I have been on a diet lately, for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It has been going great, I lost 20lbs, but I keep reading that eating 1 time a day is bad for you. I have heard a lot of negative results associated with this kind of eating habit. I am determined to keep going, but not if the negative effects out-weigh the positive. I have went to several different health sites, and at this point I'm really scared.
I don't want to do the wrong thing if I can help it. I just really want to lose weight...
Any info. Would be appreciated, at this point I'm all ears.

I'd be far more worried about losing 20lb in two and a half weeks. That weight loss is for too fast to be healthy, unless you are severely obese.

Eating one or two meals a day can work, if it's planned properly. But the point is that you eat meals with the maximun nutrition possible. Just skipping your other meals won't do it. It's not the number of meals you eat, it's the quality of the food and the amount that counts.

What are you eating now? Can you post what you eat in a normal day?

Well what I have been doing is eating breakfast and throughout the day eating vegetables or fruits to substitute the other meals. It may not be the best thing for me to do but if it is working I am content on continuing.

What do you eat for breakfast? Fruit and veg is good, but if you are doing this, you need a really good breakfast.

What would you recommend I eat for breakfast?

Also, I was 90 lbs over weight. I think 20lbs is a bit extreme, but I believe this could really help me if I can continue. If anything rapid weight loss, for me, may be a good thing(I hope)Either way I really need to do this,and not just for my sake.

Another thing, I am not very active throughout the day. I may get about 20-30 of normal exercise a day. Maybe. And so far I haven't had to alter that.

If you are going to eat breakfast as your main meal, then you need to make sure you get the essential protein and fat in this meal. Sounds a bit odd, but your best bet is probably fish, ideally an oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout etc, and a nice veg. Eggs are another good option, but you can get sick of them, so vary with the fish or even an occasional steak. Thin cut steak will cook very quickly.

The worst breakfast in the circumstances is cereal, particularly the Special K types that make a big deal of being low fat. They manage this by having huge amounts of sugar.

I don't believe the whole thing of "If you drop calories, your metabolism shuts down and you start piling on weight." But I have seen a lot of evidence that if you eat a diet that doesn't supply what you need, you start getting too tired to get the exercise you need and you don't get the results you want.

Try to be active as possible. Walk more, climb stairs, dance to loud rock music, do a few press-ups when no-one is looking. Always be the person who offers to do the photocopying or to collect the coffee.

But wouldn't an increase in exercise cut my calorie intake even more. I'm eating less than 2000 calories a day as it is. And I have been feeling slightly more fatigued. Is this a bad thing?

If I have no other choice though, I suppose I have to start exercising more. I'm not a usually active person, but sacrifices must be made I guess. When should I start?

Also, what kind of exercise? Do you mean cardio, like walking and such?
And for how long each day?

Poor diet habits will only do the body harm and make normally weight easy to put back on, since it is lost wrong.

Unless you had a large water loss, 20 lbs in 2 weeks is a good sign of a poor diet plan. And will allow that plus more to easily come back.

Real weight loss will be a slow process that allows for proper diet,

I understand what you're saying but at this point I'm willing to try anything.I have altered my diet to one more suitable recently.I have begun to eat a little more a day,for fear that it IS an improper diet.At this point exercise looks like is key

And isn't weight loss the entire point of dieting. Also, where is the harm. I think by now I'd be feeling some bad effects right? What are some signs then? Should I quit then? Is that what you're saying?

If I don't do something about my weight now, I'm afraid I might never get rid of it. As of right now, it is a choice between over-eating and not eating enough...

I weigh 250 lbs right now, that is not good. This diet is my last shot at losing weight. If I screw this up, I might not get another chance. I don't know what to do right now...

I really need to do this, and I'm starting to think about quitting. I have endured hunger pains for nearly a month now and If, this whole entire time, I've done absolutely nothing but hurt myself, I guess it's over

If I don't do something about my weight now, I'm afraid I might never get rid of it. As of right now, it is a choice between over-eating and not eating enough...
1) please use the answer box to give follow-up, not the comments feature.

2) why does it have to be either under or over eating? What's preventing just having a healthy, balanced diet?

Sure diets are meant to help people lose weight, but fad diets don't usually work in the long run. You might lose a bunch of weight initially. But as soon as you go back to your normal eating patterns the weight comes back. You have to think long term. Is it realistic to only have one meal a day long term? If you're already beginning to feel fatigued from it, that's a sign that the diet is not healthy. So no, one meal a day the way you've been doing it is not realistic-you'd get sick if you were continue.
You mentioned you're eating a little more now. What sort of foods are you eating now?
And yes, exercise absolutely is key. Being thin does not automatically mean healthy. You can be thin and still unhealthy if you're not exercising.

