Evidence for One Meal a Day page 5

[yodiewan]

So what gives, why is it better at the end of the day?

Personally, I think fasting can be beneficial whether done at the end or beginnng of the day, but here's Martin Berkhan's take on why late-day eating is better: Is Late Night Eating Better for Fat Loss and Health? | Intermittent fasting diet for fat loss, muscle gain and health

[Diana Renata]

Personally I'm not sure that 3 meals does fix it. I really think it's the no snacking and the high-protein breakfast. I did months of IFing and didn't see any real weight loss. Once I started my version of the Leptin plan I started losing consistantly.

Which brings me to my question. I'm curious why is it that all IF proponants recommend eating at the end of the day? I can quite happily eat a big breakfast, have a BAS for lunch with 2 or 3 cups of coffee with cream throughout and then stop eating anything with calories from about 2pm until breakfast the next day. If I do it the other way around, I'm having my coffee in my 'fasting' period, so I'm not really fasting because I'm eating cream. I know I could give up the coffee or the cream before anyone suggests it, but then life would simply not be worth living.

So what gives, why is it better at the end of the day?

This high protein "break fast" is good at any point, right? Typically I've been breaking my fast with a protein shake, then having dinner a couple hours later. With my schedule now there is no eating upon waking. :-/

I think maybe the late meal is just easier for a lot of people's schedules. I know it is for mine. It's the most common leisure/free time in people's schedules perhaps. Get up, go to work, come home and unwind (and eat) then go to bed. That seems to be the common pattern it seems. Perhaps those who work later shifts would be better with eating in the morning and IFing throughout the evening.

[JKC]

I gave the leptin reset, or mastering leptin approach or whatever you want to call it a shot for a while, but it doesn't feel comfortable for me. You can check out Byron Richard's website or Jack Kruse's blog for more details on why they suggest it. They both believe big breakfasts are crucial to maintaining good leptin and thus good health. I am not personally convinced. It goes against what I feel like I need. People who are binging a lot seem to find that it keeps their sugar cravings under control. They are also going VLC, so that may be part of what is killing the carb cravings too.

I may not need my leptin reset, I dunno. Eating breakfast (according to Kruse and Richards) keeps you from pumping out too much cortisol and stressing your body. We naturally pump out cortisol in the morning, but if you eat high protein within 30 minutes of waking, you keep too much cortisol from being pumped out (according to Kruse).

Scientifically, it may be sound - I am no expert in that, but big breakfasts don't suit me. I agree with Mark about eating when hungry, stopping when full. My breakfast is tea with cream, and I don't have anything else til at least noon usually. I think that sometimes we try and overthink our bodies. As long as we are feeding them the right sort of fuel, I would think a healthy or healing body would be able figure out a timing that suits it.

[Dragonfly]

I agree with Mark about eating when hungry, stopping when full. My breakfast is tea with cream, and I don't have anything else til at least noon usually. I think that sometimes we try and overthink our bodies. As long as we are feeding them the right sort of fuel, I would think a healthy or healing body would be able figure out a timing that suits it.

+1 After my first 3 months of Primal eating, with no fat loss, things started shifting as my metabolism sorted itself out & I stopped being afraid of starving, lol!

Personally I'm not sure that 3 meals does fix it. I really think it's the no snacking and the high-protein breakfast. I did months of IFing and didn't see any real weight loss. Once I started my version of the Leptin plan I started losing consistently.

Which brings me to my question. I'm curious why is it that all IF proponants recommend eating at the end of the day? I can quite happily eat a big breakfast, have a BAS for lunch with 2 or 3 cups of coffee with cream throughout and then stop eating anything with calories from about 2pm until breakfast the next day. If I do it the other way around, I'm having my coffee in my 'fasting' period, so I'm not really fasting because I'm eating cream. I know I could give up the coffee or the cream before anyone suggests it, but then life would simply not be worth living.

So what gives, why is it better at the end of the day?

My understanding is that it has to do with the parasympathetic nervous system being activated; e.g. rest & digestion time. It makes sense to me that eating a big meal is not something you want to do right before going on a hunt, lol!

I think most, if not all of the IF proponents you refer to are male and like socializing with their meals, so eating later in the day makes sense for them, in their 21st century lives.

For me, I eat in a 6-8 hour window from 10-6 or noon-6 because it works for me. I live a relatively relaxed life and don't need to go out hunting, haha!

So much of how often we eat is dictated by culture and habit, IMO. Even after 9 months of Primal WOE, I still sometimes eat when I'm not hungry, just because I can. IF helps me keep this in check.

[zoebird]

I'm with Dragonfly on the cultural stuff.

But I often find that the way I eat affects my mood a lot. When i tried to eat in the window (as spelled out at lean saloon), i was very cranky with my son at 9:30/10, and I wasn't eating until 11:30 when we all had lunch. So he had two hours of a bitchy mom. And i wasn't liking it. it wasn't fair to him.

So, i started to eat at 9/9:30, but then I would be full at lunch time and just have tea, and then around 3 I would want some fruit/nuts, and then I wouldn't eat again until I got home and got DS to bed -- so around 8/8:30.

