From the beginning of April 2019, I’ve been experimenting with eating just one meal a day, also known as the OMAD diet.
I stumbled across the OMAD diet a few years ago after researching optimum vegan diets that increase longevity and weight loss.
After getting lost in a YouTube session, I came across this vegan strongman who appeared to be living in the middle of nowhere committed to powerlifting and eating one sizeable plant-based meal each day.
I was inspired to try OMAD, but like many of us, I procrastinated to prioritise my health because I had too much to work on at the time.
But after quitting my full-time job to go all-in on The Minimalist Vegan, I found myself with more bandwidth to focus on my health.
In addition to eating one meal a day, I started doing light resistance exercise, increased my average sleep and started a regular practice of stretching. I’m no longer running on adrenals and feel more rested and relaxed.
It’s amazing what lightening your load on commitments can do to your health!
But out of all of the new healthy habits, OMAD was the most impactful by far. And in this post, I’m going to share what I’ve learned through my month-long experiment.
Specifically, I’m going to share:
- A brief explanation of the OMAD diet
- The time of the day I eat my one meal
- My challenges with drinks (i.e. coffee)
- The benefits I’ve found since starting OMAD
- Things I’ll change if I choose to continue this way of eating
- My OMAD update
Quick caveat: I’m by no means a health professional, and I did not seek any medical advice before starting my OMAD diet. I’m purely sharing my experience with you to give you real insight and feedback on what it’s like to eat one meal a day. If you want to try out the OMAD diet, I suggest you seek advice or at least do your own research.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it.
What is the OMAD diet?
Eating one meal a day is a form of intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. Intermittent fasting is usually when you would eat in an 8-hour window, say 12 pm to 8 pm and fast for the other 16 hours (including sleep). People in the know of this approach would refer to the split as the 16:8 fast.
OMAD takes intermittent fasting to another level with your eating window decreasing to 1 hour, leaving you with 23 hours to fast. This is a 23:1 ratio.
When is the best time of the day to eat your one meal a day?
From what I’ve read online, it’s common for folks on an OMAD diet to eat in the evenings. I couldn’t find any specific reason as to why evenings became the recommended time window.
During my experiment, I chose to eat my one meal sometime between 12 pm and 2 pm. There was no science behind my decision; it just felt right.
Having said that, though, when you eat just one meal a day, you are tasked to consume a significant amount of food in a short amount of time. So for those of us who get tired after lunch, because your body is busy digesting food, this feeling is undoubtedly amplified when you’re eating a supersized meal.
I have the benefit of working from home and can control my hours. So after lunch, I tend to rest for a while before getting back into work.
For this reason, I can understand why it might make more sense to have your eating window in the evenings, to sustain more energy during the day, and avoid the afternoon crash.
What can you drink on an OMAD diet?
With any intermittent fasting, it’s vital to ensure you’re adequately hydrated. So for sure, during my OMAD experiment, I drank more water than usual. I can’t tell you how many litres on average, but I always like to ensure that I’m adequately hydrated, which you can test by the clarity of your urine.
But outside of the water, I drank coffee and tea. Now, most intermittent fasting guides will advise that you can only consume calorie-free drinks when fasting. So this would include black coffee and herbal tea.
Upon further research, I found that some health experts suggest that these drinks are not advisable to consume during a fast as coffee and tea contain xenobiotics which needs to be processed by your liver or gut.
Okay, I must admit that I did have coffee and tea with either nut or soy milk, about 50% of the month.
So if I were a purist, I wasn’t technically fasting by the book. This is my next challenge, which I will discuss later in this post.
What are the benefits of eating one meal a day?
Weight loss
It’s been widely reported that intermittent fasting is an effective method for weight loss. And it makes sense. You lose weight by creating a calorie deficit, e.g. calories burned to exceed calories consumed.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to eat a full day worth of meals in just one sitting; therefore you’ll naturally be consuming fewer calories than you usually would—giving you a better chance to achieve a deficit.
I’ve written about the challenge of being an overweight vegan, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t curious to see if the OMAD diet would have any impact on my weight.
At the time of publishing this article, I’ve participated in OMAD for 28 days. And in that time I’ve lost 4.3kgs (9.4lbs). It’s not groundbreaking, but it is encouraging considering I haven’t been eating like an angel (more on that later).
