Few people have yet to experience the glory that is eating one meal a day.
- No, eating one meal per day won’t make you fat.
- It won’t make you lose all your muscle.
- And it won’t screw your metabolism into the ground.
But it does allow you to feast like a fucking king every single night while eating your favorite foods.
And no, this isn’t a scam and there isn’t even any secret “guru” magic behind it.
It’s really just common sense.
But fitness and common sense is a lost art these days.
If you follow it, eating once per day JUST WORKS.
And if you’ve struggled with more traditional diets that make you eat 3-6 meals per day, then this may be the most stupidly simple way for you to successfully lose weight, ever!
If you’ve dreamed of eating 24 ounce steaks, with a mountain fries and ice cream, EVERY SINGLE night while still losing fat and building muscle then read on.
Eating one meal per day in a nutshell
The basic idea behind eating one meal per day is simple.
Every day, you eat one big ass meal (preferably at night). The basic idea is to get the majority of your calories in a single meal.
And during the day, you don’t eat anything.
However during the day you can eat 1-2 pieces of fruit or some protein after you workout.
This allows you to eat much more, feel fuller, and better adhere to your diet.
Remember, eating one meal a day is NOT magic
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When I first started eating one meal per day, I had this weird belief that eating once per day gave me the power to lose more weight than traditional diets.
While this might seem like the case, nothing could be further from the truth.
It might be nice to believe that eating once per day causes all these different hormones to change in my body that helps me to burn “more” body fat.
But that’s just not the case.
And insulin levels – everyone always brings up fucking insulin levels.
Don’t worry about your damn insulin levels.
Just focus on creating a calorie deficit – that’s the only way to lose weight and always will be.
Eating once per day just happens to be a great way to create a deficit that many people can actually stick with.
For example, let’s say you need to eat 2000 calories per day to lose weight.
Diet #1 has you eating 3 meals and 2 snacks.
Diet #2 has you eating one meal.
In the end of the day, calories are exactly the same.
You’re just splitting your calories up a lot more in Diet #1.
That’s it. There is no magic. Just simple math.
5 reasons why you should eat one meal per day
I originally came across the idea of eating one meal per day from the Warrior Diet back around 2008.
At that time I was brainwashed by all the “eat 6 meals per day or die” BS and the Warrior Diet was my first foray into intermittent fasting.
Hell, even Terry Crews does intermittent fasting.
I’m not saying it works for everyone, but if you love to feast every single day, have more energy, and potentially be 200x more productive during the day, then maybe this something you should give a shot.
Here are 5 reasons I recommend eating once per day:
Reason #1: Increased energy
How many times have you eaten lunch only to feel super tired 2 hours later? It sucks.
We’re all told lunch is supposed to give us this magic boost of energy, and maybe it does for some people, but I’ve found that most people just fall into a 2 pm slump where they eat lunch and their productivity shoots down the drain.
When you fast throughout the entire day, you experience this amazing surge of energy that lasts the entire day.
Reason #2: Never feel deprived when dieting
One of the many reasons people fail at diets is because they don’t get this sense of satisfaction with what they’re eating and how much they’re eating.
When you follow the conventional 6 meals per day model, you have survived on a couple of hundred calories every few hours.
At the end of the day, you just never feel satisfied.
You feel like something is missing…
Ironically, eating once per day solves this problem for most people.
The act of fasting throughout the day is a very powerful appetite suppressant, so when you have your massive feast at the end of the day, you practically feel “stuffed” every night.
Reason #3: More time & more productivity
Imagine how much more work you could get done if you didn’t have to worry about eating during the day.
No more worrying about that mid-morning snack, no more stopping at subway during lunch, and no more 2 pm energy slumps.
All this time you save can now be used to do more productive things that truly matter (like looking at pictures of cats online).
Reason #4: EVERYTHING tastes better
Fast the entire day, then eat a grape.
Just one grape.
I guarantee that grape will be the best tasting grape you’ve ever had in your entire fucking life.
