to say that fasting has massively cut down our food bills?

[streth]

I know it's not for everyone but I’ve been doing intermittent fasting one meal a day for a while now and I’ve noticed a huge difference in our food shopping bills. I just eat once a day usually a good sized balanced meal in the evening and I’m genuinely less hungry the rest of the time. I don’t snack anymore and I’m not constantly thinking about food which has been surprisingly freeing.

My teens off their own backs have started eating just twice a day they say they feel fine and they're old enough to make those choices themselves. We still eat nutritious food but we’re just eating less often and wasting far less.

Food bills have gone down significantly and with prices being what they are right now it’s honestly been a relief I know this wouldn’t work for everyone and I’m definitely not saying it’s suitable for people with eating disorders or anyone with specific health needs. But for us it’s made a real difference both financially and in how we think about food.

AIBU to think this kind of fasting can be a practical option for some people in tough times?

If thinking I’m using AI helps you avoid actually engaging with what I said, go for it, I guess.

I’ve repeated myself because people keep making the same assumptions and twisting what I’ve said. I’m not pushing OMAD as a magic fix or pretending it’s perfect for everyone. I’ve just shared what works for me and been clear about the context.

Yes, there are articles warning about OMAD. Just like there are about keto, low calorie diets, plant based diets, and even eating too much fruit. The risks usually come from doing it badly or using it to restrict. That’s not what I’m doing.

If you are done with the thread, that’s fine. But throwing out sarcasm instead of a proper reply kind of proves my point.

Certainly not for all. My family all get ‘hangry’ if we don’t eat regularly. Also, honestly not sure about the health benefits for teenagers. They are possibly still growing and need nutritious food, regularly.

Yes I totally get that it’s not for everyone. Some people really do need regular meals to feel normal and that’s completely fine.

But not everyone’s the same. Some people just don’t get that hungry throughout the day and actually feel better eating less often. My teens chose to eat twice a day and are totally fine with it. They still had proper meals and snacks if they wanted. I didn’t make them do anything and I’d step in straight away if it wasn’t working for them.

Teenagers definitely need proper nutrition, no argument there. But that doesn’t have to mean eating three set meals a day. It’s more about what and how much they eat overall, not how often.

This is the logical solution to higher food prices. But imagine the uproar if a conservative MP suggested it!
Instead, people are eating the same quantity of much lower quality food - less protein, more carbs, more UPF’s. Just look at any instagram account that’s promoting ‘5 meals for 25 quid’ from Aldi or wherever - all made of carby shite. A public health crisis is looming.

some of us have had to do the one meal a day for a few years now! you get used to it

Ok. I’ll bite - but you’re still repeating yourself, which is why it seems very AI like.

OMAD is well known for being a highly restrictive and extreme diet (just Google it) or in your case ‘a pattern of eating’, since you keep using that descriptor as if that means something other than diet (it doesn’t).

Saying ‘yes but there are articles about other..’ RESTRICTIVE diets, doesn’t help your cause since it actually proves the point - but you’re far too busy building your hill to die on.

Do you understand what a restrictive diet is? One where you.. restrict food intake? Do you not then make the connection to OMAD? How can you expect to be taken seriously if you’re saying ONE meal a day isn’t restricting?

You keep presenting OMAD up to be a solid solution for some people and it’s not - it’s a highly restrictive diet that leads to nutritional deficiencies and potential eating disorders and there are NO good studies or scientific research to prove otherwise.

Many people with ED don’t realise or understand that they are food restricting, because it helps them feel in control and there are phases during their illness where they feel great. It doesn’t mean they don’t have an eating disorder or need help though. Perhaps you are one of those people (who knows) - the fact you seem proud of your teens now restricting their food intake too seems pretty worrying. Just because your bloods are okay, doesn’t make it healthy or normal. Nutritional deficiencies can take a long time to show up, bone and muscle loss can take a few years before they show up on blood work and dexa scans - in part due to how little our health service monitors these types of things as they are considered long term and / or preventative care measures and we NHS services are under extreme pressure.

As an aside, I recommend you actually educate yourself regarding eating disorders and how prevalent they are and how dangerous they can be:

https://edaw.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Expect you won’t bother though as you’re very entrenched and think you’re doing people a favour here - despite many people pointing out you’re not.

Frankly, if someone told me something I was sharing was extreme or dangerous or could damage people, I’d at least have the temerity to consider it and educate myself, rather than taking it so personally and doubling down on every person who disagreed.

My husband sometimes does 2 meals a day skips lunch or breakfast but never both .
he has lost weight doing this but I don’t do it because of digestive issues plus I’d get “ hangry “ I need 3 balanced meals per day even if they are small meals

Does he feel better for it?