Save money
What does it cost you to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks every day? Now reduce that cost by roughly 70%, and that’s how much you’ll be saving by eating one meal a day.
Eating all day is expensive, and it becomes apparent when you see the results in your bank account. You buy fewer ingredients and eat out less. This is an underrated benefit of the OMAD diet.
Save time
Another excellent benefit of OMAD is the time you save, not thinking about food. Now in the first three days, all I could think about was food. But once I got past that, it felt like I freed up a few extra hours each day to get on with life.
Just thinking about how much time is spent planning, preparing, travelling to consume food each day. It blows my mind how much time food takes up in our lives.
I know Maša was sometimes envious of me in situations where she’d be scratching her head about what to eat for dinner, and I was off doing my own thing.
Discipline
If you’re interested in challenging your willpower and improving your self-discipline, eating one meal a day will provide for some good practice.
I love testing my comfort zone, and this last month has made me uncomfortable at times. But like all painful situations, when you overcome it, it improves your self-confidence and mental toughness.
What are the challenges of eating one meal a day?
Getting through the first three days
As I mentioned above, getting through the first couple of days on the OMAD diet was hard for me. I experienced intense hunger pains and loss of energy in the evenings (I was crashing at 8:30 pm, which was unusually early for me).
But once I got over that three-day hump, my body started to adjust as I settled into a new routine.
Navigating social situations
I loved challenging myself to bring a positive attitude in social environments where I wasn’t eating due to my OMAD commitment.
However, I did feel that friends and family felt uncomfortable at times because I wasn’t participating in a shared meal.
I remember on Maša’s birthday, we went out to dinner with her family, and I happily sipped on water for a couple of hours while the gang ploughed through a three-course meal.
But for the most part, people are understanding, and it often becomes a point of conversation. Furthermore, I’ve been vegan for five years, so people in my life have lots of practice with me doing different things at the dinner table.
Getting enough nutrients
With one meal a day, there’s less opportunity to ensure you get enough nutrients.
Also, I’ve read that people eating an OMAD diet can feel entitled, or deserving of food once they get to their eating session. This kind of mentality can lead to overeating or binge eating unhealthy food.
I can certainly relate to this feeling of entitlement. My internal dialogue would say things like, “I’ve waited 24 hours for this meal, I should be able to eat what I want”. It’s easy to get caught in this mindset as your meal becomes an event.
If you’re not careful, you may end up overeating junk food, and thus creating a calorie surplus.
Is eating one meal a day sustainable?
After eating OMAD for a month, I easily feel like it can become part of my lifestyle—or at least something that I do on and off for the rest of my life.
I love the benefits of saving time and money while keeping my weight down. If I decide to keep it going I’d make a few tweaks;
- Remove tea and coffee entirely in fasting hours, and stick to water.
- Drink one cold-pressed juice to start my meal, followed by a large buddha bowl for a variety of nutrients. Also, juices and bowls have many variations, so I can keep things interesting.
- I would consider tracking my calories to see the quality and diversity of nutrients I’m consuming.
Now I can confidently make claims to these adjustments because I’ve already established a habit of eating one meal a day. The hard part is done. It’s now time to refine and optimise for better health and performance.
Anyway, that’s my experience of eating one meal a day. I’m keen to explore this lifestyle in more detail and greater commitment to healthier foods.
My OMAD update
As I write this update, I continued eating one meal a day for three months in total. The last time I checked my weight, I had lost 8 kgs (17.6 pounds).
I addition to OMAD, I was consistent in exercising at home for 7 minutes a day, using this app. I felt incredible with these two new habits, and my body was transforming. But with demanding work commitments, I, unfortunately, got unwell, which forced me to break my streak.
I’m an all or nothing type of person, so I tend to beat myself up when I break promises to myself. I pushed through with OMAD but had a cheat day here and there.
I will continue to follow OMAD today. However, I do have days where I might snack on some food in the evenings, or eat out occasionally with my wife.
I haven’t recorded my weight since my last weigh-in, but I feel and look the same. More importantly, I’m not so hard on myself, and I still eat far fewer calories than I was before I started eating one meal a day.
Have you tried OMAD before? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing Ammu.