Look, I don’t know the scientific reason for why food tastes so much better after a fast, and frankly, I don’t care.
But some of the best meals in my life have been after a long fast.
Reason #5: Because eating cake every night is awesome
Do you know what’s awesome? Cake.
Do you know what’s not awesome? Not eating cake.
Cake makes everything in life better but with traditional dieting, you aren’t allowed to eat cake, which sucks.
Everyone needs more cake in their life (scientifically proven), so why not have a slice…or two, every night.
When you only eat one meal per day, you can afford to have some cake every night since your calorie budget is so much bigger.
Is coffee, water, tea, or diet soda okay during the fast?
Yes, as long as it’s zero calories, it’s fine.
Coffee and tea is actually a great appetite suppressant.
Eat 1-2 pieces of fruit during the day
While it’s totally fine if you can go the full day without eating anything, a lot of people do get hunger pangs no matter how much experience they have with intermittent fasting.
In this case, you can have 1-2 pieces of fruit throughout the day. This shouldn’t add up to any more than 200 calories plus you won’t feel a huge drain in energy compared to eating something high in carbs like a granola bar or a sandwich.
I recommend 2 large apples due to the large fiber and water content to keep you full
Supplement with some whey protein after you workout
If you train hard with weights 3-4 times per week while fasting (and you should) and follow the 1 meal per day diet then you should consume some 100% whey protein powder after working out so you don’t go half the day without any protein in your system.
I’m not really anal about the post-workout “window of opportunity,” but it’s best to get some protein in within 2-3 hours after your workout.
Why 100% whey protein? Because it has the most complete amino acid profile which is great for muscle growth and recovery.
As for which protein powder is best? Try Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard.
The one meal per day approach might not work great for muscle building
You can absolutely build quality, lean muscle by eating once per day.
BUT…some people need A LOT of calories to put on muscle and if you’re supposed to eat 4000 calories per day, it’s going to be pretty hard for some to get that in one meal.
So unless you have a huge appetite, I would probably be better off splitting it up into 3-6 meals.
For more info on gaining weight and building muscle, check out these posts:
Eating one meal per day vs. other intermittent fasting protocols
Eating once per day is just one version of intermittent fasting.
And there are dozens of other fasting/feasting protocols out there that play with different fasting and eating windows.
But after looking at all of them, you’ll notice that the majority of them have the same underlying concept – fast for an extended period of time and get the majority of your calories in a small eating window.
Let’s look at some of the other intermittent fasting systems and how they compare to eating once per day.
One meal per day vs. 16/8 Leangains
If you follow Leangains, this means you’ll be fasting for 16 hours per day and eating for the other 8 hours.
During the 8-hour eating window, you’ll typically be eating 2-3 main meals.
There really isn’t a big difference between a Leangains style fast and eating once per day. The main difference is in the eating window and that all boils down to personal preference.
One meal per day vs. Eat Stop Eat
Eating once per day and Eat Stop Eat are not the same thing.
Many people confuse the two since they both involve 24-hour fasts.
Here’s the difference:
Eating once per day – Fast for 24 hours, under eat during the day, and get your entire daily calorie intake in one meal, every day.
Eat Stop Eat – Completely fast for 24 hours 1-2 times per week (no calories at all), eat a “normal sized” meal at the end of the 24 hour fast.
The problem some people might face is defining what “normal sized” means. It’s basically telling you to not eat until you’re stuffed and make sensible food choices.
But if you want to get more technical, your meal after an ESE style fast should be no more than 40% of your daily calorie intake.
Read my Eat Stop Eat review here.
ESE forces you to create a massive calorie deficit on your fasting days while the one meal per day approach simply changes up your meal frequency but you still get the same amount of calories every day.
One meal per day vs. 2 meals per day
Nothing different here besides meal frequency. If you want to eat 2 meals per day, that’s fine, just make sure your overall calories are the same by the end of the day.
Can you mix and match different diet & fasting approaches
Absolutely!
I am all about diet flexibility.
If you want to follow the one meal per day approach one day and do 2-3 meals per day the next, that’s totally fine.
