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
=================
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.
=================
Have you tried the one meal per day diet? Let me know what you’re experience was in the comments.
Hi Keith,
I read your article and wanted to warn those who wanted to stay in ketosis during their fasting window that even a splash of milk, a fat based supplement, protein powders (BCAA excluded) can all kick you out of your fast. Also an important note, asperthame, a common sugar free sweetener, holds a compound that though calorie free, creates an insulin response and kicks you out of your ketonic state and thus your fast. Those starting out with fasting may find that there’s a lot less hunger by avoiding any insulin response till your meal than to “cheat” a little.
Hope this feedback is appreciated. Thanks for the article 🙂
-T
If you’re doing the keto diet, yes, you’re right.
But eating one meal per day isn’t keto. It’s simply about eating the majority of your cals in one meal, which helps with diet adherence for some people.
I started eating one meal per day last Monday. My start weight was 10stone 8lb. I weighed myself Saturday morning and weigh 9stone 11lb !
I feel so much better and full of energy.
Great job Donna!
Hey Keith, thanks for your article. I’m mostly interested in this for the mental and health benefits apart from losing weight. I easily feel sluggish after big meals and it’s had to concentrate on work or studying after a meal. On the other hand, it’s generally very hard for me to gain weight and put on fat (genetic, lies in the family). With a BMI of 20.5 I don’t have too many fat reserves and don’t wish to lose weight. Would you still recommend this diet?
I find a lot of the “sluggish” feeling come from high carb intakes.
So you could try eating low carb during the day and eat the majority of your carbs at night so you can still get enough calories.
Hi Keith,
Only came across this Blog today, but have been doing something similar off my own back for the last 2 months now. I’m looking to lose 4 Stone/56 Pounds and have been limiting myself to 200 calories max throughout the day (a packet of crisps at 124Kcal and/or 1 or 2 cup-a-soups at 80Kcal each, and having my meal on the night at around 800-900 calories, giving me a total for the day of around 1300 calories. So far I’m averaging 1.5 pounds loss a week (I may on occasion have a cheat meal at the weekend such as a takeaway but otherwise I’m being fairly strict about it). I was looking for reassurance that I’m doing it correctly, I was expecting a higher weight loss ratio considering I’m at a lower calorie intake than the recommended daily allowance. Can you offer your thoughts? Thanks Chris
1.5 pounds per week isn’t bad but I’m a bit worried that you’re on too few calories. How much do you weigh now?
Currently weighing in at 18.5 stone, so looking to get down to 15 stone.
Hard to say what exactly is going wrong without knowing your full history. But yeah you’re right, at your weight, 1300 cals per day should result in more weight loss.
I would just stay consistent above all else. I would honestly never recommend such a low calorie intake at your weight, you’d be better off in the long run getting around 2000 cals per day.
Thanks for writing this. Eating one meal a day is my go to plan when i have a few pounds to shift. I originally tried this about 18 months ago when i was absolutely desperate to lose weight (I am a five ft 5 woman and weighed 12st 5 at the tie) and within three months of doing cardio for 30mins a day and eating one 600 calories meal the weight just melted off, my weight dropped to 9st 4. Once i was happy enough with my body i gradually increased my calorie intake back to around 1800 but still stayed relatively active, the great thing was that i didnt gain any of the unwanted weight back.
Wow, Lynda. I am also at that desperate place. But I am too scared to lose lean body mass by dieting like that. Now doing one meal a day, but keeping it around 1200-1400 calories. I once lost a similar amount of weight by dieting hard but gained some of it back when I relaxed my intake to around maintenance calories (2100 thereabouts). Have you had to deal with body composition and metabolism issues?
First off, Lynda, awesome job. Your story is very inspirational. I’m finding that the more I read these posts, the more I’m inspired and the more useful tips I find.
Second, Elsie, don’t be afraid. Your body will dip into your fat reserves first. When there is little to no fat, then it will start on the muscles. So when you reach your goal, just be careful to develop a modified eating plan and continue to keep it healthy. And the consensus has shown that with the OMAD eating plan, your metabolism will not slow down. If you’re still not sure, just continue to do a little more research before you start. Good luck on your journey. It can be done, so I know you can do it.
