Concentrate meals into 2 or less meals per day? opinions

(Laurie) #21

I don’t understand the science very well, but I believe the people on here when they say it’s better to have a small window for eating–8 hours or less per day.

So I tried eating 3 meals between about 1 pm and 9 pm (I’m a night owl). Spreading the meals out and taking vitamins and other supplements in that time period, I felt like I was dealing with food and putting things in my mouth non-stop. Also, I’d usually feel hungry later and want a midnight snack.

Then I started exercising in the afternoons, and I didn’t want to exercise on a full stomach. So I distributed the same amount of food into 2 larger meals, one around 6 pm and one around 11 pm. I feel less hungry and seldom want any snack. So I think this way works better for me.

#22

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(Alex) #23

studies have shown that eating more often throughout the day (5 or 6 small meals) is more likely to cause cravings / increased hunger versus eating more food, less often (1 or 2 big meals) per day. I am 2 months and 2 days into following a ketogenic way of eating. when i first started, i was doing intermittent fasting, eating 3 meals daily over an 8 hour period. after about 6 weeks of keto, once i realized i was fat-adapted, i transitioned into eating only one large meal a day. ive always been able to devour a lot of food in a short amount of time, so this transition was pretty easy for me. currently, i consume 2000-2200 calories daily, usually within a 20 or 30 minute window. i will tell you that personally, for now, i am never hungry throughout the day, even though i’m only eating one meal over the course of half an hour. if you’re the type of person who has no problem eating a lot and you can get away with only eating one or two meals a day, i will tell you, it’s very effective for fat loss, and it’s also keeping me less hungry than i’ve ever been before. i also have complete control over my diet this way because i don’t have to worry about eating if i’m out with friends or anything since i’m only eating one meal daily. not only that, but i weighed myself for the first time since starting keto 2 days ago. after exactly 2 months of eating like this, i’ve dropped from 215lbs to 184lbs, and i attribute that greatly to eating more food, less often. it has worked wonders, for me at least. not only that, but i’m a pretty active person throughout the day, and i currently feel like i have more energy now than ever before. best of luck to ya

(Janelle) #24

Thank you for sharing that.

(Running from stupidity) #25

This is never, EVER, true.

(Frank) #26

120-130+ Grams I’d guess.

(less is more, more or less) #27

The “results” are highly ambiguous, at best, but make for great click-bait. (Hello Dr. Oz.)

I believe there’s health value in IF, but that isn’t to say I can pound carbage down my gullet and be buff, as is “buff” is a leading metric on health. Indeed, isn’t the idea that we stop gaming our body, already?

(Carl Keller) #28

I’ve started doing OMAD this past week and have done it twice so far. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive and worried that I would be famished before meal time arrived but it was pretty much a slam dunk. Eating lots of fats and being in ketosis meant I wasn’t experiencing any big time cravings and I definitely didn’t lack energy.

My main concern about OMAD is getting enough minerals and nutrients in a day, or for that matter, in a 2-3 day fast. In my one meal I was able to hit about 65% of my daily required mins/nutrients according to Chronometer, but I was severely lacking in Potassium. I don’t take supplements but I am overhwhelmed by all the products that are available. And researching potassium leads me to think there is no universally supported source among Keto people.

(Doug) #29

Hey Ryan. :slightly_smiling_face: If one is metabolically healthy - no hormonal issues otherwise - and active enough, then one can eat quite a lot (regardless of the number of meals per day) and not gain weight, stay in good shape, etc.

There it is. For many of us (as with literally a majority of Americans, for example) loss of sensitivity to insulin is a problem. Chronic high amounts of insulin in our systems - often due to eating carbohydrates a lot - make it less effective at doing what it’s supposed to do, including moving sugar from the blood into cells for energy.
The lower we can keep our insulin levels, the better, as this improves our sensitivity to it, and increases our ability to access our stored fat.

(Vladaar Malane) #30

@OldDoug your right man, remember that Olympic swimmer that got busted for marijuana. He was eating 10,000 calories a day and burning them off.

Intermittent fasting works wonders. It’s not a magic pill, but will help. I have black coffee for breakfast, but my weight isn’t where I want it yet. Having 2 meals in a feeding window or just 1 is great. Be careful of the snack attack in those feeding windows though. I find it’s easier to do just 2 meals or what not when your at work or busy but if your at home, it’s easy to start snacking as it’s within the feeding window.

Good Luck!

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #31

It is also easy at home to take a meal window from 60 mins or less to 120 minutes or more. Hey, I’m cooking and just need to try this…

(KetoQ) #32

Hi Rian –

A key concept behind keto/low carb eating is to get better insulin sensitivity so the body can primarily fuel itself from fat stores rather than carbs/sugar/glycogen.

When you spike insulin, generally by eating carbs, and sometimes by overeating protein, you don’t burn fat, instead, your body will burn carbs/glycogen. By eating fat and moderate protein (which varies from person to person) as well as eating fewer times per day, you’ll limit insulin spikes and give your body a better opportunity to burn fat for fuel.

Some gurus preach that eating 6x day “keep your metabolism revved up” – and on the surface that makes a lot of sense. But in reality you’re keeping your insulin spiked throughout the day – and again, that makes it impossible for your body to burn fat. Eating one or two low carb/high fat (LCHF) meals per day, or eating LCHF within a 4-6 hour daily window will keep often keep you satisfied, maintain low insulin levels and create conditions for your body to burn fat.

Moreover, your body is not going to break down your muscles for fuel if you don’t eat for a few hours. That’s what fat is designed for. You’d have to fast for an extended period of time (I’m guessing in the 36-72 hour range, perhaps more) before your body starts using muscle for fuel. Conversely, you can also encourage muscle growth during fasting due to increased levels of HGH, human growth hormone.

Good luck.