One big meal a day.

Options
RingSize8
RingSize8 Posts: 175 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I made a promise to myself with week that I would stay within my calories all week, and so far I have been, but I've also started just basically eating one big meal a day, usually lunch(ish). Is this horrible. It helps me stay within my calories and eat what I want, but I'm guessing it's not all that good for me. Last week was the first week I didn't lose weight since joining MFP, and I was less over on calories last week than in the previous weeks when I lost weight. Frustrated. Regardless, since joining MFP I've not stayed within my calorie for an entire week. Thoughts? Thanks.
«1345

Replies

  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
    Options
    It won't matter.
    www.leangains.com
  • MENichols5
    MENichols5 Posts: 176 Member
    Options
    I think that the key here is maintaining this as a lifestyle forever. Even if you do lose weight eating one big meal a day (and getting to eat whatever you want then), this won't be an easily managed lifestyle. I know its really hard to change the way you eat and think about food (I still struggle) but it's those changes that are going to make the difference for the long run. Also, it's probably unlikely that you are getting all the nutrients you need which will help you sustain weight loss and a healthy body.

    Try thinking ahead about what you will eat the next day (or even week) and then you can make sure you will have enough calories for each meal. Maybe eat a light breakfast so you can have a bigger lunch and then light dinner.

    Also, take a break from counting one day a week if you want. Some people might disagree with this but if this helps you from falling off the wagon every other day of the week then I think it is worth it.

    Good luck!
  • BuckeyeLife
    BuckeyeLife Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    Eating one meal a day is not a bad or "hard" thing to do life long. I am pretty sure people didn't have timed meals during history and they survive just fine. As long as you get a good nutrient intake and calories to take care of your metabolism, awesome. If you can find a way to spread meals out to help get more calories/nutrients if needed, then just focus on a small piece at a time.
  • Shellyeubanks
    Shellyeubanks Posts: 30
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    I'm sure you can find some people that say it doesn't matter and some that say it does. You said it didn't work last week, so if it doesn't work this week, I'd probably change it up.


    And how the heck can you eat that much food in one sitting? I mean if it's healthy food, that's a whole lot of food to eat at one sitting.
  • sherry9300
    sherry9300 Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    Are you really only going to eat one meal a day for the rest of your life?
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    You heard wrong. This is an old myth that just won't die.


    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html
  • BuckeyeLife
    BuckeyeLife Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    I'm sure you can find some people that say it doesn't matter and some that say it does. You said it didn't work last week, so if it doesn't work this week, I'd probably change it up.


    And how the heck can you eat that much food in one sitting? I mean if it's healthy food, that's a whole lot of food to eat at one sitting.

    Your metabolism does not change because you are eating like that. I mean when I sleep I rip through 1k calories, 8+ hours of no food and I am killing calories when not awake.
  • Shellyeubanks
    Shellyeubanks Posts: 30
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    I'm sure you can find some people that say it doesn't matter and some that say it does. You said it didn't work last week, so if it doesn't work this week, I'd probably change it up.


    And how the heck can you eat that much food in one sitting? I mean if it's healthy food, that's a whole lot of food to eat at one sitting.

    Your metabolism does not change because you are eating like that. I mean when I sleep I rip through 1k calories, 8+ hours of no food and I am killing calories when not awake.

    As I said you will find people that say it doesn't matter and people that say it does. One person off the top of my head that says it does matter is Dr Oz. he says that if you are deprived of food for longer than 12 hours, your metabolic rate can lower by 40%.

    So perhaps he's wrong? He's only a dr after all but who knows!
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    I'm sure you can find some people that say it doesn't matter and some that say it does. You said it didn't work last week, so if it doesn't work this week, I'd probably change it up.


    And how the heck can you eat that much food in one sitting? I mean if it's healthy food, that's a whole lot of food to eat at one sitting.

    Your metabolism does not change because you are eating like that. I mean when I sleep I rip through 1k calories, 8+ hours of no food and I am killing calories when not awake.

    As I said you will find people that say it doesn't matter and people that say it does. One person off the top of my head that says it does matter is Dr Oz. he says that if you are deprived of food for longer than 12 hours, your metabolic rate can lower by 40%.

    So perhaps he's wrong? He's only a dr after all but who knows!

    Perhaps? That quack is wrong about everything.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    I don't know. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist.
    Here's what I do remember reading:

    they did a study where they gave rats the rat equivalent of a big mac value meal. Some rats got that fat/carbs/protein etc spread over a whole day, some rats got it in one meal.
    The rats who got the fat/carbs/protein spread over a day were okay, the ones who got a rat equivalent of a big mac value meal in one MEAL had higher cholesterol and gained weight.

    dunno

    But it doesn't seem healthy, or sustainable to me.
  • Shellyeubanks
    Shellyeubanks Posts: 30
    Options
    Like I said you will find some that say it does matter!


    http://www.livestrong.com/article/542042-is-eating-one-meal-a-day-healthy/



    Her best bet is to do what is working for hr body, no matter what someone says.
  • BuckeyeLife
    BuckeyeLife Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

    Feel free to actually read and see where you get. I am not going to continue beyond this, when I hear a reference to "Big Mac" diet of any kind I mentally check out.
  • RingSize8
    RingSize8 Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    Eating like 1500cal in one sitting REALLY isn't that hard. ...for me it's hard not to, just because of the fact that I love to eat things that tend to be high in calories. Eating a salad from a restaurant can run you 1500cal, depending on the salad. Also, this way of eating to me is more satisfying as I feel like I'm getting to have what I really want, and it keeps me full all day. As opposed to eating little meals here and there of things I, well, of foods that aren't necessarily my favorite. I've heard that it's okay to eat like this and it's not okay. I guess if it works for me then it's okay right? ...we'll see what the scale says come Monday AM. Thanks!
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    Like I said you will find some that say it does matter!


    http://www.livestrong.com/article/542042-is-eating-one-meal-a-day-healthy/

    Ugh.

