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.
I’ve been eating 1 meal a day due to health reasons, and major loss of appetite and I’ve lost over 35 pounds in 2.5 months. I don’t even feel that hungry towards the end of the day, I just feel like I need some nutrition. Drink lots of water! It’ll give you more energy.
Very stupid plan if u ask me. So what happens when these people start having their regular meals after losing some weight all that weight lose will come back and come back quick. This will just slow ur appetite and will never work for successful long term wieght lose
Very stupid comment if you ask me.
This plan is done under the assumption that calories are equal and the only variable is meal frequency.
So you can eat 3 meals some days and some days you can eat 1 meal. As long as calories/macros are accounted for, it doesn’t matter how many meals you eat per day.
Yes… It DOES work and it DOES work long term. I did this 11 years ago… losing 108 pounds. 253 down to 145. Only eating one big meal every night. I never ate anything during the day. I did have two cups of coffee in the mornings WITH cream and sugar and I did have my diet Cokes. I have kept the weight OFF. I lost all of the 108 pounds in 9 1/2 months. Once losing all of the weight, most of my days I still only eat one meal in the evenings. It’s my lifestyle now. I never felt deprived. The hardest part was the first few days, then it got easier and easier. And the energy is unbelievable. Thank you Keith for this article. Very well put! PS… That bacon cheeseburger and fries sure looks good!
Wrong. Your body can only digest a certain amount of calories/ nutrition in one sitting. The rest goes to waste smaller meals are more vital as you are gaining the full caloric energy and vitamins your mind and body needs to function properly. Sure you can lose weight by starving yourself all day, the downfall is that you will have little to no energy and focus. You will not be able to perform mentally or physically with out a normal human diet and exercise. We are not cars that you gas up once you are on dangerously low fuel. The people who sit in their ass all day can make this one meal a day diet work. It’s not for anyone looking to perform anything beyond moping around, pooping and talking about how they can eat junk food in mass quantities.
Please provide scientific proof/evidence to back up your statements such as you’re “starving” when you’re not eating all day and I will paypal you $1000.
Not even joking.
Hey I am 5’3 and 36. My job is basically sitting behind the desk for 8 hours.When I do go home at night I have no engery to do anything because I do sit all day at work. My thing is I love lunch. If I do a big lunch and small for dinner or a protein shake for dinner will I lose weight if I start the gym four days a week? I want my goal weight to be 125 and now I am 158 thanks for your time and help.
yes
The author is correct. I used to be 340 pounds at 6’5″, but within a year and a half, I got down to a very muscular 250 by just eating once per day. I ate whatever I wanted to, and I only followed one rule. Only water.
Hi – simply this works … I could have written the above with my own experience – the first few days are strange so try and get busy at work and the days fly by … I have started to run ~5 km p/day and the energy I have is amazing … I am tracking this for 12 weeks (using Dry January following into Lent) and weirdly for my goals this doesn’t seem enough time though as a lifestyle choice I can’t see changing it … indeed the idea after 4 weeks of eating during work is becoming alien … 2 other points … your eyes ARE bigger than your belly and thinking piling it on it will be eaten it won’t but try and leave yourself feeling full – it really does move through you in about 1 hour … And use Sunday to cook ( I like to cook but at least plan your meals) so that coming home I can have a meal and relax for the evening … Good Luck Warriors … A
It is actually more natural for people to eat several big meals than graze all day. When ancient humans found a fruit tree or hunted, they would fill up all the way and then fast naturally until they find their next food source. There were no snacks or saved food to eat anytime you want. Also, it is hard on digestion to graze, even if it’s small meals it has to work constantly. It’s like washing your 20 item laundry few items at a time. Eating one big meal makes digestion work extra hard, but only once a day, letting it rest and refresh the other 23 hrs. The huge laundry load takes more resources, but a lot less and less wear than a bunch of little ones. Sorry long will cont.
I don’t agree with the whole “it’s more natural for humans” thing. Both 6 meals and 1 meal work. It’s personal preference and what you choose is also dependent on your lifestyle and habits.
