Does anyone do two meals?

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
xJocelynx87
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:17 am

Does anyone do two meals?

Post by xJocelynx87 » Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:45 pm

About two years ago, I lost a significant amount of weight eating 2 meals per day, plus a small dessert. I had started off doing No-S, but over time my habits kind of morphed into the 2-meal pattern. I'm not generally hungry in the morning, and would much rather just enjoy my coffee and let my appetite prepare for a nice healthy lunch. I got down my lowest adult weight at that point (about 135lbs at 5'7.5). Since then, I've gained about 5lbs back due to becoming lax with my eating. Note: I know that I am not overweight, but I do have a lot of past eating issues.

My question is, does anyone here eat 2 meals per day instead of 3? Do you think it is detrimental to habit formation to allow a small dessert after dinner? Do you think that this framework can be just as successful as Vanilla No-S in terms of building solid habits and resolving food/diet obession?

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks about this, especially with all the talk of two meals, intermittent fasting, etc.

Thanks,

Jocelyn

wosnes
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

Post by wosnes » Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:50 pm

I've eaten only two meals daily for most of my life. I've never been hungry for breakfast. The biggest difference between now and then is that I used to snack. It wasn't because I was hungry, it was because food was there.

Is it detrimental to habit formation to allow a small dessert after dinner? No, it's a different habit. It's definitely not part of the vanilla No-S habit. However, if it's a habit that works for you (which I think is far more important than following vanilla No-S) it's fine. I do think it can be as successful as No-S both in terms of building solid habits and resolving food/diet obsession. If it works for you, why question it?

I think part of many of our problems with food is that we think we have to follow exactly the rules of some diet. Doesn't matter if it's Weight Watchers, South Beach, or No-S. When did we stop being able to think for ourselves and eat in a moderate way that is doable and satisfying for us?

A couple of years ago, NoelFigart posted this: "Three squares is still fairly recent history and a sign of affluence."
Three meals a day were accepted as reasonable by most later sixteenth-century writers, such as Andrew Borde, although he thought that this was only good for the labouring man: anyone else should be content with two.
In nearly every culture, past and present, as people have gotten more affluent and eaten more, whether it's just more food or more meals, they have gained weight and their level of health has declined.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:33 am

If you found that habit satisfying and your small dessert didn't lead to bigger ones, that sounds like a fine plan. I know that someone left a link here once to an old-fashioned European health plan in which the author said that unless a person was a manual laborer, he should eat only two meals a day.

Breakfast is associated with weight loss maintenance but I think the operative word here is habit. I don't see how two one-plate meals and a small dessert a day for someone who is actually happy with that can be a bad thing. The snacking may or may not be a separate issue. If snacks are a problem, I'd consider a small breakfast. Nighttime snacking especially is associated with skipping breakfast.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

TexArk
Posts: 804
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:50 am
Location: Foothills of the Ozarks

Post by TexArk » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:03 pm

I am a two meal a day person. I like having 2 smallish plates a day, not 3 tiny plates a day. However, I am a post menopausal woman who cannot eat very much without gaining.

Sometimes I am not hungry for breakfast and sometimes I eat a good breakfast and am not hungry for lunch...no hard and fast rules. My breakfasts are high protein though. If I eat a bowl of oats or toast or anything carby, I am starving by mid morn. I always eat an early supper because I don't want to get hungry and eat too late.

But I do lose and maintain better with 2 meals a day. It also keeps me out of the kitchen and food prep. There is something about starting to eat a light meal that just turns on my appetite. I would rather wait it out.

noni
Posts: 613
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:01 pm

Post by noni » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:30 pm

Most N days I don't eat breakfast, just one coffee with a little cream that ties me over until lunch. If I do eat breakfast, it's so small that I usually can't remember if I ate or not. Weekend breakfasts are homemade sweets (and anything else in the cupboard, unfortunately). This is working well for me so far, even with some red days and wild weekends, altho' noticing a stalling of weight loss, which is no surprise.

leafy_greens
Posts: 426
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:18 pm

Post by leafy_greens » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:31 pm

Jocelyn, I guess that eating plan can work for some, but it's not No S. I suspect that your plan is not working for you, since you are asking about it. Maybe you don't want breakfast because you eat dessert?

