# One meal a day,, When do you eat it?



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

If food were running low and had to be rationed out when would be the best time to eat it?
Morning? Mid Day? Or space it out a little every few hours? Does it matter?


----------



## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

Not an expert on this but we have rationed on some sails between locations and have always spread out the rations throughout our day and never ate one meal.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

For sanity's sake, spreading it out would be better.
From a strictly clinical standpoint, loading up in the morning with fuel for the rest of the day would work.
You don't need energy to sleep.


----------



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Up until a few years ago, I was an avid diver. Many times, my dive buddy and I would go on three-day dive trips. We really enjoyed winter dives as it seemed we had just about all of the Emerald Coast to ourselves.
The morning started out on a mad, two-hour dash to the coast, fueled by nothing but caffeine. We would dive all day, eat a hearty meal in the evening and then rush back to our houses so we could sleep and then start the next day the same.
We took another diver with us for a weekend dive. The second day, the tag-along did nothing but whine about food. He left half-way through the second day. While eating a good lunch/dinner and waiting for the night dive, my dive buddy asked me if I ever get hungry. I said sure, but hunger is just an internal receptor and as long as I feed the body well enough, all is good. My dive buddy agreed. He was an Army Ranger, and he understands such things. Three day "deprivation" is nothing to him.


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Dividing it would probably work best for me.


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

You eat it as you go over a period of time. We often carried the MRE open and eat parts of it as the day or night went by.


----------



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

After I retired, . . . 3 meals a day (my wife is an excellent cook) began to make the scales scream "One at a time please".

We kicked back to 2 meals and a snack here and there.

Works like a champ.

Breakfast is cereal or small helping of eggs / meat. Nothing big about it.

Somewhere in the 2:30 to 4:00 range, . . . one big meal, . . . with all the trimmings.

Maybe a small snack around noon, . . . another later in the evening.

Has worked for us for the last 10 years or so.

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

I've had stomach issues off and on for decades. I don't eat breakfast, haven't in probably 40 years years, I have to be up for a couple hrs before I eat or I get queasy. I used to eat a light lunch but that has had to change as well. Now I snack from the time I get home till bed and eat a proper dinner.
I've been told by more than one Dr. that eating lighter and more meals in the day is best, grazing as one of them put it, always keeping a little something in your stomach over eating big meals.

Some my not know this. digestion takes a huge amount on energy, obviously some foods are harder than others to digest, protein being the hardest. So planning your meal time with what your eating and your energy needs is important. 
Food for thought.


----------



## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

I would only eat one time a day if I could not do anything else I would want to do it in the morning. 

Moving thru bear country - cook / eat breakfast then move. Moving thru any unfreindly terrain where the smoke from fire /smell of food would be a problem I think that is good advice. 

I think trying to spread the food out rather than the same amount eaten all at once is the best way. 

Cooked Food is safe without refrigeration 4 hours after you cook it. This is different advise than I would have given you 20 years ago. However current CDC, Food Safety information is you got 4 hours after the food is cooked to 135 degrees to eat it safely . After that 4 hours bacteria may have made it unsafe. 

You can cook in the morning , go work and eat the other half latter in the day if you cannot keep it warm ( above 135) or refrigerated below 40 degrees. If you reheat a meal later than 4 hours reheat to 165 degrees when ever possible. 

Can you eat pizza left on the couch for 3 to 4 days - sure just sometimes you are going to get sick and have stuff coming out both ends . Get dehydrated bad enough you can die. So why?


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> ..........You don't need energy to sleep.


So keeping warm at night isn't necessary? :vs_whistle:


----------



## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Everybody is different, there is no perfect answer. For me personally, I would eat one meal mid afternoon. It works for me because I am not hungry when I wake up, and I can work for hours before my energy level starts to drop. Eat a meal and I am good for several more hours. Constant snacking requires more food and provides less satisfaction for me personally.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> So keeping warm at night isn't necessary? :vs_whistle:


If you're only relying on your metabolism to keep you warm, you're as good as dead. :encouragement:

Let's not forget, his scenario poses a situation where you have a set amount of calories for the day.
When you consume those calories is literally of no consequence. Your body will burn the amount of calories it needs regardless of their source.
If you ration, your body will consume stored fat or muscle if carbohydrates are not sufficient.
If you eat all at once, your body will burn the easiest source first, and work down the chain.
At night, you're still going to burn whatever your body needs to function.

