Two Meals a Day: The Simple, Sustainable Strategy to Lose Fat, Reverse Aging, and Break Free from Diet Frustration Forever

by Mark Sisson

The New York Times bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and The Keto Reset Diet, Mark Sisson, turns his health and fitness expertise to the latest diet trend, which he has coined, “intermittent eating!” Are you sick and tired of struggling through regimented diets that work for a minute and then become unsustainable? Are you confused about the changing fads and ongoing controversy over what’s healthy and what’s not? It’s time to embrace a simple, scientifically validated plan that transcends gimmicks and avoids the stress of regimented macros and mealtimes. Health and fitness expert Mark Sisson presents a comprehensive lifestyle approach based on the principles of intermittent fasting. He’ll teach you how to gracefully burn body fat while keeping your energy, focus, and positive attitude. In TWO MEALS A DAY, you’ll implement an eating style that’s incredibly nourishing and easy to adhere to for a lifetime, dial-in a winning fitness routine, prioritize recovery, and learn powerful strategies for overcoming self-limiting beliefs and behaviors. When you’re ready to level up, you’ll implement some cutting-edge techniques to achieve stunning body composition breakthroughs. Packed with forty-two delicious meals in a variety of categories, TWO MEALS A DAY has everything you need to hit the ground running and pursue enjoyable and lasting lifestyle transformation.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Food, Cookbooks, Diets, Audiobook

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 9, 2021

Reviews

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can move along folks. There’s nothing new to see here!

Two Meals a Day tries to combine the currently fashionable intermittent fasting with a grain-less, processed sugar-free, and no seed oil diet. It also throws in aerobic exercise, journalizing, Marie Kondozing, and orange light only before bedtime. If you were an alien arriving from Europa, this book could catch you up on every major fitness fad. Unfortunately, most Earthlings have already heard of everything mentioned in this book. I also think trying to “fix” all of these things in one twelve-day period is an unachievable goal.

While Two Meals a Day may be motivating for some, I need to have at least one original idea per self-help book. Unfortunately, this book fails on even that simple of a criteria. 2 stars.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Audio Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook duration: 11 hours 34 minutes
Narrator: Brad Kearns

I've been a fan of Mark Sisson since 2010 when I was researching diabetes and stumbled upon his website Mark's Daily Apple. He was my first introduction to primal/paleo/ancestral health concepts. Two Meals a Day comes after Sisson's natural progression from his original "primal diet" to a more ketogenic and intermittent fasting focused version. Instead of carb control, the new themes are insulin control and metabolic flexibility. I thought I knew it all, but this book still had plenty of things to keep me interested. I ended up taking over 3 pages of notes!

One thing I really loved was the book's focus on the emotional side of diets and changing our eating habits. It was the first time in all of the dozens upon dozens of diet books I've read where the author discusses creating a gratitude journal and gives journaling prompts to help the reader have a more positive relationship with themself. "Your thoughts, not what's happened to you, are the source of all your pain" came out at some point in the 11 hours.

The only negative about this audiobook was that at some times, coauthor Kearns could get a bit over the top in his narration. I suppose this was just his passion on the subject shining through.

Advanced fat burning techniques from the book, incase you want to cheat and not read it yourself:
-no snacking, just eat 2 meals a day, preferably in a 16:8 eating window
-cold exposure- aim for 2 minutes of cold water at the end of every shower
-sprints- six sets of 10-20 second sprints, while fasted, once a week
-exercising fasted, in the morning, then waiting 1-4 hours before eating
-eat meals until 80% full, avoiding refined oils, grains, and sugars
-15 minute leisure walks after each meal (this reduces insulin response by 50%!)
-cardio should be to a heartrate of 130-145 BPM range to burn fat, don't work harder
-2 hour electronic-free wind down before bedtime, then sleep in a room that is 60-68 F

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy's way of life is completely unrealistic for us "normal" people, but I still found myself totally fascinated with everything he talked about. He has good information about organic foods, carbs, and sugars. Well worth a read if you consider yourself a health conscious kind of person and value info about all types of diets.