I like the idea of only one meal a day on occasion. You can lose weight much faster on this plan. I do wonder why you must use the word f–k in explaining why eating just one meal a day is better for your health? Just an observation.
3 reasons:
1) It’s just a word. Don’t be so easily offended on the internet.
2) Because it’s my site.
3) Because I fucking can.
This has lowered my opinion of you considerably. Why would a seemingly intelligent person with helpful information sink to using words that only a less intelligent person would use? Don’t answer. That’s a rhetorical question.
Well fuck, how will i sleep at night now?
Hahahaha! Seriously, you get offended when people swear on the internet? You poor little snowflake. Must be hard. Do you need a safe space?
“Use words that only a less intelligent person would use?”
Uhh, no.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/27/swear-words-intelligence_n_12213206.html
http://elitedaily.com/wellness/curse-smarter-funnier-healthier/1672656/
https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-intelligence-not-less-say-scientists
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/86871517/swearing-can-mean-youre-more-intelligent–especially-if-youre-a-woman
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3949986/Is-swearing-sign-intelligence-People-curse-larger-vocabulary-don-t.html
It’s actually a sign of high intelligence for some people :
https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-intelligence-not-less-say-scientists
Wipe your fucking tears 🙂
Iamnoprude is your name yet you’re offended by some bad words? That’s actually hilarious. And someone using “fuck” doesn’t make them less intelligent. Getting butt hurt and lowering your opinion of someone just because they use a word is narrow-minded.
thanks mom.
‘Wow’ at this post and its replies. Fewer people reached and inspired over the freedom to say one word.
Been eating one meal a day for a week and I’ve lost half a stone. It’s really easy and it means I can eat whatever my family eat at dinner time or even go out for a meal if I want. I had my one meal at lunch one day and that was the hardest day!
Going to loose another 7 lbs then maintain for a while before picking it up again…. wish I’d known this sooner!
You lost water weight not 7 pounds of fat. I really hope people will get to understand this, eating 1 meal a day is helpful in the face it is easier to keep your calories on target but you do not lose weight faster than if you were to eat 3 meals a day with the same combined calories. At the end of the day its calories in vs calories out
Well what’s the harm in being excited about the weight loss whether it’s water or fat? If it’s encouraging him to continue on his journey, then so be it. Your ‘facts’ are nice to hear, but in the end, it’s their body and no one knows how their body operates better than the owner. What may have worked for you, scientifically, might not necessarily apply to someone else. Instead of going around trying to burst bubbles with accumulated information that probably wasn’t even gathered from the poster himself, which means it probably doesn’t apply to him, let’s try to encourage people on their journey.
I am currently 30 years old and weigh 145KG ~319 pounds. For so many years I have tried different diets and meal plans. Every single time I failed. EVERY SINGLE TIME! It hurts sometimes to think about.
After a while I begin to expect failure. Just makes it that much worse.
I will try this and see how it goes. Am posting this here and bookmarking so I can come back in a few weeks with (hopefully) some good news.
On to my third day. So far so good. Hasn’t been too hard yet. Did wake up this morning hungry, which doesn’t usually happen. Had a coffee and all good 🙂
Day 7 and still going strong. Yesterday was the hardest day yet, but managed to push through. Will weigh myself again once I get a new battery for scales.
Hey I’m keen to hear how you are finding it? You got this & it’ll be so worth it!
Loved your snowflake/safe space comment. Made for a great laugh.
Thanks for the info here. Helps tremendously.
Thanks, fuck safe spaces.
Thanks!
This eating one meal a day is absolutely fabulous and works well for me although the weight isn’t relly falling off that quickly but the slower the better hey….
It’s not suppose to help you lose weight “faster” but instead help you stick with your diet more in the long run.
I would just like to reiterate that this way of eating really is amazing and I have so much energy in the evenings its unbelievable……
Awesome to hear it’s working for you.
