What is OMAD and Why Am I Doing It?

WHAT IS OMAD?

OMAD is an acronym that stands for One Meal A Day. It’s a type of Intermittent Fasting (IF) where you eat all your food for the day within a specific ‘eating window.’

What does that mean? Well, technically, you don’t have to eat just one meal in order to follow the OMAD ‘rules’ or guidelines correctly. Most people following this dietary protocol go without food or caloric beverages for a certain period of time, then break their fast by eating only during certain hours. There are many different variations of this Intermittent Fasting plan, and you can choose to start with a shorter ‘eating window’ before working up to longer and longer periods of fasting.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING?

This is a huge topic that really deserves its own blog post. But, essentially, practicing OMAD offers many advantages. Some of these are:

Food Freedom – you can eat whatever you want during your defined ‘eating window.’
Calorie Restriction – you naturally reduce your calorie consumption by limiting eating to just a few hours a day.
Optimized Autophagy – the body’s natural cleansing and repair system where damaged cells are removed and replaced with new, healthy cells.
Increased Healing and Longevity – fasting is well documented for its ability to improve healing and increase the chances of living a longer, healthier lifespan.
Improved Insulin Sensitivity – when you aren’t eating multiple times a day, the body isn’t signaling the release of insulin to manage glucose as often.
Weight loss – because you are only eating during certain hours, you naturally reduce how much food you are eating, which results in accelerated weight loss.

BUT DOESN’T OMAD MAKE YOU REALLY HUNGRY?

Well, the quick answer is: Yes, at first.

It’s true that there is an adaptation period. But it really is all about mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. What I mean is that you just have to push through the initial discomfort. And then all the benefits start to kick in! And that can be really motivational!

I’VE FOLLOWED ONE MEAL A DAY IN THE PAST

Back in 2016 or so, a girlfriend and I both decided to try out the OMAD diet to see if we had good weight loss results. We were both introduced to this dietary protocol by OMAD REVOLUTION on his YouTube channel.

And yes, we both lost weight.

But neither of us was in the right mindset to follow this Way of Eating (WoE) long term. And what do you think happened, for both of us, when we stopped?

Yup. We gained the weight back.

I HAVE TRIED MANY DIETS OVER THE YEARS

From simple calorie restriction as a teen to losing 30+ pounds in three months following The Atkins Diet (the first time) when I was twenty. To raw vegan for about four years, much later, when I was in my forties. Then back to low-carb, water-fasting for a full week, to Weight Watchers, tracking my macros, whole food plant-based (WFPB) for a year and a half, and even a stint as a Carnivore. I’ve tried it all. And had limited success with each. But now I’m looking at OMAD from a long-term, no-food restriction approach.

I’ll keep you posted about my progress here. And my intention is to share my meals and experiences on my YouTube channel, so do check there for updates, as well.

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