Fasting Or Eating Just Once a Day?

[options]

Does anyone here fast periodically or just eat once a day?

I have heard about the detoxing and weight losing effects that fasting can have and would like to hear some personal experiences. When you fast, what constitutes a fast for you? Is it juices and water and no solids? Just water? Or how do you detox from a dietary POV (I know about some detoxing supplements or herbal concoctions, so I'm not really asking about that, but more so about what food we put into our bodies).

For some reason, since I had my baby - and even often in the past - I really only get hungry once a day. I don't feel like most people actually need three large meals a day, like most Americans think we need. I think most people have been conditioned to eat considerable-sized meals that often. Does anyone know of any info. that elaborates on the pros or cons of eating once a day? Or eating the largest meal at a certain time of day (I know that in many Latin cultures, lunch is the largest meal of the day.)?

[vevster]

For weight loss, one meal a day is really not the way to go. I've read and I do believe it slows down your metabolism.

When you go hours and hours w/out food your body goes into 'starvation mode' and when you do eat it will hold on to as many calories as possible protecting the body against future famine.

[blackhair]

Options are you ok with your weight ? I am asking because I used have only one meal a day. Just eating dinner. Skipping breakfast and lunch. I would rarely snack with peanuts, chips .... I ve always been a little overweight (bottom part of my body) compare to the rest of my family who would have their normal meals and snacks. I guess our metabolism need to work and if we skip meal it will slow down and also the body will store the fat easier.
But since I hve been doing the ww with meals and snack am I loosing weight steadly.

Also every where I lived/went, africa, Europe they do have the three meals a day. Now it depends sometimes one of them is very light specially diner.

[Nay]

I have read a few different studies that seem to say that people or animals that eat less seem to live longer in general. But "studies" in humans are just beginning. So researchers don't yet know for sure the risks or benefits. Here is one such article: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4580934/

But calorie restriction does seem to prevent diseases and prolongs the lifespan of every species of animal in which it has been tested.

As far as detoxing and weight loss benefits, I'm not sure about how eating less or fasting specifically would help that.

I would suggest reading "Eat to Live" by Elijah Muhammad. It speaks highly about eating one a day or every twelve hours to let the body properly digest foods instread of a constant build up.

[honey_jammz82]

I have only been eating once a day for the past week, only because I am on medication that makes me feel very nauseas.
I have lost 12 pounds in 7 days, along with 30 min on the elipticle everyday.
I don't think that I could only eat one meal a day mormally, just because I love to eat, lol. Right now the sight of food makes me sick!

[asummertyme]

my dad is on a kind of fast, he has lost 30 pounds eating 1x a day, drinking water, eating fresh fruit, and nuts...
it worked for him...

[FlowerHair]

Anything that works for you is fine http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, but I think that the general advice is to eat 5-6 small meals a day. The emphasis being on "small". That's what I try to do and I believe it keeps the metabolism high and running all day long.

[aikaa71]

im eating carbohydrates(rice, roti, etc) between 12noon and 6pm cos thats when the metabolism is working at max capacity- my aunt told me this. I eat fruit Mid-mornings, veggies and protein(fish) in the evenings. So my main meal would be lunch. At times i do not feel hungry in the evenings so i have fruit or just herbal tea. This works for me

[options]

I just cannot eat three traditional, larger meals a day. Nor can I snack all day and eat 5-6 mini-meals. My body really only seems to truly get hungry once a day, around lunch time. And my appetite is even lessened now because I started new birth control pills (Yasmin), which seem to just really kill my appetite.

I don't think the human body needs to eat as often or as much as had been pumped into us by the medical or dietary community.

Weight loss would be great, but I am looking for at the long-term pros and cons of not eating three squares or 5-6 mini-meals a day. I'd truly have to force myself to do so.

[YOTEGRA]

Oh no! This is not good if you are trying to lose weight. http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/graemlins/nono.gif

[aikaa71]

[ QUOTE ]
options said:
I just cannot eat three traditional, larger meals a day. Nor can I snack all day and eat 5-6 mini-meals. My body really only seems to truly get hungry once a day, around lunch time.

I don't think the human body needs to eat as often or as much as had been pumped into us by the medical or dietary community.

Weight loss would be great, but I am looking for at the long-term pros and cons of not eating three squares or 5-6 mini-meals a day. I'd truly have to force myself to do so.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you should have your big meal at lunch time. I cannot eat early, Im up and on the go by 7:00am on weekdays , I only make do with a cup of tea till 11:00am then maybe I have fruit then lunch at about 1:30pm, most of the times I do not feel hungry after that so I eat light supper or nothing at all. My body is now used to this pattern, before that I use to force my self to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner even when I was not hungry. I believe I should eat when im hungry.

[Shinka]

I saw eat when your hungry. I get headaches when I don't eat. I grew up eating once or twice a day, it wasn't until I started eating 3 times of day and snacking that I gained weight. Now I'm just listening to my body and trying to eat healthy when my body says I'm hungry. Also I listen to my cravings.