OMAD Diet
OMAD stands for One Meal a Day; the idea is to fast for 23 hours straight and then consume one large meal in a 60-minute window. The OMAD diet is proposed to be a weight loss method as well as a way to tackle chronic disease and other health issues.
How to Follow the OMAD Diet?
Like many diets, OMAD has a host of rules. For starters, your one meal should be eaten in the same four-hour time block every day, so you eat on a consistent schedule.
You're allowed to drink beverages during your 23-hour fast, but they have to be the calorie-free kind, like black coffee or water
With the OMAD diet, you don't need to consider your calories or worry about the exact nutritional profile of the food you eat, as long as you're saving all of your calories for that one period of time
Can OMAD Lead To Weight Loss?
OMAD can be seen as an extreme level of intermittent fasting. Fasting could aid in weight loss and assist in preventing chronic disease. "Other research suggests that intermittent fasting helps regulate blood glucose level, which may be therapeutic for those with diabetes"
When someone deprives themselves of food for 24 hours, they tend to lose control and overeat when it's time to eat again. This can lead to choosing unhealthy options and eating way more than what feels natural in one sitting
If You Do the OMAD diet, what should you eat?
If you decide to do the OMAD diet, you should eat well-balanced meal with healthy carbs, protein, and healthy fats, Since you're trying to make up for the calories you skipped throughout the day, feel free to load up on foods with lots of healthy fats, like avocado, olive oil and nuts.
An analysis that included 50,660 people showed that those who consumed 1 or 2 meals per day had a yearly reduction in body mass index (BMI) compared to those who consumed 3 meals per day. The study also showed that an overnight fast of 18 or more hours was associated with decreased body weight, compared to shorter fasting windows .
However, these weight loss benefits are related to intermittent fasting in general, and not just the OMAD.
In addition to these potential adverse effects, eating one meal a day can lead to symptoms including :
The OMAD diet is also not appropriate for many groups of people, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children and teens, older adults, and people with eating disorders.
Overall, although there are benefits related to fasting and calorie restriction, research has shown that consuming 2 or 3 meals per day is likely a better option for overall health than eating one meal a day .
There is an abundance of research on the health outcomes of fasting, but the science on eating just one meal per day is very limited. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Physiology examined the effects of eating one meal per day on metabolism and physical performance in healthy individuals. The authors concluded that a single meal per day in the evening lowers body weight without affecting physical performance. However, the study was extremely small, with only 13 participants, and only lasted for 11 days. More research is definitely needed in this area before the results are conclusive.
Time-restricted fasting with a larger feeding window, such as 8 hours, has been extensively studied. A 2020 review in The Journal of Physiology observed the effects of time-restricted fasting on weight and cardiometabolic health. They discovered that time-restricted fasting may decrease calorie intake by 20% to 30% and induce weight loss of 1% to 4% of body weight. In addition, time-restricted fasting decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, regardless of weight loss.
Cons of the OMAD Diet
The drawbacks of the OMAD diet may seem obvious—extreme hunger, lack of energy, fatigue and uncontrollable cravings, to name a few. fasting causes headaches and irritability due to being 'hangry.
Plus, eating one meal per day may not be sustainable if you like to exercise, dine out or travel. Lastly, eating only a few foods per day may put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies, since different foods have varying nutrients and it would be challenging to meet all of your nutritional needs in just one meal.
How long should you stay on the OMAD diet?
Nutrition professionals do not advise trying the OMAD diet for any length of time. It's incredibly restrictive and unsustainable and can lead to extreme weight loss, nutrient deficiencies and binging.
A Quick Review
The OMAD diet isn't for everyone. Especially because, after fasting for 23 hours, you may want to eat foods that are higher in fat and sodium content, rather than a balanced healthy meal. If you want to try intermittent fasting, try fasting for a short period of time, like 16 hours instead of 23 hours.
References:
https://www.health.com/weight-loss/omad-diet
https://www.healthline.com/health/one-meal-a-day#Downsides
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8037164/what-is-the-omad-diet-is-it-safe/
