 |
Can you lose weight by only eating one meal per day? |
Weight loss options and approaches.
Answer
My diet began as a bet; a bet between my muslim friend and I. Fasting for my buddy consisted of one meal a day and NO WATER OR FOOD until after 7 pm. The first 10 days were the hardest because of growling intenstines, headaches, and people that were calling me crazy. They no longer call me crazy, instead they ask whats my secret. I tell them no pills, no restrictions on what eat, as long as I eat once a day, and motivation (1-2lbs a day is great motivation). My bet became a blessing, I now eat anything I want once a day (7pm). I cuurently weigh 190, a big diffrence from the 225. I don't get sleepy like before, my feet aren't swollen, I feel great and recommend this diet.
Regardless of what anyone wants to say, the basic idea is if you are using more calories each day than you are taking in you lose weight. When people hear you should eat 6 meals a day it is for a few reasons. It lets people spread out their calories throughout a day and possibly feel less hungry. It also supposedly helps your body run smoother because its never at that point where its just too full so your energy level remains stable throughout the course of your day. I went to college on full scholarship for track running and ended up taking time off because of illness. I felt I could eat like I always did(when I was running 10 miles a day before) and within a year weighed 197 pounds. I am 5'9". I ate one meal a day and watched the calories and what the calories came from. Stupidly enough my college major was in nutrition so I am not sure how I ever actually got that overweight. Anyways eating one meal a day of healthy low fat, high protein, good carb foods I managed to lose over 60 pounds in 4 months. And NO my body did not go into starvation mode and eat all its muscle. Before losing the weight I was 29% body fat. I ended the 4 months at 10%. With my numbers that means just over 3 of every 4 pounds I lost was straight fat tissue. The muscle I lost was primarily the muscle in my legs I had developed just to carry all the fat weight and it was no longer needed so my body got rid of it...
You will do better if you throw in exercise with it. I didn't exercise during that period simply because I was working 70 hours a week and was on my feet all day every day anyway. Now that I eat more regularly and exercise more hardcore losing weight doesn't ever happen. Probably because my body fat has hit 8% and doesn't seem to want to drop very much more on its own. Plus the developing muscle makes up in weight for any fat I ever lose.
But the answer is, in my personal experience, and with my knowledge of nutrition, you are not going to get sick or lose your possibilities of weight loss by eating 1 meal a day, as long as that meal is of a healthy portion and does not consist of ridiculously unhealthy junk.
Answer
I have been eating one meal a day (lunch) since 1999. I am not dead, sick, nor has my body gone into starvation mode. Where do people come up with that stuff? You do not go on a diet, you have one. Loosing / maintaining weight is a byproduct(not THE goal)of good eating habbits.
I am a world class athelete, and eating one meal a day has provided a tremendous boost for my two hour workouts, seven days a week. I have had a head cold once since 1999. My wife and children still all get sick several times a year, while I escape completely unscathed. Before I switched to a one meal habbit, a got sick just like everyone else.
At my last physical, my doctor told me that if everyone took care of themselves was like me, health insurance costs would run about per month for everyone and he would probably be out of a job.
Jamming your intestines literaly full of excrement by eating three meals, six tiny meals, or non-stop eating is what destroys your colon, and your health, leading to yearly sicknesses and cancer. The average American carries 8 to 15 pounds of excrement in their body at all times because of out of control eating habbits. Your body is not made to handle the overload and constant intake that Americans are known for.
Your intestines need a resting cycle between assimalations, and eating several times a day does not accomplish that. There is no doctor or advisory group that can proove me wrong, because I am living proof that you DO NOT GET SICK if you have a healthy diet of one moderate meal a day.
But don't just jump on one meal a day. I first cut the easiest one "dinner" out of my life. Then in about three months I stopped eating "breakfast" and just had an apple in the morning and water. Then I eventually lost my appetite for even the apple at 5:30am, so i just drink water.
Eating three to six meals a day is not a healthy diet, it is an addiction. Many cultures around the worly enjoy eating one meal a day, and they do not suffer any of the leading causes of American death as a result. You just have to get past the "junkie" blood sugar level your brain is used to from three meals a day, down to a stabilized, rehabilitated level.
Lastly, don't take my word for it. Do internet research on one meal a day to see the benefits around the world. The comments here mostly just state what people "think" is the right thing to do, without any actual experience in what they are talking about.
ANSWER
Dear Once-a-Day-Eater,
I am so glad that I found your response. I am also a once-a-day eater since 8 months and I feel great.
But I am not writing to share my experience. My goal is to make this type of eating pattern more popular so that people who benefit from it do not feel tamed and dissuaded by doctors and nutritionists who repeat the same old message: "graze, eat small amounts at least 3 times a day."