As someone who also has deep-seated food issues, I notice that addicts like me try to make substitutions rather than letting No S do the work. Due to my own (however anecdotal) research, I believe that No S is the best way to cure food issues.

If you are trying to form a habit of eating dessert after dinner, then eating dessert after dinner will form that habit. If you are trying to form a No S habit, then eating dessert after dinner will not form the No S habit. Good luck!

User avatar
sophiasapientia
Posts: 919
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:09 am
Location: Michigan

Post by sophiasapientia » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:55 pm

My question is, does anyone here eat 2 meals per day instead of 3? Do you think it is detrimental to habit formation to allow a small dessert after dinner? Do you think that this framework can be just as successful as Vanilla No-S in terms of building solid habits and resolving food/diet obession?


Hi Jocelyn! If I remember correctly, there are No Sers who have successfully used this model.

I just tried a 2.5 month experiment doing exactly that. I skipped breakast and had lunch, dinner and a smallish dessert after dinner. It didn't work in our house. Even though I'm not a huge breakfast eater, skipping it seemed to set me off on bad behavior. Seconds at meals because I was still hungry. I also didn't like the example I was setting for my family. My DD started expecting to have dessert every single night and it was a habit that my DH and I didn't want to engrain in her. I'd rather dessert be a periodic treat. My weight stayed the same during this experiment. If I hadn't been eating seconds, it probably would have dropped.

YMMV. :wink:

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:50 pm

What did you mean that you had become "lax" in your eating?

Was there any room for a "release valve," such as S days?

I don't think the fact that you became lax means it wasn't a decent plan. Many people use Vanilla No S successfully for quite awhile, then slide for whatever reasons, and return. They return because it is simple and fits into the rhythm of most people's lives rather easily.

I went through a period of time having only mocha for breakfast. It didn't seem to hurt my habits. I think if I were retired and not having to get going so early in the morning, I would likely evolve a two-meal habit, though I'd probably stick to weekend and NWS days for desserts.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

heatherhikes
Posts: 181
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:57 pm
Location: uetliberg

Post by heatherhikes » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:53 pm

At this point I am doing the combo NoS together with the plan Diane Hampton advocates in her book "Diet Alternative."
Since I'm usually not hungry in the morning, I decided to start eating just 2 meals a day with some type of dessert (or a special non-sweet treat, like a handfull of peanuts, for example) after dinner. I love peanuts, too much...

So far this has been working real well for me. I've lost 2 1/2 kg (2500 gramms) in 10 days. YaY! The habitforming process is the same, IMO. Right from the beginning I decided not to eat a sweet EVERY evening, so not to get used to it.
Weekends I decided to have my dessert/cake during the coffee hour instead. (I live in Europe :wink:) Other special days, holidays etc., I treat as S-days/events, keeping them around 2 per month.
So far so good. I'm playing it by ear. I figure the weightloss will slow down some.
However, bottom line is, I'm positive I couldn't do this in the long run without practicing the principles of Diet Alternative in all detail.
(I'm glad to answer any questions about the book or my experiences; just send me a personal message)

BTW, I feel great physically and otherwise.

Wishing you all a wonderful week
_____________
:) Luv n' peace
H
Last edited by heatherhikes on Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

wosnes
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

Post by wosnes » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:57 pm

Reinhard wrote:The No S Diet has a little known loophole just for you. If you look closely at the site, you'll notice that nowhere does it specify the actual *number* of meals. Now most people will make a certain assumption, and most people had better stick with that assumption.
Bold italics mine. It's assumed that people who don't want to eat three meals daily want to eat more than 3 -- not less.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

jasper
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:33 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by jasper » Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:20 pm

Yes. I have gravitated towards 2 meals.
Lunch and dinner.

