Toni_no12002 Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 Hi well i have read about eating one meal a day can help you lose weight.I have read quite a few sites about this and have found that some are against it and some are for it for different reasons. I have found that if i eat regular meals i tend to overeat and found that only eating one meal a day at about 5 or 6 oclock makes me enjoy my food more and also i dont over eat.I balance the meal out with different types of food and such. I rea don some sites that it is actually better to only eat one meal a day as this helps your body recover from the poisons of the other meal.But then again on some sites it says that it can cause problems only eating once a day. What does everyone think?Any advice would be great !
MotherGooze Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 It doesn't sound very healthy. I think when dieting it's better to eat small meals 4-5 times a day and exercise. The less you eat, the more your metabolism is going to slow down...you are actually probabaly hurting yourself more than helping
laRubiaBonita Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 whether you eat 20 meals or one meal a day, as long as you are taking in less calories than you are burning you will lose weight. simple as that. how you comprise those calories is up to you. it seems to make sense, though, to consume calories that are beneficial, not a waste.
princessa Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 Yeah that was my diet while in college. With plenty of cigarettes and black coffee for complete nutritional balance.
Guest Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 of course eating one meal a day will help you lose weight... it's called starving yourself. i would love to see some of the websites you're looking at that say this is a good idea because it is terribly unhealthy. losing weight isn't as hard as people think, it just involves a lot of preparation. you'll have to count some calories(good ones) and throw in some cardio and weight lifting. these three things put together will help you lose all the weight you need. eating 5-6 times a day is ideal for losing weight because it helps raise your metabolism. that might seem like a lot but i don't mean 5 big meals, they're more what you would normally call a big snack. but splitting your food up like this will give you better results than just eating the conventional 3 meals a day.
quankanne Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 you'd be much better off supplementing that one substantial meal a day with smaller ones during the day, that way your tummy senses that it's not empty and it doesn't send signals to your brain saying "I'm starved, I need to eat ... anything!" or kick-start those hormones that make you conserve every bit of food you take in because you're going into conservation mode like a hibernating bear. something to think about: I've been told by several women that while they were toward the latter part of their pregnancies, it was much easier to get by on smaller meals (even if it was peanut butter crackers or a handfull of nuts or fruit/vegetables) every couple of hours than to try to eat three square meals a day because their digestive system just couldn't handle it. I know that's something the nutritionist told the people in my diabetes class, to break your 1800-calorie (or however many calories) meal plan into a bunch of smaller ones to help you stay feeling full and to help avoid unnecessary snacking. I know that when I stick to a meal plan and allow for those health snacks (or finishing up that leftover bit of lunch/dinner), I'm less prone to eat crap because I'm hungry and need a blood sugar fix immediately.
Totoro Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 Hi well i have read about eating one meal a day can help you lose weight.I have read quite a few sites about this and have found that some are against it and some are for it for different reasons. I have found that if i eat regular meals i tend to overeat and found that only eating one meal a day at about 5 or 6 oclock makes me enjoy my food more and also i dont over eat.I balance the meal out with different types of food and such. I rea don some sites that it is actually better to only eat one meal a day as this helps your body recover from the poisons of the other meal.But then again on some sites it says that it can cause problems only eating once a day. What does everyone think?Any advice would be great ! If you mean only one "meal" a day and no snacks or anything, then NO. No no no no no no no no no no no no. Two words: Weight Watchers. It's not a "diet" and that's why it works. I lost 15 pounds with them and I've kept it off. And it's healthy. http://www.weightwatchers.com
LucreziaBorgia Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 If you restrict your intake too much, your metabolism will drop and it will become that much more difficult to lose the weight.
