Eating one meal a day

[yorkville]

Eating one meal a day seems minimalistic. I think it can be healthy if one can avoid overeating during that one big meal. When I was into working out, I followed the mantra of 6 small meals a day. I honestly did not notice any difference from eating two or three times a day. In most of human history, I imagine our hunter and gather ancestors probably ate one meal a day. Even after farming was established, I believe two meals a day were the norm. Any thoughts?

[kpd905]

I don't think overeating would be the problem.  I'd have a hard time eating 2,500 calories in one meal.

[kathrynd]

I've watched tv, and read a lot about different eating patterns.
There doesn't really seem to be  a big difference.

You are only going to gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn.

[Ricky]

I am not a believer in eating systematically, unless you're on some sort of strict schedule. It's natural to eat when hungry or drink when thirsty. Sometimes that does mean I don't eat until 2-3pm on some days and others I eat breakfast first thing in the morning.

I can easily eat over 2k calories in one meal.

[Daddyfatsax]

I've watched tv, and read a lot about different eating patterns.
There doesn't really seem to be  a big difference.

You are only going to gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn.

None of this is true. There are huge physiological differences from eating 2-2.5k calories in sugar vs. protein vs. fat. There is a difference between eating candy and vegetables or meat.

It's natural to eat when hungry or drink when thirsty.

This is good. Combine it with healthy (read: not sugary) foods that will satisfy your hunger instead of giving you a glucose spike and subsequent plummet that makes you hungry again and you may well find yourself eating only two meals on some days, or one. I've personally never only wanted one meal but I've skipped quite a few lunches after a large breakfast and no desire to eat until dinner.

[kathrynd]

I've watched tv, and read a lot about different eating patterns.
There doesn't really seem to be  a big difference.

You are only going to gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn.

None of this is true. There are huge physiological differences from eating 2-2.5k calories in sugar vs. protein vs. fat. There is a difference between eating candy and vegetables or meat.

It's natural to eat when hungry or drink when thirsty.

This is good. Combine it with healthy (read: not sugary) foods that will satisfy your hunger instead of giving you a glucose spike and subsequent plummet that makes you hungry again and you may well find yourself eating only two meals on some days, or one. I've personally never only wanted one meal but I've skipped quite a few lunches after a large breakfast and no desire to eat until dinner.

I never mentioned anything about eating junk, crap food.

I said  you will only gain weight if consume more calorie than you burn.

Nutrition is a completely different subject.

[vern]

I usually do two meals a day in an eight hour window ala leangains.

I have a copy of The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler and found it informative.  That's the book to get on this subject.

[MrsPete]

When my husband was diagnosed as a diabetic, I went with him to a class on nutrition, and one of the key components was the idea of eating multiple times a day -- it keeps the blood sugar "even" throughout the day. 

[Gray Matter]

I would say why not experiment?  I do not think there is ONE BEST WAY to eat, or else we would have figured it out by now with all the research that's been and being done.  And there's still a lot we don't know.  So find what works best for you and makes you feel best and fits your lifestyle.

I've been reading some interesting stuff lately on diabetes.  One study about Type II diabetics showed, contrary to current advice, that they did better (glucose numbers, lipids) with one large meal a day rather than smaller meals throughout the day.  Of course, these studies always tend to be short-term and who knows over the long-term.  I also read a study that showed people with obesity felt like they were always hungry when they ate six small meals a day as opposed to fewer, larger meals (same overall calories consumed). 

So give it a shot and let us know how it goes!

[LennStar]

current medical opinion (it does change every 20 years or so ;)) is that is isnt a big difference if you eat once or 5 times a day if you only consider basic body activities.
After a while the body adapts and you dont even feel really hungry anymore with 1 meal a day even if you have eaten 5 a day before and vice versa.

There is however a strong psychological component. People with 5 meals tend to be heavier because of e.g. they eat what is on the plate even if they are not hungry anymore, if it is sweet then the insulin is jumping around, making you more hungry then necessary etc.
On the other side with only one meal you can feel exhausted and/or be less able to perform maximum power, may it body or mind.


I personally mostly eat a big lunch at early midday (at 12), quite a bit in the evening (6-7pm) and nothing in the morning, with a few small sweet things about 2 hours before the meals (when you can really savor them ^^) or an apple or banana if I am hungry such early and occosional late evening snacks in the full range of fruits to something rally fatty.

