one meal per day

[darlingnikki]

each time I attempt this I wind up with a nasty migraine...what am I doing wrong?
I plan coffee and water daytime, LC dinner then exercise...but by 3 PM I feel my head start to pound, can actually hear the wooshing of my pulse in my head, KWIM??

[lisabinil]

Originally Posted by darlingnikki

each time I attempt this I wind up with a nasty migraine...what am I doing wrong?
I plan coffee and water daytime, LC dinner then exercise...but by 3 PM I feel my head start to pound, can actually hear the wooshing of my pulse in my head, KWIM??

Sounds like low blood sugar making you feel sick-prolly not a good plan for you.

[Melodye]

Wish I could do this,but I have diabetes and take insulin. So,I have to eat 3 meals a day plus one or 2 snacks a day,but I have lost 48 pounds since may.

[milandy]

I think that if you feel anything other than hunger, then this probably not the right way of eating for you. Use your best judgement and follow your doctors orders.

[darlingnikki]

definately not for me boo hoo but I would love to see those results!

[kaybie]

As someone who likes to be a guinea pig and try all these different tricks that people post about, I decided to try this out today. I ate half a chicken with the skin at 1 pm then at about 4 pm (although I was still plenty full) I ate 2 eggs and 2 bacon. I am still full and have no desire to eat again tonight so it could work for me maybe. I think I ate a bit too much though.. I felt stuffed all day. 1 egg and 1 bacon would probably have been enough.

[~PaperMoon~]

On my off days I usually only eat 2 meals because I usually have a late breakfast and too full or busy for lunch, but when I'm working, my days are longer, I get up earlier and have an early breakfast so I NEED a lunch. Then of course dinner, but I never snack during the day at all period. I don't desire to. Some people at work have chips & cookies, and candy and muffins and you name it at their desk and they snack all day long plus eat at lunch and I assume dinner at home. That's crazy. I only eat the 3 meals and that's it.

I guess it really doesn't matter if you eat your 1300-1500 calories spread out in 3 meals or all at once in one meal. I just think starving yourself all day makes it harder on yourself and body than it has to be and maybe sets you up for a binge episode when your body or appitite snaps one day. But if it works for you then do it. Just make sure you're not hurting yourself that's all.

[milandy]

Absolutely. You're mileage may vary.

I'm sure that the reason it works for me is because I have a have an unhealthily obsessive competitive streak. I feel like I'm competing against my body and I'm not going to let it have its way. I treat hunger as my body's weapon against my will power. If I can fend off hunger, then I've won. Yeah, I'm weird... but I also shed another two pounds. lol.

That being said, don't do anything that puts you body at risk. The only thing you should be feeling is hunger. Anything else may be pointing to negative health outcome. This includes feeling faint, hot flashes, cold flashes, nausea, etc. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist. Do not attempt any diet before consulting a doctor.

[~PaperMoon~]

Originally Posted by milandy

Absolutely. You're mileage may vary.

I'm sure that the reason it works for me is because I have a have an unhealthily obsessive competitive streak. I feel like I'm competing against my body and I'm not going to let it have its way. I treat hunger as my body's weapon against my will power. If I can fend off hunger, then I've won. Yeah, I'm weird... but I also shed another two pounds. lol.

That being said, don't do anything that puts you body at risk. The only thing you should be feeling is hunger. Anything else may be pointing to negative health outcome. This includes feeling faint, hot flashes, cold flashes, nausea, etc. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist. Do not attempt any diet before consulting a doctor.

Very good post I agree! And I would rather you have your attitude towards food and wanting to conquer it than to let the food rule you, so that's good since it works for you.

[franciejones]

Bump.

I just started one meal per day a few days ago...and WOW. Great results. I had forgotten that at my fittest, this is how I ate naturally without even thinking about it.

[franciejones]

Would love to know who else here is doing this WOE...? Anyone?

[peanutte]

I don't do this as a regular way of eating, but there are occasional days where I don't feel particularly hungry and end up not eating anything until dinner.

[EveH]

I suffer from insomnia so there are quite a few days when I wake up late and only have a couple of cups of coffee and nothing else until Dinner. So I guess that would qualify as one meal a day. Since I dropped off snacking weeks back, that would be all I eat. For instance today I had coffee when I woke up and leftovers from Christmas Dinner for Dinner and nothing else. Not the best way to do Atkins but the best I can do right now.

