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’m starting this eating one meal per day diet and I want to know if it will make me lose my muscle if I lift heavy weights five days a week?
As long as you get enough protein and don’t create a huge calorie deficit, you won’t lose any muscle.
Can I replace my one meal a day in the evenings with only a protien shake?! Literally only eating (drinking) a shake a day in the evenings & drinking lots of water?! If so, what shake would you recommend?!
This is totally doable for me, just want to make sure it won’t have any negative effects on me.I am 28, 5’5″ && 245lbs and trying to get back down to 150 where I belong & hoping to do that quickly.
Once I’m able to drop down in weight a little, I’ll have no problem going ahead & actually eating that one meal a day being that that’s an easier lifestyle to maintain… but can I just drink the shake in the meantime?!
Great article! Thanks for your help!
No only drinking a shake won’t provide you with enough nutrients plus it’s way too few calories.
Thank you for your speedy response. It is appreciated.
Also, my lifestyle doesn’t really allow me to work out unless it’s super early in the morning or very late at night, && being a busy working mom with other responsibilities outside of being a working mom, thats not really something I’m trying to do.
This will help me to loose weight without having to work out much if at all, correct?! && being that I need to loose around 100 lbs and will be minimally working out, do you think I’ll have problem with excess skin. Or does that happen with heavier folks?!
Thanks
YOu can lose weight without exercise, definitely. But you should try to workout if possible.
I’ve been doing this for over a month now. I typically reset on saturday and sunday by eating 3 regular low carb meals. Every other week i might have a cheat meal just because.
For me, this is the best way of eating. Im mentally sharper throught the day and my focus and attention span is remarkable. Regular diets make me sluggish.
My fast varies between 23/1 and 20/4 five times a week. Before my fist meal i do 40min to 1hour cardio exercise to ramp up fat loss. On the weekends and on Monday i do my strenght training.
My daily protein intake is anywhere between 100-170 grams per day. 200 grams on weekends. Total calorie intake varies from 700-1200. Weekends up to 2000 cals. I know what many will think but this works best for me due to my unique metabolism.
Im gaining muscle and losing fat rapidly. At the same time.
One thing i do not understand is how am i able to push so hard and lift heavy weights with practically zero carbs in my system? Im always in ketosis state, and yet, it takes me HIIT to fatigue. Where is all the energy coming from?
One thing i noticed is that intermittent fasting turns off my hunger hormone. My wife tried it but it doesnt work for her. It took me about 3 days of intermittent fasting to reach this level. Some days i feel like i can go on without eating at all. AND I STILL HAVE THE ENERGY? How is it that i feel stronger, sharper, and more energetic in this state?
And oh, i also spend less time in the bathroom now hahah. You could say that ive become more “environmental friendly”.
Please more info
about what?
Hi! I have a question. I saw the part of your article about diet flexibility. Could you eat one meal a day and then snack on fruit more than just once or twice? Like since fruit is mostly water…
Or, what if you had one big meal a day, and then only ate up to 1K calories the next day, like alternating? Then you could eat through out the next day, and still only have 1 big meal on the other days…would that still work as a calorie deficit? The big meal would still be from 2K – 2500 calories probably.
Honestly, you could eat as much raw fruit as you want during the day and eat one big meal at night. The second way you mentioned could technically work, tho it’s not great if you’re training intensely.
Thank you! But without training, could I still eat as much fruit as I want on 1 meal days?
Or would the alternating idea still work?
just eat fruit during the day and have one big meal at night.
Ok, I like that idea! It makes sense, since fruit is mostly water and I’ve read the body processes the calories from fresh foods, especially fruit, differently because of that.
But, can you answer on whether the alternating idea might work? I’m just worried that if I eat throughout the day with the 1K calorie idea, then that might mess up my metabolism since I’d be only having 1 big meal on the other days.
“I’ve read the body processes the calories from fresh foods, especially fruit, differently because of that.”
No nothing to do with that. Fruits are just very low in calories and makes it hard to overeat them.
Your alternating plan can work, in theory. Try it out. If you like it, keep at it. But it’s not the most practical plan.
I’ll give it a shot, thanks again!