[Dylan Brodeur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got me into a dedicated hardcore 21 day health kick to reach metabolic flexibility. Unfortunately, like a rubber band I came back with lots of unhealthiness afterwards. I like his health takes.

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 1 out of 5]

I automatically mark books that stray away from the synopsis a great 0 (zero) stars of 5, which turns out to be 1 star per closets approximation.
This book jumps smoothly to the idea of eating two meals a day. Trying the two meals a day idea came to me before reading this book, which is the reason it even attracted my attention. I lost 45 pounds because of this reason of skipping breakfast, only permitting a coffee to power-boost my stomach in working early in the morning and in theory awakening my metabolic system which would automatically burn calories because machines do not work without burning energy. Obviously I was right! I burned through 45 pounds in 3 months (189lbs to 138lbs) I got so skinny that I jumped back up to 144 as I look heathier and fitter. In this progress I broke a streak of workingout 100 days straight. I’m working in the written version that I think will change lives of my journey and what I learned in moving my body for 100 days.
But back to the book.
KETO
The synopsis mentions not a thing about keto. Had it, there would have been half the sales. Everyone knows that Keto is one of the most difficult diets. It’s like becoming a vegan over night and expecting to stick with it. Not happening. It’s dangerous and unrepresentative of what the human body should consume. Some people reading this might defend it, but I ask you “are you on the Keto diet?” If you are that’s why you are defending it. But come back when you fail. I would love to hear how much better your life is when you can eat carbs whenever you want.
This book should have stuck to the idea of Two meals a day. That in itself is powerful. You can literally change the whole mechanical system of your body and mind. It will make you stronger and leaner. You will feel lighter and won’t have to think about food so often as you are prepared in advance in knowing that you will not eat until this time and that time. Two meals a day is a great idea. Combining two meals a day with Keto and not mentioning that in the synopsis is a terrible idea deserving of 1 star for duping the reader and taking my money.
Liars are not needed in the world of written messages. They waste time. Literally, you are better off reading an article on two meals a day or just watching a youtube video. Please do not buy this book unless you are prepared to go Keto or are already in Keto and want to advance into two meals a day with that type of diet.
I do not recommend to the average human who would like carbs and not sacrifice their Keto conditioned body, which would result in a two week reprogramming back to keto if you mess up just once.

[Jeffrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing new in this book regarding nutrition and health. Honestly, I really disliked the "voice" of the author in this book, it was repetitive, scaremongering and a little too full of itself.

[Maddy Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new diet book makes eating out even better