    Nothing pisses me off more than lay articles that misrepresent their sources.

    What your article said:
    A series of chemical reactions drive your metabolism, and the food you eat keeps your metabolism going. When you eat just one meal a day, cholesterol in your bloodstream can rise. A study published in the April 2007 edition of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" examined the effect of one meal a day vs. three. The researchers found that the healthy participants who ate a single meal a day did lose fat mass, but they were hungry. Moreover, they had increased blood pressure and total cholesterol and a decreased cortisol concentration. Cortisol, a steroid hormone, causes your body to send more glucose into your bloodstream when you are under stress. Over the long term, a slow metabolism can sabotage your weight-loss efforts.

    The actual study:
    Although within normal values, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher than baseline during consumption of the 1 meal/d diet. Experimental data for normal-weight men and women on the effects of consumption of 1 meal/d rather than 3 meals/d on blood pressure have not previously been reported. Overweight men and women showed that consumption of 1 meal/d, with caloric restriction, improved blood pressure and heart rate after exercise

    ----

    Subjects consuming 1 meal/d had decreased cortisol concentrations, which were most likely due to diurnal variations in this hormone. Cortisol is typically elevated in the morning and decreases later in the afternoon (34, 35).

    ---

    Several limitations of the design of the current study warrant consideration. Although this was a pilot study, the small sample size was particularly limiting. Blood, blood pressure, body temperature, and body-composition measurements were taken in the early morning from subjects consuming 3 meals/d and in the late afternoon from those consuming l meal/d; results may have differed if the latter measurements also were obtained in the early morning


    ---


    In conclusion, altered meal frequency is feasible in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged men and women. Consumption of 1 meal/d resulted in weight loss and a decrease in fat mass with little modification in calorie consumption. It remains unclear whether altered meal frequency would lead to changes in weight and body composition in obese subjects.



    Her best bet is to do what is working for hr body, no matter what someone says.

    Agreed
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    I don't know. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist.
    Here's what I do remember reading:

    they did a study where they gave rats the rat equivalent of a big mac value meal. Some rats got that fat/carbs/protein etc spread over a whole day, some rats got it in one meal.
    The rats who got the fat/carbs/protein spread over a day were okay, the ones who got a rat equivalent of a big mac value meal in one MEAL had higher cholesterol and gained weight.

    dunno

    But it doesn't seem healthy, or sustainable to me.

    You are not a rat.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    I don't know. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist.
    Here's what I do remember reading:

    they did a study where they gave rats the rat equivalent of a big mac value meal. Some rats got that fat/carbs/protein etc spread over a whole day, some rats got it in one meal.
    The rats who got the fat/carbs/protein spread over a day were okay, the ones who got a rat equivalent of a big mac value meal in one MEAL had higher cholesterol and gained weight.

    dunno

    But it doesn't seem healthy, or sustainable to me.

    You are not a rat.
    Nope. Nor did I say I was. Just relating what I read. Is there scientific evidence that eating one meal a day is a good thing?
    I have that article, and a very very very fat friend who eats one very large meal a day. I don't know of any research or anecdotal evidence that suggests it's healthy for 2012 humans.
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    Options
    So, I made a promise to myself with week that I would stay within my calories all week, and so far I have been, but I've also started just basically eating one big meal a day, usually lunch(ish). Is this horrible. It helps me stay within my calories and eat what I want, but I'm guessing it's not all that good for me. Last week was the first week I didn't lose weight since joining MFP, and I was less over on calories last week than in the previous weeks when I lost weight. Frustrated. Regardless, since joining MFP I've not stayed within my calorie for an entire week. Thoughts? Thanks.

    It's not bad for you. It's called intermittent fasting. I find that it is much easier to stay within my calories if I do all my eating for the day in a 5 hour period. For me, it's 3:30pm-ish to8:30pm-ish.

    It doesn't matter what time or how often a day you eat.
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    Options
    I don't know. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist.
    Here's what I do remember reading:

    they did a study where they gave rats the rat equivalent of a big mac value meal. Some rats got that fat/carbs/protein etc spread over a whole day, some rats got it in one meal.
    The rats who got the fat/carbs/protein spread over a day were okay, the ones who got a rat equivalent of a big mac value meal in one MEAL had higher cholesterol and gained weight.

    dunno

    But it doesn't seem healthy, or sustainable to me.

    You are not a rat.
    Nope. Nor did I say I was. Just relating what I read. Is there scientific evidence that eating one meal a day is a good thing?
    I have that article, and a very very very fat friend who eats one very large meal a day. I don't know of any research or anecdotal evidence that suggests it's healthy for 2012 humans.

    There is no scientific evidence that eating one large meal a day is a bad thing. It does not matter how often or what time you eat.
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    Options
    I've always heard by eating only one meal a day, your metabolism isn't working as hard, slows down and thus your weight loss slows.

    I'm sure you can find some people that say it doesn't matter and some that say it does. You said it didn't work last week, so if it doesn't work this week, I'd probably change it up.


    And how the heck can you eat that much food in one sitting? I mean if it's healthy food, that's a whole lot of food to eat at one sitting.

    You can find "some people" who say anything at all. Scientists do not say it matters how many meals a day you eat or what time you eat.
  • sherry9300
    sherry9300 Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    Let us know. I just eat all day and couldn't imagine one meal making me happy or holding me over for a whole day. If you open your diary, would love to see how you are doing this. Not that I'm changing anything, :) This girl likes to eat and I pretty much do it all day (my diary is open).

    Either way, I wish you success!

Categories