I would like to conduct research which proves the physical and mental benefits of eating once a day and I would greatly benefit from hearing your about experience. If you do not mind, I will quote your answer written above, in my future academic work
If you are interested in joining my battle against skeptical nutritionists, please e-mail me at kurbanek@sas.upenn.edu or call me at 267-357-6562.
I will greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you for reading this answer. Good luck with eating once a day. Yours,
Kalina
Answer
So all of you saying that if I eat 6 times a day instead of 1 time I will lose weight? I dont think so! It's like what a few others have pointed out: Less Calorie intake = Loss of weight. I dont know if this diet cleans out your digestive system or not, but it makes sense that it would. Also, I find it easier to control amount of over-all food intake when you can see all your food you are going to consume at once. Snacking is the number one thing that will cause you to eat junk. Think about it...it is easier to pick up a candy bar or bag of chips when you have a craving rather than an apple. PEOPLE DO NOT CRAVE APPLES FOR SNACKS....
Answer
Answer
Who ever is serious about the 1 meal a day thing really should read all the answers on this page. It shows both sides of the story. My story is I have always been a tall skinny guy I graduated hghschool weighing in at 155lbs and did I mention I was 6 foot 5 inches? But I sttarted working out got into great shape then stopped working out for 2 years and muscle turned into love handles and I gained some weight everyone was giing me a hard time like what happened. Truth is I just like eating alot if I sit down to eat I can put it away. Then I started working at a casino where they give us 1 freee buffey meal a day. So I was all over that nut I started realizing I WASN'T HUNGRY WHEN i GOT HOME BECAUSE OF MY JOB i EAT AT 2:00 PM. And breakfast I rarley had time Before I started working at the casino I weighed myself in at 189. Which is the most Ive ever weighed. The one meal a day works for me saves on cash and it allows me just to eat alot when I sit down but Ive been doing this for 3 months and I actually lost 7lbs. My body got used to the way I was eating. And since I was loosing weight I got the motivation to start working out again. So now its the new year works in great with my new year resolution. I actually eat alot for lunch but I am trying to have alot of fruits and chicked. I am no doctor just a young 24 year old who feels if you want a nice body working out is the only way to go. 1 meal a day I feel hlps but the key thing I say is if your going to eat a big meal be prepared to work it out. Besides since Ive been eating like this I actually only have to take a crapper once a day and its a healthyone so feels like it helps clean out my system. So for everyone goodluck hope it was a little informative.
Answer
You can lose weight, in fact I have done this for a while now and have not only lost 8kg but feel much more energetic! i have a normal breakfast such as 2 pieces of toast and a cup of tea and nothin until 12.30 where i eat what i like from the canteen, not a stupid amount only until i feel full. by the time of 4pm comes i the carbs from the meal kick in so i am feeling very energetic for the gym where i have a weight regime and i also do a lot of running (around 5km a night). in fact this is the way us as humans and primarily hunters used to and should eat. you would not see a lion having 4-5 meals a day and you will hardly see a fat lion! as long as you work off what you ingest then there should be no problem, Its all about timing of eating food, i seem to be hitting it right when i eat at 12.30 and train around 5 where the energy levels are at the highest, after training i just have a protein shake because eating late is too much of a strain for me! I'm no nutritionist but i seem to have found what works for me! cheers for listening!
Answer
answer
right now i am eating only one meal a day and i know that after a while it doctors say that you'll get sick and your body will go into starvation mode and you'll get sick.the amount of calories eat a day is the amout your body tries to burn but what if you eat only one meal aday and it is 100% healthy then you boy burns the calories you ate plus more when you wlak, run, jog, and or exercice.
yesterday i weighed my self i was 171 now today i am 169.i lost 2 pound image that being you loseing 2 lbs per day 14 lbs a week ruffly 50 pounds a month. so see if you eat healthy and exercice for just 5 mins the weight will shead off you.
Answer
Hi,
At the moment I work in a factory from 2pm til 10pm. I get up in the morning and eat whatever I want til I'm full. I then do not eat anything apart from carrots for the whole day. I go straight to bed after work. The factory work involves being on my feet. I have lost weight doing this for a week.
Answer
Answer
I eat 2 meals per day. Skipping breakfast is the easiest meal to skip, this is when l do my 30 minutes of light jogging. At 12-1pm l have a bowl of all bran with juice and at 3-4pm l eat 2 peices of fruit. Dinner time: 6pm is anything low fat and healthy and includes moderate amounts of everything, protein, carbs and heaps of fresh salad with flax seed oil. Then for desert l have a skim hot chocolate made with pure cocoa (no calories) and a small peice of dark chocolate. On the weekends, l usually have a few wines and eat a bit more casual. I have been eating like this for 5 years with a break when l was pregnant. My weight is in the normal range and am a size 8. This isn't the way l would like to keep eating because everyone keeps saying l need to eat breakfast. Most day l have heaps of energy but there are some days where l am very tired like most people. The other day l did eat breakfast and lunch and l felt sleepy all afternoon. What l would like to know, is there anyone out there who has eaten one meal per day and then gone on to eat 3 meals and lost weight or stayed the same? I would love to know.
