities, either online or from farmers/co-ops in the neighborhood. Foods bought in large quantities are cheaper per portion than what you can find in the supermarket and with foods from the farmer's market and some meat/chicken/fish/eggs may help you create meals that are not only healthier but also cheaper than takeout and frozen meals or at least close to the same price. This does take some planning and may be too much to do right now, but I think it's good to know this for later on.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    Starvation mode's a bit of a myth but I sincerely believe you could be malnourished, I am extremely concerned for your welfare and the situation you are in even if you are a young adult (you don't sound very old considering you have no access to money and therefore no funds to feed yourself at lunch) if you are a child I hope there are services you can access at school to maybe get some support? Which country are you from? xxx
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
    The answer to your question is: you can eat just one meal a day.
    I can't but it's how some people roll.
    I'd go mad with boredom on what you're eating at the moment though.
    Are you in school? Is there a canteen?
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    One meal a day is fine... Many weekends I skip breakfast, eat light for lunch, and have a large dinner. The problem with only having a handful of the same meals is that you may be malnourished and that's worrying. I agree you would benefit from a multivitamin and a talk with your parents. How old are you? If you're under 18 you should look at calories needed for that age range as MFP is assuming you're 18+. Also, if you're under 18 your parents should be helping you with lunch. Your home food situation sounds very worrying. Also, eating in public. Gets easier when you realize nobody is paying you any mind. Good luck!

    Plenty of cheap staples: brown rice, lentils, beans, frozen veg.
  • amc2509
    amc2509 Posts: 219 Member
    I find your username fairly ironic as you don't appear to eat much food.... Please talk to your parents... 3 microwave meals per week and the hope of a takeaway sounds crazy! Are your parents buying all the soda? Maybe ask that they spend the money on some wholesome food instead.
    Assuming you are old enough you need to learn to cook for yourself... When I was a teenager I just learned to cook as my mum didn't believe in the healthy lifestyle. Roll on 30 yrs and my mum is on a cocktail of medication with limited mobility. Sometimes you just need to try and take control as best you can!
  • amyr271
    amyr271 Posts: 343 Member
    Why do you have to hope that your parents order take-away? What are they eating if they dont? Can you not just have some of whatever they are making? Or go grocery shopping with them and change what they buy you?
  • amyr271
    amyr271 Posts: 343 Member
    edited May 2017
    According to previous posts OP is an 18 year old who has made 5 posts over the last week and not come back to any of them

    Edit: Grammar
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    you said you can't eat breakfast because your parents don't buy "breakfast food" - just as an aside, any food can be a breakfast food so feel free to eat any meal earlier if you want.
  • kristikitter
    kristikitter Posts: 602 Member
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    I have that 3 times a week as my parents buy me 3 microwave meals. Then for the rest of the week I have to hope that my parents order a takeaway.

    Alarm bells are ringing here. Can you talk to someone in school, like the nurse or a support officer, or even a teacher you trust? If what you are saying is true then your parents need to step up their duty of care.

    Do you have access to any other food? Do they keep other food in the house?
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    I am currently on a diet and I am trying to lose weight from 185 pounds to 150 pounds. I blame the most of my weight on my addiction to soda as I normally drink around 4000 calories worth of it per week. I have stopped drinking soda and I have stuck to my original diet with the removal of snacks. So I have one meal per day and I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch since I was around 12 years old. To be honest changing this isn't an option either since my parents don't buy any breakfast things as they don't eat it either and I have no money to buy lunch and I have developed this weird thing about eating in front of people so I can't eat lunch either. I have no variety in meals at all and can honestly say I have eaten the same 2 meals for the past year. I eat either microwave curry which has 500 calories with fries and around 4 slices of bread and the bread is around 400 more calories. I have that 3 times a week as my parents buy me 3 microwave meals. Then for the rest of the week I have to hope that my parents order a takeaway. If we get a takeaway I will have 3 slices of pizza half a portion of fries and also 4 slices of bread. That is all I ever eat. Both meals of takeaway and microwave curry probably only come upto around 1000 calories each which is half my daily intake. Will I lose weight just by removing the soda alone which is 4000 less a week or will I need to remove the bread and things like that. I have only just started my diet and I haven't got much choice in what I can change. Is my body in starvation mode hence why I won't lose weight. Could I potentially eat the meals earlier at around 5pm or something like that.

    You need to see a therapist.
  • Stockholm_Andy
    Stockholm_Andy Posts: 803 Member
    To be completely honest I'd wouldn't want to give you weight loss advice before I knew a bit more about your personal situation. Are you under 18 and or still in full time education? Because, to me, that's how it reads.

    If that is the case then several things in your post really worry me as a parent myself :
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    To be honest changing this isn't an option either since my parents don't buy any breakfast things
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    I have no money to buy lunch
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    and can honestly say I have eaten the same 2 meals for the past year
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    I have that 3 times a week as my parents buy me 3 microwave meals.
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    Then for the rest of the week I have to hope that my parents order a takeaway.

    That seems to be an horrendously unbalanced diet. You don't seem to be eating, or have access to, any fresh fruit or vegetables, diary or much protein.

    Your being fed bread, pizza, soda, snacks, pizza (if your lucky) and a couple of micro meals.

    If you are still in school is there anyone you can talk to outside of the family? Perhaps at school?
  • ilovefood9998
    ilovefood9998 Posts: 24 Member
    amyr271 wrote: »
    Why do you have to hope that your parents order take-away? What are they eating if they dont? Can you not just have some of whatever they are making? Or go grocery shopping with them and change what they buy you?
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    As an adult, you should have your own income. If you don't have your own income, you're possibly too young to be here. If you're too young to have your own income and use MFP, you have to rely on your caretakers. Caretakers should take care. If you are conveying the situation correctly, your caretakers aren't doing their job properly.

    I have to hope my parents order takeaway as they only buy 3 microwave meals for me per week and the rest I have nothing else to eat unless they get a takeaway. They don't make anything themselves my mum just eats breakfast and lunch and rarely eats dinner and my dad has a meal at a cafe before he comes home from work.
    I am an adult I don't have an income as I am in full time education and after college and during the weekend I have to help look after my younger sibling.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,130 Member
    ilovefood9998 wrote: »
    amyr271 wrote: »
    Why do you have to hope that your parents order take-away? What are they eating if they dont? Can you not just have some of whatever they are making? Or go grocery shopping with them and change what they buy you?
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    As an adult, you should have your own income. If you don't have your own income, you're possibly too young to be here. If you're too young to have your own income and use MFP, you have to rely on your caretakers. Caretakers should take care. If you are conveying the situation correctly, your caretakers aren't doing their job properly.

    I have to hope my parents order takeaway as they only buy 3 microwave meals for me per week and the rest I have nothing else to eat unless they get a takeaway. They don't make anything themselves my mum just eats breakfast and lunch and rarely eats dinner and my dad has a meal at a cafe before he comes home from work.
    I am an adult I don't have an income as I am in full time education and after college and during the weekend I have to help look after my younger sibling.

    You need to start taking some responsibility for yourself, this is not an ok way to be living. I would suggest going and getting yourself a job, so you have your own income and let your parents look after your sibling. That is their job after all, not yours. Having 3 meals per week and hoping for a bit of takeaway is like living like a stray dog hoping for some scraps from passers by.
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