For example, you can structure your diet to look something like this:
- Monday: 1 meal
- Tuesday: 2 meals
- Wednesday: Eat Stop Eat
- Thursday: 1 meal
- Friday: 1 meal
- Saturday: 4 meals
- Sunday: 1 meal
Remember, a calorie deficit is the most important thing to create when dieting.
So just because you’re following a one meal per day diet doesn’t mean you literally have to eat one meal per day, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
If you want to go out and have brunch on Sunday, then screw it, have 2 meals that day. Don’t be obsessive about this stuff.
Recommended Reading: The 1000 calorie diet
The one meal per day FAQ
I’ve compiled a list of commonly asked questions from readers about eating one meal per day.
Hopefully, this answers all your questions and gets you on the right path.
What kind of foods should you eat?
There isn’t any single food that you should or shouldn’t eat.
If you have specific macro/calorie goals, you still need to hit them. The only difference is you have the luxury of hitting them in a single meal so for those that like to eat a ton of food in one sitting, you’re going to love this way of eating.
But obviously, you need to get a hefty amount of protein, a good amount of carbs, and some fat.
So something like a massive steak, some roasted potatoes, a big ass salad, plus some cookies and ice cream would make for a pretty epic feast.
Recommended reading: “What Are The Best Foods To Eat?” Here’s Your Answer, Now Stop Asking Me
How many calories per day should you eat in my one meal?
I recommend multiplying your bodyweight in pounds by 10-12 to get your daily calorie intake.
Use 10 if you have 50+ pounds to lose or if you’re a woman. Everyone else can start with 12.
This is just an estimate. It’s impossible for any formula to accurately tell you your daily calorie needs.
How many hours should you wait before going to sleep after you have your big meal?
Doesn’t matter. Sleep whenever you want.
What does this do to the metabolism?
Nothing bad. Read this article on metabolism myths for more info.
How long can you eat one meal per day for?
As long as you want. This isn’t a quick fix diet.
Eating once per day is a real, long-term approach to dieting that can work for as long as you want.
Does it matter whether you eat your one meal in the morning or at night?
Nope doesn’t matter at all.
It’s a matter of personal preference. Most people do it at night.
If you eat your one meal for breakfast or lunch, you might feel sluggish and tired the rest of the day since you have so much food in your system.
Could eating one meal per day be bad for you? I keep reading other articles online that say it’s bad for you.
No it’s not.
Most people criticizing eating once per day are just woefully ignorant. Read those articles, and you’ll find it’s just people making assumptions without any real-world data.
Can I eat McDonalds for my one meal?
Sure, but I wouldn’t eat fries and Big Macs every night.
Use some common sense here.
You can still eat the foods you love, but you should still be eating mostly whole, nutritious foods for maximize your health and performance.
I love to drink coffee. Can I drink coffee during the fast?
Yup, coffee is a great appetite suppressant to use while fasting.
Can I add milk and sugar to the coffee?
I would stick with zero calorie sweeteners if possible. A splash of milk is fine, but don’t go overboard.
Is eating one meal per day guaranteed to help you lose weight?
Of course not.
It will only work if you put in the work.
I know the majority of you reading this are looking for some magic fat loss hack but eating one meal per day is not that.
You still need to make sensible food choices and you still need to be consistent like any other diet.
Nothing is guaranteed in life.
I tried this diet and it doesn’t work for me? What do I do?
Impossible to say. Maybe you’re eating too many calories. Maybe you’re not tracking your calories correctly.
It’s usually one of those two problems.
Why do you recommend the main meal to be eaten at night?
Whatever you want but try to make it sensibly healthy.
That means something like grilled meat, a carb source like rice/pasta, some veggies, and maybe some ice cream at the end is great.
Obviously food choices vary from person and culture, but use some common sense.
Can you drink alcohol while doing this?
Having one drink per night is fine.
Everything in moderation.
Should you exercise before or after your meal?
Again, it doesn’t matter.
It’s all up to you. Find what works best with your schedule and lifestyle.
