Metabolic and Mental Health
Here’s What Happened on One-Meal-a-Day After 15 Years.
I explain the exceptional health and well-being benefits of a personalized intermittent fasting regimen as a lifestyle choice.
Purpose of the Article
On requests from subscribers, this piece follows a previous story reflecting on my unique experience of skipping breakfast for two decades.
This post intends to explain the importance and value of skipping another meal, particularly lunch, for over a decade in seven sections.
Moreover, I explain why I don’t regularly skip dinner even though I sometimes do it, as it brings additional benefits.
I also touch on the significance of a personalized eating regimen and the principles of arranging macronutrients and micronutrients, giving an example of my approach.
This article is for information, not advice or recommendation.
I’ve been on one meal a day healthily and happily by choice for 15 years. It took me a decade to prepare my body and mind to achieve this goal.
1— Order Behind My Craze
Initially, skipping one meal for a decade prepared my body for this more extreme condition which might be risky for some people.
Nevertheless, taking this risk with prudence and diligence brought me numerous health and fitness benefits.
Some called my decision madness. Family members, close friends, colleagues, and even family doctors were concerned that I might be anorexic.
Ironically, a diabetic relative felt that I was out of my mind.
However, this regime made the opposite impact reducing my undesirable visceral fat, increasing my desired lean muscles, and balancing my hormones.
In addition, it significantly reduced my inherited risk of diabetes, making my body insulin sensitive.
Over three decades ago, before starting my so-called madness, I was at the onset of diabetes. Ironically, I was on frequent meals with caloric control on those days.
Cutting calories was not my primary goal for the one-meal-a-day plan. My goal was to make the body fat adapted to use stored and dietary fat as an energy source and change the biochemistry of the body and brain.
I wanted to create better hormonal balance and initiate a self-healing mechanism of the body named autophagy.
In my opinion and experience, the blanket statement of three meals and three snacks requirement for everyone is a myth. The frequency of meals is an individual matter.
While some people might need frequent eating for medical and other reasons, some thrive on consuming food in a narrow window. Therefore, there is no definite solution for everyone.
Over three decades ago, when I was on a high carbs diet eating three meals and three snacks, I consumed fewer calories, which dented my metabolism for quick weight loss aspirations.
However, losing weight in a caloric deficit too fast can be harmful to the body. I explained the risks in an article titled Weight Loss Should Be Gradual and Steady for Five Critical Reasons.
There are various ways to reduce excess calories. In the past, the most common approach for me was to reduce food intake by spreading across three meals and three snacks and increase exercise to burn calories.
Unfortunately, this model failed for me due to the reasons I explained in a story titled Here’s What Happened When I Replaced Carbs with Healthy Fats for Two Decades.
The alternative to the frequent eating model is time-restricted eating which puts the body in a metabolically favorable position.
Time-restricted eating (intermittent fasting) means that we consume the required calories in a specific feeding window and give the body a chance to rest, digest, and recover when not eating within a separate window.
Intermittent fasting might be challenging for some people, especially those whose bodies run on glucose only as energy. My solution was to switch my body to fat-burning mode.
2 — Reasons for The Importance of Dinner for Me
Four reasons compelled me to use dinner rather than lunch. My goal was not weight-loss but primarily to gain health benefits.
Firstly, lunch at work made me lethargic, diminishing my creativity and productivity.
Secondly, dinner is a social activity with the family in my lifestyle.
Thirdly, my body depletes glycogen stores due to the effects of fasting and increased stress during the day. I need food in the evening to nourish my body and brain.
The fourth reason is to improve my sleep as dinner provides the required nutrition to aid sleep.
Interestingly, I read about Buddhist monks skipping dinners and sleeping around five hours as their bodies digest food and rest easily.
I also tried skipping dinner numerous times. It was during my long-term fasting. I gained the benefits.
My goal was to initiate autophagy and enter deep ketosis to increase my BDNF for mental and neurological health.
I also reviewed studies that show different results on skipping meals.
For example, this 2020 review concluded that “skipping meals (particularly dinner) reduces daily energy intake, but the reduction in daily diet quality might impact health negatively over time.”
I love each dinner as the food tastes delicious.
In short, skipping dinner was not sustainable for me.
3 — Importance of Personalised Nutrition
People's caloric and nutritional requirements differ based on many factors, including genetics, gender, lifestyle, and professional goals.
For example, the caloric needs of a 50-year-old female office worker and a 20-year-old male construction worker might differ entirely.
