Thinking of cutting down to one meal a day during the week to save money - is it safe?

[silkydog]

I’m trying to see where we can cut costs and an obvious one is for me to go without breakfast and lunch on weekdays. I know some people deliberately diet this way to lose weight (admittedly I could do with losing a few lbs anyway) but what I’m struggling to find out is whether or not it’s safe to do this in terms of long term health?

There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there and I’m struggling to find a straight answer.

I never have breakfast. I never have time. I might have a cereal bar at 11am, then have lunch at 1pm which is either a salad box or half a jacket potato with salad (free from work), then I go home for dinner. I’m a cheap date
I’m not tight for money, I’m tight for time.

It won't really save you any money, because you still have to meet your nutritional needs. Whether you do that in one large or two/three/four smaller meals doesn't make any difference. Just eat whatever pattern suits you personally.

I might be being completely naive but I really struggle to believe that anyone in this day and age can’t stretch to a bowl of cheap cornflakes and a few beans on toast for breakfast and lunch. There is a co-op on every corner who yellow sticker every day. It might not be very interesting but you could do breakfast and lunch for no more than £2 a week. Aldi bran flakes are 65p for a massive box (last two weeks and very filling), 80p for 2 pints milk, Lidl beans 22p x 2 cheap bread 40p a loaf or cheaper if reduced. Not exciting but enough to keep the fire burning particularly if working. I know some people who struggle financially and not one of them could not afford this in order to stay alive. If I am wrong, I am very sorry to hear this indeed and the country is in a worse state than I imagined.

@silkydog

I’m trying to see where we can cut costs and an obvious one is for me to go without breakfast and lunch on weekdays. I know some people deliberately diet this way to lose weight (admittedly I could do with losing a few lbs anyway) but what I’m struggling to find out is whether or not it’s safe to do this in terms of long term health?

There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there and I’m struggling to find a straight answer.

I'm 47, have only eaten one meal a day since I was 17, I'm in good health

The simple answer is no, it's not safe. Numerous reasons including blood sugar levels, metabolism, concentration levels, energy

Can you elaborate? Or link to something?

Please be careful about fasting for too long, OP. I did 16:8 for a while and ended up with gallstones. Don't know whether the fasting caused them, but my GP said that it was probably a contributory factor

@HalzTangz

How are you getting all the nutrients you need from 1 meal a day?

It's not sensible to normalise a restricted diet such as yours.

@SandysMam

I might be being completely naive but I really struggle to believe that anyone in this day and age can’t stretch to a bowl of cheap cornflakes and a few beans on toast for breakfast and lunch. There is a co-op on every corner who yellow sticker every day. It might not be very interesting but you could do breakfast and lunch for no more than £2 a week. Aldi bran flakes are 65p for a massive box (last two weeks and very filling), 80p for 2 pints milk, Lidl beans 22p x 2 cheap bread 40p a loaf or cheaper if reduced. Not exciting but enough to keep the fire burning particularly if working. I know some people who struggle financially and not one of them could not afford this in order to stay alive. If I am wrong, I am very sorry to hear this indeed and the country is in a worse state than I imagined.

Looking at OP's other posts they were buying a new house a few weeks ago so maybe it's just cost-cutting with all the expenses associated with moving, stamp duty, removals company etc. Does seem a bit extreme though.

Eggs
Porridge with full fat milk
Lentil and veg soup
Peanut butter on toast/crackers
Get cheap cuts of meat and do a massive casserole. Serve with baked potato, roast potatoes, bread. Add water to the leftovers, blend into a soup.

To all those saying it’s not healthy ummm yes it actually can be super healthy. People have reversed type 2 diabetes and returned to a healthy BMI by eating one meal a day. There’s also something called autophagy. Which is about cell regeneration and can actually be helpful in cancer prevention. The whole brain washing of three meals a day plus snacks is perpetuated by the food industry. Who don’t care if we stay fat as long as we keep on eating…..

Completely agree.

If you’re in relatively good health - and have some weight to lose - it’s fine.

But I’d rethink the ‘only one meal’ thing and have breakfast too. And maybe look at your overall budget more closely because this isn’t a great plan long-term.

I've done fasting for weight loss and it's not fun tbh. I am still a light eater during the day though. Overnight oats, porridge mixed with greek yoghurt are super cheap especially from Aldi/ Lidl. Banana and an apple for lunch. Probably less than a quid a day plus dinner.

There are websites that show most nutritious cheap meals for pence a day for when you're in a total pinch i.e. rice and frozen veg, rice with eggs, baked potatoes, porridge oats. It might be better to try this than just not eating. There are also food banks and other support for budgeting etc you could use.

Not really. I think two a day is fine but one’s a bit of a stretch on a regular basis.

