What is the 2 Meals a Day Intermittent Fasting Method?

The 2 Meal Day is exactly how it sounds.

Rather than focusing on the clock, like the 16:8 method, you drop a meal.

You either drop breakfast and eat lunch and dinner.

Or, drop dinner and eat breakfast and lunch.

Doing this means you end up fasting between 14-18 hours.

On the face of it, it sounds a lot like 16:8.

But there is one crucial difference that makes a big impact.

When you focus on the clock, you eat because the clock tells you to.

A big benefit of intermittent fasting is learning to listen to your body.

When you can listen to your body and know what “real” hunger is, you will achieve long-term fat loss success.

This is true intuitive eating. Which is the long-term goal of all my coaching clients.

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Can the 2 Meal a Day Fasting Method Help You Lose Weight?

The 2 Meal, a Day fasting method is an effective fat-loss tool.

By dropping a meal, you are making it harder to eat more calories.

Which makes it easier to eat in a calorie deficit.

A calorie deficit is an essential part of fat loss.

The great thing about eating 2 meals a day, is that you get to eat big satisfying meals.

It can feel like you are eating too much, but most people eat less than if they were eating three meals and snacks.

What other “diet” allows you to feel satisfied and full and lose weight – not many!

Many people report feeling less hungry when eating 2 meals a day.

When you stop grazing on food all day, you teach your body to function without food.

The side effect of this is less hunger.

Intermittent Fasting reduces ghrelin, the main hormone that is associated with hunger.

It also increases leptin sensitivity, the hormone that makes you feel full.

The 2 meal day is a powerful way to control your hunger levels, and relationship with food and lose weight.

Other Benefits of Eating 2 Meals a Day

Improved Energy Levels

Eating 2 meals in a day can improve metabolic flexibility.

This means you can shift between using different fuel sources available with ease.

You become less dependent on carbohydrates in food for energy.

Instead, you can shift into using stored energy like body fat.

Many people report having more stable energy levels when they become more metabolically flexible.

People talk of having “mental clarity”, which can improve focus, mood, and attention.

Lower Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is an epidemic and a result of modern western dietary habits.

People with insulin resistance can end up with Type 2 Diabetes.

Eating regularly throughout the day, or “grazing” has become the norm.

Combine this with processed junk food, and you have the perfect environment to develop insulin resistance.

Eating 2 meals a day has been shown to stabilise blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

I have personally had clients reverse their type 2 diabetes when eating in this way.

Improved Relationship with Food

Eating 2 meals a day doesn’t ban food, which can help people improve their relationship with food.

Most diets focus on cutting foods out, which can create guilt, cravings, and bingeing.

Plus, You aren’t obsessing over “eating windows” and eating because the clock tells you to.

This can give you the flexibility to go out, be social and eat with friends.

It’s Sustainable

I have been following the 2 meal day for over 10 years.

I have had countless clients use it as a long-term way of eating.

Most diets fail because they cannot be sustained.

The 2 meal day is effortless.

 

Who Can Benefit from 2 Meals a Day?

Nearly everyone can find success with it.

It’s not an extreme way of eating.

Anyone looking to lose weight, boost energy, and reduce hunger should try 2 meals a day.

Who isn’t it for?

The vast majority of people are perfectly fine to start 2 Meal Day.

However, there are a few groups of people that I advise either should not try it or should seek other advice before trying it.

Anyone with medical conditions should consult a doctor before trying The 2 Meal Day.

Particularly those with Diabetes, thyroid conditions, and a history of eating disorders.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid it.

It is also not advised for anyone looking to put on weight.

This isn’t because the process of fasting doesn’t allow it.

To put on weight, you need to eat more food and have a calorie surplus.

As we have already discussed, the 2 meal day makes it harder to eat more food.

The 2 Meal Day is Backed by Science and Dr Adam Collins PhD

Dr Adam Collins is the head of programming at Surrey University with over 20 years of experience in the field of Nutrition and Health.

He is regularly featured on the BBC for his expertise.

Adam’s area of interest is energy and macronutrient manipulation for metabolic health.

This has led to several projects investigating intermittent energy restriction (intermittent fasting), time-restricted feeding,

He has personally verified The 2 Meal Day as an effective way to reap all the benefits of Intermittent Fasting; here’s what he had to say  about the benefits:

“Independent of weight loss, IF exerts certain metabolic benefits collectively contributing to improved metabolic health.

Via IF, you are moving the body into the fasted state in a more pronounced way,  adapting the body to cope with this situation. Much of this relates to the improved efficiency by which the body can clear away and utilise  (i.e. burn) carbohydrate and fat in the body.

In effect, your fuel management in the body is improved, which impacts your metabolic health (i.e. potentially lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes).

There are also other proposed benefits to IF, some easier to prove than others.

We have already mentioned the effects IF may have on appetite, but there may be other beneficial effects on the brain, in particular,  improved cognition and concentration.

There are also effects on growth and cellular regeneration via effects on Growth hormone and IGF-1.

This may aid cellular repair and may impact on ageing/longevity, as well as possible cancer effects.

Much of this is  either very much in its infancy in terms of research or difficult to  prove (e.g. effects on human lifespan).”

Conclusion

The 2 Meal a Day is an incredibly effective fat loss tool, but it can also improve many biomarkers of health.

Best of all it’s sustainable in the long term.

Which is the reason why I favour it over other traditional diets.

If you want to make the most out of the 2 meal day, check out my 30-Day Reset.