So, you have tried all kinds of weight loss diets that involve eating 3 to 6 meals a day, and you have nothing to show for it. It might be time you tried out the one meal a day diet. It might be the answer to the weight problems you have been battling with for a while. If not for anything else, one meal a day, or OMAD in short, scores very highly as far as having a simple weight loss diet goes.
If you have heard of intermittent fasting, then you have some clue as to how the OMAD diet goes. The premise of this weight loss method is a limitation of calorie intake without starving the body of the nutrients it needs to function normally. However, many intermittent fasting diets require that you fast for about 8 to 16 hours, not the entire day as this diet recommends.
But the greatest secret to this diet is that fact that food consumption is restricted to specific foods or a specific time of the day. This ensures that the body does not get a constant supply of additional calories from meals through which it can fuel its functions as is the case with regular diets. For this reason, the body is forced to use the fat in the body to meet its calorie needs. The outcome is a reduction in body weight.
However, it is a well-known fact that many weight loss diets sound incredibly effective on paper, but real-life results tend to prove otherwise. With that in mind, the question becomes, is One Meal a Day Diet effective? Does it deliver the expected results? And also, at what cost would it offer the promised weight loss benefits? Let’s have a look.
How does the OMAD Diet Work?
The one meal a day is very simple. As the name clearly suggests, you only eat one meal a day. It could be breakfast, dinner or even lunch. For obvious reasons, most people prefer to eat dinner and abstain from other meals.
Another thing – the meal should have enough calories for a person your weight and size for the day; and it should also have the nutritional value to give you enough proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. So, it has to be a healthy meal with all the nutrients you would typically need to consume throughout your day. Also, you have to eat until you are full.
However, the basic principle of this diet is the consumption of a single meal, you are allowed to have a healthy snack or two during the day. It could be a protein bar or a fruit, or even an egg. Consuming a beverage like the water of coffee is not off-limits either when on this diet.
What Does the One Meal a Day Diet Entail?
When following this diet plan, you are supposed to fast for 23 hours and then eat within a single hour all the calories you need throughout the day. There are no restrictions on the time of the day you set aside to eat after your 23 hours fast.
What Science Says about this Kind of Diet
This diet is based on fasting, and science has plenty to say about this practice. But generally speaking, fasting has been proven to have considerable health benefits to both men and women. Specifically, limiting calorie intake by about 20 to 25 per cent has been shown to boost cardiovascular health, and it also lowers glucose levels and improves the work of insulin in the body.
In fact, intermittent fasting has been shown to improve the situation of diabetics. It even had benefits to offer pre-diabetics and people struggling with insulin resistance. Fasting has also been shown to result in a boost in mental capabilities in older people and even boost longevity. Productivity can also improve when following this fasting diet, as it helps prevent the “afternoon slump” that comes with regular meals.
With regard to weight loss, the one meal a day diet has plenty of compelling benefits to offer as well, particularly in cases where the dieter has had portion control issues getting in their way of attaining their weight loss goals in the past. With this diet, you eat a single meal a day. It is, therefore, harder to overeat since consuming all the daily calories in a single sitting ensures you get full before you go over and beyond by eating more calories than your body needs.
It is worth noting that this diet might have different effects on women in comparison to men. In particular, it can affect body processes such as breastfeeding, pregnancy, and even menstrual cycles. With regard to these issues, women should, therefore, take into consideration how the one meal a day diet is going to affect them before they decide to go down this path.
Advantages of One Meal a Day Diet
It is Simple
One of the most important benefits of this diet is that it keeps things simple. All you have to do is to have the discipline to eat a single meal a day. This convenience should be extremely welcome for people who have to juggle various things throughout their day. With this diet, you do not have to obsess over the number of calories you consume in a day since all you have to do is eat a single meal and you are good to go.
Technicalities usually make some diets hard to follow, and their effectiveness hard to determine. But with this diet, the rules are clear and simple, so you can tell whether it is working for you or not with greater ease. You just have to make sure that you eat all food types to ensure that you get enough nutrients into your body. So, your meals should contain proteins, carbohydrate, vegetables, fats, nuts, grains, and even beverages.
The Diet Works
The diet actually works, and that is a huge plus. Many people can confess to having tried over a dozen diets without any noticeable weight loss improvements. But with the one meal, a day diet, the results are quite promising.