Hi Abirami, I’m not a nutritionist or health professional by any means. But perhaps start with a 16:8 fast and gradually work your way to 23:1 as you body adjusts. Having said that, it’s not unusual to have those symptoms in the first couple of days.
I hope you started to feel better after day 2. You can do this!
Hi,
I first tried Intermittent fasting (18:6)for a week, the started this OMAD diet, this is my 2nd day, just wanted to ask you, I am a lazy obese women , who does not do exercises other than the regular household work. Does diet and exercise make a significant difference, I can take a walks.
Thanks
Anu
Hi Anu, it’s hard for me to say as our bodies function differently. I would experiment for a week and see how you respond. It’s all about collecting your own data and adjusting. Good luck with it!
I’ve lost 52 pounds in 5 months eating once a day. After the first 2 weeks it was really easy, my body adjusted. There were 3 or 4 times I ate twice a day and it made me feel terrible. I do not get hungry until about 3pm everyday. I feel better than I have in 10 years! One other thing is I don’t eat processed foods or have had any suger/soda.
Whoa, that’s awesome, Brian! You should be proud to find some sustainability with eating once a day.
Hi Michael, thanks very much for your detailed post. I started a week ago consuming one meal a day and eating around 1:30-2PM, and am crashing hard later in the afternoon, (also finishing off meal with one coffee). Could you please tell me around what time are you having your meals now? Much appreciated, cheers
Hi Douglas, I’m not currently on OMAD, but I experienced the same as you. As others have suggested in the comments, perhaps try shifting to evenings?
So I sort of been doing this “diet” on accident I guess but for me it’s very different. For example my usual day consist of waking up at 8:24 a.m to do some yoga, cardio, or weight lifting, then around 10:00 a.m I have breakfast which isn’t exactly a huge meal but you can say a small one, I’m usually done with breakfast at around 10:20 a.m and then I play with my dog for a couple minutes till I head in the shower and start getting ready for work, now here’s my thing, I don’t eat again after that meal because I don’t think of food while I’m at work because I get really busy working in retail, I work from 12:45 p.m til 11:00 p.m and everyday I take a gallon of water with me and that’s all I drink throughout the day. I am really used to doing this since I started working at my job and after a month I wanna say, I went from 260 to 220 and I’ve never not once felt tired of anything more energetic. Now the dramatic weight loss might be unhealthy and I’ve never thought of this until someone asked why they’ve never seen me eat at my job so now I’ve been doing research on my weight loss, and it’s been a dramatic one because my calorie intake is very low compared to the ones burned because at my job I do a lot of things so it’s always up and down and a lot of heavy lifting as well. I wanna say my small breakfast is about 500-600 calories and I don’t even know how many I burn a day but has to be at least 3,000 and I’ve seen that the average male supposedly needs 2,000-2,500 calories a day so maybe that explains my huge weight loss. Also on my off days (2 a week) I do a lot of cardio, probably 2-3 hours then weight lifting for an hour. I don’t see it as a problem and I feel good so I don’t know if I should be concerned over my weight loss.
It’s so interesting how you were fasting based on your work schedule. Thanks for sharing with us.
1. In a somewhat unfortunate realization, I now see that we all need to just try things and see what works for us, and that most of the info on the internet is biased at best, deceptive at worst. I have tried tons of different diets/lifestyles over the past 20 or so years (I’m 44 now) mostly to obtain optimal health; not so much for weight management (I’m actually trying to GAIN weight). I had studied and read and watched tons of Youtube videos a few years back and came away with the idea that the key to health was: #1.eating several small meals throughout the day and #2.a fully plant-based, whole food diet (meat was the devil). What I’m doing now is actually the opposite of both of those! I went from vegan to carnivore; talk about 180 degrees.
2. I’m completely surprised at how easy it has been to eat only one meal a day. It seems almost unbelievable that I saw “wasting” those two additional meals
3. I’m basically 100% carnivore plus watermelon every night and I only eat from 8-12 (7-12 on weekends). My diet is: fish, chicken, beef hotdogs, eggs and watermelon. I take supplements: vitamin C, D, zinc, and a multivitamin.
