h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Controversial, I know, but waif-like Lumley brought up the subject on some popular Saturday chat-show-type program. She said she doesn't eat breakfast or lunch because to do so would 'wake up her stomach' and then she'd feel like elevenses, lunch, snacks, etc which normally she wouldn't.

Now, normally my BS meter goes off the scale when celebs start spouting half-baked pseudo-science, nonsense, and part of me thinks she is very irresponsible for saying this stuff; anorexics everywhere will be trying to follow her example, but here's the thing...

A part of me knows exactly what she means and throughout my 30 or so years of adult-hood I've always just eaten breakfast because it's expected. I usually am not hungry in the morning at all, but I have this fear that if I don't eat before I leave the house, I'll go all weak and hungry and not have the opportunity to eat when I need to

But I'm considering giving this a go, because a) my belly is getting bigger by the day and i seriously don't think missing a few meals will harm me, and b) I just kinda wonder what it would feel like to not eat until the evening (when I normally gorge till stuffed anyway).

I know it's often stated that one should eat a little often for best weight control, but that has never worked for me; left to my own devices without the conformity requirements of going to work, I can go hours and hours without food, preferring to gorge massive amounts in one go and then not eat again for 10 hours or more.

What do the esteemed hootooers think? Has anyone tried eating like this? (not 'waking' their stomach up; only eating one big meal per day)

I think it's a very bad idea.

The problem with not eating is that the body responds by burning less energy, in preparation for a possible extended period without food. If you eat at (say) 7pm in the evening and then against 1pm the next day, that's 18 hours without further food, so it's not surprising that the metabolism slows down. So eating a light breakfast is actually a 'loss leader' which allows more the body to burn more calories than it actually adds.

The 'waking up the stomach' thing sounds like food cravings, and it's true that certain combinations of food - fat, salt, sugar - seem to make the body want more and wakens the appetite. But I think it's as much psychological as physiological. And it's those kinds of habits and cravings that need to be weakened in order to reduce calorie intake and lose weight.

I rareley have breakfast or lunch, usually too busy working. I'm used to just one evening meal a day. My body doesn't feel hungry at all. I may have a bannana around midday occasionally.

I rarely eat breakfast, as you've said I just don't feel hungry in the morning
but generally by lunch time I will be feeling hungry and suffering from low blood sugar....

so if loosing weight is the idea i would switch to a healthier breakfast (wheatabix or something) and a sandwich for lunch with say an apple
and then you don't run the risk of running out of energy

haven't eaten breakfast for a good 20+ years. I mean, sometimes when staying with people who do eat it I join in, but that's rare.

To be quite honest, eating breakfast (whether it be cereal or full fry up) makes me feel ill, always has done since I can remember. I don't start feeling hungry till getting on for midday when I have a sandwich and then a cooked evening meal around 8pm-9pm.

Would be interesting to know if the non-breakfast/lunchers are the thin folk here I firmly believe that retaining less weight is simply a food quantity-in issue. Yes you can tinker at the edges of the problem with types of food and times to eat them, but no matter how you get there and whatever works for you, the simple act of eating *less* should mean you weigh less. That's why I kind like the idea of one meal a day; the stomach can only hold so much, so if I eat only one meal a day, my daily calorific should be less rather than the constant fill/refill cycle.

The advice above about a banana and a sandwich only throughout the day then one before evening meal, sounds good in theory, but for me it would never work It has always been 'all or nothing' with me. I'm not fussed about going all day without eating (often do when I'm out hill-walking), but once I start, I can't eat-lite. I crave the food i'm eating till i'm full. That's why i think the Lumley diet, might just work for me

Out of interest, how would cave-man-human have eaten? Because I normally associate the way we've behaved for most of our past evolution as being more relevant to what's good for us, than how we behave in the past 100 years. And eating 3-square meals a day seems awfully 20th century to me Wouldn't our distant ancestors have killed something; gorged on it till done, then gone hungry till the next dead thing came along?

Eat when you're hungry.

Stop eating when you're not hungry any more.

The above sounds like ludicrously simplistic advice, but it's surprisingly hard to actually do it.

For starters, our language is full of things that make you think about food. "For starters", for instance.

Secondly, most people work and interact with other people, which means there are cultural expectations that you'll eat at certain times, whether you're hungry or not.

Third, much of our food comes prepackaged in portions, and many of us were brought up with the idea that wasting food was bad - "there's kids starving in Africa, clear your plate" - so we keep eating until the food is gone, rather than until we're sated.

Fourth, we eat processed things that contain too much of things like fat and salt, and not enough of things like fibre and vitamins.

Fifth, and this is the last one for now, all of the above means we lose the ability to know when we should stop eating. We say "I'm starving" because it's lunchtime, sit down to a served up portion of meat and veg and because the fat, salt and sugar in it make it taste good, we eat it so fast we don't realise there's 50% more food than we actually want.

Eat when you're hungry. Eat real food, not packaged rubbish, so you're not fooled by added salt and sugar. Eat slowly. And when you're full, stop. Put the leftovers in the fridge or the bin, and don't feel guilty.

What Otto says.

I got gestational diabetes, that is, sugar in blood during pregnancy. The nurse gave us a talk about how to eat properly so that the foetus couldn´t get affected. It was great. I lost weight.

what I did:

NEVER skip a meal (Otto´s explained why). On contrary, in order to to keep the sugar level on blood constant, you must eat something between the main meals.

