In 2022, I started practicing a two-meal diet. Or rather, it happened as if on its own again. Just like with:
So why not share my personal life experience on this topic once again? Here’s my take on a two-meal diet.
In short, it can be described in two words: comfortable lightness. Honestly, skipping one meal a day made me feel better.
Skipping Dinner
To put it briefly—it works for me. I feel comfortable; I feel right. I don’t experience fatigue, loss of energy, or anything else. When transitioning to vegetarianism, I even had blood tests analyzed by a dietitian in the US who provided a list of suitable foods, ready-made dishes, and recommendations on meal frequency based on the results.
By the way, my vegetarian menu mainly consists of items from this list: 20+ items for a vegetarian diet.
When transitioning to two meals a day, there’s a risk of STARTING TO EAT EVEN MORE)) That’s exactly what happened to me in the first few days—reducing the number of meals made me eat more food than usual.
Yes, I initially felt like eating twice a day wouldn’t provide enough nutrition for my body, as if it wouldn’t get enough food. But since I had experienced something similar (like “the body can’t function without meat; it absolutely needs it, protein, blah-blah-blah”, etc.) when I gave up meat, I was ready and didn’t worry.
Now, I eat twice a day—a hearty breakfast around 8 a.m. and a solid lunch at about 3:30 p.m. Occasionally, I have dinner, no problem. That’s all.
I first thought about this when I was once again listening to Geshe Michael Roach and noticed that he skips evening meals. He didn’t insist on skipping dinner, but he mentioned that occasionally skipping one meal (even just once a week) can be beneficial.
I started experimenting slowly and liked it. At first, it felt unusual, but then increasingly comfortable.
The biggest challenge (as with giving up meat and alcohol) was in my mind. My body already felt comfortable (especially my stomach and its friends, which no longer needed to work night shifts digesting late dinners). But the mind… all those thoughts like “people say you need to drink at least a little alcohol weekly,” “people say you can’t live without meat because protein, fiber, carbs”, etc. (as if other foods don’t contain these nutrients, right? — here’s just a small list of 20+ items for vegetarians).
But as the body felt increasingly comfortable, the mind (I prefer this term to “brain”) calmed down. Now, even if I feel like having a cheese croissant in the evening, I ask myself, “Do I really need this?” If I genuinely WANT it, I enjoy a full dinner without guilt. But this happens less and less. And even if I do indulge, I don’t criticize myself; I enjoy it and can easily skip breakfast or lunch the next day.
Yes, snacking is off the table. My dietitian advised against it, and I agree.
What does this give me? A sense of lightness. The right kind of lightness. The feeling that you’re on the right path, doing the right thing, and that with no meat, no alcohol, yoga, and moderate eating, you’re moving in the right direction.
Personally, I don’t consider this a concept of intermittent fasting, as some call it. There’s no fasting here—people just believe you need to eat at least three times a day, and anything less is fasting. I disagree, sorry.
In short, for me, two meals a day is NOT FASTING! Not at all! It’s a comfortable way of eating without the slightest discomfort or suffering from so-called “fasting.”
You know, a long time ago, I had to live without a stable place of residence. Almost on the street, moving from rented bunk beds to train stations and under bridges. In Moscow. Without money or documents. That was what “fasting” felt like—discomfort from involuntarily skipping meals (in my case, because I couldn’t afford to buy food). Just saying.
I also disagree with calling two meals a day a practice of late breakfast (starting at 10 a.m. or later) and a heavy dinner. I do it differently, as I’ve mentioned: a hearty breakfast at 8 and a solid lunch around 3:30 p.m.
In short, this is NOT a TORTUROUS REJECTION of something but a COMFORTABLE TRANSITION to something. For example, after winter, you switch your car tires—do you reluctantly “give up” your winter tires? No, they just become unnecessary. You switch to summer ones. Do you feel discomfort in summer from changing your winter tires? Exactly my point.
It’s not “I’m able to give up dinner” but “I don’t need dinner.”
For example, when the cold ends and it gets warm, you don’t tell yourself, “I’m able to give up wearing winter clothes, I’ll manage,” do you? No, you just switch to summer clothes because winter ones are no longer needed.
I’ll edit this post a few more times, so check back! I’d appreciate comments, questions, or suggestions. I’ve noticed more and more people are interested in a two-meal diet—perhaps you’re one of them?
image “Food Sandwich” by Jay Mantri/ CC0 1.0
