Only dinner...?

Hi all, this question might have come about before, but since I was unable to find it, I will take the risk ;-)...

After various bad attempts in the previous years, I am finally getting somewhere. I am an average built, 48-year old male (Amsterdam, NL), 6ft6. I have a real office job and I am pretty lazy: I hate long excercises and don't do any.

When I started in december last year, I was 268 Lbs. I am now on 235. I feel very good, and even my apneu-problems seem te have disapeared (as I expected: they apear to be heavily over-weight related).

My goal is 175 Lbs and I am confident not only that I can get there but also that I can maintain that weight.

The way I achieved this was by radically cutting out all types of food that are calory-rich (duh...): no more beer, bread, sugar, candy, pasta's, fatty stuff, you know, all food that makes life bearable...and stick to a diet with max. 1400 Kcal/day. SInce I know in advance I will not always be able to stick to that (business dinners, out with the boys, family bbq's, stuff...) I deliberately choose a fairly low calory count per day, assuming it will 'average out' in the end.

Now I am a big guy, fairly muscular and all, and a 1400 Kcal meal realy does not look like a lot of food to me. In fact, trying to 'smear it out over the day' does not work for me at all, it rather feels like you are starving all day.

What does seem to work well is concentrating all food in one meal (Dinner): I can cook a pretty normal meal and eat it, feeling satisfied and all, and still keep to my 1400 KCal.

Now I have read all there is to be read on the subject (joke) and I know you *should* eat many small meals a day, metabolism and all...but that just does not work for me, I overeat every time I try this - it is like stop smoking by reducing the amount of sigarettes you smoke (I stopped 5 years ago).

Is there anything really unhealthy about how I eat ? If so: what are the risks ? Since this appears to work for me, I would even heng on to it even if carries a health risk- the alternative risks over overweight are so much clearer ;-)

Any thoughts ?

I'm not sure if your plan is actually 'unhealthy', rjong. It always was my belief that spreading meals out over the day (6 small meals or whatever) helped avoid the feeling of being 'starving' when meal time comes around and, therefore, makes it easier to avoid over eating at meal time. I took a look at my own (admittedly spotty) food logs and found that I tend to take in far more calories at lunch time than any other meal (1900+ kcal's at lunch, <300 kcals for other meals) so maybe I'm following the same model you are!

- G

The problem I see with eating only one meal is that your body is starving the rest of the day, which may slow down your metabolism and make you burn less until you have your one final meal.  Eating several times a day keeps the fire burning all day long!

I assume if you've been looking around on here you've seen  that you shouldn't be eating less than 1500 calories, anyway.  That's probably why you're still so hungry after all of your small meals.  Your body needs that many calories just to keep you alive.

Also, how much fiber are you getting?  I would try adding a lot more fruits and vegetables to all of your meals and snacks.  They make you feel a lot fuller.  Other high-fiber foods will help, too, like beans (mix them with some salsa, you have a very low-cal chili). 

Go to 'tools' and then 'allowance' and enter your details.  From what you have said your stats are I have entered them and got this:

Calculate Calories Needed for Goal Weight

You should consume about 2100 calories a day to reach your goal weight of 175 lbs.

This is at a reasonable weight loss average of 1 lbs per week, which should be reached by June 18, 2008.

Remember that this estimate is based on your body weight, height, age, gender, and activity level. It may vary slightly depending on other factors.

Generally, women should not consume any less than 1,200 calories per day, and men should not consume less than 1,500 calories per day.

==========================================

By only eating 1400 you are way below what this site tells you to eat!  You are also below the healthy amount for a male to eat a day!  That is obviously why you are finding it harder to feel full!!!  Eat more!!!!  Honestly you will lose weight!  But as your body is currently used to 1400 I would slowly add calories over a week or so so that it does not think it is time to party!

Think about it!  You are basically staving now right?  What happens when your body reaches a plateau and stops losing weight - what will you do?  At least if you are eating more calories now you can always reduce them later on!  GOOD LUCK!  This site is amazing! You will get to your target!

While eating several meals a day might 'keep the fire burning' (not sure this is really true), it will certainly keep reminding me about food all day long, and this is something I seem unable to cope with: better not go to the cafertria at all then go there and struggle and fail...

My feeling of 'hunger' seems unreleated to the number of calories: I could easily eat a whole bread over lunch and still smack in a couple of pizza's over dinner. Not eating 1500 Kcal per day certainly has not killed me (yet).

I like eating fibre-rich foods since it fills my stomach so well: especially (green) beans, paprika's, courgette, tauge, chinese cabage - the usual stirr-fry-stuff, add some diced chicken and a tablespoon of sesame oil and there's your meal. Just that I would eat 2-3 Lbs of the stuff for my dinner.

As for fruits: yes mom! (I never eat fruits, I do not like the taste and most of them contain a lot of sugar that I can very well do without - or would rather have in a nice cold beer).

Maybe I should add this: I feel fine! I feel energetic, sleep well and wake up feeling good. I have no real hunger feeling throughout the day, but I am certainly am hungry in the evening when I take my meal. Seems the effort of not heaving any food during the day has a motivating effect on me - could be a male thing, we're always in for a fight ;-).

I appreciate the response, zulupomm, but as I stated before: I have tried this and it just does not work for me, with all the food around me it is either non or all - I know, I am a weak person...