[~PaperMoon~]

When I'm off from work, like on the weekends, I usually have just 2 meals a day, never did just 1 meal, doesn't work for me.

[inatic]

at the intensity i train..

Originally Posted by afuentes

Wow this thread is old. My last post was last year. Well I am not eating one meal a day right now. I am weight training/doing cardio intensely plus training for a competition so the one meal isn't working for me right now.

reading through i was wondering what you were doing as i didnt think you'd be able to eat as prior either.

I also eat more often but prefer to have a bigger meals vs a ton of smaller ones. I know that Ilpirata isnt eating this way any longer either as she's training with my coach and being VERY successful too. (Go kisha!)

[peanutte]

Oh really? I haven't seen her around in ages. Please say hi. Glad to hear she's doing so well.

[milandy]

Quick update...

I hit 198 last week!! I made my goal!! I haven't weighed this little since high school.

My original goal was 199, but I've revised it to 185. I'm 6'1" and that should put me right in the "normal" range for the BMI. This is my goal for memorial day at the beach. I'm going to do make it!

Again... I eat one low-carb meal per day. I really stepped it up by making sure that that meal isn't completely outrageous.

[darlingnikki]

OK so here's what I am doing (and it works for me)
On workdays I have a 2 carb 180 calorie protein shake for breakfast and lunch daily plus coffee and lots of water. Dinner is grilled meat and salad with avocado and a fatty dressing like blue cheese. No snacks or dessert, just one actual meal, not huge portions but I eat until I am satisfied.
I wouldn't call this IF as I am consuming calories during the daytime but the scale is actually moving for the first time in a very long time for me perhaps it is the calorie restriction however I can do this without feeling faint or headaches.
To protect against damaging my metabolism however I should mention on Sunday and Mondays I do eat three meals but stick to the basics (no recipes, LC baking etc)
so where I use to hover around 156 for EVER I am confident that I may actually see the 140's someday. Thank you for this thread!

[Igloo73]

I just wanted to join in to say that I have recently "discovered" this WOE and its really working for me. I am trying to eat very low carb to lose about 30-40lbs. What I discovered is that the only way I can eat one meal a day is when I am being strictly low carb. Carbs tend to increase my appetite, so these seem to go well together for me. I discovered this WOE by forgetting lunch several days in a row and I found that I was hungry for dinner, but not ravenous. I thought I'd try to stick with it to sort of accelerate my weight loss plans.

I have terrible willpower, so actually eating low carb and one meal a day has made things easier for me (I don't have to plan tons of snacks and meals). I find that if I start snacking and eating, its hard to stop, so for me its actually easier to never start in the first place. At dinner I feel free to eat until I'm satisfied which is great.

One great tip I learned recently is monitoring my stages of hunger and trying to keep myself between "Stomach growling hungry" and "Just starting to feel full". Previously I had been stuffing myself until I felt ill almost every meal and this was a huge help to me to just pay diligent attention to my actual hunger levels.

Love reading the posts!

[inatic]

Originally Posted by peanutte

Oh really? I haven't seen her around in ages. Please say hi. Glad to hear she's doing so well.

will do!

[becky123abc]

Originally Posted by Igloo73

I just wanted to join in to say that I have recently "discovered" this WOE and its really working for me. I am trying to eat very low carb to lose about 30-40lbs. What I discovered is that the only way I can eat one meal a day is when I am being strictly low carb. Carbs tend to increase my appetite, so these seem to go well together for me. I discovered this WOE by forgetting lunch several days in a row and I found that I was hungry for dinner, but not ravenous. I thought I'd try to stick with it to sort of accelerate my weight loss plans.

I have terrible willpower, so actually eating low carb and one meal a day has made things easier for me (I don't have to plan tons of snacks and meals). I find that if I start snacking and eating, its hard to stop, so for me its actually easier to never start in the first place. At dinner I feel free to eat until I'm satisfied which is great.

One great tip I learned recently is monitoring my stages of hunger and trying to keep myself between "Stomach growling hungry" and "Just starting to feel full". Previously I had been stuffing myself until I felt ill almost every meal and this was a huge help to me to just pay diligent attention to my actual hunger levels.