Yes he does feel good for it generally, but he gets grumpy on those days near teatime like about 5pm ( maybe x 2 days a week he does it ) so I cook a dinner a bit earlier than usual those days .
I am the cook in our household and on occasion I’ve told him to tide himself over with a small snack at about 5pm if I know dinner takes longer to cook

I didnt say you a policy maker, i said imagine this solution given by a policy maker.
Because your suggestion is quite insensitive.

ALSO, I am not twisting the message. You said it yourself, see below.

AIBU to think this kind of fasting can be a practical option for some people in tough times?

AIBU to think this kind of fasting can be a practical option for some people in tough times?

The thing is, for us folks in tough times, there IS no option, it's one small meal a day or often not even that!

Saying it could be a practical option for some people isn’t the same as saying it should be government policy. I’m not telling everyone to do it and I’ve said loads of times it’s not for everyone.

If a policymaker came out with this as some national plan, yeah, that would be completely wrong. But me sharing what works for me on a chat forum isn’t that.

It shouldn't even be thought as a practical option for being skint though. It shouldn't even cross anyone's mind to tell them fasting is an option if food bills are too high.

I find it boggling that you can't see that.

It's fine for you. Just don't say it out loud to anyone who complains about the cost of food, or you may find this thread in real time with people in person.

The reality is people are already skipping meals because they can’t afford food. Ignoring that doesn’t help anyone.

I’m not going around telling random people to fast. I shared what’s worked for me. You don’t have to agree, but saying it should never even be mentioned feels a bit unrealistic when it can genuinely work for some without harming their health.

The reality is people are already skipping meals because they can’t afford food. Ignoring that doesn’t help anyone.

No one is ignoring it - they’re just not touting disordered eating as the solution..

Not that it will stop you.

OMAD is not disordered eating.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35087416/

They are not calling it disordered eating because it is not.

We can all share links OP:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35964910/

Suggesting the OMAD diet as a solution for food poverty comes across particularly poorly because it risks downplaying the seriousness of food poverty and its health consequences.

If the intent is to talk about affordable eating, then surely focusing on nutritious, low-cost meals, community resources, or systemic solutions (like improving food access) is more respectful and constructive than implying people should just eat less ‘because it works for you’.

I’ve never suggested OMAD as a fix for poverty or as a replacement for bigger solutions. What I said was that it can be a practical option for some people, That’s very different from telling everyone in hardship to “just eat less.”

As well as people not recognising when they have eating disorders themselves they can develope, really at any time if the circumstances are right. If you are very stressed and anxious, the economy is shit, you have no money, you’re working just to pay the basics, you’re exhausted, you’re holding it all together… being presented with an “eating plan” that not only saves you money (clever you!) makes your healthier (good girl) and makes skinnier (ultimate good girl) well…you can see how all these solutions can be appealing to someone who is vulnerable and desperate to control the uncontrollable. Peak risk of developing a ED.

plus I don’t know why people keep banging on about religious fasting. Muslims fast for ONE MONTH a year, out of 12 😂 and Muslim countries generally have poor health outcomes. I can’t get my head around this comparator at all

Well done OP for sorting your BMI and finding something that works for you. I’m a bit done with people finding reasons to put down others at every turn. Eating disorders are de habilitating and very complex, as I found out whilst sharing a house with a sufferer a long time ago.
Fasting has been scientifically proven to help the body regenerate and repair itself, crucially, when done properly and when the foods eaten are nutritionally balanced to support this way of eating/living.
If you look at the mix of foods on offer in a supermarket there are so many fat and sugar laden ‘treats’ with no nutritional value and there are aisles of alcohol and sugar laden drinks. Adverts are still full of super skinny but ‘beautiful’ models so I think these places are a better place to start with the criticism.
I am about to quietly go back on the 5 2 diet because yes I need to loose weight but also because I never felt healthier and honestly me doing this impacts no one but myself.
I feel so much for the poster who is struggling with an eating disorder to the extent her hair is now falling out, I really hope you can find a way to feeling better about yourself and your body.

We have gone veggie Monday - Thursday which has helped cut our bils down.

My OH OMADs during the week and it obviously saves a fortune on buying lunches at work.
He eats very well in the evenings though (we all do), with meat or high quality cheese, loads of fresh veg, nuts, seeds etc so I'm not sure we save money over a family that might be ok with cheese on toast for dinner.

Certain types of fasting, for some people has been shown to positively impact health outcomes. OMAD has not, and has no good quality research to demonstrate this at all. There is a vast difference between say 16:8 or 5:2 intermittent fasting and eating one meal a day.

Fasting is not an answer to food poverty or for people in dire straits financially - which is what the OP is suggesting.

By this token, we should all be running ultra marathons, because running is good for you.

We have a natural fast built into our day- overnight. That’s when your cells repair, when you’re sleeping

Autophagy starts at 24 hours

www.medicinenet.com/how_long_do_you_need_to_fast_for_autophagy/article.htm