I am also 6'6", although when I started I was 305 and I am now 294.  This in about 9 days.

I'm averaging about 2400 calories a day.  And I am enjoying everyone of them.  I could not eat 1400 calories and survive.  Even at 2400 I feel the effect and feel weak when I don't eat enough.

I am a former athlete, don't look "fat", and am very strong, but have found that going slowly is the best.  I will be at my goal weight in May of 2009. BTW, I think the goal weight is too low.  At 195, I would be 20lbs less then what I weighed when I was 18 and in the best shape of my life, bench pressing 275lbs.

So I would not eat all in one meal, eat 2,000 and take it slow.  It will be alot more fun and it will also get you in the habit of controlling your weight.  Good luck, this site is great and will help you.

Thanks for your message, Marcus. I think it depends also on whether you are very muscular or not - I used to be the skinny boy that was always picked last for football at school - when I was 18 I ran marathons and weighted about 150lbs. Benchpressing 275lbs would probably make my arms snap off at the shoulders ;-)

I cannot deny that the first weeks were not easy, sometimes I felt dizzy or 'generally unfit' - but after a couple of weeks, this seemed to pass, and I feel I have adjusted to the 1400KCal/day a day now.

Maybe there is no 'ideal' way, and we all have to find what fits us best ?

Well if your body adjusted to 1400 a day that means your metabolism slowed to that rate.  I can't do the 6 small meals either.  I do three larger meals that leave me feeling full and I might have an apple or something in the afternoon.  I keep my cals about 1500 and I am losing weight pretty well....till I fell off the wagon.  I just got back on and things are going along smoothly.  I am a 5'4" female and 156 lbs.  If I can lose eating 1500 you can certainly loose by eating a bit more.

Oh but I also bust my hump at the gym 5 days a week and go jogging at least once on the weekend.  I really enjoy my workouts though and I adore weight lifting. = )

hi rjong! i agree you're not taking in enough calories, but i wouldn't just bump it up to 2000 right away either, since you're metabolism may have slowed it will most likely store those extra cals. increase them slowly, about 100 every couple days til you reach 1800. as for eating 5 - 6 small meals, i can't do that either. try eating three medium sized meals spaced 4-6 hours apart (thats what i do). and try increasing your protein a little too. it's been said that not only does protein keep you more full longer, but also digesting it uses far more calories than digesting fats and carbohydrates, helping increase your metabolism. try to aim for 1 gram per lb of lean body mass. Generally 150 to 200 grams depending on your needs. since you're not lifting heavy weights, 150 may be more suitable for you.

When your weight loss slows down and finally stops, and you find yourself on a plateau that just won't stop, please do let us know and we'll be able to give you some advice.  Until you reach that point, anything anybody says that is counter to what you believe is not going to make an iota of difference.

I know because that's what I believed.  It's taken me months to undo the damage I did by undereating.  Until I was actually faced with it, I didn't believe it.

I am at weight maintenance levels now so i am not concoerned with slowing down my metabolism, i too like to consume all my calories in one meal(and i make sure i gtet recommended serves of fruit veg etc), is there anything actually dangerous about doing this?

Not dangerous.  But it could be a bad habit if you get accustomed to eating large amounts in one sitting, if you begin doing that for other meals as well.

It wouldn't work for me.  I'd get way too hungry and tired not eating all day, then I wouldn't be able to sleep from being so full.

It's been a couple of days since your "Only Dinner" post, so I hope you get this.  Please ask an endocrinologist or nutritionist about your binge dinner.  I think it may put too much strain on your pancreas, which could lead to diabetes.  It sounds like you're in tough position, and I'd hate to see you entertain another nightmare paradox.  Please ask a professional.  Good Luck. 

I wouldn't say it was "dangerous"....but I have learned alot about nutrition, fitness and weight loss in my entire life of being obese and over the last 3 years taking off 200 lbs.

I too can't do the 6 small meals blah, blah....but I do have three moderate meals a day.  And I must say that if you have to have that "big" binge meal you should make it breakfast or lunch.  You seem to say that habit wise you would still have the big dinner, but I have to put that out there.

I would just say that you could at the least benefit from some more calories (add them to breakfast to start up your metabilism better) and add them in the form of healthy, lean proteins.  Also I would make sure that the big dinner contains little if any carbs at all and that you make sure it is hours before your bed time.

Recent studies have shown that for weight loss purposes, it does NOT matter what time of day you eat or if you eat it all at one time or spread it out. 

It can matter for other health related reasons.

Studies have shown that children do better in school if they eat breakfast and adults do better at work if they eat breakfast.

It can be beneficial to eat a snack before strenuous exercise and again within 30 minutes after to restore glucogen in the blood stream and in the muscles that are depleted by strenuous exercise.

It can be beneficial for people who have metabolic disorders like diabetes to spread meals out to help stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the whole day...

etc...

but, if you prefer to eat everything in a single meal, that is your choice and it should not effect whether you lose weight or not.

mentally and emotionally it may make a difference too.  other studies have shown that when people try to save their food for later in the day, they tend to get overly hungry (famished) and then lose control and binge in the evening....

personally, i *think* we all have to work out a way to eat that works for us, based on our own preferences and physical health conditions and needs... 

Your body only absorbs about 700 calories per meal. I don't know where I read that, if I find it i'll post it.

So try two 700 calorie meals maybe?