Actually, going to bed with a full stomach is going to cause your body to burn extra energy just to digest that food, not to mention the calorie cost to keep all of it the same temp as the rest of your body. (the laws of chemistry don't care)
Keeping a full bladder wastes a TON of calories just keeping that water warm.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> If you're only relying on your metabolism to keep you warm, you're as good as dead. :encouragement:.....


Well, I'm not referring to sleeping naked in the snow. When the temp drops, you MUST burn calories to keep warm no matter what.



Kauboy said:


> .........At night, you're still going to burn whatever your body needs to function......


Precisely.



Kauboy said:


> .....Keeping a full bladder wastes a TON of calories just keeping that water warm.


Ever hear of 'thermal mass'? It's not like urine is room temperature going into the bladder. It's been 98.6°F for quite a while. It ain't gonna suck up any more 'heat'. The calories needed to heat it up have already been burned. The laws of thermodynamics, not chemistry, are what come into play here.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Well, I'm not referring to sleeping naked in the snow. When the temp drops, you MUST burn calories to keep warm no matter what.
> 
> Precisely.
> 
> Ever hear of 'thermal mass'? It's not like urine is room temperature going into the bladder. It's been 98.6°F for quite a while. It ain't gonna suck up any more 'heat'. The calories needed to heat it up have already been burned. The laws of thermodynamics, not chemistry, are what come into play here.


Yes, it *IS* going to burn more to keep it the same temp. Otherwise, your entire position is irrelevant, if your body always assumes the same temp once it's reached, and needs no more energy to maintain.


----------



## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Mom always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> Yes, it *IS* going to burn more to keep it the same temp. Otherwise, your entire position is irrelevant, if your body always assumes the same temp once it's reached, and needs no more energy to maintain.


OK, Mr Nye the Science Guy: Explain how urine in your bladder_ cools off_ so your body need to burn calories to_ heat it back up_.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> OK, Mr Nye the Science Guy: Explain how urine in your bladder_ cools off_ so your body need to burn calories to_ heat it back up_.


I'll let you answer that yourself, since you proposed that one must stay warm while sleeping. If the body isn't constantly cooling off, no such need to stay warm would exist.
C'mon, you already correctly identified thermodynamics at play. (my mention of chem laws was in reference to the calorie burn itself, but I did put the mention in the wrong place, making it confusing, my bad)
Equilibrium WILL be reached eventually, unless additional energy is used to maintain temp.

So... you tell me (no need for a sarcastic name), how does your bladder miraculously maintain a constant temp with no calorie burn if your body needs energy to stay warm while you sleep?
I'd love to know this little miracle of science.


----------



## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

I would eat it at night to get better sleep. I’m inclined to think that this would improve my immune system better since I’d be better rested. 

If I only had 1 meal a day and couldn’t get more food I would reduce my energy output by resting more and burn less calories.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> I'll let you answer that yourself, since you proposed that one must stay warm while sleeping. If the body isn't constantly cooling off, no such need to stay warm would exist.
> C'mon, you already correctly identified thermodynamics at play. (my mention of chem laws was in reference to the calorie burn itself, but I did put the mention in the wrong place, making it confusing, my bad)
> Equilibrium WILL be reached eventually, unless additional energy is used to maintain temp.
> 
> ...


Same reason an ice cube melts from the outside.

I'll leave it to you to figure it out, since you've set the precedence to not answer questions.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Same reason an ice cube melts from the outside.
> 
> I'll leave it to you to figure it out, since you've set the precedence to not answer questions.


Now you've used an analogy that shows you don't actually understand this scenario.
A melting ice cube is not ONLY losing heat on the surface. It is losing heat through the entire cube via conduction.

Just like the ice cube, your body will lose heat through conduction, either with the air, or with any material you're in contact with. This was your "keep warm while sleeping" scenario.
This conduction creates a temperature gradient throughout the entire body.
That means, to maintain a constant temperature of 98.6 across your entire body(bladder included), your entire body must be heated by burning calories.
So, due to conduction, and the fact that your bladder is physically touching the insides of your body, it is losing heat just like the rest of your body.
If that space was empty, it would take less calories to warm the pocket of air.
If it is full, you're heating that water.
Water has a little more than 4 times the heat capacity of air, so you'd need significantly more energy to maintain the temperature for that volume of water versus the same volume of air.

The moral of the story is, the more mass that is in your body, the more energy will be required to maintain its constant temperature.
Water takes more energy than solids and air to keep warm.
While sleeping, an empty stomach and bladder will ensure your body maintains temp without burning excess calories digesting and heating that added mass.

Did that sufficiently answer your question?