Posted on March 2, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

Here’s a new idea. Two meals a day to lose weight.
Hmm. Well, that seems like a no-brainer.
Two Meals a Day: The Simple Sustainable Strategy to Lose Fat, reverse aging, and Break Free from Diet Frustration Forever is a new diet book by authors Mark Sisson and Brian Kearns, and present reader’s what they term as an “ancestral-style diet free from processed sugar, grains, and industrial seed oils.”
Ah, yes. Another no-sugar diet.
Sisson says this new way of diet management healed his lifelong digestive dysfunction and broke his dependence on food to stabilize energy, mood, and cognitive functioning.
“By ditching high-carbohydrate, high-insulin-stimulating foods, I was able to access and burn stored body fat around the clock,” Sisson writes. “I was almost never hungry and required far fewer calories to attain total satisfaction at every meal. It felt like an incredible gift to escape from the prison of carb dependency and transition into a new existence, one in line with our human genetic expectations for health that were honed through 2.5 million years of evolution. Contrary to modern marketing hype and the flawed science that’s likely been programmed into your brain, we humans can do just fine without stuffing our faces morning, noon, and night and snacking incessantly to maintain energy between these round-the-clock feedings.”
Hmm. I have an issue. I like the taste of food, a lot. And honey, if this is a prison, lock me up.
These authors, like all other diet cookbook authors, say their plan will help people “lose excess body fat; increase energy and focus; minimize your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline; and enjoy your maximum healthspan …”
Here’s my observation:
I noticed through the years that many of these diet gurus and “nutrition” experts spend several boring chapters, and sometimes complete books, attempting to convince readers that modern science is wrong, bad, and most often, “ridiculous.” They blame our fat-and-sugar-laden bodies on the evils of marketing and our human stupidity for becoming “brainwashed” by our favorite fast-food fried chicken.
It’s not your fault Joe/Jane Reader. It’s those morons in the nutritional science marketing department.
These diet authors appear to be holding the golden ticket to the next modern science breakthrough.
If modern nutritional science is so bad, so ridiculous, why is it the global “standard” to begin with? Why doesn’t the “standard” ever change? If, after decades and the countless careers of highly-educated, brilliantly-minded scientists dedicated to modern medical and nutritional science, can’t get the nutrition game right, then why do these authors believe they have the secret remedy to humanity’s ridiculous scientific predecessors. And why aren’t these author’s diets the new “standard?”
And, here’s another thing: why are these terrible scientists watching over nutritional standards making so much money? Should they get a reprimand or a pay cut or something?
The only industry I know that argues more among itself is the churches: Catholic, Protestant, Presbyterian, Methodist, Mormon, Jehova. I think those high-educated people call themselves theologists.
Ug. Don’t get me started. Well, despite these authors’ Carnegie sales pitch, I still harbor trepidation about this diet.
Here’s this book’s golden nugget pitch. “I eat only during the hours between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.,” Sisson writes. “I usually break my fast with my world-famous Sisson Bigass Salad, then enjoy an evening out with my wife, Carrie, at one of the many fabulous restaurants near my home in Miami Beach.”
Sisson goes on to say that “many” days he’s too busy to make his centerpiece salad – so he eats “(either a smoothie, a few squares of dark chocolate smothered in nut butter, a healthful meat-and-veggie frozen meal, or a small bowl of leftover steak) before enjoying a celebratory dinner later.”
Now, that sounds healthy.
This book goes on and on, rewriting our cumulative nutritional foundation and makes a variety of suggestions that I thought were already “standard.”
This is an excellent book for readers who want more than 250 pages of text and illustrations outlining Sisson’s plan with a few recipes thrown in at the end. I truly wish these men – and their publisher – a great run with their diet book. Some people will likely succeed in their goal to lose weight with this method – and for those folks – this is the book for you. Congratulations on finding something that works in your situation.
But for me? Not a chance. I like food too much, and I honestly think that the whole nutritional argument industry is ridiculous.

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Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

You want a book absolutely filled with writing about everything diet in accordance to the authors beliefs? Here ya go!

If you want to pick up a book and pretty much be able to follow a diet using only that book, this is the book for you.

This book is pretty info dense. The actual recipes make up a small portion of the book. The rest is diet info, journaling strategies, blah blah blah, techniques for losing weight. I mean that in a good way, but after reading so many diet books I think it might be time for a break cause I could only manage a few pages at a time in this book before I would have to put it down to digest what I just read because it was starting to 'leak out my ears' so to speak. it really sucks that the library won't let me renew it so I could take longer then a few weeks to full digest what this book contains. Oh well.

The recipes themselves are very...calorie dense leaning hard into the fat to get you there. It's almost keto, but not quite keto I would say. Carbs are still present in a lot of these recipes, although they are significantly reduced in comparison to 'normal' recipes. This author still believes in vegetables! I do appreciate the fiber inclusion. lol

I do however plan on trying the Moroccan Lamb Stew, the beef taco casserole, etc. Most of the recipes do seem to be highly edible...or maybe it's just because I am currently starving. No matter. I approve, most of them.

[Becky L Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook read by Brad Kearns. I love Mark Sisson. I've listened to most of his books. Lots of good information here. If you are new to Mark Sisson or Intermittent Fasting or paleo/ low carb etc. start with Primal Blueprint. This book is a bit like drinking from a fire hose if you are new to this line of thinking. Also, Mark Sisson comes from the perspective of a professional athlete, so may not be relevant for everyone. Yes good information for everyone, but if you've mostly lived a sedentary life and aren't intending to hit the gym, just go read Jason Fung's books. However, if you are looking for the latest information with the classic Mark Sisson twist - and you know he experimented on himself first, then this is a good book.

There are journal activities and even a "jump start 14 days" that sound intriguing, but the pdf with the audio does not include them so you either need the ebook or have a pen and paper at hand.