Author Toni_no12002 Posted March 20, 2007 Author Posted March 20, 2007 Thanks for your replies The reason i thought of having only one meal a day is because for me it seems to stop me over eating.I found if tried to eat several small meals a day i was hungrier but this way i dont really seem to feel that hungry. can it really be that dangerous as long as you are actually eating something? i try to balance the meal out with lots of veg,protein,some carbs and the littlest bit of fat if i have to.I also found this way that i realise when i properly full.I drink plenty throughout the day and i dont seem to feel hungry.
sb129 Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 If you restrict your intake too much, your metabolism will drop and it will become that much more difficult to lose the weight. Thats right! This is why if YOU do lose weight on one meal a day, the moment you go back to a normal diet, you will pile it back on because your body will be coming out of starvation mode, and will be wanting to conserve energy in case it goes back into starvation mode. And then it willbe even harder to lose the weight. One meal a day is stupid. Esp if its in the evenings, as this is when your metabolism slows down. You won't be able to function properly if you don't eat anything till then. All nutrtionists and dieticians say that a balanced breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you divide your meals up into say 500 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 800 for dinner, have one serve (ie one small chicken breast, fat free yoghurt tub) lean protein and one serve of complex carbs (1 cup cooked quinoa, brown rice, porridge, cereal) and loads of fresh veg (fruit is good, but has natural sugars so don't go crazy) for meals and snack on a handful of nuts or seeds or a piece of fruit inbetween meals as well as exercise for at least 30mins four times a week, you should lose weight AND keep your body healthy. Try and limit alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine too.
Trialbyfire Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 That's because your stomach stretches to accommodate larger meals. If it has to do this consistently, it will remain stretched. Just give yourself some time with smaller meals and your stomach will shrink down.
sb129 Posted March 20, 2007 Posted March 20, 2007 I found getting super organised helped me. Its nerdy, but I preplanned recipes, cooked large pots of healthy recipes (eg chunky soups, vegetarian chilli) and froze them in individual size containers so i never felt tempted to get a takeaway if I couldn't be bothered to cook. I now am at my ideal weight. I exercise quite a bit too-that helps keep weight off, esp if i have the odd naughty day....
Mr. Lucky Posted March 21, 2007 Posted March 21, 2007 If you divide your meals up into say 500 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 800 for dinner, have one serve (ie one small chicken breast, fat free yoghurt tub) lean protein and one serve of complex carbs (1 cup cooked quinoa, brown rice, porridge, cereal) and loads of fresh veg (fruit is good, but has natural sugars so don't go crazy) for meals and snack on a handful of nuts or seeds or a piece of fruit inbetween meals as well as exercise for at least 30mins four times a week, you should lose weight AND keep your body healthy. Try and limit alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine too. How dare you take all the mystery out of it Mr. Lucky
Lovie Posted March 21, 2007 Posted March 21, 2007 can it really be that dangerous as long as you are actually eating something? regardless of what you could be eating for that one meal a day it will be dangerous because you're still starving yourself. if you actually go through with that kind of a diet you'll be well on your way to an eating disorder. spreading your meals throughout the day is the best way to go. you said you've tried that and you're always hungry. as long as you're feeding yourself enough you will get used to it. i'm not saying it won't be hard, but it's going to take some sacrifice.
amerikajin Posted March 23, 2007 Posted March 23, 2007 When are people going to learn? Fad diets don't work. Low-carb diets don't work. Sugar busters doesn't work. Starvation doesn't work. Eat 3 regular meals and even a snack or two in between and you'll be fine. What sends American bellies over the beltline is the size of portions and the complete lack of an exercise regimen. Take care of those two things and you'll be okay. You don't have to be super slim either; some people are naturally big, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with an extra 5-10 pounds or so if you are getting regular exercise. It's when you're 25-50 pounds or more overweight when you really have to start working hard to lose that weight.
Guest Posted March 28, 2007 Posted March 28, 2007 hiya, first of all i would like to say sorry that u obviously feel that low to starve yourself. i know how u feel. i av had 1 meal a day for about 2 weeks, although i have lost considerable amounts of weight, i feel lousy. so tired, miserable, depressed. i wouldnt recommend it too anyone! honestly. i thought exactly the same as you at first, i will do it until im happy with my weight, then eat normally. unfortunatley it does NOT work like that. good luck anyway, but please be careful. dont over do it. my friend died 2 years ago of anorexia, please dont end up like that. it becomes an obsession with food!!
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