I have a fatty liver, but I am very sure that was from the earlier years when I drank only soft drinks (fat and sugar are a devils circle). After I stopped and drank only tap water my condition went a lot better, while still having a very similiar eating habit as I just wrote.
In this time I also started to really pay attention to what my stomach says. My experience is basically:
1) you can (and should) react to what your body says to you - if you are not hungry, dont eat, even if it is food "wasted" (you dont have to put away 2 spoon full, of course, but dont get another plate). Occosional ignorance of this rule isnt a tradedy. Beeing overstuffed at feasts once a month is OK. Birthdays and marriages happen ;)
2) be careful with sugar. It really IS a drug. If you feel a craving for sweet things but dont have any hunger at all - be careful. If it happens just once or if it is after a feast (then its just your body having an insulin rollercoaster) - no problem. If your hands wander to the chocolate bars at the same time of day 3 days in a row you may have build a habit or worse. Lose it. Absent from sweets for a week or two. Then you will see that you lose the craving. A real sugar addiction can take a whole month or even two, though.
I had it once and there are 2 products I now never buy because I know I cant stop eating. Run into one at relatives a month ago. Promptly emtied the (1/2) bag. I just cant stop... but I didnt need to in this situation, because it was the exception day of rule one. I also overstuffed on BBQ.
If you dont have the exception you will just feel bad. Be friendly with yourself. Beating yourself with the whip will not motivate you to adhere to the rule on the other 29 days of the month.

---

edit: the posters above posted as I wrote, so will lose a few words on this here.

I also read the (a) study with one meal a day. I also have a parent who has to use insulin injections for 10 years now.
I am sceptical on both 5-meals and 1-meal diet with diabetes.
5 meals is making the blood sugar more smooth, yes, and that is important. But it also means it is very easy for it to be slightly too high all the time - and that leads to dying legs.
1 meal is like the "eat every third day only half of normal" diet, which also showed better blood numbers esp. on fat.
But I think both are extreme diets and should not be the standard variant for anybody, especially diabetes. Both can be the best in certain circumstances.
3 meals a day definitely works for diabetes. You can do if good enough to not have extreme blood sugar numbers and still have the up/down that is normal for a body - and it well my be the body needs it. 

[soccerluvof4]

I have a friend recently that lost over 50lbs eating one meal a day and hes kept it off and is maybe 5'6" on a good day. He does do 45 minutes of Cardio a day and is about 48. He looks like a kid now and very energetic BUT he is pounding the diet cokes like there is no tomorrow which isn't a good thing. I agree if there was really a system , a one size fits all everyone would be doing it. The only thing that is for sure unless you have a medical issue is as others mentioned its less calories in then burned. Everyday its seems like there is a reason now why some that was good for you is bad and vice versa as well. The old saying everything in moderation is key and don't survive to eat , but eat to survive. Easy said than done!

[GuitarStv]

I'm not sure about moving to a single meal, but two meals a day is pretty much the ideal number for weight gain.  It's how sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up.

[Pooplips]

I tried this for awhile and loved it. After the first week, because of adjusting, it's relatively easy to maintain. I found I spent a lot less time preparing food. One large meal and your done.

I think it also makes your body a little more resilient, as far as needing sustenance goes. My wife absolutely needs to eat at least 4 times a day because she gets shakey otherwise, but one you get past that point your body gets used to eating only once. It would be helpful if you ever found yourself in a situation where you didn't have access to food for a certain amount of time.

While I loved it, my wife hated it because my preferred eating time was 2pm. She was eating dinner by herself. Now I eat twice a day.

[LennStar]

I'm not sure about moving to a single meal, but two meals a day is pretty much the ideal number for weight gain.  It's how sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up.

I wont put Sumo Wrestlers as an example for a normal diet ;)
They gain weight because they eat a lot more calories then they need, and the 2 meals routine is likely because of their training shedule and not because its works better to gain ;)

[justajane]

My uncle did that for years and managed to stay slim, but like others said, I think it can be difficult socially. He was also in business and had lots of business lunches, so I imagine that is why he quit.

[jba302]

I usually do two meals a day in an eight hour window ala leangains.

I have a copy of The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler and found it informative.  That's the book to get on this subject.

Whenever I want to diet I use the warrior diet style since it's hard to overeat in 1 sitting. The first week of getting used to it is interesting, I had a panic attack thinking I would never eat again while driving past a strip mall full of restaurants. Apparently I'm not good with structure change.