4. I’ve been at it for about 8 weeks, have gained 1 pound and feel pretty good. In the past 3 days, however, I’ve been feeling some scary-isa tension in my left arm. I’m not sure what this is but plan to get my BP checked when next I visit the grocery. I need to drink more water, for sure, but it seems something else is going on with me.
Thanks for your post! I’m going to have some questions soon…
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Yes, experimentation is key as everyone’s body is different!
Hi Michael. I have recently started the OMAD approach after being encouraged by the health improvement possibilities as well as developing self-control and discipline. I feel like the freedom and ability to eat whatever I decided led me into eating more than was necessary, as well as eating my body into dysfunction. I haven’t noticed any weight loss because it’s only been a few days but this article was informative and motivating. I am going to make some changes to what I’m eating and break fast with a juice/vegetable smoothie to pour in the nutrients. I can and will do this brother and thank you so much for sharing your experience
Congrats on starting your OMAD journey, brother! These are the early days, keep building momentum, and I have no doubt the results will start flowing. Thanks for sharing your experience so far with us 🙂
I have combined a clean ketogenic approach while using OMAD along with 1-2 (42-50hr) long fasts every week for four weeks. I am down 8.2 pounds. For me this is okay weightloss, but I was expecting more. I am certainly creating a caloric deficit adding daily cardio and not gorging myself during my one meal,and making clean food choices. I guess I thought the weight loss would be more. A couple things I want to try is reducing dairy intake and focusing on how I break my fast each day. Each week I have tweaked something and experimented to see how my body would respond. I may even incorporate more weight training each week.
Hi Chalyn, it sounds like you’re on the right path. Keep tweaking, and I’m sure you’ll find the results you’re after. Thanks for sharing your experiments with us.
This is great stuff! You’ve really honed in on your routine and have put contingencies in place for when you’re not feeling well and when you need a bit of a break. Thanks for sharing your update 🙂
Hi Michael,
Thanks for this informative article, and congratulations on your weight loss results!
I follow a whole food, vegan diet and have long been an advocate of 16/8 intermittent fasting. This diet seems to fit my body’s natural eating preferences, and has helped me to maintain a healthy weight without calorie counting/ restrictive dieting.
I’m also a big proponent of daily 7 minute HIIT sessions, because like you, I tend to be an all-or-nothing person and prefer to keep my exercise regime consistent to remain on track. Plus, at only 7 minutes, with no required equipment, it’s very minimalist friendly!
I haven’t tried OMAD, but after reading this article (and hearing about your fantastic results) I’m certainly interested in testing it out for myself!
Thanks, Rach! It sounds we have a lot in common 🙂 Congrats on your site, and let us know what your experience with OMAD is like. All the best, Michael.
Hi Micheal. Firstly thank you for sharing this valuable information. On 24th Feb 2020 my weight was 106.4 kgs which is 25 kgs more than my ideal weight. I have tried many diet plans before but dint see expected results. My friend suggested me to start low carb diet and I read few books ( Tim ferries ). I started low carb diet by eating egg whites and veggies three meals a day for a week and then I read ur article about OMAD diet. I started having one low carb meal between 6pm to 7pm. I also take one multi vitamin tablet after the meal. For me to get adapted to this took 3 to 4 days and from 5th day I started feel light and my energy levels were good. I keep one day in a week as my cheat day to have all the junk food and fruits I like to eat. Now on 16th March my weight is 99 kgs which is amazing. I lost 7kgs!!! Thank you again for sharing and I will continue this diet till I reach my target weight.
Hi Sravan, fantastic effort and results to back it up. It must be tough doing low-carb OMAD! I’m glad I was able to play a role in your journey. All the best with it 🙂
This is very interesting! I am about 50 pounds overweight, normally every day I just have the “basic” american routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner lol. Because of the fact that I forgot that a bill was coming out of my account and my bank overdrafted I went through the whole day, but surprisingly was not that hungry. Then realized, hmm maybe this is something that I could do every day to not only save money in the long run but lose some weight along the way and improve my health. Thank you so much for this article. I have decided I am starting this tomorrow.
Hi Madison, what an interesting way to stumble into intermittent fasting! Haha! I’m this post has given you some inspiration to try OMAD 🙂
Hey started today,24th Feb 2020. Iv managed to pull through the first day. I had my meal at 6pm. The thought of knowing I’ll only have another meal tomorrow jooo. Im confident il pull through the first 3 days. How fo i measure my meal? What to have and not overdo?