Therefore, people need various nutrition, workout, and sleep protocols.
A personalized workout is vital as we all have different fitness levels and goals. Some of us can perform better with cardio and others with resistance training. Some prefer both to gain additional benefits.
Sleep hours also differ, even though an eight-hour sleep is usually considered the norm. Some people can survive for six hours, and some extend it to ten hours. My sweet spot is eight and a half hours.
I highlight the importance of a personalized approach because our food intake is closely related to our movement and rest.
4— Balancing Macronutrients and Micronutrients
We all have different caloric and nutritional requirements, so one solution does not meet all. It also changes from men to women as our metabolic needs are different.
For example, a friend who is more active than me, lifting heavier weights more frequently, uses more carbs and proteins with fewer fats.
He takes 30% from carbs, 30% from fat, and 40% from protein which works well. He is a bodybuilder and fitness coach.
I am not a bodybuilder, athlete, or construction worker. My energy expenditure is relatively lower than these personas.
As my focus is metabolic and mental health, I consume 70% of my calories from healthy fats and 30% from bioavailable proteins. I intentionally chose to remove carbs for various reasons.
Thus, focusing on principles instead of a prescriptive approach sounds more reasonable and might be more helpful in designing our eating regimes.
We get our calories from either fat or carbs. Both provide energy. Fat is denser than carbs, as one gram of fat provides calories twice the same amount of carbs. Fat has significantly less impact on insulin, which is compelling for me.
In addition, some fats are essential, and carbs are not. Of course, some of us need carbs for various reasons, such as quick energy and obtaining micronutrients from vegetables, as they include a smaller number of carbs than grains.
The third macronutrient is protein. We cannot do without essential amino acids as they are needed for our cells' growth and maintenance and balance hormones and neurotransmitters.
So my point is arranging these three macronutrients is essential for each individual. The ratios will change based on our bodily needs, genetics, lifestyle, and personal goals.
We must obtain adequate micronutrients that could be found in macronutrients like proteins, carbs, and fats. Some people get their micronutrients from plant-based. Some get from animal-based, and some individuals from both.
I only get my micronutrients and macronutrients from animal-based foods (keto-carnivore) as it suits my needs optimally. Some people thrive on plant-based diets. As we are all unique, personalized approaches might work well for people with different backgrounds.
The bottom line for arranging micronutrients is getting adequate amino acids, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals. Deficiencies and excess of these nutrients can cause severe health issues.
Here are the key points to give you an idea of how I design my one meal.
5 — My Bespoke Approach to Design One Meal
It took me years to find my ideal diet with trial and error.
Then, I had to tweak it gradually. Initially, I obtained guidance and support from a dietician who assessed my situation, medical history, and my life goals.
The critical point was to find my metabolic rate and adjust my caloric and nutrition needs accordingly. Personalizing my diet boiled down to arranging macronutrients and micronutrients to create a nutritional and caloric balance.
Metabolic health requires balancing energy creation and expenditure with micronutrients and supporting metabolic activities with micronutrients.
As my body needs energy, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals to function, I arrange my macronutrients and micronutrients, fitting them into a single nutritious meal.
I usually consume my dinner after 6 PM, eating slowly and gratefully cherishing every bite of food. It takes me around two hours.
Then, digestion slows me down and prepares me for a good night’s sleep after a few hours. Finally, I follow a stringent sleeping regimen critical for my health and well-being.
In my earlier years, I used to drink coffee when fasting. It initially worked but caused more problems such as digestion and sleep issues. Later I found better ways to replace the energy of coffee.
6— How I Measure My Success
I firmly believe that health and longevity are the responsibility of individuals with guidance, help, and support from professionals.
Thus, as a responsible person and a data-driven professional, I diligently monitor my health using various techniques and tools with the help of qualified healthcare professionals, as mentioned in a story titled Stay Young and Fit by Trying Health Tests.
For example, I have annual check-ups for critical blood markers (including saliva, urine, and feces tests) sponsored by Medicare.
Additionally, I obtain specific test results uncovered by Medicare or health insurance paying from my budget as an investment for my health.
Furthermore, I get six-monthly DEXA scans and annual MRIs to check my physical composure, including fat percentage, muscle quality, and bone density.
Unfortunately, these expensive scans are also not covered by Medicare and my private health insurance. Regardless, I am happy to pay for them as a health investment.
