Fitness Myth – Eating Once a Day To Lose Weight

by Eartha on June 2, 2007

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photo credit: jekert gwapo

Eating once a day is the worse way to try to shed excess pounds. In fact, by eating only once, your body goes into starvation mode and begins to store more of the calories from your meal as fat. Our bodies adapt and will change in order to keep us alive.

It is healthier to eat 4 to 6 healthy mini-meals throughout the day. Your metabolism will actually increase because your body is no longer in "survival mode." You also provide your body with nutrition and fuel to last the entire day.

Yours in Health,

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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }

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Marleen September 23, 2009 at 4:14 pm

btw, i’m starting myself this week, planing on 1200-1500 calories and an hour of exercise a day on average (femle 5ft9, 160lbs). will let you know

Abi September 23, 2009 at 5:16 pm

Hi Marleen,

For me, since I don’t use this as a diet to lose weight, but just eat once a day, I’ll let you know what I eat. It’s not a rule, today I had salad at lunch with naan bread and then leftover roasted veggies for dinner. But 99% only once a day. (it was a bday lunch…have to socialize
I keep grapes in the fridge if I crave something later in the evening and it doesn’t make me feel full before bed.

I think your approach sounds healthy if you eat food thats good for you. Regular ‘food’ isn’t always good calories or good for you

Lets see:
Salmon or chicken breast (200 cals) every day. (with spices, pesto, or teriyaki sauce). Maybe a pork chop once a month.
All the veggies I can eat which is carrots, beans, snap peas, corn, broccoli, broccoli and more broccoli, asparagus, lots of tomatoes. Potatoes and sweet potatoes once a week each give or take.
1tbsp olive oil if roasting them (140 cals)
lemon juice for veggies or on salmon
cheese (not everyday, but almost) 50grams goat cheese (100 cals) or asiago 50 grams = 180 cals give or take.

Every day I choose the main veggie and toss in smaller quantities of the other ones (always including broccoli and tomatoes), but I eat a HUGE (embarrassingly) bowl of veggies until I’m FULL. I go back for seconds only of veggies on a regular dinner plate that was full the first time around

But I dont really exercise. My weight stays the same. If I was motivated to exercise, I am positive I would lose weight and probably quickly. Sorry I don’t know how many calories I actually eat in veggies, but I’m up to about 500 on salmon, oil, and cheese, so the rest is veggies!

Best of luck to you, I know you will do well.

Marleen September 24, 2009 at 2:23 am

and, ofcourse, i’m 5ft9, 160lbs and will de starting next week planning on 1200-1500 calories and an hour of exersise a day on average.

Angie September 24, 2009 at 5:01 am

Wow, Marleen. That is my exact height and weight and I was seriuolsy thinking about this as well. Are you doing the one meal a day for 12-1500 cal? Let us know how it works out! I did it before my wedding last year and it was great.

Marleen September 24, 2009 at 3:16 pm

will defenately let you know Angie, and good to know it worked for you. want to do it al in one (three course?) meal, and the rest of the day only coffee with milk, sunflowerseeds/almonds only if i need it.
(sorry for the dubble post)

Cinn Coss September 29, 2009 at 5:50 pm

I have been eating once a day for 10 years. However, it is not a weight loss program. As a poor full time grad student, l had to sign up for 2 fellowships and was busy supporting two prolific profs, I also had part time job that combined with studies kept me going for 18 hours a day. Something just had to give and for me that food. By the time I graduated, my body got used to it that I have maintained since. Now I have two coffees in the day.

mojo April 17, 2010 at 11:33 pm

nikki so whats the end result of ur one meal a day diet? how much do you weigh now?

Rachel May 20, 2010 at 5:56 am

Hey all! I am very interested in starting this! It seems sooo easy! I mean I know it will take some getting used to, thats not what I mean, I mean SIMPLE. I have spent the past year w/ a border line eating disorder, not so much in the eating but more in the obsesion about what to eat, what not to eat, when to eat, when to stop eating, good vs. bad carbs, diet soda: sent from heaven or satan’s favorite drink? chew gum, twitch your foot when your sitting, eat 17 times a day, fiber, percenteges, ingredients, no dessert, no dairy, blah blah blahhhhhhh!!!! I am a college student and I pay for 2 meals a day in the caf. w/ my eating plan, but I only NEED one, I’m not active enough to stuff my face with food all day! In high school I ate all 3 or 4 tiny meals w/o trying, but now I have too much free time and gained 10 lbs. therefore too much insecurity to just do that! I am so happy to see that “starvation mode” isn’t 100% accurate and you all are living proof of that! and the gastric bypass thing makes soo much sense! thanks for the inspiration guys! keep it up! I’ll def. be checking back in!