Rightly so, but I’m talking about the distant past and seems like there was no way to eat otherwise, at least not often. Thanks, getting to know your site and its awesome!
what may work for you doesn’t mean it works for everybody..we all know that skinny person who can eat around 5000 calories a day and won’t gain a single pound.. we also know that one overweight lady thats always is eating clean and dieting and gains 2 pounds just looking at a cookie.. different people different approaches
exactly
PS… The once a day meal also frees up a lot of energy for other things. Did y’all know that the most of the allotted energy for the day for people is eaten up by digestion? That’s right, if we wake up with a 100℅ potential energy for the day, 50 – 90% of that is going towards digestion depending on diet. That’s why like the article stated, most people would have more energy during the day if only eating once. Anyway, I have more to say but this is the comment section lol. To finish up, I,ve know all this for a long time but never actually tried to eat a huge meal once a day. After not eating all day by accident, I googled “can you lose weight by eating once a day?” And your article is the first one that came up and by reading the comments I got my answer! So thank you for that! I’m excited to try, in fact already started. Will update later, thanks!
I absolutely agree with this. Some days I end up cheating and having like frind fish tacos and wine for lunch but then I dont eat for the rest of the day. Just 5 strawberries at night. I’m working out 4 days weekly and have lost weight.
Great that it worked, although I would probably try to get some more nutrient dense foods.
Only three days into the one meal a day diet. Need to loose around 10 kg. I have packed on the belly fat since back surgery and bad knees have stopped me running. Also 60 years old. Missing breakfast is easy as I am not hungry then anyway. I do get a bit hungry at lunch time , but just have a coffee. Funny thing is at night time meal I probably just eat the same amount I always have as I am not really super hungry. Also going to try to give up the beer for a while and just have a some Jack and soda when I really want one, but funny enough I am not really hurting for one so much . Also I have noticed I have had zero acid reflux since starting.I also agree with the more energy and alertness . I am very keen on giving this diet a trial and hope to loose the weigh over the next ten weeks. Will post as I go . Cheers.
I have just started one meal a day ,after completing dry Jan and losing 5k not dieting I am hoping to loose a further 15 kilo on the one meal diet I am going to stick with the no alcohol I am sure that increases my weight also being 64 I am not as energetic as I was when younger good look to you Richard
I have been doing this for just under 6 months and came up with the method on my own. I just ran into this because I Google if it was bad because some people that know what I was doing said it was. I feel great with a cup of coffee in the am and a big meal at night. I have lost 67 lbs in less than 6 months
Hello everyone! I have followed this kind of eating pattern during stressful times around the year and I have lost weight, at least enough to be noticed by peers. I wanted to comment that eating once a day is an Ayurveda recommendation for Kapha (big fellas) people who wants to lose weight. I consider that lunch works better for me, as I can move at work during digestion and the fullness feeling just goes away. Between 10 am and 2 pm, the Pitta hours, the digestion fire (agni) is more active than in any other time of the day. If I eat at dinner, I’ll feel very lazy, the acid reflux reappears and I’ll have nightmares. I think that it’ll be great if there’s some exercise after eating at night, just to keep the body in movement during digestion. Just saying. Thanks for reading.
okay but when exactly should I eat this one big meal? Can I have it at 5:20 p.m.?
That’s fine.
I began eating once a day due to trying to stretch my groceries further. I have lost 45 pounds. I have been doing this for a year or so, and haven’t noticed any ill effects. On the flip side, I haven’t noticed any benefits except for weight loss.
That’s a pretty good benefit 😉
Hey
I used to do this. Then stopped. But I have series food issues. Like I was 200lb and I’m 5’4 🙂 I didn’t do this till after I magically lost weight seriously by working my butt off, but now I have a job that is well office job like. And I’m now 130. And I know I have to seriously count calories like a crazy person. If I didn’t count calories and ate whatever I wanted one a day, would it still work????? Please help. I seriously struggle with this guge time. I’m lean and most my weight is muscle. But I am not like defined muscle. Idk anyway please help!!
I fell into this idea by accident a few days ago due to being told by someone close I’m unattractive. I had a baby 8 months ago and still am 10 pounds heavier then my pre pregnancy weight. I thought ten pounds, big deal that’s easy to lose not even realizing those extra ten pounds makes me look unattractive. Anyways..I started eating only one small meal a day for the past few days and already lost 6 pounds.