Congrats on starting your OMAD journey! The first couple of days can be daunting. As I explained in the post, if you can, try to pull together large bowls with a mix of nutrients, e.g. a section for protein, grain, salad, veg, and a nice dressing. It’s an adjustment to cram 1.5 to 2x your normal portion size into one meal, but I found that’s what was required for me to sustain to the next day. You’ve got this!
Hey Michael,
I saw your site and really liked it. On May 3 of 2019 I 49 years old and weighed 335 lbs and I had type II diabetes. I also had so many health issues to include, sleep apnea, skin rashes, major fatigue, and the list went on. I knew I had to make a change. I started with fasting for 18 hours on a vegan diet and worked up to the 23:1. It is now February of 2020 and I weigh 250 lbs. Every health issue I had in 2019 is gone. I took December, January and half of February off but kept to 2 sensible well balanced meals a day. The 250 lbs has held steady during that time. I took a few days to mull over what you had written and I have since started back up with the goal of losing 30 more lbs and to get back in shape to do triathlons like I used to do 19 years ago. Thanks you for re-igniting my drive to be fit again!
Sincerely,
Anthony
Wow, well done, Anthony! Those are some incredible results. I’m glad this post helped to re-motivate you to continue with OMAD. All the best in working your way back to d triathlons again 🙂
Hi, I have experienced various bouts of Intermitten fasting: 8/16, 4/20, and 1/23. In most cases I was good for a few days then blasted binged because of having the no calorie count. Then I used a tracking app and began to track my calories, yet with low calories the weight was not budging. I then realised maybe my carbs were too high even when mostly from veggies and fruit… still weight budged a few pounds and then returned while still doing the same plan. When I moved to OMAD it seemed to work a bit better but the cravings drove me off plan requently. So I decided to do two things to maybe help shift my set point that my body kept returning to which is a few stones too high for my height etc. On January 1st 2020 I went Vegan, with about 10-20% vegetarian. I also fasted for 48 hours did an OMAD veggie then fasted for another 48 hours did a veggie OMAD again and now it is esier to fast 23 hours per day and enjoy a medium size OMAD. I intend to continue doing occasional 48 hours fasting along with vegetarian/vegan meals.
Thank you for your website and the people who have commented here as it helps to know I am not alone in such a big transition in which I truly intend to succeed at getting to my correct healthy weight while not harming other life forms. Here’s to good peaceful health!
Hi Elizabeth, I’m glad you’ve found a process of using 48hr fasts to find sustainability with OMAD. Your honestly and trial and error add a lot of value to this article, so thank you for sharing. Together, we can do this!
Hi Michael,
Just wanted to say your article brought me on the OMAD diet back in September 2019 and as a result I’ve lost about 30 lbs because of it. I made it until mid December until the streak ended because of holiday obligations but am choosing to continue on with it because of the positive effects it has had on my life. Thank you for sharing your experience with the diet and all the best in the new year!
Larry
Wow, Larry, incredible results! I’m glad I was able to play a role, but that’s all you. Thank you and I hope you have an incredible 2020.
I have used the OMAD before but this is the first time on a vegan diet
I normally combine it with dry jan as a good way to start the year and shift the Christmas binge weight
I eat my meal in the evening after work, being an electrician I’m on the go all day so it’s a bit of a struggle when I first start it, but it’s amazing how quickly the body adjusts to the new regime.
