1 meal a day diet good or bad?
Options
Replies
-
I would recommend against such a diet, but not for that reason. Losing weight is only part of the weight-loss journey. The other part is creating new, healthy eating habits that you can sustain for the rest of your life. If you happen to be the sort of person who in fact can eat just one meal a day for the next several decades then what you are doing now serves that purpose. But if not, I think you risk falling back into old, bad eating habits once you hit your target weight.
For myself, I would find it very, very difficult except for relatively short stretches.6 -
Just remember our bodies need food to fuel our metabolism to burn calories!19
-
I eat most of my calories at lunch and I have a very light dinner. I strongly suggest you keep an eye on your protein intake because eating multiple proteins or a very large amount of a single protein can seem odd if you are not accustomed to it. I find it easier to break my lunch into 2 courses. For example sometimes my first course is breakfast food and my second course is a more traditional lunch.3
-
I eat most of my calories at lunch and I have a very light dinner. I strongly suggest you keep an eye on your protein intake because eating multiple proteins or a very large amount of a single protein can seem odd if you are not accustomed to it. I find it easier to break my lunch into 2 courses. For example sometimes my first course is breakfast food and my second course is a more traditional lunch.
The protein part of it has always left me wondering for those that do if and OMAD. Whenever I have read about protein the recommendation is to split it evenly between your meals throughout the day rather than the more typical, most in the evening way that many eat. What exactly are the consequences of this in regard to limited eating times?2 -
So I am pretty astounded about how everyone in life suddenly becomes an expert dietician when you mention being on a diet so I’ve decided to ask people who have real knowledge about weight loss. I have been told by many people that 1 meal a day will lead to the slowing down of my metabolism and that my body will enter “starvation mode”. I have been on a diet for the past 6 weeks and I have successfully lost 16 pounds whilst only eating 1 meal a day. Does it matter how frequently you eat in a day? Surely calories in and calories out are the only thing that matters for weight loss.
Clearly it wouldnt slow weight loss and lead to so called starvation mode - or people in 3rd world countries. POW camps etc who only ate once a day would all be fat - and obviously that is not the case.
If it works for you - fine.
Me personally, it would not.
Eating smaller intake per time spread across the day works for me.
1 -
If it helps you keep from overindulging and you make sure to meet all your nutritional goal, OMAD is great. If you find you constantly struggle to do it, it's not good for you. The secret to dieting is meeting your nutritional needs at a calorie deficit without struggling. Exercise helps me, because it makes room for my late night snacking habit, but it's not necessary if you hate it or can't do much of it. All that matter is that you create a calorie deficit.2
-
Lillymoo01 wrote: »I eat most of my calories at lunch and I have a very light dinner. I strongly suggest you keep an eye on your protein intake because eating multiple proteins or a very large amount of a single protein can seem odd if you are not accustomed to it. I find it easier to break my lunch into 2 courses. For example sometimes my first course is breakfast food and my second course is a more traditional lunch.
The protein part of it has always left me wondering for those that do if and OMAD. Whenever I have read about protein the recommendation is to split it evenly between your meals throughout the day rather than the more typical, most in the evening way that many eat. What exactly are the consequences of this in regard to limited eating times?
Me too (always wondered). As a doddering old bird the recommendation is generally to eat protein in ~30g increments for better synthesis.
Even though over 60% of my cals are usually eaten after 7pm and my breakfast and lunch are light, I make sure my protein is divided in a 30, 30, 40+split.
How does one eat all ones protein at one sitting and utilize it fully?
Cheers, h.
@Lillymoo01, a quick search turned up this, you may find it interesting.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29497353/
Ps sorry for the slight off topic detour.2 -
One meal a day works for some people. It's also called "OMAD." Google it if you want.
1 -
Lillymoo01 wrote: »The protein part of it has always left me wondering for those that do if and OMAD. Whenever I have read about protein the recommendation is to split it evenly between your meals throughout the day rather than the more typical, most in the evening way that many eat. What exactly are the consequences of this in regard to limited eating times?
Effective and sustainable weight loss always wins in the health benefits department unless it is too aggressive or disordered. On protein distribution it is just a guess but I would imagine the downside is not achieving whatever the upside is. Suboptimal doesn't immediately suggest negative consequences.
I think you can drive yourself crazy if you get too caught up in recommendations. My wife's doctor preaches veganism at her during each visit for the health benefits. That works for many people but it won't work for her.
4 -
Monomeal = the recipe for eating it all back
Dialing food down into one meal is not sustainable over the long haul. All of these brutally strict protocols work short-term. They're all so awesome until they're not.18 -
For thousands of years poor people lived on one meal a day or every second day. They have obviously survived - so why shouldn't we?
4 -
I wouldn't want to eat OMAD but I know plenty of people that have for years. It's just not sustainable for *me* long term but it's absolutely personal preference. It is not going to slow your metabolism or send you into starvation mode (God I hate that term lol)2
-
Monomeal = the recipe for eating it all back
Dialing food down into one meal is not sustainable over the long haul. All of these brutally strict protocols work short-term. They're all so awesome until they're not.
Wow. You have no problem knowing what works for everyone on the planet, do you?
8 -
Monomeal = the recipe for eating it all back
Dialing food down into one meal is not sustainable over the long haul. All of these brutally strict protocols work short-term. They're all so awesome until they're not.
Funnily enough, I never had a problem maintaining my weight when I only ate once, sometimes twice a day. And back then, I wasn't doing it on purpose, I was intuitively eating that way because it is what worked best for me and my body. But hey, you know everything about everyone, right?4 -
I'd personally be as mean as a striped snake if I only ate once a day, but so long as your are well-nourished and satisfied, I see no harm in one meal a day.7
-
Monomeal = the recipe for eating it all back
Dialing food down into one meal is not sustainable over the long haul. All of these brutally strict protocols work short-term. They're all so awesome until they're not.
Iv been eating OMAD since I was about 14 (im now 32) with the odd exception like when on holiday (so like 1 week once a year) so it IS sustainable.
people need to be careful when having OMAD, as some think it means you can eat what you want as only having the 1 meal but its still important to watch the calories.
I got fat eating OMAD, then when I started tracking my calories in my OMAD i was loosing weight.
OP, if eating OMAD suits you and you dont struggle the rest of the day feeling hungry, lacking energy or feeling light headed its perfectly fine to eat that way as long as you still keep in your calorie goal and make sure you are getting good nutrtion at the same time5 -
-
neugebauer52 wrote: »For thousands of years poor people lived on one meal a day or every second day. They have obviously survived - so why shouldn't we?
malnutrition was also far more rampant...I personally would want to do more than simply survive.7 -
Sounds like the Warrior Diet. Nothing new. Suits some better than others.
1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 938 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions