I am on day 2 of my one meal a day diet. After 5pm ...

No, and from what youve said about it I wouldnt reccomend you do either. The best way to loose weight is not to stop eating, as that stops your metabolism which is what burns fat. The best way to loose weight is to eat at least 3 or 4 small meals over the course of the day, as this will encourage your metabolism to speed up, being careful about what foods you eat. As well as this make sure you do at least 30 to 60 minutes of excercise a day.

The main problem with a one meal a day diet is that the one meal usually winds up with the person dieting overeating with the one meal.  Mostly, people wind up eating more than their daily requirement of calories.  They fill up on fast food and other "junk" food, and it ends up just adding weight instead of taking it off. 

Also, if your body doesn't function "up to par", as from any chronic disease, such as diabetes, it won't react to the one sudden shock to the system given by the overload of food.  The best way to lose weight is several small meals a day (like 3-4, even 5 meals a day, but not to exceed a total calorie count of about 1500-2000 calories a day, depending on your frame and size).  Exercise is very important, too.  If you haven't been regularly exercising, start slowly and work your way up.  Don't try to start out at the maximum; your body can't take it, and you'll wind up sore, and they quit because you think exercise hurts.

*****I'm the person that asked the question*****

I am exercising. I walk/jog 45 minutes 5 days a week. Lift free weights , 10lb dumbells , every other day for 30 mins. I do different exercises when using the dumbells , so it doesn't get boring. I don't eat any junk food. Only healthy food I make at home for that one meal. I feel great , really. Thank you all for your advice. :)

Honestly, this diet has serious issues.

I'm not sure how long you intend to stay on it, but it's clearly not sustainable long-term, so you'll probably burn out on it fairly quickly (probably already have at this point.)

This has all of the signs of a fad diet or "crash diet" -- with a focus on the elimination of entire meals, extreme calorie restriction (probably far below the minimum 1000 calories you need each day to fuel even basic activities, let alone a weight training and cardio routine) and "fasting."

There are a number of problems with this approach, as Dr. Dave has pointed out. First, you need energy to burn energy. Eating only once a day can be counterproductive for fat loss. Your body interprets the rapid and sustained reduction in calories as a sign of impending famine (i.e. starvation) and responds by conserving stored energy (in the form of body fat.) It lowers your metabolism as a survival mechanism, since it doesn't know how long you'll be in this state for.  This means it may actually hold on to body fat, versus tapping it for energy.

Second, you aren't eating enough calories to build muscle. To add muscle -- which should always be a goal when you are trying to reduce body fat ratios -- you need to eat. Period. Muscle will always look leaner than fat, so you want to always train and eat to maximize it. Women can't put on huge amounts of muscle like men, so you shouldn't worry about becoming bulky.

What you SHOULD be worried about is losing any muscle you already have -- since that can result in you becoming flabby, even if your scale weight drops.

Right now, at your calorie and activity levels, your body is probably already consuming it's own muscle tissue for energy. Unlike body fat, muscle consumes energy (calories) even at rest, so every pound you lose in lean tissue slows your metabolism even more. You are setting yourself up for a vicious circle here.

Finally, only 5 percent of people who pursue these types of crash or extreme diets are successful at keeping off the fat they've lost. Most rebound and actually add more body fat than what they had to begin with after the diet is over. Why would you put yourself through this kind of deprivation if there is a 95% chance that it won't give you a result that lasts beyond the diet itself?

A better approach would be to eat five to six smaller meals spread out across the day, lower your daily calories by 300-500 below what you need to maintain your weight (either through diet or exercise -- preferably a combination) and continue your exercise routine. With this approach, you would safely lose about two pounds of fat a week, while preserving muscle. Within about 10 weeks, you'll have hit your goal of 130 lbs. You'll also feel better, look better and not be starving yourself. And study after study has shown that people who lose weight more slowly (1-3 lbs a week), have a much higher propensity to keep that fat off over the long-term.

I really hope you'll reconsider this diet and approach to eating. It makes zero sense. I can understand the allure of fast weight loss, but this will be counterproductive ultimately. I would be willing to bet that within three months, you'll have started another "diet" because this one will not have helped you hit your goals.

I noticed you posted this question nearly a month ago. I'm curious ... are you still on this diet? And how did it work for you?

Best of luck!

3 meals a day .. 6 meals a day.. makes one food obsessed in my opinion

ive been eating just one meal a day for years and feel very good.. your body gets that nice long break so it can digest food.. and has time to shrink back to normal fist size..

plus you start craving GOOD quality foods naturally.. you dont have to be all particular and make sure the calorie nutrition is there.. you just eat what you crave

trust me.. it works.. stuff like lettuce and good meats and quality foods and water water water will be what you crave..

plus that one meal becomes a sacred event like it is supposed to be.. not a time of self deprivation or a major binge session

the first day or so .. actually couple days you will feel almost flu like.. like im gonna die if i dont eat.. YOU WONT hello!!  .. people back in the day went days without eating because there wasnt anything.. did they die nope.. were they lean and strong yep... and we have the advantage of a grocery store so every day we can get one full balanced delicious meal of our choice

i wonder where this 3 meal a day thing came from.. you gotta wonder.. and now 6 ???  maybe mathematically it adds up .. but it takes all the pleasure out of food...

im 36, 5'7, 122lbs.. i can do a back bend the splits .. i move by walking not by hitting the gym.. i stretch for an hour or more each day.. and just eat one meal a day.. i drink watered down grape fruit juice.. maybe some coffee but nothing that really takes digestion.. .. my body gets a good break between my meals.. sleep is sound and relaxed..

i speak from experience here

Have you seen the most recent research which says that as long as you stay on a diet--any diet--your'e OK;  It's people who go on, and then go off, and then go back on, who gain weight back.  (I only eat one meal a day (out of laziness, not from any medical reason), and I've suffered no ill effects from it (except increasing laziness), so go for it!!

Read the book the "Eat Clean Diet". It has a lot of information about food, exercise, and the importance of eating more than one meal a day. It explains fitness, nutrition and it is for people with a busy lifestyle that dont have the time to cook all day to eat healthy so I suggest reading it and please eat more!

I am so sick of people who can not think for themselves. everyone just repeats what they have been told by mass media. Eat 5 to 6 meals a day blah blah blah. Bull S&#%. They have proved so far that 6 meals a day does no more for fat loss than having 3 meals. We are still waiting for better all around studies of the 1 meal a day system. Search for The Warrior Diet which looks at how the Romans and Greeks lived and how you can eat one meal a day to live an be healthy.

A couple of points to also research.

A common theme people go on about is that they have to eat 2 grams of protein per pound of fat. This is also currently being disproved as you can go on much less with out losing muscle mass.

A common thing that does seem correct is to move away from processed food. Do this slowly and it is sustainable.

I fast for 20 hours a day and eat in a 4 hour window. I have more energy then I did. i appreciate food more and it is fantastic for will power. In the day I drink Black Coffee, Green Tea and Water with the juice of up to 2 lemons, I also take 6 bee pollen capsules for minerals and nutrients. When I start eating at 5pm I start with Almonds and 2 Bananas or 1/3 of a cup of raisins. Almonds contain Trytophan(spelling?) which triggers Serotonin to be built in the brain which keeps you happy. By having Raisins or Banana's with them it allows for quick absorbtion.

For dinner I eat what I want. I make a logical choice to something that is healthy. E.g. Mince, Mushrooms, Onions, Brown Rice and a sauce to make a risotto. I then may have a big bowl of fruit an hour later for desert.

I then go to bed 2 hours after and have a pepermint tea in that time.

I do resistance training at night for muscles and interval training between 6 am and 6.30 am. I went from 125kg to 115 kg in 3 weeks which is a big drop. I am happy with my routine but it will not work for most people. Remember most of losing weight is in your mind. until you can work out how to control your head and your chemical reactions it is going to be hard.

I recommend mattchurch.com for info on how chemicals in your body work or checking out pureinnovation.co.nz which has a few tips.