[GuitarStv]

I'm not sure about moving to a single meal, but two meals a day is pretty much the ideal number for weight gain.  It's how sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up.

I wont put Sumo Wrestlers as an example for a normal diet ;)
They gain weight because they eat a lot more calories then they need, and the 2 meals routine is likely because of their training shedule and not because its works better to gain ;)

To be fair, the only way to gain or lose weight is to eat more or less calories than are needed.  Frequency doesn't matter at all.  Unless you take into account how people psychologically react to hunger.  The training schedule of sumos usually involves a big workout immediately after waking and before eating . . . this tends to them in a mood to overindulge at first meal.

[Can't Wait]

I typically only eat one meal a day (dinner). I lost over 50 pounds doing this and I've maintained that weight for several years. I might have a yogurt or a serving of fruit for lunch but that's it.

I have coworkers who constantly complain about not having money and wishing they could lose weight while they routinely make breakfast and lunch runs to the cafeteria spending 8 to 9 dollars a pop. These people probably consume 2500 calories worth of coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Then go home and eat another 1000 calories for dinner and wonder why they cant lose weight.

It is hard to eat only one meal a day at first, but if you can make it thru the first week or so, your body will adjust and get used to it.

[kathrynd]

My husband and I tried the 5:2 eating regime.
You eat normal 5 days of the week, but on 2 non-consecutive days, you eat only 5-600 calories.

On those 2 days, I found it really difficult because it seems, so much of my day revolves around thinking about and preparing meals.
We decided this wasn't for us. We didn't need to lose weight.

Instead I decided to eat the CRON (calorie restriction optimum nutrition) way.
Again, it wasn't to lose weight, but as a way to eat more healthy.
My caloric intake is 1200-1400 a day.

[yorkville]

I echo your sentiment about overeating and wasting money. Its really terribly inefficient. One spends time and money to eat more than whats needed. Then one has to spend more time to exercise. For many, this means money on gym membership which is probably end up not utilized.

I typically only eat one meal a day (dinner). I lost over 50 pounds doing this and I've maintained that weight for several years. I might have a yogurt or a serving of fruit for lunch but that's it.

I have coworkers who constantly complain about not having money and wishing they could lose weight while they routinely make breakfast and lunch runs to the cafeteria spending 8 to 9 dollars a pop. These people probably consume 2500 calories worth of coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Then go home and eat another 1000 calories for dinner and wonder why they cant lose weight.

It is hard to eat only one meal a day at first, but if you can make it thru the first week or so, your body will adjust and get used to it.

[Kiwi Mustache]

I've tried 6 small meals, I've tried 3 meals and I've tried two meals.

I've tried fasting and only eating during an 8 hour window. I've tried the 5/2 fasting diet, LCHF diet, Paleo Diet, etc. I've tried not eating breakfast but eating other meals, not eating dinner and doing the same, etc.

I don't do this to loose weight, I'm pretty skinny as it is. I try them to find what is a healthy cheap way to eat. I've also got IBS so can't eat gluten, dairy, lentils, etc.

I've found I just eat when I feel like eating. Some days I don't feel like eating lunch so I skip it and eat a bigger dinner. Some days I wake up and am not hungry until 1pm so I don't eat until 1pm.

I've found that as long as I'm aware of my hunger (and thirst) during the day, I just eat when I feel the need to.

I found eating one meal a day left me feeling so full afterwards I wasn't productive for 2 hours afterwards and had trouble getting to sleep if that one meal was after 5pm (after work).

I think the eat 6 small meals a deal to boost your metabolism is utter lies. Recent research backs this up also.

I follow the Perfect Health Diet, but not 100% It is a book.

[killingxspree]

good way to lose weigh but I cant do that diet even In a relatively sedative job. I have loud hunger pangs and low blood sugar really starts to kick in around 12. bad headaches, low blood pressure and snappish. then strangely I have trouble sleeping at night at the right time. I also hate feeling really stuffed from desperately over eating.

[FuckRx]

My only concern would be for someone who has a family history of type 2 diabetes. Eating meals with high calorie counts could potentially make the pancreas work a little too hard and "burn it out". But, if the person eating these 2000-25000 calorie meals is eating mostly a plant based diet with more emphasis on complex carbs then I don't think it would make a difference. If the person is eating mostly eggs/meat/bread/rice/milk then I would be more concerned. Otherwise I agree, makes no difference, snack multiple times throughout the day or eat once a day.