Aloha ~ I want to ask how healthy can that be eating at night time such a big meal? I get acid reflux when eating that late , I’m trying to find a good time when I can eat without starving at 3am in the morning. I think the one day diet it awesome and I’ve lost weight from it I went from 135lbs to 125 in 3 days I also walk 5mils a day. I use to tone up in the gym too 2 times a week I stopped this week. Will have to start again when I find a gym I like .. Aloha
I have 180lbs and I want to lose about 40lbs (I’m 160cm tall)..Will this work for me? I’ve been doing this for 6 days now (meal: at 11am/ 12am) and I want to know if this will really work…I go to gym once a week…
Yes this will work if you keep at it.
Also, you need to make sure you’re eating in a calorie deficit. You can’t just be eating till infinity.
I tried many diet’s can’t seem to lose weight due to my low thyroid. I love the idea of having energy through the day if i dont eat i have notice that with people who fast for religious reasons.I have eaten i have zore energy and I sleep and makes me very miserable. I am going to start this plan from today and will update you in week times.
Sweet lemme know how it goes, Ibe.
So this is pretty much how i eat now…..alot of people dont get the high metabolism low metabolism shenanigans….i have low metabolism so this works for me….and honestly i cant build myself up to get fast metabolism…..i dont have time. I also dont like the 2 pm slug bug….lunch gives me that….so if your wondering if this works to loose weight it does. Ive lost 20-25 lbs already….but i dont eat this way to loose weight, (although that is definitely a perk), it just makes me feel better. It feels good to sit down and eat hungry….not ravenouse to where your going to faint….if you start to shake or feel as if your going to pass out do eat a fruit…your not going to get like that everyday just the days you might be burning more calories than other days….also listen to your body….you might have to twerk this a little to make this work for you….every body is not the same.
can the one meal a day be lunch?
Sure but most do dinner.
Is there any reason for that?
My totally non-scientific reasons for doing evening meal…
My version of the one-meal-a-day diet is simply to not eat anything until 5pm (or later) and then eat as I wish until I go to bed. This just makes it really easy diet to follow, it also means that you don’t waste time during the day on breakfast and lunch – you gain an hour or so of productive time each day. This method also means that you can have a nice sociable meal in the evening with the family.
I assume that’s because you tend to be more productive during those hours and less likely to feel the need to eat. In the evenings you might not be so productive and give in to urges and might be tempted by evening occasions calling for eating and drinking.
I’ve been doing this since August, so about 3.5 months now. I have dropped 2 trouser sizes, and feel more energetic and fit than I have felt for years. I’ve been overweight for ages, and traditional “diets” never worked for me. This works a treat, and I will continue this way. My GP was particularly irritated by it – he tried his best to find something to criticise, but couldnt find anything – blood pressure was down, blood sugar was normal, weight was well down. So he reluctantly had to say “it obviously works for you, so carry on”. Sorted!
How quick do you begin to start to lose weight after trying this?
Like any other diet, 1-2 pounds per week on average for most. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you’ll initially lose some since you’ll likely drop a lot of water weight.
Okay, so I decided to try this and boy it is hard to not eat when you sit at a desk all day..I started this past Sunday after have a Major feast due to my son’s bday. That was Saturday and the FUNNY thing is that I didn’t even see this diet until Saturday night.
Up until this past Sunday I knew I had 4 days then I was going to go cold turkey and give up all and everything sweet and workout tons a day…Yes, this is everybody’s ‘dream’. So anywho, come Sunday I weighed in at 78.8 🙁 (wah!!) and then on Wednesday was too anxious to weigh myself and so I did and was at 73.4!! WOW
Maybe it was a mistake to weigh in on Wednesday cause then I was like CHEAT and I did to about 1800 cal I think..Yesterday, BACK ON and Yikes wanted to weigh in this morning (now folks I would weigh myself EVERY SINGLE DAy, it worked for me in the past, not so much I think anymore??) and was at 73.0!
I figured if I can have 300-400 cal during the day Only and still have a grand left over to eat at supper. I will still lose no matter what AND have my ‘cake and eat it too’ LOL.
Keith, it was you that INSPIRED me and this other woman as well, that really inspired me, was the reply of the woman that was pregnant and then after having her baby, losing her baby weight of I think it was 50 lb in 3 months or 3.5 months!! THAT motivated the heck out of me AS WELL AS YOU KEITH!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for this ARTICLE and Everyone’s replies to this article!!
SOOO sorry about the Grammar!!
Is avocado considered an acceptable fruit to eat during the day?
No i wouldn’t, calories are too high. I meant more stuff like apples and oranges.
Hi can I do the diet if I go to the gym and have bodyfat of 10%?
Sure. You would just modify your calorie intake to match whatever goal you have.