A standar menu was:

breakfast: skimmed milk with soluble cereals, a small slice of bread with olive oil and a fruit.

about mid-morning: an apple with a bit of bread and cheese or ham.

main meal:
carbohydrates( pasta, rice, legumes),
fresh vegetables( salad)
protein (fish, low fat meat like chicken, omelette)
and fruit.

afternoon:
yogurt, or fruit with bread, almonds and apple... tea and wholemeal biscuits..

dinner: the same as the main meal but in smaller portions.

other indications:
try to eat early dinners, going to bed after eating is surely to fatten you.
avoid sweets and animal fat.I know this is the hardest one as it implies to modyfy the cooking habits of many, but it´s just that, habits.

the result is that you never feel hungry and are healthier.

It´s useful to think the meals of the week before hand and get those and only those ingredients you need: Eyes that don´t see, stomach that doesn´t ask.

I know what she means. I don't eat breakfast because if I do, I get hungry halfway through the morning and it's painful. If I don't eat breakfast, I don't get hungry until tea time. In my job I do often skip meals because I'm working at the time I should be eating, so have skipped both meals and just had dinner. I usually try to eat at lunch, but I find if I eat 'just because it's lunchtime' I end up eating just so I eat something.

I am not anorexic. I'm happily gaining weight (because I eat all the wrong things), probably should stop that now I've finally reached the top of the acceptable weight for my height (only took 20 years after I stopped growing in height).

When my son isn't here at weekends I eat more often, but smaller meals.

Just reread that menu. I can't believe how much food is on there! I eat a lot less than that, but as I said, it's all the wrong stuff. I hate cooking. My fridge currently has 4 eggs in it and some milk, and ketchup.

There are massive individual differences.

I know...someone...who becomes massively dysfunctional if she doesn't eat frequently. And like many with the same physiology, she doesn't always realise that this is *why* she's grumpy/tired/etc. Throw her a banana and she's right as rain.

Yet I can go all day ad not need to eat until evening. My problem is that I *do* eat.

Yes, I don't particularly want to be in the same room as my wife if she's missed a meal by more than half an hour. That sort of metabolism really scares me.

I take Hoov's view - eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. It works for me. I tend to eat little and often and think nothing of skipping a couple of meals if I'm busy, although sometimes it is a bit of an awkwardness leaving half a plate of food. And it seems to have no bearing on my size, despite the fact that my weight 'fluctuates dangerously' according to my GP.

B

so what do folks make of the deliberate low calorie diets? Not for weight less as such, more for general health and longevity.
Diet isn't a particular source of interest for me (food is fuel, not recreation) but I've seen some bods on telly and around and about promoting it as healthy.

Some of the reasoning I've heard is clearly made up - the idea that throughout our evolution humans have had trouble finding enough food so not eating enough is actually 'normal' for us and what the body expects can be challenged fairly easily I think - but there have been a few studies done which indicate some possible positive outcomes. But as I say, haven't really read into it.

Anyone tried one? Or know about better research? One thing I have noticed is that the blokes on such diets tend to look like Cliff Richard

I'm one of the people out there who has been known on occasion to cry like an upset toddler because I'm hungry and no-one is being helpful about it (my poor husband probably deserves some sort of award) but I think that's partly low blood sugar

My big problem is that I take two medications which boost appetite. . One in particular is notorious because those in the know can spot who is and isn't taking it.

I couldn't skip lunch, but I find that it doesn't matter whether I eat breakfast or not, I'm hungry by 10am. I only lost weight when I stopped eating breakfast - before that it would just set me up for a day of cravings and over-eating.

My relationship with food is addictive. I eat because I am addicted to the sensation of eating. Stopping eating once I've started is really hard. Some days it's beasier on the brain if I just don't start.
I'm not overweight for my height - just - but it does come at a cost of feeling like I'm in constant denial (despite the fact I'm not).

Essentially, skipping meals is easier than trying to control my eating properly. Heck, it might be bad for me, but probably better than compulsive over-eating.

"...it does come at a cost of feeling like I'm in constant denial (despite the fact I'm not)."

I hope that was supposed to be funny, 'cos it made me laugh.

B

It is a rather stupid situation. The instant I stop eating, I think about the next meal, even if I'm currently so full that I couldn't eat if I wanted to! Crazy, really.

I think the hungry or not for breakfast issue is also related to being a lark or an owl - what your body clock is telling you.

I've never been able to eat a hefty breakfast unless on holiday in a hotel, when I'm usually up for some time before going for breakfast. My preference is for little & often, I can't eat huge meals. No weight problem for me.

Yes, I agree with much of that. With me it's also far easier to just miss a meal than to stop once I've started. I find it requires virtually no willpower to not eat breakfast or lunch on the odd occasion I've had to due to time constraints, but just try stopping me form clearing *any* size of plate once I've started . That takes me serious willpower to stop! I really cannot do the little-often thing at all.

And yes, I also know someone who turns into an absolute nightmare if he misses his meal-time by a few minutes. Total grumpy sod until he gets some food. I can kind of understand though, because if my blood sugar drops and I get the shakes, I do get into a kind of panicy, 'must find food now' situation But that's rare.