[moneymaker100]

Having only one meal a day saves you some money, that's for sure, but you will spend more later for vitamins and other medical staff. So don't fool yourself, start eating normally.

[GetItRight]

i typically do one large meal midday and sometimes a smaller meal in the evening or sometimes no evening meal. My main meal is usual a high calorie meal, I have no problem tanking up once a day. When I travel for work and end up doing social breakfast/lunch/dinner some days I feel like I'm gorging... As I tend to eat each meal as if it were my one meal per day. Regardless, I often wonder why other people are eating all the damn time, and ponder how much time they waste eating and preparing food when it can be a simple efficient once and done.

[2Birds1Stone]

Intermittent fasting is awesome for many people. If you are busy, this is a style of eating that can work wonders for you. I plan on doing this when I diet later in the spring.

I prefer to eat one solid meal a day when dieting vs grazing all day and never feeling satisfied. 

[Kepler]

I'm on the wrong device to easily look up the reference, but there is some research evidence that intermittent fasting has different effects on men and women - that it "works" much better for men, but may be associated with issues with glucose regulation in women who wouldn't otherwise have issues. 

My memory is that the research on this was underpowered, so the effect may not be "real", but it matches my personal experience: I have a chromosomal disorder that places me at higher risk for developing diabetes, so I have picked up a glucose meter and periodically test the impact things are having on me.  If I go a long period without a meal, or with a significantly smaller meal than others, it affects my blood glucose on the next "normal" meal I eat.  This happens even when I don't feel in the mood to eat (I tend to get caught up at work and would just as soon not bother eating), and the effect is strong enough that I notice higher numbers even if the next "normal" meal is low carb.  Now, my metabolism personally is going to be odd, so my anecdata is probably worth even less than the average, but just pointing out that there is also some suggestion of a gendered effect in the actual research, although, since women are often under-represented in health literature generally, it may be some time before we have enough data to know if the effect is real for most women...

[fartface]

I typically only eat one meal a day (dinner). I lost over 50 pounds doing this and I've maintained that weight for several years. I might have a yogurt or a serving of fruit for lunch but that's it.

I have coworkers who constantly complain about not having money and wishing they could lose weight while they routinely make breakfast and lunch runs to the cafeteria spending 8 to 9 dollars a pop. These people probably consume 2500 calories worth of coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Then go home and eat another 1000 calories for dinner and wonder why they cant lose weight.

It is hard to eat only one meal a day at first, but if you can make it thru the first week or so, your body will adjust and get used to it.

Today was a "Cinco de Mayo" celebration at work...ok, well, maybe "Uno de Mayo"

Anyway, they had tacos, rice, tortillas, shredded chicken, ground beef and all the fix ins. I made a chicken nacho platter.  It was delicious and free. I'm skipping dinner now, so that puts my overall food spending for the day at $0! I've got the same co-workers as you though, chubby, grumpy, and broke (all of em sitting around planning their Friday night out). I took a walk when I got home, Oh and went up to Great Clips for a $6.99 haircut because I haven't had a hair cut since July 2014. Total spending for today: $10 w/tip!

[yorkville]

Since my posting about eating one meal a day in April 2015, I started to loosely follow this practice, probably averaging 1.5 meals a day. I ate as usual and followed the same workout routine I always had. After roughly 6 months, I was able to get my body fat low enough to get six pack abs for the first time in my life, something I was never able to do in my 20s or 30s. I am quite happy with the results, and I probably saved thousands in food expense and hours in grocery shopping, and food preparation.

[grock]

I tried this once. It is basically an extreme form of intermittent fasting. All the rest of the the day your body is using your fat stores as fuel . I ended up losing a bunch of weight rather quickly even though I was eating about 2,100 calories.

[Heleen]

I've been intermittent fasting for over a year and switched to eating one meal a day a few months ago, so far I love it!
I feel more energized than I did when I was eating two meals a day, I saved a bunch of money because I'm not buying lunch anymore and I'm slowly losing that last thin layer of fat. I guess I eat around 1500-1800 cal. a day and I actually enjoy dinner way more now!
If I'm going to the gym, I take an extra apple or some yoghurt and a protein shake.

[yorkville]

Great to hear that others having similar positive expereinces. I agree that dinner is very enjoyable now as its almost a special treat.

