OMAD 101 – What You Need To Know About Eating One Meal A Day

I’ve written before about intermittent fasting, but in this article, I want to discuss what is probably the most extreme version of this diet – OMAD.

If you’ve not come across this acronym before, it’s short for One Meal A Day.

Yes, you basically only get to eat for one hour during the day, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as a 23/1 plan – i.e. you fast for 23 hours and eat for just one.

So, let’s look in more detail about what OMAD is all about, as well as the benefits and risks of this type of fasting.

What Is OMAD?

As I said above, the concept is really simple, albeit extreme – you only get to eat (or drink) caloric foods for a maximum of 60 contiguous minutes during the day.

In terms of drinking fluids then, you can (and should) drink water throughout the day, but liquids that contain calories (e.g. fruit juice) should only be consumed during that one hour.

Here are some of the things you should do when following this protocol:

• Check With Your Doctor First. You should let your doctor know if you plan on trying this fasting protocol, because some conditions (e.g. diabetes) may make you an unsuitable candidate.
• Eat At Dinner. It is usually recommended that you eat your one meal at your regular dinner time, although some do prefer to have lunch instead, while others prefer mid-afternoon (e.g. around three or four o’clock), assuming that’s an option for you.
• Eat Healthily. Even though you don’t need to count calories, it’s always wisest to eat healthy foods whenever you can.This would include fruit and vegetables, organic over non-organic, lean proteins, healthy fats, non-GMO, no junk food, as little added sugar as possible, and so on. And because this is your only meal, you need to make sure it’s as balanced as possible, so try to get all of the nutrients (e.g. proteins, minerals, vitamins) that you need. You’ll find plenty or articles about nutrition on this site, here
• Exercise. This diet works most effectively when combined with exercise, particularly high-intensity exercise and/or strength training.
• Keep It Simple. Within reason, there are no complicated rules to follow or things to count – it’s a simple system, and deliberately so, which means you should not try to over-complicate it.
• Monitor How You Feel. If you start to feel sick or ill, then stop this OMAD protocol immediately. This may happen, for example, if you have a problem with low blood sugar levels.
• Stay Hydrated. Water is your best choice (preferably pure, and not, for example., fluoridated), but any drink that is calorie-free (but not diet sodas, which have their own set of issues) is OK.

There are also a few things you should not do – over and above the opposite of what’s listed above:

• Anything Else. By this, I mean that when you do get to eat your only meal, you should not be doing anything else – no television, no phone, no books, no working. At most, you should use the time to talk with your family, but this is the perfect opportunity to practise mindful eating.
• Jump In With Both Feet. While some people start OMAD immediately, many find it preferable to get there gradually – i.e. by starting intermittent fasting with a longer eating window, and slowly reducing it to the one hour per day that is OMAD.
• Worry What Your Scales Say. Your weight varies all the time, because of factors such as what you eat and drink, exercise, and going to the bathroom. So even if you weigh yourself regularly, don’t stress out about the numbers going up and down – focus on the longer-term goals instead.

Benefits Of OMAD

Here are the main reasons why people try this method of intermittent fasting:

• Autophagy. This word basically means “self-eating”, which sounds bad, but it’s actually a natural process by which cells disassemble and clean out unnecessary or dysfunctional components – in other words, it’s a vital part of remaining healthy. And while most intermittent fasting encourages this maintenance activity, OMAD allows even more opportunities for autophagy to take place.
• Discipline. Eating only one meal a day, given the culture many of us have grown up in and experience every day, can be a challenge. For example, while your co-workers are eating their lunch, you will be doing something different (but preferably not working, because we all need a break from work). Maybe your family members are still eating breakfast, which is something you will definitely miss at first – but once you settle into your OMAD routine, you’ll find you have developed a greater sense of discipline and self-control.
• Focus. People report improved focus and an ability to concentrate when on this diet plan.
• Metabolic Health. Regardless of whether you lose weight on this diet or not, there are studies that show an improved insulin sensitivity and reductions in both blood pressure and oxidative stress.
• Mood. One piece of research found that fasting, over time, can increase the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin, as well as boosting the production of natural opioids and endocannabinoids.
• No Cheat Days. Since you can eat whatever you want, during your one-hour meal time, you don’t have to wait until your next allotted “cheat day” to have that forbidden fruit (and by fruit, I mean pie or cake, of course).
• Productivity. People also say they are more productive when following the OMAD diet. This is largely because if you don’t eat lunch (since most choose to eat in the evening, at dinner time), you don’t have that after-lunch slump that is so common.
• Simplicity. Since you can more or less eat what you want for your single meal, you don’t need to spend too much time planning what to eat, counting calories, working out what foods you can combine together, etc.
• Time. Because you only eat once a day, think how much time you save by not having to prepare or buy and then consume food for breakfast and lunch, and those intervening snacks. This is time you can then use for other activities, such as exercise or learning new skills, or maybe meditating.
• Weight Loss. This is, of course, why many people choose to eat this way, and regardless of what you do consume during that one hour eating window, it’s difficult to take in too many calories. And if you combine this fasting protocol with exercise, as recommended above, then your chances of losing weight increase even further.

Downside And Risks Of OMAD

• Brain Fog. Although, as I mentioned above, people report better focus when on this diet, that only comes with time – at first, you may find yourself feeling slightly confused – a condition usually referred to as brain fog.
• Digestive Issues. While somewhat uncommon, it’s worth noting a few people do experience digestive discomfort and even diarrhoea on this diet.
• Hunger Pangs. While I have yet to try this protocol, I have been on a few short fasts before – typically three or four days – and I can recall well that on the second or third day, the hunger pangs are all too real. But to be fair, I was on a total fast (except for water), whereas with OMAD, you only have to last 23 hours before you can next eat whatever you want, within reason of course. Still, you should be prepared to feel abnormally hungry, during the early days especially.
• It’s Not For Everybody. This diet is not suitable for children and even young adults, and as mentioned above, there are health conditions (e.g. diabetes, hypoglycemia, obesity) that make it more risky. It’s also not advised for people with a history of eating disorders. Another complication is if you need to take medication with food more than once a day, in which case you should discuss this with your doctor.
• Socializing. This may or may not be an issue for you, but if you’ve already had your meal for the day, then going out with friends (e.g. to the bar) might be a bit tricky, since you’d be restricted to drinking zero-calorie drinks, with no bar snacks on the side. Having said that, if you know in advance that you’ll be going out, you can simply move your one-hour window accordingly on that day, and then eat and drink what you want.
• Weakness. While your body (and mind) is adjusting to this new regimen, you may feel somewhat weak for a while, because you are used to eating two or three meals a day (and perhaps snacks in between).

Conclusion

While OMAD is clearly on the extreme side for many people, and it’s not recommended at all for others (e.g. diabetics), it’s worth bearing in mind that, although many benefits are reported, there are no studies on the long-term effects of following this protocol.

It is generally accepted these days that fasting occasionally is good for you – for example, there are reports that total fasting for three days can help “reset” your immune system – but the practicalities of adopting this as a permanent lifestyle is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. You really need to listen to what your body is telling you – as is always the case, of course.

One nutritionist advises that OMAD should not be sustained for a long period of time, but having said that, the athlete Herschel Walker has apparently been following a one-meal-a-day plan for years.

And even if you find it too difficult to manage every day, don’t forget that one of the stated benefits of intermittent fasting is that it keeps your body on its toes, because it’s not sure when it will receive its next meal, and that’s good for weight loss and overall health – so going OMAD occasionally can still be helpful.