I have been like this my entire life okay, it is not simply "quit eating as much, just eat normally". I don't know what normal is. Are you suggesting it is better to die from heart attack or stroke, rather than give this diet a chance. That is what will happen, I have consulted a doctor, I know what is to come if I continue over eating. I am 16yrs old and I weigh 250lbs, 70lbs above my normal weight, I really do not know what to do.

Diet is what helps you lose weight, exercise is what makes you look good with your clothes off. Exercise on its own is rarely enough to produce significant weight loss, but you need to do it to keep healthy.

One of the things that can happen when you diet is that your body looks to see what it can afford to lose. If you don't exercise, your body may decide that muscle and bone density are not as important as conserving the fat stores. Regular exercise (a combination of cardio, strength and general activity) will ensure that your body tends to burn fat rather than muscle.

You say less than 2000 calories. How much less, and what are you actually eating at the moment?

At this moment probably a little under 1000 calories a day. I'm trying really hard right now not to over eat. The more I eat, the more I want to eat. It is a extremely difficult cycle to break. Even though I don't feel the effects of hunger I still desire more. I'm beginning to think that I may never be able to do this. I do not choose to live this way, do you think I like doing this? I don't. I really don't have the will to change my entire eating habit and include daily exercise in the equation.

I don't desire to look good, well not entirely anyway. I really just want rid of this excess weight. But, like I said, I'm starting to believe it is going to fail. I have tried diets in the past, on several occasions actually. All of them ending in failure.

Can you post a list of what you actually eat? A lot of people find a low carb diet based on fresh whole food is easiest to stick to, because there are no foods which trigger binges, and you are usually not hungry.

List what you eat, and I'll see if I can suggest tweaks.

Physically, I am not hungry, but mentally I want to eat. All right...
This is not what I have been eating the entire time, I have been trying to eat diff. things but...
Today I had:
Breakfast- A bowl of cereal, serving size, probably only about 300-400 calories.

An apple, an orange
Water
Peanuts, like a handful Don't know exactly how many calories.
And I don't know, should I eat more?

I get it, it's hard not to over eat. I work with food all day long. It's hard not to sit there eating all day when there is food out almost 24/7, and mostly tasty junk food. But you have to learn to have will power and manage portion control and starving yourself isn't the answer. Starving yourself can have negative side effects too. It can range from fatigue all the way to heart failure (heart failure is not just caused from being overweight, your body can give out on you if you don't eat enough). Cereal and fruit isn't enough. Eileen is better at giving advice on specifically what would be better to eat, so I'll leave that part to her. My point is that it shouldn't be a decision between either overeating or under eating. Somehow you've got to find a way to eat healthy portions. Have you considered working with a nutritionist? Have you tried finding new hobbies to keep you busy and avoid opportunities to eat when you're not hungry? I know that if I sit at home by myself doing nothing I'll sit there and eat whether I'm hungry. So I've had to work on finding other things to do because as long as I have something else to do I won't sit there eating all day just to eat.

I understand what I need to do, but I just hope I can. About how many calories should I have daily? How many meals? How much exercise?
I know you probably don't have all the answers but I wouldn't be asking if I knew.

Also, what of the weight I lost? Can I continue a diet when I've lost weight the "wrong way"? I see that I can't have either habits, I've had previously. I can't over eat or under. But where is in between? It is not just changing an eating habit, but also a lifestyle. But I'm truly determined to go forward with this. I just need to know where to begin.

Do I have to worry about what I'm eating, as long as I'm eating less? If I eat just the main parts of the day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Will I lose weight?
I want to lose weight more than to build muscle, I am already fairly strong and don't desire more muscle. At this point all I want to do is rid myself of this excess weight. Today though, what should I do today? Should I eat dinner? I'm willing to give some time into this if this is truly what I need to do. If I diet,
(3 meals a day would still be less than I would normally over-eat) Will I lose the weight? How long should I exercise each day, and how long-term will this diet be. I've got quite a lot of weight to lose...

I'm sorry for taking up your time. I understand that you've already answered my question... it's just that I don't know if I can do this. Thank you all for your answers they have been very helpful. Also, thank you for taking the time to hear what I needed to say. I have one final thing to say.
I hope I can do this.
Thank you all

I just did a quick add up on the food you listed, and it comes to 929 calories a day, which is very low for your size. More worrying is that you have only 29g of protein, 26g of fat, and a whopping 154g of carbs.

As a general rule, the lower your calories, the more important it is to make sure you are getting enough protein and fat, and to use carbs to fill in the gap, preferably in the form of green vegetables. Which you are not eating!

Ideally, eat 1g of protein per pound of lean mass. You probably don't know your lean mass, but I'd guess 150lb of lean would be a reasonable guess, which means you should have 150g of protein a day. You also need essential fats or you will be STARVING.