Answer
I only eat once a day, but its not good food so I don't really gain or lose. A single healthy meal a day might be good, but I work too much to try it.
Answer
Answer
Yes. I am an avid biker. I am 52. I have been at 195lbs for months and even though I spend 1 to 5 hours a day on the bike I haven't lost any weight. I figured I could eat what I wanted and still lose weight. Wrong. Now I eat ONE meal a day. Breakfast. 1900 to 2400 calories. I eat cracked wheat mush, broccoli, cottage cheese, homeade bread, jam, lettuce,cabbage, oatmeal, potato with ketchup and cheese, sugar, FLAXSEED 70 GRAMS OR MORE, carrots, banana, apples etc. I am amazed at how much energy I can still generate 9 hours later on the bike after work. The addiction to eating was tough at first but after a few days my mind set or my body or both has really come online. I am losing weight. A true average will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. This morning I weighed 189.0 I drink lots of water (1 1/2 quarts) with my meal and lots of water during the day. I feel better than I have in months even though I am already in great shape and rode my last century with no drafting at 21.8 mph.
Oct 30 189 lbs Nov 9 186 lbs
3 lbs in 10 days... I seem to be losing mostly fat. But how can I tell for sure ? Pants fit better and the pinch test is smaller. But 3 lbs on this much fat ? So little from all over....
I am loving this one meal a day. It makes life so interesting. I always use to pig out in the evening. Not any more !! I have never had this much will power. My body seems to be liking it more and more. ON days when I ride all day... I eat all day....
After all this time of trying so hard to lose weight....
I am finally finding consistent success.
The key was to weigh my food and count the calories and keep track of it every day.
I wake up so much more energetic. No dragging out of bed because I ate fat food the night before !
Man this is fun !!! I never thought I had it in me to not eat night after night....
Answer
Answer
Answer
These people who claim they ate one meal a day and did not recieve benifits, are liars or did not eat the proper food at the proper time. Eat one meal of the best food between 4 and 6 p.m. At first you will lose weight but then your body will stabilize annd your weight will remain steady. You also must have good thoughts because the mental effects the digestive process, if you have wicked thoughts it wil deminish the benifits. The benifits include clearer skin,brain, and a rested digestive system. Also fast once a month for three days and you will rarely ever get sick.
p.s. no smoking,no pork, no drinking
Answer
You are apsolutely right.
Answer
Answer
Answer
Yes you can, and it works very well for me. You're body gets used to eating this often and you don't get hungry all the time. Also, I like it because my only rule is that I only get one meal a day and I can have whatever I want for that meal. Some days its healthy, some days it isn't. I've gone back to eating two or three meals a day, but it has never worked well for me. I end up eating far more throughout the day and eventually gaining weight. Once I've reached the weight I want, I find it is better to eat the one meal a day, plus allow myself to eat snacks sometimes and two meals on weekends sometimes.
Answer
Maybe for some people, but normally what happens is:
your body needs 3 meals a day and some snacks,
If you dont eat and starve yourself your body will go into starvation mode and take the food that you do eat and then store it, making you fatter..
Answer
I am tired of people saying there is research that eating 5 meals a day is better than 1 meal a day for losing weight, but they never cite the study.
I don't think anyone has seriously debunked the one meal a day diet.
In medical school, I had a lecture "diets debunked" that debunked atkins, southbeach, limiting variety, food replacements, and most diets, except one meal a day.
In the end calories in < calories out means you lose weight. one meal a day lets you eat your favorite foods, saves you time and money so you are more likely to keep it going.