This is not ideal. I don't think it's ideal at all. I would prefer to eat at 9:30 and then again around 5:30/6, with or without the "snack" as I want (some days, I want it, some days I don't -- but when i don't, i'm voraciously hungry at 6:30, and I know I still have several hours before eating, and I get spacey and crabby).

but, it works.

[NourishedEm]

Interesting thoughts and thanks Yodiewan for the the LG link, it was interesting reading. The studies he referred to weren't specific to fasting though, they were looking more at what is the best time to eat the 'majority' of your calories. Also when to eat certain macronutrients.
It's interesting that one of the studies referenced showed benefits to eating your carbs at night, which is in keeping with the Leptin plan from what I understand. Apparently eating your carbs at night helps you sleep better and also sets your leptin and adiponectin higher during the waking hours of the following day - meaning you're not as hungry and you're burning fat more efficiently in the morning. Obviously this is a good thing!

I understand what you guys are saying about the social aspects of evening eating also. I like to eat dinner with my family as well, however I don't like skipping breakfast, at least not right now I don't. As I said before, I did the 1-7 eating window thing for months and could not shift any weight, once I started eating a big breakfast and cutting the snacking, I started losing at a consistant 1-2 pounds a week. There could be many reasons for this and I'm not totally convinced it's a leptin reset.
When I was eating in a window, I grazed throughout those six hours. I had the big 'break-fast' at 1pm, but after an hour or so, I would eat again, and then again, then I'd have dinner and stop at 7pm. I also had a coupla hundred calories worth of cream before 1pm.
My schedule now means I start my day with a creamy coffee and a big breakfast and I mean big, I have about 50g of protein in that meal but no starch, I have a grilled tomato if anything. I then have nothing except water for 5 hours, sometimes I'm still not hungry so I may eat a little salad or some nuts or greek yoghurt and another creamy coffee. Then I have nothing for 5 hours, then dinner, which is when I'll have my starchy foods. Sometimes, I'll eat more at lunch and not really want dinner, so I skip it.

So... is it Leptin? Is it the big breakfast? Is it the 5 hour windows? Who knows, but I'm finally losing fat after 8 months of losing nothing while eating in a 'window.' My N=1 says that a late eating window doesn't work for me.

[wiltondeportes]

I'm with Dragonfly on the cultural stuff.

But I often find that the way I eat affects my mood a lot. When i tried to eat in the window (as spelled out at lean saloon), i was very cranky with my son at 9:30/10, and I wasn't eating until 11:30 when we all had lunch. So he had two hours of a bitchy mom. And i wasn't liking it. it wasn't fair to him.

So, i started to eat at 9/9:30, but then I would be full at lunch time and just have tea, and then around 3 I would want some fruit/nuts, and then I wouldn't eat again until I got home and got DS to bed -- so around 8/8:30.

This is not ideal. I don't think it's ideal at all. I would prefer to eat at 9:30 and then again around 5:30/6, with or without the "snack" as I want (some days, I want it, some days I don't -- but when i don't, i'm voraciously hungry at 6:30, and I know I still have several hours before eating, and I get spacey and crabby).

but, it works.

One thing about ONLY eating at night is that there's no thought about it all day. No stress, no mess. You know when you are eating and look forward to it patiently.

[zoebird]

not sure how that fits with my post.

you see, my over-riding value is to be fully present for my son. I have found that when he is in my care, I am more present and a better care-giver if I am not hungry.

before I had my son, it would have been (and often was) nothing to go all day without eating. The main thing is that I would teach my yoga classes (no problem), and the rest of the time I was on my own. I was quiet, and would usualyl be working at the computer or reading, and so no real stress.

but with my son, there is a lot going on. there are a lot of needs -- particularly for love, affection, attention -- and it requires a lot of focus. It also requires a lot of effort and often a lot of forethought, foreplanning, and strategy. I have to understand his needs -- which he cannot communicate -- and act accordingly in order to meet those needs. And most of those needs are not physical (in the sense of food, clothing, shelter, medical care), but more amorphous like "I'm feeling anxious (non-verbal, demonstrated by behavior), and by this behavior, I need Strategy B1-97.c7" but tomorrow, it could be completely different, that need, and the strategy to go along with it.

I have found that I only have the mental/emotional capacity for this *if* I am fed.

I have tried one meal a day -- breakfast for at ime -- but by the evening, i was passing out at 7 (and sleeping until 7), and I was hungry and spacey (for work and a bus ride home, during which i would get car sick). If i waited for dinner, I was a PITA all day, rude to DH, DS, and everyone I met (not good in a service-related industry).

So, i ate. eating works for me -- thus not being crabby.

i'm ok with people eating once a day, or twice, or three times, or every three hours, or whatever. best thing is the old N1, but don't extrapolate it out to everyone else, you know?

[gordo]

I think maybe the late meal is just easier for a lot of people's schedules.

+1 Dinner around here is the family meal. The rest are catch as catch can. I also prefer to work out fasted. I prefer to work out in the morning. It all lines up for me. If you prefer skipping dinner, it's no biggie. Whatever works for you.

Gordo

[LessofMimi]

I've done 'one-meal' several times, and I always drop body fat like crazy. So easy to do when insulin is in check. Harder when activity is high, though. Definitely something to consider again. Especially when I'm laid up w/ my back and can't do anything.