A high carb diet will tend to make you feel hungry, as your insulin peaks and dips. A lower carb diet won't have the same effect.

For the 1000 odd calories you are eating every day, you could be having a mushroom omelette with two whole eggs and two egg whites (this gives a BIG breakfast), a salmon fillet and salad with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, a big chicken fillet and spinach, and an apple. It's physically a lot more food, and it's food that will fill you up better.

I have decided that I am going to eat 3 small meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with exercise, I have started a walking cycle. Is a mile a day good enough for exercising? It takes me about an hour to walk there and back. Is this okay? I know I am asking a lot of questions and again I don't want to take too much of your time. But, thank you for the tips.

It takes you an hour to a walk a mile? Normally, I'd say a mile wasn't enough, but if it takes you an hour of effort, then it is. Average walking speed is about three miles an hour, and faster if you are fit.

Three meals a day is good, but the important thing is to base your meals on real food with enough protein. Please don't try living on cereal and fruit. The sort of meals I outlined provide good quality nutrition which will help you lose weight without feeling starved, and without triggering binges.

In the first week or so of a diet you will lose weight more rapidly but this is water retention that you are losing and not fat. You should aim to lose only a few pounds a week. What you are doing is commonly known as fad dieting. In order to achieve success with weight loss, you need to have a sensible outlook. The weight you have gained has taken a time to build up and not just happened overnight. Unfortunately, the weight you need to lose is not going to miraculously disappear overnight either. You need to set realistic goals that are achievable, lowering calories is a good start as long as it is not taken to the extreme. Cutting calories and introducing exercise in to your diet regime is a positive step. Losing small regular amounts of weight is much better for your physical and mental well-being. Weight loss success will be yours, just be prepared to give yourself the time to achieve your goal. If you want more information visit my website on "how to diet successfully (http://www.dietslim.co.uk)" and GOOD LUCK!

So, Eileen, you're suggesting foods high in protein, low in carbs and fat. Correct? Like lean meats and such, right? Any suggestions?
You thing a mile isn't enough? I normally don't walk very much. To me a mile seems like a stretch. Should I walk further?

Normally, one mile a day isn't much, but if it really takes you an hour, then it's a lot. You need to exercise relative to your fitness. So start with a mile, and as you speed up (and you will), you can go further. I find having some good music on your phone/iPod helps a lot when you are out exercising.

Yes, plenty of protein, and carbs mostly from green vegetables. Fat is an odd thing, in that it's not as fattening as people think. Bodybuilders often eat a diet that's extremely high in fat to trim down for a competition. So don't be afraid of food that contains natural fat, like eggs and oily fish and fresh meat and raw nuts. Avoid deep fried food or anything with processed fat (usually baked good).

Eat real fresh food as much as possible. You'll feel healthier and more energetic, as well as losing weight.

Today was day one, I walked a mile, and stuck with the 3 meals. So far so good I suppose. If the time it takes shortens I'll increase the walking distance.
Fish is generally not something I'd eat normally but I will try to get more protein because obviously it is playing a big factor with the exercise.
So how often should I do a weight check, weekly right?
Other than this, I'm ready. I may be able to pull this off.

Sounds like you're off to a good start so far. Awesome!

Agree, sounds like you are doing well. Try to stay consistent, but don't beat yourself up and throw in the towel over occasional slips. I'd weigh weekly, but also take naked photos of yourself (on your phone, not to get developed in the chemist!) and measure yourself. If your waist is shrinking, it's working.

When you are not eating sweet things all day, you may find your taste chances and you start to enjoy food you didn't care for before.

I have been on a diet lately, for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It has been going great, I lost 20lbs, but I keep reading that eating 1 time a day is bad for you. I have heard a lot of negative results associated with this kind of eating habit. I am determined to keep going, but not if the negative effects out-weigh the positive. I have went to several different health sites, and at this point I'm really scared.
I don't want to do the wrong thing if I can help it. I just really want to lose weight...
Any info. would be appreciated, at this point I'm all ears.

Umm wow 20lb sounds awesome but the problem is that uless you continue this all your life.. u WILL eventually gain it all back plus more because your metabolism will be messed up... im 5'5 130pounds... I went of a serious diet like you a couple a years ago and became 110 pounds. Once I saw that I was so skinny I started to cheat my diet a bit and then I gained it all back.. thats why I'm 130 pounds now.. I use to be 125 without doing anything :( now imjust focusing on cutting unhealthy food and working out at least 3 times a week. My sister is 5'2 &1/2 and use to weigh 120 but for over a year now she runs 4 or 5 times a week and now she is 105 and she eats regularly. The faster you lose the quicker you gain...