We’re getting fatter and fatter as a country and I just don’t get it. It’s all about personal pride, being proud of your appearance. I got taught that when I was in the Army. It stuck with me. Today, I might not be a young man, but I work out at the gym six days a week and at 53 years old, I’m 5’10" and weigh in at 175.
I see it everywhere.
The sad part is even throng are over weight.
I have a rowing machine, 1/2 hr a day, a recumbent 1/2 hr a day.
If I’m in the springs I have an elliptical, 1/2 hr a day.
keep up the good work, it’s worth it in the long run.
The best health plan I’ve ever seen is to only eat when you are hungry, not on the clock and whenever you’re bored, get some exercise along with cutting out as much processed sugar as you can.
Unfortunately we’ve been trained to eat three times a day on a regular schedule and with each generation we’ve gotten less physically active which is why Obesity and Diabetes are literally killing us.
Since the 90’s kids have been taught to have pride in themselves no matter what and that they are all winners no matter what.
At the same time we’ve become more and more sedentary with each generation as more work is done mechanically or electronically instead of physically.
Take a look at the Average American in 1930, 1940, 1960, 1980, 2000 and today just be perusing online photos.
It’s like we’re from two different planets.
That thing would eat our old 534’s for a snack.
Actually, I’d argue that eating small meals 3 times during the day is the best course of action. Keeps your sugar regulated and doesn’t train your system to store fat every time it gets a chance. Plus, your stomach lies to you about being hungry. Half the time, it just means you’re thirsty. I used to eat nothing for breakfast, super light lunch and then ate way too much during dinner. After I left the Army, I gained a good 50 lbs pretty quickly doing that. Now, I eat 200 calories for breakfast, 500-600 for lunch and the same for supper. Then if I have anything left to get to 1500 for the day, I’m allowed a snack before bed… dropped 40 lbs like that. It’s just simple math. =if(calories_burned>calories_ingested), then weight drops. 
The first form of energy storage is glycogen, not fat and only eating complex carb’s rather than processed sugars occasionally as needed rather than by the clock then keeps your blood sugar well balanced.
I maintained my “Fightin Weight” until I was in my fifties by following the very simple rule of only eating when I was actually hungry and that usually added up to no more than once or twice a day. I remained perfectly healthy and very fit even though my activity level was rather extreme.
3 meals a day on a regular schedule is the exception world wide rather than the rule and we’re the only country on earth that consumes processed sugars at the level we do.
I’ll stick to what the Army taught me and what many studies have shown, such as the following:
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/negative-effects-eating-one-meal-day-3296.html
https://www.openfit.com/one-meal-a-day
I can say that each person is different but I watched many folks in the Army lose weight by following a three meal program while counting calories and exercising. The risk of 3 meals is eating too much per meal which the 1 meal certainly solves, hard to eat 1500 calories in one meal but the studies I’ve seen show the health benefits lie in a regular schedule of meals, making it easier on your system to maintain normal functionality. I’ve seen studies as well that show when you starve your system, it becomes very insistent on storing fat whenever possible. Not sure what the duration was, maybe it was longer than 24 hours.
As to the sugar intake, I’ve been a lot of places and the main thing I see that drives sugar consumption is the free market. People like it. We’re around 120 grams per person while a lot of Europe is around 100. I wonder though, how much food do we throw away compared to them? I think the biggest difference in fat is exercise here vs there. People in other countries tend to walk a hell of a lot more than we do. No question that we’re not terribly healthy but as Dennis Miller said, “The fat guy is like the chirping bird in the mine shaft of freedom.” 
Anyway, lots of different ways but you’ll play hell convincing me that one meal a day is the way to go. Too much data to show 3 meals (if sensible) are better for your body and I gained most of my weight when I was going from rig to rig and not on a decent schedule for eating.
I know that in most of the world where Obesity is not rampant people aren’t eating 3 meals a day on a regular schedule. That carries a great deal of “weight” as far as I’m concerned with or without studies.
I know that I’ve seen and myself and many others that eating only when you are truly hungry rather than on a schedule makes it very easy to keep at a healthy weight.
Most of us lack your discipline for sure.
I’d say the Obesity in the US has more to do with the ease of acquiring food rather than meal schedule. The schedule is a result of our success and I still believe it makes us healthier. Those nations that eat one meal… their life expectancy is quite low in comparison to ours and Europe. 
As to discipline, I suppose that’s a huge part of it. I’ve never had trouble making myself do things I don’t really want to do. Once I make my mind up to do something, it’s over.
Life expectancy in those nations has more to do with a lack of healthcare, war, high murder rates, and brutal governments.
For the ones on the bottom, those things certainly have an impact but diet is also a factor. You show me a guy that eats once a day because that’s all the food he can get and I’ll show you someone that’s not particularly healthy. For instance, damn near everyone I worked with in Nigeria was malnourished to a degree. Same with a lot of the Indians I worked with. Malay’s. Congo. . . certainly the government was part of the problem but the point is that we’re fat in large part due to the easy access to food. Most studies I’ve seen show it’s healthier to eat multiple times a day than once a day, in part because it’s really hard to get all of the nutrients and vitamins you need out of one meal.
Weight is related to:
- Type of food you eat.
- How much you eat.
- How much you exercise.