How do you stop the feeling hungry and the graveing for food
Hi Hilda! Have you tried eating a serving of fruit and drinking water once or twice before your dinner? That could tide you over until dinner time. You could also read the other posts here to see what other posters are dealing with to see if what their doing might help. If not, maybe you should look into a different weight management plan. Good luck on whatever plan you use to succeed.
Its been 6 days amd I’ve lost 7lbs I was 297lbs on 07/05/2017 now i am 290 I haven’t worked out but I do work 8hrs a day elevators heavy rigging guess that helps
I am 6ft 5in thinking about goimg down to 220lbs lean only thing is im just not seeing it yet maybe its to early to notice a change aside form that im just wondering if its possible to reach down to 220 before Christmas and any tips for controlling the amount of fods i consume for dinner the hunger pangs does not bother me drinking 1gallon of water a day does help because its so hot.
Not trying to bust your bubble but you haven’t lost 7 pounds of fat, its just water weight. Approximately 3,500 calories is a pound of fat so to lose 7 pounds in 6 days you would have to be in over a 3,500 calorie deficit each day which is impossible. So the reason you haven’t noticed a change is because there isn’t one. wow nearly 80 pounds by Christmas does not seem possible
Hmmm, from July to December is 5 months. So that’s approximately 16 lbs per month lost or 4 lbs per week. I don’t see any reason why you can’t lose that much by Christmas if you’re dedicated, eat healthy and drink only/alot of water. If you could fit in a walk or time at the gym, that would also help you tremendously. I’ve seen people lose 100 lbs in 3-4 months, while remaining healthy (Google it). Don’t let anyone or anything deter you. If it’s what you want to do, then just do it. What may be impossible for someone else doesn’t have to necessarily be impossible for you.
Hi! Have you seen any comments on your post, that say they lost those last few really, really hard to lose 10-20lbs using 1 meal a day? Losing that last 10lbs from my goal weight, is something I’ve struggled with on all my diets I’ve tried!!
Thanks for any help.
It works but the weight drops slowly, very slowly when you are closer to you target weight.
Maybe you can alternate a more calorie meal one day and reduce the next.
Bottom line, It Works. Haters will hate, pessimists will deny, proponents will sing, but it all comes down to people are different. I changed my diet to 1 a Day when I was 35 and was 30% overweight, I reached 75% of my target weight within 4 months and hit the gym hard for the rest which resulted in a <10% body fat and the 1st six pack I've had. It was easy, never starved or felt cheated and kept it until 2 years ago when I got lazy and worked in a bakery. I'm now 46 and 16% overweight so I went to my 1 a Day 5 weeks ago, I've hit about 50% of my target and getting ready for the gym again – I am not hungry, I don't feel cheated and I'm motivated because I see results, 6 pack will come back! Side note : just like 10 years ago my doc says I'm in great health. Important diet tip :both times my diet includes a pint of low fat Ben and Jerry's or dairy free ice cream every night (any flavor) I crave nothing all day when I have my dessert every night
I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks now. It’s easy and it works. I just stick to drinking my tea during the day and eat dinner, dessert, maybe have a drink or two after 5pm. With the exception of the occasional straying into lunch on a weekend, or maybe having a drink or two earlier than dinner, I have stuck to it and the weight is dropping consistently. Love this way of eating!
I eat once a day because of scarcity of food in my country, I was basically forced to skip meals in order to stay alive and in my experience it’s an amazing plan in the short run, I was able to lose 20Kg In roughly 4 months (I wasn’t really keeping count until I realized how much weight I lost and was shocked when i hit the scale) i was able to keep this up without feeling extreme hunger due to easy fixes and methods to keep the sensation of hunger at bay, however in the long run is not all that amazing. I often times find myself utterly drained of energy and tired, amazingly enough my sleep cycle has grown so thin I sleep less than 5 hours a night, I found myself more prone to mood swings and depressive states and it’s really hard to keep clarity of thought.
While my case can be considered an extreme because even when I eat once a day (the meal i actually get to have is not nearly nutritious enough since it’s not balanced), i really suggest not keeping the fasting for extended periods of time and if doing this is absolutely necessary i’d suggest to make sure to have a balanced meal with the suggested amount of protein and calories a day by health professionals.