Eating One Meal A Day For 10 Days?

*Disclaimer* This is my experience of this lifestyle, I'm not saying it will suit everybody that's for people to find out for themselves.

My attempt at eating one meal a day to discover if the benefits said to range from more energy to feeling healthier is true, and overall my goal is to learn more about my body and how much food it actually needs.

Written in note form, so don't expect Shakespeare from this!

Oh and also my goal is not to eat a particular (have I mentioned I'm vegan yet?) food, healthy or raw, etc...I'm eating whatever food I feel like...so expect to see the same foods come up and...umm...errrm...chips!

Starting weight: 14 St

Time to eat: Evenings

Food: Not restricted to healthy (vegan)

Day 1

Energy: Decent

Mental: Brief moment of light headedness, Determined but bit of struggle,

Emotion: Balanced

Dinner: Salad, Rice, Vegetable samosa

After researching this way of living, I made sure to drink lots of water, to stay hydrated and not get too light headed. I did experience light headedness for one moment as my body adapted to having not eaten breakfast or lunch and having played tennis earlier in the day, which would have used more energy that food would have replaced. But I'm aware that it's just my body adapting to my new food schedule I bestowed upon it!

I got to eat about 9 PM after work finally. When I had the food in front of me I felt like it was an easy wait actually

Day 2

Weight: Forgot to weigh

Energy: Good

Mental: Meditative

Emotion: Balanced

Dinner: Salad, Rice, Vegetable samosa (yes, again, come at me bro?)

My work as a dance teacher, of course, means I use up a lot of physical energy in a day. I didn't notice any lack of energy during, whilst or after teaching...great!

As for the light headedness, I've realised now that it's actually what other people who fast or cut down their meals have experienced, and a goal I've wanted to reach myself which is the meditative state becoming my standard waking state, to have a more connected feeling to the life around me. So it's not really light headedness it's just a different perception, feeling which is completely coherent but meditative...yay.

Day 3

Weight: 13.5 St

Energy: Good

Mental: Meditative

Emotion: Happy

Dinner: Stuffed peppers

Today was easy to get through, did light weight training; no work today but traveled from here to there to see friends, never felt I had to break the fast and was content in waiting till the evening meal which was about 8 PM. Also, I must add that I challenged myself to do a "dry fast" by not drinking before dinner also, didn't find that hard either.

Day 4

Weight: 13.5 St

Energy: Amazing

Mental: Positive

Emotion: Balanced

Dinner: Chips and salad

For some reason, a huge burst of energy hit me around 1 PM and lasted a few hours after then my energy was still good just not amazing LOL. I can definitely feel the benefits of eating less frequent. So much MORE time for oneself! People always complain about not having enough time to do this or that. One of the reasons for this is right there on your plate, we spend hours a day thinking about, preparing, then eating and of course digesting food. So many of those hours are SAVED when you eat once a day. So less thinking about food means more focus on doing jobs that need doing and putting ideas into action. I felt so energetic and so happy when I realised that actually...I have so much extra time to do things, I decided to tidy the kitchen and felt like going for a run haha...decided to dance instead.

Day 5

Weight: 13.5 St

Energy: Good

Mental: Determined

Emotion: Confused

Dinner: Samosas (I love samosas come at me bro?) Lots of rice, Peppers, Cucumber

I've noticed over the last five days that I never feel tired before it's late at night. You know, that feeling of "I could do with a nap, to be honest," tired, yawning and all that stuff. I'm just really alert and buzzing!

Due to late night studying, my fast actually lasted 26 and a half hours this time! I mean...wow! I never thought or knew I could so such a thing, growing up I thought people who fasted must have had super human will power...guess I do too! Learning a lot about who I am and what I can do. I wrote confused in the notes for today as I was trying hard to understand what the sensation I feel in my stomach is, as it's not hunger, I know what that feels like, plus I still have an abundance of energy so it can't be hunger. I have an idea of what it is...but more meditation on this feeling is required methinks. 🤔

Day 6

Weight: Forgot to weigh

Energy: Amazing

Mental: Clear

Emotion: Happy

Dinner: Chips and burger (vegan)

Woke up feeling very aware that people's need for food is often an emotional need and NOT a physical need. Yes, we need to eat, but not to the extent we've been conditioned to believe we do. This is becoming clear to me every each day I choose to eat just one meal a day. To be honest, I didn't need to eat dinner, kinda wish I didn't to have more fasting benefits but I let the feeling of food override my actual need for it...I'm learning.

Day 7

Weight: 13.4 St

Energy: Good

Mental: Balanced

Emotion: Balanced

Dinner: Curry and rice

A whole week done! I can say I'm definitely going to continue this way of eating for the many reasons that I'll mention later.

Day 8

Weight: 13.4 St

Energy: Great

Mental: Clear

Emotion: Balanced

Dinner: Didn't eat

I noticed today as I preparing for my dance class that a pain in one of my knees I felt for a few months (nothing serious) is not irritating me at all! But I'm not going to get ahead of myself, I'll see how it does over the next several days. I've noticed a weird feeling in my lower throat, feels like there's food there or something...so weird ! But it isn't food as I drank some water to push whatever it is down but it's still there. It is not uncomfortable, just weird. It seemed to help me not feel hungry though as I did an extra day of fasting, so maybe it's a way the body helps you last till the next meal as it's realised you've changed you eating pattern? Or maybe because my body is using far less energy digesting food that I'm simply more aware of other sensations that have always been there? Either way...yay for fasting and stuff.

Day 9

Weight: 13.1 St

Energy: High in morning, Average late afternoon

Mental: Positive

Emotion: Happy

Dinner: Curry rice bread

Wow, I woke up earlier than usual with no intention to do so and no alarm. I've heard other "one meal a day" accounts speak of a reduction in the hours their body needs to sleep...well this came from nowhere. I assumed when I opened my eyes it would say 8 AM...nope...6:16 AM and feeling fine. Wow!

As you can see I've lost more weight, no doubt the 48 HOUR FAST sped that up, it wasn't at all my plan to fast properly, but a couple evenings in a row I didn't feel hungry so thought it was a fantastic time to reap the full benefits of fasting until I need to eat again.

Thought about going for three days but my body said...NO...EAT...so I chowed down on a lovely dinner...you can imagine how good it tasted after two days not eating. I must say though it was really strange to eat food again as I felt like I was being naughty doing something I shouldn't haha.

Day 10

Weight: 13.1 St

Energy: Great

Mental: Positive

Emotion: Happy

Dinner:

This will be the last day I'll write about my first attempt at this lifestyle since I'm very sure that I'll continue eating this way for as long as I feel it's conducive to a healthy and happy me!

So here are some of the benefits this way of eating has given me:

• More energy
• More time during day
• More time for the body to get rid of toxins
• Losing fat
• Save money
• Healthier relationship with food
• Joint pain healing
• Teaches how strong mentally one is
• Don't have to worry so much about eating "Bad food"
• Feeling less sluggish after eating
• Ability to be more productive on an empty stomach
• Getting rid of psychological cravings for snacks (too much snacking makes you fat)
• Appreciating food on a deeper level not an emotional level
• Less chance to abuse food
• And more :)

Thanks for reading!