One Daily Meal - could two meals be better?

#1

I eat one meal daily. It is between 6 and 8pm, and I train between 6 and 8am. I am nearing my optimal weight, so I am burning less body fat and need more fat from my diet. Therefore my meal is getting larger. I have even added some keto chocolate mousse and extra avocados some nights last week. My macros are still pretty good: 20 net grams carbs, 80 grams protein, and 200-250g fat (although the cream did add some carbs).

I am starting to feel something different from these larger meals or perhaps it is just a phase that I would be in regardless of approaching my goal weight as I have been in ketosis about one month so far (this time). I can not articulate the feeling but it is akin to my pre-keto desire to keep eating after a meal.

Is there any chance that I’m getting some kind of reaction to the sheer volume of calories at one time such that I might be better off with two smaller meals?

(Alex Dipego) #2

Having eaten 3500+ calorie keto meals regularly before I can say sometimes it’s not the good but the nutritional aspect on the micro side. Potassium and magnesium levels are the harder to obtain and really do cause my cravings to subside when supplemented. It’s funny eating so much fat (300g+) I didn’t want food for hrs and I felt full, but looked flat. No bloat… How awesome is that?

Two meals could be better, or just checking your type of fat you’re in taking. Too much mono and poly for me personally gives cravings.

#3

Thanks, I do get half of my potassium (1g) and sodium (7g) with water or broth throughout the day. I take Calmag pills too. I have been tinkering with these electrolytes and perhaps I need to add more magnesium - although it has been steadily increasing all month. Perhaps my protein has been creeping up the last few nights, because all my fats are from eggs, bacon, beef, salmon, chicken, avocado, and only a little coconut and olive.

(Michelle) #4

Maybe do n=1 experiment and see? Sometimes just mixing it up is fun to find out how your body responds. I do much better on 2 meals a day instead of one, or when I have a 4 hour eating window.

#5

I am thinking that there is something to MEAL MACROS. Daily macros are not all that is relevant.

I experimented with some larger protein meals and they make me fell like larger carb meals - do not get between me and more protein if I have already gone over a certain amount. The same goes for carbs. Also, too much protein (or carbs) will make me drowsy shortly after eating.

I know that I can have 15 grams of carbs at once without craving more or getting drowsy. For protein it is about 60g that is safe for sure.

In fact, I think that it is fair to say that exceeding either of those numbers at one MEAL is worse for me with respect to cravings than it is to eat 40g of carbs and 170g of protein in one DAY.

#6

I have the same experience, so for me it’s about the number of carbs, protein and fat in each meal that matters to me. Eating all my protein in OMAD kicked me out of ketosis every time I’ve tried, so I need to break it up into multiple meals.

I’m pretty sure it’s all about the Insulin Index, ie. insulinogenic effect, of the macronutrients.