Someone else mentioned on this thread that this is similar to Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet. Ori articulated everything more clearly than I did. I sort of come to the same conclusion by trial and error.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I used to eat one big meal a day when I was in my teens and early 20's. For the most part it worked ok. It wasn't great for doing things where you have a to focus in real time, like playing a musical instrument. I saw a marked improvement in that kind of performance if I ate before practicing.

I eat usually 3 times a day now, but I don't eat a lot for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is my big meal. On the weekends, I usually only eat 2 times a day. I eat junk food for breakfast then don't eat again until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I haven't had any issues with cravings or controlling my weight. I'm 6'3" and about 180lbs.

[TravelJunkyQC]

In most of human history, I imagine our hunter and gather ancestors probably ate one meal a day.

From an anthropological point of view, hunter-gatherer cultures we're grazers. Meat feasts occurred when the men returned from a hunt with meat, but in general, the gathering women, children and older folks would still be grazing while they gathered. In general, this was necessary because it was important that energy levels stay constant, since hunter-gatherers tended to be largely on the move, and could be easy prey if they weren't alert and prepared to run or hide when necessary. In addition, food storing wasn't possible (for large quantities), so most eating was done simultaneously as the gathering. When farming and raising livestock came into play, we started having more set meal-times, because we needed to work during most of the day. We could also afford having "off-times" or periods of rest and lethargy, because we benefited from group-protection. We also started having the ability to store foods for longer periods of time. That's why two-to-three meals came about: early morning before working, mid-day when the sun was hottest and it was best to stay out of it, and after the day of working.

Personally, I have low blood pressure and can become hypoglycaemic, so I fell nauseated and weak if I don't eat soon after I start feeling hungry. Physiologically, it's best to eat and drink when you feel the need (like someone already mentioned). If you feel good eating a meal a day, as long as you have the proper intake of calories and nutrients, I doubt it would be problematic. I personally feel better when I eat a little constantly, and never huge meals. To each his/her own though.

[Metric Mouse]

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/intermittent-fasting-for-fun-and-badassity/msg714309/#msg714309

A link to the IF thread that had some good information on the topic.

[Digital Dogma]

I eat one meal a day occasionally, but only on days when I'm being very lazy doing minimal physical work, I don't think I can sustain myself through a typical work week on one meal no matter how robust it is. The only way I could get through the day without lunch at work would be by drinking a lot of vegetable juice or something with fiber to keep me feeling full.

[DoubleDown]

I don't know about one meal a day, but I did the 5-2 diet (regular eating 5 days a week, greatly restricted calories 2 days a week) for a couple of months. Research shows it helps significantly lower blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol. I was only looking to lose about 5 pounds, but the weight fell off so easily I went ahead and lost 10 to get back to my college weight (I'm now 50). Now I fast one day a week as "maintenance." I almost never felt hungry while fasting, and the few times I did feel hungry it came and went quickly. So yes, I think skipping some meals at least occasionally is a good thing. Plus, it tends to make you more mindful when you do eat so that you don't keep eating past satiety.

[patrickza]

I've been eating one meal (LCHF) a day for the last 4 years now. The biggest benefit is the extra time you have. When everyone else has to go and find food, or prepare it etc you can do whatever you feel like. I'm also the only one that doesn't seem to be falling asleep at workshops after everyone else overdoes their lunch.

I still eat the same amount as I used to when I ate normally, and I don't think it makes much difference to your weight. I think what you eat has a bigger impact, and the LCHF has kept me below 10% bodyfat with good muscle.

It is far cheaper eating one large meal than 3 smaller ones. Easier to shop for too. I don't think I'll be switching back to regular eating, there are just too many positives to this style, for me at least.

Oh and I have absolutely no trouble eating well over 2500 calories in one sitting. I could do that three times a day, it's a family curse! Fortunately it's a lot harder to overeat on one meal a day, so I'm an exception in my family by being in good shape.

[LennStar]

I've been eating one meal (LCHF) a day for the last 4 years now. The biggest benefit is the extra time you have. When everyone else has to go and find food, or prepare it etc you can do whatever you feel like.

Hm... maybe its a German thing, but we have those things called bread. That is, a whole family... no make that small town of breads. I currently have 5 different sorts in my freezer because there was an 1/3 off this week.
Anyway. Making a nice bread takes less time then eating it, its simple and cheap and versatile and you can easily store all you need for 5 days (or more with freezer). You dont need to go hunting.