Do you need to count calories while eating one meal per day?
I personally recommend tracking calories when starting out, only because it gives you an unprecedented level of tracking.
If you’re not losing weight, then you know exactly why and you can adjust calories accordingly.
I never want people to become obsessed with tracking calories, but it does give you a level of precision that you can’t get anywhere else.
But as you become more advanced and can recognize/estimate portion sizes more accurately, then you can back off from the calorie counting.
What if you get hungry when fasting?
Here are some tips:
- Drink plenty of water, black coffee, and tea.
- Chew sugarless gum.
- Stay busy and productive. People eat more out of boredom than anything else.
How much water should you drink?
At a minimum, enough to stay hydrated.
Also, if you’re pissing green, then you probably need to drink more water (and see a doctor).
The “8 glasses per day” recommendation is pretty solid.
I will say that drinking more water can help ward off hunger pangs.
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Have you tried the one meal per day diet? Let me know what you’re experience was in the comments.
Hey you think just taking zero calorie BCAA (branch chained amino acids) would be better than breaking your fast with a protien shake. Then possibly saving the shake for later? I’ve been doing the 16/8 and it’s so easy to do but I haven’t seen the scale move in a week or two so I’m going to try the warrior diet. I’ve been lifting and doing Tabata cardio in the morning always fasted and it doesn’t affect my training. I’ve tried eating before a workout and always, always puke. I want to do the one meal thing after I get off work which is usually at 7. I’m just hoping I can hit all my macros before feeling too full. Wish me success in my weightloss journey!
BCAA aren’t a substitute for protein.
Maybe your calories aren’t low enough, that’s why you aren’t losing weight.
Pshaw, I say. Acting like that’s some sort of final word on the subject. To the OP…
OF COURSE BCAA’s are a good idea here.
Not everyone can or SHOULD stomach a whey protein shake, especially while in a fasted state. BCAA’s are far easier on the system and will prevent muscle break-down to boot.
Your intuition is correct. Bcaa’s are fine, dandy and quite recommended.
BCAAs aren’t bad but they aren’t a substitute for overall daily protein intake.
I am in my 5th day of 1 meal a day dieting, I am having tea and at least 3 litres of water per day as well as my 1 meal around 6pm.
I am getting the energy surge in the mornings but I am suffering with headaches and still getting that afternoon slump around 2pm even though I’ve eaten nothing!
Will this stop eventually??
it might, it might not.
You can have something light like some fruit in the afternoon. See if that helps.
I follow this diet because I take prescription amphetamines for work that destroy my appetite until they wear off. I drink soda during the day, sometimes eat a bit of candy. I work in a kitchen, fast paced, always moving.
I take a few choice herbs, vitamin C and BCAA’s to get me through the day. Otherwise, before bed i tend to eat a large, hearty, power packed meal. Not cake, crikey! you have one meal a day MAKE IT COUNT.
Bloody hell…
I started this diet 4 days ago, have lost 4 kilos! I actually have a fair bit too lose, have already lost 30 kilos on a combination on fasting, optifast, eating healthy, soup diets lol. Trying to find one I’m good at. Hoping this is it :p
boom! great job jessica.
I ate like this as a teenager. Not really a “plan” but it’s just how I ate and I felt great doing it. Somehow as an adult I fell into the trap of believing that this is the wrong way to eat. I have decided after many years of failed dieting that any diet out there probably works for somebody, the key is finding what works for you – what do you feel good doing, what works for you, what is doable for you long-term. I tried eating multiple small meals and I found that I was often forcing myself to eat even though I was not hungry, and then afterwards I was starving – that small meal was just enough to kick start my appetite. So now I am back to one meal a day. I do feel more energetic, I feel healthy, I feel great. I actually carry a six-pack of peanut butter and crackers in my purse at all times which is what I eat if I start feeling more than a little hungry (a little hungry is good) or if I feel like I’m about to get shaky from not eating. I don’t eat these every day but it makes me feel comforted knowing I have something with me if I need it in a pinch. It works for me so I may or may not switch to fruit. I haven’t stepped on the scale so I’m not sure if I’ve made any progress there but you can’t beat feeling good.