If you want a verbatim audio reading with no personality, don't get the audio. Brad Kearns used to get on my nerves narrating but he's grown on me. He does crack jokes outside of the text and injects plenty of personality.

[yannreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Al principio, el libro no estaba mal si dejamos a un lado el hecho de que recuerda constantemente que los ultraprocesados y los carbohidratos son malos. Sin embargo, a medida que lees, esto se vuelve una obsesión insana, más de lo que lo puedan ser los ultraprocesados. Tengo entendido que el autor es un atleta de alto rendimiento, por lo que puede que a la gente que se dedique a la actividad física profesionalmente, este libro le sirva de manual; no obstante, para el resto de los mortales, me parece que este libro crea expectativas inalcanzables respecto a los hábitos de alimentación. La parte de las recetas me ha gustado un poco más, pero de nuevo se vuelve insano ya que aunque deja a un lado lo que el considera insano (los ultraprocesados y los carbohidratos), las cantidades de sal que incluye en la mayoría de recetas es verdaderamente preocupante, ademas de que los ingredientes que utiliza en gran parte de ellas son poco accesibles y muy caros. No me ha gustado, aunque tampoco me ha sorprendido teniendo en cuenta el titulo. Me gustaría saber lo que algún nutricionista opina de él. 

[Emily Mellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good book -- though the title gives the misleading impression that health is achieved by simply switching to eating two meals a day.
No-- the book lays out a complete lifestyle overhaul (for 90% of readers anyway). The changes involve all important aspects of health, like sleep, exercise, and stress reduction, as well as specific dietary changes like elimination of grains, sugar, and seed oils. I am on board with basically all their recommendations.
Plus, the audiobook is read by one of the authors in a pretty amusing, lighthearted way. I do wish there was an app or online platform that would make doing the 12 day challenge more straightforward, especially for those of us using the audiobook format, where it's more difficult to lay things out clearly.

[Peter Farness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still trying to tackle Sisson and carbohydrate theory. It’s a lot of meat, though. Seriously. And some things may be overhyped, like the “aging“ angle. This is sisson’s most psychological book I’ve yet read, though the keep rest diet and keto for life come close. I’m mainly reading these for the recipes. I have not implemented the 12 day plan. It would be better to do during a vacation. I think he wants you to apply a lot of the concepts he explains and presents. He’s a great teacher, writer, and coach. A motivator. I don’t know that I one hundred percent agree with him or accept everything he has to say, but it’s well said and provocative. This is another interesting take on ketogenic dieting from Mark.

[Sharudin Jamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading anything Mark Sisson writes. He is so generous with his knowledge.

Certainly a book worth reading. Don't be fooled by the title. This book is a COMPLETE manuscript to healthy living.

Do pay attention to the wealth of references Mark provides in this book. This is how I get introduced to luminaries like Bruce Lipton. That discovery alone makes this book a worthwhile read.

So is the introduction to Brad Kearns YouTube videos on running.

I have a simple outlook about reading; if I can get only ONE profound idea from a book, that is already worth my time reading it. This book by my standard is a treasure trove!

[Chris Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better way to live

Sisson explains how and why you should change your life and eating habits for the better. My wife and I have been following a keto version of his 2 meals a day strategy and we have been feeling on top of the world.

Sisson explains in this book that 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut rather than your brain as most would think. This explains so much, because after making better eating choices I feel not only less bloated and lethargic, but also in a much better mood with a better outlook on life in general.

If you are looking for a book to help you Jumpstart your better health journey, this is a great place to start.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not follow this guy on youtube.com because he is all about the exercise journey. I'm about the everyday person weight loss because I don't want to get diabetes or heart disease, etc. I've seen what sugar and too many carbs do to people. It's not pretty. We all can't do what the author does and it's not what some of us need. I know, for one thing, I can not do many carbs. The author has a recipe that is 63 grams of carbs for one recipe. 63 is around 3 days of carbs for me. So, I can't, with this book.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading anything authored by Mark Sisson! He is so clear, logical and very comprehensive in laying out the plan and strategy for “Two meals a day”. I have been eating TMAD for a while now so it was reaffirming to read this book and he offered some advanced strategies in the book to help with those final few pounds. Glad he wrote this, where he put all of his current ideas into one very nicely written book!😎

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction/primer for anyone interested in intermittent fasting and HIIT-style exercise. This book is too basic for anyone who is already practicing these domains, although it contains many good reminders and useful concepts for review for the intermediate/adv... [see the rest on my book review site.]