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Back Pack Hack said:


> OK, Mr Nye the Science Guy: Explain how urine in your bladder_ cools off_ so your body need to burn calories to_ heat it back up_.


Bill Nye is not really a scientist he just passes hmself off as one.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Smitty901 said:


> Bill Nye is not really a scientist he just passes hmself off as one.


Yeah, he only has a B.S. in mechanical engineering, but convinced millennials that he was a "scientist" because he played one on TV while they were growing up.
I think that qualifies William Shatner to be the global expert on alien civilizations and technology!


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Get issue MRE grab a few staple bread packs if you can. Cut open MRE if at a halt, eat main course heat with heater pack if time allows. Move out as you go eat one other item do so as you go until consumed. Now is when that package of Staple bread sure taste good. Tear off a peace keep walking. Your next meal is on the way. As it goes chances are you will get the same darn MRE again.
It is cold out and you did not use the heater pack to heat food, it can warm your hands ,feet or core a bit.


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> Now you've used an analogy that shows you don't actually understand this scenario.
> A melting ice cube is not ONLY losing heat on the surface. It is losing heat through the entire cube via conduction.
> 
> Just like the ice cube, your body will lose heat through conduction, either with the air, or with any material you're in contact with. This was your "keep warm while sleeping" scenario.
> ...


Well, now that you've explained it to me, it appears you don't understand it either.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Suffice it to say that by the time your bladder, full or otherwise, starts to cool off, your core temperature is already dangerously low. Given you may not have the fuel necessary at that point to maintain core temperature, you're already headed down a fatal path.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Well, now that you've explained it to me, it appears you don't understand it either.
> 
> I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.
> 
> Suffice it to say that by the time your bladder, full or otherwise, starts to cool off, your core temperature is already dangerously low. Given you may not have the fuel necessary at that point to maintain core temperature, you're already headed down a fatal path.


I'm not sure where you read anything about a cooling off happening, as if the temp drops a few degrees, and must be brought back up. That isn't what I said.
The body is constantly cooling via conduction, and heating via calorie burn at a steady and matching rate. The more mass that the body holds, the more calories it takes to *maintain* a constant body temp.
I've ONLY claimed that your body must work to maintain a constant temp. Since water requires more energy to heat up, a full bladder causes more calories to burn than an empty one. Same for stomach contents.
I understand it perfectly. I'm trying to help you understand it as well.


----------



## mtmtb (Jan 2, 2019)

I currently eat only one meal per day. Skip breakfast, skip lunch, then one big meal in the evening. It works great for me and is a huge time saver. There are also proven benefits to fasting. I also work out over my lunch break while fasted, with no post-workout meal.


----------



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Denton said:


> hunger is just an internal receptor and as long as I feed the body well enough, all is good.


yep

Hunger is a sign you need to eat... it is not a sign you need to eat RIGHT NOW..

also, people who can not control it get fat....

AND.. if you eat slower you will be satisfied with less food.. it takes a while for your body to realize you are done or need to be done or have provide the needed energy producing stuff


----------



## Yavanna (Aug 27, 2018)

I would have lunch at midday, if I had to choose.


----------



## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

I eat less than my ten year old daughter, she weighs about sixty pounds.
Like @Denton said, Hunger pain is just a pain, and it can be gotten used too.
I typically eat only lunch, and dinner. Transfering to one meal a day, I would choose "around lunch time", I ALWAYS leave work at 11;30, or so, to beat the crowds anywhere. 
I can fast for two days without eating, only drinking coffee flavored energy drinks, and I have to consume the next meal VERY SLOWLY. I have a lapband, so i am an not normal...


----------



## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

I I could only eat once it would be breakfast. Good or bad. I had to fast for 24 hours once, I was fixin to split something in half...


----------



## charlieprepper (Jan 3, 2019)

A lot of people do this with intermittent fasting. With intermittent fasting only don't ration (but they eat their required calorie amount). They people who live like this for health benefits eat around 2 PM most of the time.


----------



## TallHate596 (Oct 24, 2018)

I need to think about it. This community of pros helped me to learn some valuable techniques: Hunting, Fishing, Clothing, Knives, Packs, Optics, Ridgeline Outdoors It was one of the best things I saw lately.


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

this posting has banged around awhile - not sure if I posted previously >>>> but "meals" are going to depend on your hunting, trapping and foraging to a great extent - not going to be alot of preserving in the beginning phases of a SHTF - more "catch - clean and eat" - snares & trapping will mean more of a midday meal during most of the year - fry that rabbit up PDQ ....


----------