I did the one meal a day diet through most of medical school and was the healthiest in my life. The only thing that gets in the way is free meals, because it takes away one of the incentives of the one meal a day diet (save money).
anyways, check out the following articles and books: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/dietandfitness/experts/nutrexpert/articles/0,,282_175381,00.html?dst=rss%7Cukdf http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/280/5368/1378?ijkey=4aE5b8dml9vsM Total Nutrition: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need - From the Mount Sinai School of Medicine by Herbert
Answer
This is really one of those questions people should be asking more often. The answer is an absolute "yes". Quite frankly, I have tried every diet including the 4 to 6 small meals a day (yes, small portions with the recommended protein/carb/fat ratios this will work overtime but it requires a lot of planning and discipline to carry out. The only diet that every really worked long term for me was eating one meal a day - I did this through law school and I went down to the lowest weight I had been since getting out of the Army. One solid meal a day (in my opinion if you eat early you can pretty much have whatever you want - say before noon) will definitely help you lose weight, particularly if you add a few exercise sessions in through the week. Quite frankly, and feel free to correct me if there's another option out there, but this is the only eating style that will really let you eat what you want on a daily basis. My thoughts were (or are since after reading this I'm going back to that eating style) it's better to have one decent meal in a day and exercise a little than have 4 to 6 crap ones - you can get pretty much the same results. Feel free to criticize - but as the Dr. above says - quote the study. My results were personal and, for me, those are the ones that count.
Answer
Eating one meal a day will benefit most people. Let's go back to the good old times when there was no processed foods, junk food or take away outlets. Hunter-gatherers did not have junk food. They would go through feast - famine cycles and would binge at night while starving all day. These people were skinny and strong. Humans are primarily destined to follow certain feeding cycles and physical activities. In accordance with the �Thrifty Genes theory�, scientists speculate that humans have adapted to survive better during cycles of feast and famine, action and rest. We are all pre-programmed to follow life cycles that involve periodic lack of food as well as physical activity that force the body to compensate by accelerating energy utilization and fat burning as well as facilitating tissue repair and growth.
Answer
According to a Japanese doctor who wrote a book on the subject, it is healthy to only eat one meal a day, because it gives the body a chance to clean it self. If you eat 2 meals, it's worse for some reason.
Only one meal is ideal because all of the waste is cleaned this way - while eating more meals leaves some in the body and is harmful.
He suggests eating only dinner - but I can't wait that long, so I eat a late lunch and I am fine the rest of the day.
Answer
i've tried this once before, where i would only eat one medium sized meal a day when i got home at 4 pm, thats all i would have, i also had alot of water and exercised regulary, YES i did get very skinny, everyone noticed and thought i had an eating disorder, which i did, this is only an easy way out, and everyone would tell me 'your so skinny' 'you need to eat' so i got that drummed into my head and begun eating normally again, and YES i began to gain weight very fast... it's true the best way to keep your weight at a healthy one is to eat like a king at breakfast, princess at lucnh and a porper at dinner, with small snacks in between, drink lots of water and EXERCISE!
Answer
I tried eating one meal a day and it is the best thing I have done. My family keep telling me that it's unhealthy and bla bla bla but i have been able to stick with it longer and i don't even feel hungry till i put food in my mouth. The only meal i eat is dinner.
Today i started eating "regularly" again and i feel so hungry only a few hours later! yet when i eat only once i feel less hungry and when i eat dinner i feel full and satisfied for the rest of the night. My conclusion came out to be that when i do eat several meals a day i get often cravings to eat eat and eat but when i DON'T eat till dinner time i feel fine...like i dont need food. PLUS i eat whatever i want (until i feel full of course) and still see the scale go down.
i LOVE it and i recommend it. I'm going back to eating once a day tomorrow but i'm gonna make it healthier plus add exercise so i can lose weight faster.
i do admit though..... i drink liquid throughout the day, mostly water and just one glass of iced tea in which i completely love lol i'm gonna make this a lifestyle habit.
Answer
Your body has what is called a set point. This is the weight that your body tries to maintain by storing fat. It is an evolutionary function created when food was something that was only around for a short while. Our ancestors ate and ate when they could. Eating one meal a day will help you lose weight, but your body's set point will be the same. If you begin eating a slightly large amount of food you will gain weight very easily. The best diet is the build muscle diet. Building muscle lowers the body's set point, meaning you can eat the same amount, but have less fat. This is what your ideal state of health is.
Answer
The person above makes a good point - eating one meal a day would let you lose weight, but would not be a good way to go for sustainable weight loss. For that you need to change your eating habits in the long term to something that you can keep up. 'Grazing' on low calorie foods does work. If you stop eating salty / sugary / chocolatey foods, then after a while you stop craving them too - these days I snack on carrots, not chocolate bars - it took a while to stop wanting chocolate, but now I find it tastes too sweet and don't enjoy it that much.
First answer by Leslie. Last edit by Ishmael44. Contributor trust: 3 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 207 [recommend question]
|
Research your answer: |
Can you answer other questions about weight loss and diets?
Answers.com > Wiki Answers > Categories > Health > Fitness and Beauty > Diet and Weight Loss > Can you lose weight by only eating one meal per day?
Our contributors said this page should be displayed for the questions below. (Where do these come from ) |
| If any of these are not a genuine rephrasing of the question, please help out and edit these alternates. |