I do allow myself one day a week to eat whenever I want – usually on Saturday. I find that by telling myself I will “allow” this is another comforting idea for me, and oftentimes I end up still only eating one meal even though I could eat more.
I love how eating this way means I can eat whatever my family is eating and not worry about cooking a separate meal for me or depriving them of what they want because mommy is on a diet.
So I give this two thumbs up with the caveat that it’s probably not for everyone. If it’s not for you, please don’t judge and instead find what works for you and be happy for us who have found success on the one meal a day lifestyle!
I have been fasting then lightly eatting in the evening while drinking coffee as an appetite suppressant through out the day, I found this method very easy. However the dizzy spells in the first few days were hard sometimes. I would suggest this to someone who only has a normal amount of body fat or no more than 40 pounds overweight, this may be more difficult….but hey everyone’s different. Just make sure to be taking daily vitamins for nutrients your vary NEEDS, and drink enough water to stay hydrated. You will notice you are urinating more frequent than usual, this is normal. Good luck and take care of yourself!
It’s definitely not for everyone, you just have to try it to see if you enjoy it.
this post was to funny. everyone knows u need cake (cheescake) to survive duhhhhh. its scientficially proven. this is my diet not by choice but because I am so broke I can’t afford to eat more than once a day. but its true. you appreciate food soooo much more. you can have ur treats and it be ok as long as ur one meal a day is healthy (i usually only eat oatmeal or salad). but i do not perfer this. id rather eat like two small meals throughout the day because sometimes ur just too hungry! if your trying to get muscle and are working out super hard u’ll get so tired and weak so this one meal thing will not really work but I lost a lot of weight and I have enough energy to work out. and seriouslllllly thooooo…. all that time waiting in line and preparing food…. aint nobody got time fa dat! as long as i get a little protein carb and fat in my one healthy meal you will have energy. my sister feels the same way. when shes stressed and studying at school she doesnt have the time to leave to go eat. but then the problem is i kinda binge eat when i sit to eat which you cannnnnot let urself do. also you might become deficient in some vitamins/minerals if you dont watch urself. i say portion size is more important and that you are not eating out alot. i studied health in school for a long time and i know this sounds ignorant. but if your going through the stuggle you realize that shit is true..
I meant you need to watch yourself and have regular checkups with your docotor incase u need to take supplements. u really should be getting these from your food but sometimes u cant if you dont got the money for it.
lol my sister always says she cant afford to get the “itis” and fall asleep while studying. its really bad actually but yea.
Yup cheesecake is obviously necessary to survive, it’s science.
You only become deficient in vitamins/minerals if you don’t get enough of them during the one meal. It’s not too hard.
The one meal plan is great. I started 3 months ago and finally found out how to get rid of those last few pounds that are so hard to lose. I am 42 and have the most energy I have had in my life (I have always been extremely fit). I eat a few seeds and nuts some days and have a vegetable smoothie with egg white protein after a workout. I wish I would have tried it years ago instead I listening to all the bullshit.
Awesome, Bobby.
Most effective diet there is. After the first week or two, you won’t be hungry at all until dinner time. Over 70 pounds lost since the first of the year. Woulda been more, but I slipped off awhile. Combine with resistance training and hiit (I prefer farmers walks and sprints), and it’s gonna come off quickly and effectively, not to mention you save a ton of money only eating once a day. Only thing is on workout days, if I workout just before dinner, i eat nothing, but earlier in the day, then I drink milk after the workout. Can’t handle whey. But that’s me. Btw, my muscles have gotten quite a bit BIGGER, focusing on a lot of protein, even though I’ve lost that much weight. But it’s easy to do when you’re starting morbid obese, so I’m sure if you’re not very fat, it’ll be hard to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
if you’re super fat, you shouldn’t even be trying to build muscle 🙂
I disagree. A lot of super fat people, myself included, are also pretty big and strong as well. Just got outta shape. More muscle will burn more fat, and when you’re super fat, it IS possible to do both. Plenty of protein while restricting caloric intake. Being super fat, you have tons of “food” on which to bulk, without eating a ton of calories. In any event, we can agree omad works.