7— Long-Term Benefits of One-Meal-a-Day Plan
Based on various tests, I’d like to summarize the outcomes manifested in 15 years. They include health, self-improvement, and aesthetic reasons.
Since starting one meal a day, my blood markers, especially for inflammation, such as C-reactive protein, optimized.
My arthritis pain evaporated. Defeating my arthritis symptoms, like my friend, Shane, was the most significant achievement in improving the quality of my life.
Fixing my leaky gut and eliminating bloating and abdominal distention was a bonus. I also fixed a dozen of disorders that bothered me for years.
My fat, muscle, and bone profile improved. As I age, I strive for lean muscles, reduced fat, and dense bones.
This regimen significantly reduced my chronic stress and chronic inflammation. Thus, my cognitive flexibility and emotional maturity increased.
While my mood enhanced, I also gained mental clarity. My anxious thoughts disappeared, brain fog and mild depression vanished. By reducing the risks of neurodegenerative disorders like dementia, I gained better mental health.
Consequently, I became more creative and productive, quickly entering a flow state while working. Gradually, I gained better resilience physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Aesthetically, I gained a defined, trimmed, and compact body. The body’s aesthetic was not my primary goal. However, achieving this secondary goal improved my self-love, self-confidence, and compassion toward others.
I see having defined abs after 50 and eliminating loose skin as another bonus. Best of all, within the last two decades, my cortisol levels dropped, and like Alberto, my testosterone and growth hormone raised significantly.
In addition to metabolic health, my major focus for dietary lifestyle is the brain and mental health in the long term. Here are two articles reflecting my perspectives.
In addition to my research into significant health conditions in concise summaries of 62 articles, I wrote numerous articles about the brain and cognitive function that might inform and inspire you.
Conclusions and Takeaways
I acknowledge that skipping two meals, even one meal a day, is not for everyone. However, skipping one or two meals is not unusual, as many people successfully achieve this goal.
Besides, our ancestors survived famines with the power of gluconeogenesis using stored fat as energy. That is what my regimen emulates precisely.
Some people do it for medical reasons with supervision from qualified healthcare professionals.
For example, some metabolic health and longevity clinics use intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets as intervention protocols.
Skipping a meal can improve digestion and make the body more insulin sensitive and leptin susceptible. It also reduces oxidative stress caused by excess food. Thus, it contributes to longevity.
For example, this extreme protocol of skipping meals is used for diabetic and some cancer patients to make their bodies more insulin sensitive, tightly controlling glucose in these conditions.
As skipping meals for medical purposes is a complex protocol, it requires close supervision from qualified healthcare professionals.
Some informed and disciplined people do it for health and longevity purposes. They usually start with a gradual approach, as I did.
Immediately skipping two meals a day can be harmful if a person is not ready metabolically and psychologically. So it took me at least a decade of preparation effort to achieve this goal and make it sustainable.
In my opinion, good health requires the trade-off of our comfort. Rest is critical but sedentary life can be detrimental to the body.
The causes of some debilitating health conditions might be hedonistic tendencies, such as consuming too much comfort food too frequently and not moving the body to stay comfortable.
We need movement. Besides, some people might need other challenging activities such as time-restricted eating and cold exposure to stimulating the body and brain activities.
We know that fasting can change brain chemistry. And thermogenetic effects of cold exposure can convert white fat to brown fat, increasing mitochondria.
After years of experiments, one meal a day eating regime became an optimal lifestyle for me. Gradually adjusting my body re-wired my brain to make this regimen a healthy lifestyle habit.
So far, I did not get noticeable side effects. Instead, my health and well-being transformed. Thus, I have no intention to change it at the moment as it makes me happy.
However, I am open-minded. If I notice any side effects in the upcoming years, I am prepared to change my regimen as it is not a religious decision.
I end my article with one takeaway point. We have different caloric and nutritional requirements.
Thus, a wise approach is to seek help from qualified professionals such as dieticians and nutritionists who can create a personalized diet regimen. They assess individuals’ medical history, lifestyle habits, and goals.
One of the most significant risks of cancer is obesity, as I articulated in the attached story. One meal a day was a sustainable solution for me to prevent obesity.
For me, a good thing is I don’t have to count calories anymore, as explained in the attached story.
Here is a glimpse of my fat loss journey.
Here are my perspectives on hormones I have studied for many years.
I No Longer Do Keto and Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss as I’ve No Fat to Lose.
Here’s How I Got Healthier and Smoother Skin via 5 Lifestyle and Holistic Health Methods.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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