It Has a Scientific Basis
Another upside to this diet is that scientific research backs its effectiveness. Not only that, the studies have gone on to prove that the diet has other health benefits to offer its practitioners besides reduction in excess weight. These include better sleep patterns, memory improvement, and better blood sugar control. The diet has also been shown to improve digestion.
It is Effective against Overeating
Fortunately, many diets today try to deal with the over eating issue many overweight and obese people struggle with. But few of them can match the effectiveness of this diet in this regard. Since the dieter is allowed to eat a single meal a day that can meet the person’s caloric requirements, overeating becomes easier to avoid.
Does Not Put a Lot of Restraints on Food Choices
Most weight loss diets will have a long litany of foods you are not allowed to eat in order to enjoy the weight loss benefits they promise. That is not a problem you will have when using the OMAD diet. With this diet, you can go ahead and enjoy your favorite meals, including pizzas. That said, do not go overboard and blatantly eat highly unhealthy foods – there is a huge benefit to sticking to foods that are proven to be healthier for your body. However, the concept of cheat days does not apply when following this diet since no meals are off-limits.
Potential Risks of Following an OMAD Diet
Clearly, the changes you need to make to your food consumption patterns when you follow this diet are quite drastic. For this reason, some side effects might be witnessed.
These might include the concentration problems, binge eating tendencies, shakiness, a foggy brain, extreme feelings of hunger, general body weakness, irritability, and even fatigue. The binge eating could also get out of control and turn into an eating disorder.
That is also why this diet should be avoided by anybody who is also dealing with certain kinds of medical issues such as diabetes or hypoglycemia. If not, consultation with a doctor should be done in advance to ensure that the diet does not exacerbate these health conditions.
That said, the potential negative outcomes of following this diet vary from one person to another. For instance, while some people will adjust to the diet immediately, others might need a little more time. Some might find the diet a struggle, even with enough time to adjust, choosing to abandon it altogether.
Studies have also shown that this diet might have more downsides than upsides for women who are not already obese and menopausal at the time they choose to use it for weight loss, specifically because it can lower their metabolism.
However, the good thing is that if your body and mind can handle the demands of this diet, you can expect very good weight loss results and improved general health.
Verdict
At the end of the day, a good weight loss should be sustainable, otherwise, the weight loss results might be temporary and the risks might outweigh the benefits. The OMAD diet involves serious calorie restriction and a phenomenal amount of willpower if your body and mind can even handle the extreme calorie lows in a healthy way.
The fact that the diet might bring about other health issues such as binge eating should also be taken into consideration. So, if you plan to give this diet, a try ensures that you talk to your doctor first. If he/she says it might not be appropriate for you, you will most likely get a recommendation on a better diet plan to follow as you try to lose weight.
Besides, a doctor can get to the root of your weight problem, so that you understand what interventions will offer the best solution to this health issue. With this information, you can also understand what adjustments to make to any diet plans you follow so that they are better suited to your body and mind.
But generally speaking, weight loss is a war that has to be fought on many fronts. What this means is that diet alone is not the answer to a healthier weight; you have to change your activity levels to that you do not live a sedentary life that brings about chronic illnesses that cause unhealthy weight gain.
Additionally, once you go on one meal a day diet, you should keep close tabs on your progress so that its effects do not get out of hand and impact your health in a negative manner. And as mentioned earlier, you can always make some modifications to the diet to ensure that it does not turn your life upside down by having a snack or two even while focusing on having one main meal a day.
People have gone to a lot of extremes to lose weight. Intermittent fasting has worked for many, and the OMAD diet is one good example of such a diet, although it takes fasting a little further than other intermittent fasting diets. Fasting has plenty of health benefits beyond weight loss. For instance, studies have linked to better heart health and even the alleviation of diabetes symptoms.
However, this diet is not without its risks. Some people can experience unbearable feelings of hunger, while others can even get irritable and feet fatigued. However, people respond differently to the diet. So, to avoid these extreme negative reactions, you should talk to a doctor before starting to use this diet for weight loss. Women should be especially cautious of this diet as it can have significantly greater effects on their hormonal cycles and the associated bodily processes.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of healthy ways to lose weight today. You can even talk to your doctor and see what weight loss plans they recommend for you based on your health status. But generally speaking, a weight loss plan, whether it involves a diet, lifestyle changes, or regular workouts, should be sustainable over the long term and also harmless.
But the general consensus among weight loss experts is that weight loss has to involve both a proper diet and regular exercise for improved overall health.