If you are morbidly obese, I’m saying your focus should be on losing fat. You shouldn’t be eating in calorie surplus to gain muscle.
If you are a complete beginner and start weight lifting and eating in a calorie deficit, you will probably gain muscle and lose fat by deafult due to the “newbie effect.”
I can see this argument is going nowhere. No one said anything about eating a surplus of calories, nor am I a beginner by any stretch of the imagination. That said, I haven’t worked out in many years, and gained considerable fat. So, my point is, though you can’t directly turn fat to muscle, you can indeed use that fat as your “mass” gainer, at least until you reach a certain point. Thereby both putting on muscle size, while burning off the fat. IN any event, enough of this argument. I agree with your one meal a day. That’s how I’ve done it.
If you used to have muscle and haven’t trained in years that’s a completely different game since you have muscle memory as an advantage, you’ll quickly gain back all the muscle you used to have.
Great topic for me since I’m needing some help with losing some major pounds. I do have a question about how this would work for someone like me. I get the one a day meal but what can I do to build some muscle mass as I lose the weight? When is the best time to exercise in the day and what should be my intake to help with some muscle mass. I like done recommendation as to what kind of exercise that will help. I’m a female and never really been in the exercise routine. I hear amino acid is important for muscle and repair. I will appreciate if some of you can share about your routine or please give me some helpful direction as I do not want to lose both fat and muscles. Thank you.
you should focus on losing weight or building muscle not both at same time.
9 days ago I decided on my own to reduce my food intake.. All day long I don’t eat and I’m Ok.. At around 5ish I have 1 plate of food.. So why have I Only lost 3 damn pounds? I am so mad :'(
seriously? you lost 3 pounds in one day and you’re mad?
She lost 3 pounds in 9 days not 1. Anyhow, losing 3 pounds in 9 days is not bad. It depends on your starting weight.
still 3 pounds in 9 days is good, you shouldn’t be complaining.
So 3 pounds in 9 days is good? Its tough not eating. I thought I would lose at least 5 :'(
yes that’s good.
You should expect to lose 1 pound per week.
Me again. I commented last night. How can you possibly eat that late at night and burn off the fat? Don’t you have to burn it off to lose weight? I don’t understand.
becuase it doesn’t matter when you eat.
The only thing that matters is the total calories you eat per day.
Sigh. I wish I was eating one meal a day as some sort of silly trend diet. If you eat right then you don’t crash right after lunch. I am broke, now instead of eating like a bodybuilder, I can’t even eat like a normal human. Do yourselves a favor and don’t take shortcuts. Eat every meal as if it is fuel and enjoy every meal as if it were a privilege. Take it from someone who has fallen into circumstances which necessitate 1 <700 calorie meal a day; it is a huge privilege to have food, starving yourself by choice is highly inappropriate and unhealthy and eating in an extreme way is probably the reason you are reading this blog entry to begin with. Enjoy human sized portions and get in your 3 a day. If you overindulge, put in 15 more minutes at the gym to burn off the energy given by the extra food.
Silly?
If you’re losing weight and enjoying it why is it a silly trend?
Thx for the info. One question: is it ok for lunch to be the one meal? I don’t get the post meal slump and I rise at 3.30am daily, so eating at night is a no-no for me. I’ve started the program a couple of days ago, thought of it myself then found your post by Google out if curiosity because I was already feeling better.
yes that’s fine.
Thank you! I thought maybe there would be some weird metabolism dealio that makes lunch time not as good or something. Yes, marvel at my unsurpassed biological brain-thingy. Cheers!
This really works for me too. I don’t have breakfast or lunch but have one meal around 6pm. I find I have the same energy levels as before and don’t get the “weighed down” feeling that I did when I was eating throughout the day.