The one-meal-a-day diet - experts digest the pros and cons

Proponents of the one-meal diet insist people who want to lose weight are better off eating just once a day. But there's plenty of evidence to the contrary too

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 6:30am, 19 May 2015Updated: 10:19am, 19 May 2015

The assumption you must eat at least three meals a day just might be misguided. If you dislike eating breakfast and rarely find time for lunch at work, a one-meal policy makes outward sense - after all you still get to eat heartily late in the day, reducing three or more time-wasting rituals to a feast with possible weight-loss benefits.

Meet British proponent David Fowler, 46, one of the most visible practitioners of the one-meal diet, who started eating one meal a day while a stay-at-home dad in 2011.

"Being the full-time carer to four kids under six years old is demanding and stressful, and being around food all day makes comfort eating all too easy. I felt fat and miserable and it was affecting my relationship with my wife and kids. I knew I had to take control of my eating so I decided to give the diet a try. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made," says Fowler, who documents his efforts on his website, 1maddiet.com

Eating most of his calories in the evening meal meant he could fit his diet to the family's routine, while continuing to eat the food he enjoyed. He lost 13.5kg in five months.

"When I reached my target weight, I felt good about myself and good about life," he says.

Since then, the emergency services worker has managed to maintain his weight within about 4.5kg by dipping back into the diet when the need arises.