If you were on/below the poverty line I can see why putting the hob on to cook porridge oats with water would be a concern.

But as you’re buying a house then I assume it’s just to help your savings?

In which case I would look at changing what you eat rather than skipping it altogether. (Eg porridge is cheaper than fancy cereal.)

@silkydog

I’m trying to see where we can cut costs and an obvious one is for me to go without breakfast and lunch on weekdays. I know some people deliberately diet this way to lose weight (admittedly I could do with losing a few lbs anyway) but what I’m struggling to find out is whether or not it’s safe to do this in terms of long term health?

There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there and I’m struggling to find a straight answer.

Surely you’re not that skint?! This is just ludicrous and good for you at all. Surely porridge and banana for breakfast and toast for lunch with peanut butter or something isn’t that expensive?

I think the problem with that is you'll probably spend as much by snacking/eating more in the evening.

I don't like breakfast, so I don't eat it, but if you're used to it, then I wouldn't drop it.

If it's money saving then either go for something cheap like porridge for breakfast, or cheap bread and make toast. Lunch can be jacket potato and butter or sandwiches.

If you want breakfast it costs almost nothing for two slices of supermarket own brand of toast and peanut butter per day (keep the loaf in the freezer so it lasts). "Going without breakfast" (when you want it) is a rather attention seeking statement way to save about 25p per day. Especially as you say "we" but only you are intending to go without - economies of scale mean even less of a saving if only one of a couple/ family household skips the meal you're making anyway.

It is safe for a healthy adult who isn't breastfeeding or pregnant and isn't doing an extraordinary amount of exercise or manual work to eat one good, heary, well balanced meal per day, but it is not a sensible way to save money - the meal you do eat needs to be a bloody good one.

I often do this through choice, and I only eat before 1pm very, very occasionally, and I am in better health and have more energy than when I ate 3 meals plus snacks, but it's not to save money, and it doesn't save money for just one of the family to do this.

Apart from recently buying a house, we don't know what your lifestyle is like, whether you work or not, whether you have children etc but if it were me, I'd be looking for other expenses to cut down on, rather than skimp on food.

Phone contracts, magazine subscriptions, internet /TV packages, take-away meals, take-away coffees, ditch ready meals and bags of pre-washed salad or prepared vegetables that work out far more expensive than preparing veg, yourself, nails, hair, eyebrows, alcohol, cigarettes, that type of thing. But OP seems to have disappeared.

What I used to do was have one meal in the day but with three courses.

Morning...... noon ……. evening. They are interchangeable of course.

It is not wise to go too long without food and this prevents that while keeping costs down

I’ve done this for a few years. Not sure it’s healthy, but I’m still here.
Some days I have to eat something so plain cream crackers are my friend there, occasionally toast, but butter has gone up.

Apparently fasting is pretty good for you. I often feel quite good if wait until the evening to eat. But more often than not I cave and buy crap (and expensive) snacks when I’m at work. So, safe yes. Cheap no.

@garlicandsapphires

Apparently fasting is pretty good for you. I often feel quite good if wait until the evening to eat. But more often than not I cave and buy crap (and expensive) snacks when I’m at work. So, safe yes. Cheap no.

Not as a permanent lifestyle. Then is becomes starvation

SoloISland of course it doesn't become starvation if you eat the calories, protein, fat, fiber and other nutrients you need in one meal or a four, six or eight hour window instead of spread over 3 meals/ 12 hours!

Starvation is consistently eating less than you need long term even with no excess weight on your body - whether you eat too little spread over 3 meals or six meals a day or just one. Its nothing to do with fasting for part of the day and eating your nutritional needs all in one meal!

Different eating patterns suit different metabolisms, personalities and lifestyles. Eating one large, healthy, nutritionally balanced meal is sustainable and healthy for some people just as six tiny meals works for some other people. Neither is better for absolutely everybody and nor is 3 meals.

What's definitely fact is that one member of a household (a household financially able to buy a house and own a dog) skipping meals as a money saving measure is a terrible and frankly daft idea which screams attention seeking or more worrying psychological or domestic problems.

Where is the pressure for one family member to go without to save literally pennies coming from? Is there financial abuse?

@Skiptheheartsandflowers

Porridge is your friend here. Not only is it cheap to buy porridge oats (not the Oatso style single pot things) it is very filling. A compromise might be to make porridge for breakfast, drink water or tea/coffee during the day and then have a proper meal in the evening.

The other cheap, filling and nutritious option would be bananas for keeping topped up during the day. Think a bunch is 75p where I shop atm.

I agree with the above. Oats are the most filling and sustaining breakfast you can have and really good for you. I have whole oats and milk popped into the microwave for a minute so warm. Often add yoghurt on top as well once the oats are warm. At lunch time I have a banana and coffee which I make myself. This can keep me going until early evening.