[Lisa Rademeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts. Of course it makes sense to get rid of processed foods (including oils) & eating nutrition dense foods. But I can't get on board with so many high fats being added. I tried that once upon a time & my cholesterol went way up. Most of the recipes are too high in calories for me to fall in love with. The fasting is new to me (instead of the many small meals). I'm anxious to give that a try.

[Yuval Halevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Great book for anyone interested in designing a lifestyle for maximizing athletic potential. Supported by research it refutes myths, and offers insightful information about fitness and nutrition, including: Intermittent / prolonged fasting, MAF Aerobic workouts, fasted workouts, metabolic flexibility, cold exposure, quality sleep and some lifestyle habits for achieving and maintaining maximum performance.

[Jquick99 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never heard of the author. In the first paragraph on the Introduction page, he writes “Yet even with my impressive physique…”. And then he refers to his famous Sisson Bigass Salad. I asked hubby what is a bi-gass salad? And had to roll my eyes that this is a Big Ass salad. I personally think it is 2 words, NOT 1. And then I looked at the ingredients and it’s a salad that we all would make and includes tuna. Why is this famous? Needless to say, DNF due to the author’s unlikeable ego.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I like Mark Sisson, and I respect him. I love Primal Kitchens products and use them all the time. But I'm NOT Mark Sisson, and while I appreciate his POV, I'm not sold on his premise in this book. I believe that I can sustain myself on Two Meals a Day, but following a Keto program, where Butter Coffee is my morning meal.

I'm still absorbing, and I do like some of the recipes. But I'm not sure I'm on-board with some of the ingredients. Time will tell.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors absolutely don’t sugar coat anything in this book. That’s a good thing. If you are reading this book most likely you have been contemplating a life style change to get healthy. This book will help you on that journey but it won’t baby you along. After walking you through the steps, there’s a 12 day turbocharge to get you started. It won’t be easy but it’s worth it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based on today's current trend of intermittent fasting and cutting food groups from your diet. It also gives advice about exercise and keeping a journal. Health conscious people will agree with most of Mr. Sisson's writing. There are recipes but they seem high in calories. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Emma Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Sisson is very generous with his knowledge and ideas surrounding eating! We have been listening to this book and implementing changes - all of which have been really positive and easier to follow than I first thought.

Some of it is very ad-based, much of it though is informative and interesting!

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't agree with everything in this book, particularly how he keeps comparing our modern lifestyle to our ancestors without acknowledging we have a 75% longer life expectancy, just like pets live longer than their feral and wild counterparts. A lot of effort was put into this book and there was some good information.

[Julie Schleusener · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative about how to eat for building lean mass, losing body fat and working toward metabolic flexibility, i.e. using ketones *or* glucose as fuel. It was more comprehensive than I needed because I'm not new to this, so most was a review. If you're looking at changing how you think about your diet and your health, I definitely recommend!

[Kathy Gossen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think this book should have been titled something else because there were a lot of suggestions for healthy living NOT related to the two meals a day suggestion (much of it science based and interesting). I skipped the recipes as several were not something I'd eat but the concepts and twelve day challenge presented would be interesting to follow at some point.

[Kerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Returning because the recipes in this book are a whopping 900-1500 cal each. Even at two meals a day that’s far beyond what anyone should be eating. No thanks I’ll stick to a normal calorie intake and intermittent fasting like I’ve done for months.

[Brian Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

New to keto/mark sisson. Found it practical and interesting! Thought it provided a good overview of his philosophy and will try and implement a few of his ideas into my nutrition/fitness regime.

[ReadaBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marking this with four stars only because I am not finished reading it, however, I must return it to the library tomorrow. (When I am learning a lot, I tend to read note slowly so as to absorb as much as possible.) Trying to change my eating habits in line with various medical conditions. This book is helping.