Love reading the posts!

Sounds like you have a great grasp of LC! Congrats!

[Sara7272]

I still do this and its working well for me. 3 cups of coffee in the morning with half and half, an Atkins shake at about 1-2pm, then a nice big dinner at about 6-7pm and a lc dessert if I'm feeling froggy
Lots of water throughout the day as well, but that's a given.

[LadyN]

I have just sort of fallen into this way of eating. I thought I had to force myself to eat when I was not hungry. I have coffee with heavy cream and coconut oil in the morning and a big low carb dinner. Some days I will have lunch and no dinner. I have shrank out of my pants and I am feeling so much better! I haven't weighed yet, but I know I am shrinking as my clothes are so baggy now!

I am so glad I can eat this way and not feel like I am harming my body. I have so much control over what I eat this way. I don't think about food and I eat until satisfied. (which is not as much as I used to) I have started exercise again, and I feel great!

[kat819]

How much protein are you guys eating? How can you get enough protein, eating only one meal a day without having a lot of it turned into glucose and triggering an insulin rush?

[vegan]

Originally Posted by kat819

How much protein are you guys eating? How can you get enough protein, eating only one meal a day without having a lot of it turned into glucose and triggering an insulin rush?

i am not sure about the right us measure units. is it ounces? if so, i eat about 2 oz protein (55 gramm) from legumes and nuts with my one meal.
in my body, this doesn´t give me an insulin rush. i only get in trouble when eating more than once a day. i couldn´t help binging all my life, until i discovered the warrior diet.
i do not graze between my dinners, though the warrior diet would allow some protein, fruits und vegetables. but i think, this makes things unneccessarily complicated and destroys the beauty of this minimalistic, pure idea: one meal a day - period.

i will never ever eat in another way again. one meal a day is a lifestyle, not a diet.

[deva1]

All I know is that when I ate this way years ago I didn't have a weight problem.

There are various books written about the health benefits of intermitant fasting and eating one meal in the evening. I read one years ago called Warrior Diet ( I think). I recently read the Sabbatical Diet.

The father of my mechanic told me he eats this way. He is the oldest person in the shop, the leanest and also appears to be the most energetic. He said he eats only dinner and does not drink during the day.

I forgot to add how Good food tastes when I eat once a day!

[flatferenghi]

i think it is good for me to do the 1 meal a day, but not on a regular basis. I like to shake things up to shorten the length of a plateau. And then I will move the meal around to different times of the day. But i cannot maintain that strategy for a long period of time. FF

[Shazzie]

This is a really interesting thread. I am currently snacking (bad snacks) constantly from lunchtime onwards, and have felt for a long time that eating lunch triggers overeating/bad snacking for me. I never considered not eating lunch before, but I think it will be really helpful to me. I'm going to start just eating breakfast and dinner, no snacks between.

The idea of eating just once or twice a day reminds me of Ayurveda (ancient Indian healthcare) - they say that healthy eating allows a person to go from three meals to two meals and eventually to one meal. As the body gets healthy (detoxes) it just isn't necessary to keep snacking all the time.

Also, the book Eat to Live (Dr Fuhrman) advises against snacking between meals because it stops the body from detoxing. For most people who think they have low blood sugar symptoms (dizziness, weakness etc between meals), they actually don't have low blood sugar - rather, they have detox symptoms, which occur after the stomach has emptied. Stopping the snacks allows detoxing, and these symptoms go away within a week or two. (Some people have diagnosed hypoglycemia, but this is rare.)

[Aomiel]

You know, I've often said that I'm never really hungry until I take that first bite of the day...which seems to ramp up my system to where it 'wants' food from them on.

Whereas I seem to have no problem with going through the day without eating and without hunger until around 5 p.m. or so. I may have to give this WOE a trial period.

[Eliza_Jazz]

Originally Posted by darlingnikki

each time I attempt this I wind up with a nasty migraine...what am I doing wrong?
I plan coffee and water daytime, LC dinner then exercise...but by 3 PM I feel my head start to pound, can actually hear the wooshing of my pulse in my head, KWIM??

I am thinking low blood pressure. Do you have yours checked?