Nos at no point specifies number of meals

jasper
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:33 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by jasper » Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:21 pm

I know a man who has maintained a healthy slim weight for over 40 years on ONE meal a day

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:08 am

The site may not refer to three meals, but the book does. On page 54, it says "So no more than three meals a day, but no less. Let the minimum be the maximum." page 58: "If you have a medical condition that requires you to eat more often, you can still do so and be a proud No S Dieter. Just make sure to figure out what number of meals is right for you, stick with it (no changing the magic number every day!), and invest in some really small plates...As f or the rest of you, pretend you never read this. It's for people with doctor's notes only." page 58 again: "Regular three-meal NO S Diet weight loss is slow enough for most people." (This said as a reason to avoid choosing to have 4 meals instead of 3.)

Alternately, on page 167: "So if you're tempted to modify the No S Diet around the edges or to use it as a point of inspiration for a whole new system of your own, you have my blessing and encouragement; and the mere fact that you invented all or part of it will make you more likely to succeed.
That being said, do be careful. The downside of self-made systems is that you feel fewer compunctions about modifying them at the spur of the moment."
page 170: "The thing about a moderate system like the No S Diet is that you actually have to follow it systematically."

If following a moderate plan like two meals a day and a small dessert systematically allows you to follow it without too much pain, fits into your life, and allows you to socialize or eat alone with pleasure, I'd say it's on the right track.

But I know you were asking for those who have done it, so ...

Sorry, I have the day off and the No S board is one of my excesses now that I don't overeat.
However, the point is still to simplify our eating. Keep the number of meals to what is easy and will likely keep us from overeating in total.
Last edited by oolala53 on Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

User avatar
No BS
Posts: 627
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:06 am
Location: Canada

Post by No BS » Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:24 am

I mostly eat two meals a day, usually lunch & dinner.

But if I wake up hungry, I will poke down a breakfast.
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

germanherman
Posts: 140
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:49 am
Location: northern germany

Post by germanherman » Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:37 am

The question itself seems simple, but i don't think it is.

My first question in return would be: What does your day look like.

I wake up every morning at 3:45 AM. At 4:10 i start my workout (Exercise is the solution for most troublespots of the noSdiet). Around 05:20 i eat my breakfast even after i had an fitness drink right after my training. Somewhere between 12:00 AM and 1:00 PM i got my lunch. My dinner awaits around 18:00 pm.

I try to eat roughly every 6 hours and i can't give up any meal without risking to not eating enough. This way i keep up an good energy-level for the whole day.

So my main concerns about "cutting" one of the three meals are:

1. Are you able to eat enough?
2. Are you able to avoid binge-inducing hungers in the evening?
3. Are you able to keep up your daily workload for 12 hours?

If you answer all questions with yes, then by all means: Do it!
Spend over 450 Dollar on some Systems, Gadgets and courses = Zero Results

Spend 15 Bucks for a Shovelglove + NoS-Diet= ;)

German by nature

xJocelynx87
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:17 am

Post by xJocelynx87 » Tue Mar 19, 2013 11:41 pm

Thanks for your input, everyone!

It's interesting to see that many of you do, in fact, eat two meals per day and make it work. The after-dinner dessert, however, seems to be a separate issue that is different for everyone. For me, it's a matter of sustainability. A small dessert each night would make the diet so much more ENJOYABLE and therefore more likely that I will stick with it long-term.

In the past, I did not really have defined S-days, so to speak. I had days where I ate between meals when I shouldn't have, but the goal for the day was always to stick to two meals + dessert, whether it was a weekday or a weekend. As a side note, I've tried eating breakfast the last few days, and to be honest, I hate it. I don't enjoy the food, and it ruins my appetite for lunch. You've all given me some great insight going forward, thank you!

Jocelyn

Post Reply