Another benefit is not only saving money on lunch and snacks is the saving of time as I don’t need to stop for lunch or breaks I just work through and go home earlier
Win win 😉
Hi Steven, what a good idea to pencil in OMAD annual in January. Great commitment to do in evenings as you work hard during the day. Thanks for sharing and all the best trying it vegan this time round 🙂
Hey Michael. Foremost, super blog! I only recently stumbled upon The Minimalist Vegan and absolutely love your content. Like a few others here, I’ve also inadvertently been OMAD-ing prior to the practice becoming the subject of subreddits and media posts. My own OMAD patterns are a bit less stringent: during the work week, I’ll typically consume a couple cups of espresso (black) and water throughout the day and have one meal a day (usually dinner). I’m a bit more flexible on weekends to accommodate brunches, barbecues and other social gatherings. In my case, eating one meal a day has definitely contributed to greater and more consistent levels of energy and focus. Anecdotally, OMAD has also had a positive (or at least not adverse) effects on my energy/stamina during regular gym training sessions (3x per week). The one caveat here is that I tend to get super hungry an hour or so after a robust workout and usually try to eat dinner (my one meal) a bit earlier on those days. Again great post and thanks for sharing your experience!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I love you’ve built in flexibility in your approach to OMAD. No doubt this helps with sustainability. Thanks for sharing your experience with us 🙂
Hi Michael,
I’m doing the OMAD diet since April 2019 with great results. Now I’m gonna become vegan as i tried eating only veggies for a like 2 weeks and it felt much better and also healthier, but also because of the animals. Could you advice on some vitamins you take or how to start the vegan process? Thanks 😉
Hi Stelian! Wow, good on you for keeping up OMAD for so long! And it’s awesome to see that you’re becoming vegan. I wrote an in-depth guide on how to transition to a vegan lifestyle which includes info on vitamins/supplements and food prep. Hope this helps 🙂
Wesome! thank you so much. Keep up the good work 😉
My pleasure ??
Dear Ab I was struck by how hard you work at your diet and your commitment to veganism. I have come across (excuse the lack of actual referencing evidence here) a line of thought that the legumes can cause inflammation within the body – which perhaps could attribute to carrying “excess weight” despite your discipline. Also there is question as to some of the grains. Personally I think there are variations with veganism that suit different people. For me I have to go pretty clean to get optimum results: I cannot do powders or “processed” vegan “meat” alternatives and I cannot do soya, beans or lentils. Sweet potatoes and butternut and potatoes with vegetables steamed or baked or raw are easier on my system. I also find Omega 3 and 6 oil supplements reduce inflammation (up to six capsules a day); and turmeric capsules (2×3 per day) reduce inflammation (Biocurcumin specifically is fantastic if available in your country). Extracted ginger. Lemon juice with or cold water in morning on empty stomach. Also the whole question of intestinal flora may be worth looking at…fermented veg/probiotics). Disclaimer: I am not a trained health practitioner and dosages of supplements my own experience for myself). I dont know if any of this may pertain. Perhaps OMAD may solve everything without reviewing the legume and grain aspect as the fasting window gives the body more time to process and address potentially adverse effects of the foods ingested. Hope there is something in this that may help rather than confuse. Kind regards.
I stumbled across this by accident and I’m so glad I took the time to read it….. I’ve been doing omad for 2 weeks now and it was easier than I thought it was going to be… I didn’t do it mainly for the loss of weight even though I need to lose belly fat in hopes that I do but I wanted mental Clarity.. I wanted my body to feel good …to have longevity in my life… to be able to fight disease and feel good in a whole… I like to call this a lifestyle and not a diet ….I appreciate your encouragement to everyone here that is trying to better their life and I’m vegan for 5 years now and that was that was the best decision I have ever made so even if I don’t succeed on the omad My Lifestyle as a vegan will never change…Blessings to you !!!
Hi Ann, sorry I missed your comment earlier! I think it’s amazing that you’re trying to turn OMAX into a lifestyle for mental clarity, that’s inspiring! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Also nice to see another vegan trying OMAD 😉
Wow, thank you for sharing such a raw and honest experience with your weight loss journey. This, to me, is what the internet is about as I can relate to much of what you’ve experienced. There’s no magical “success” story here, but what I respect is that you keep on trying. You should be proud of your efforts.
There’s nothing I can say that you haven’t already heard. You’ve done the research, you’ve seen professionals, you’ve tried, you’re grinding it out.
I suppose the only thing is, you’re vegan. It takes a belief and commitment to not only become vegan but to stay vegan for a sustained period. So you have an excellent foundation of discipline and motivation, and I do not doubt that you’ll figure out what works best for you.
I have never heard about OMAD but one I been eating once a day for the last 4 days.
After trying different methods to loose weight one day I thought let’s just eat once a day to see what happens
Today I was a bit worried that eating once a day could be unhealthy so I decided to browse the web and see if there was something to read about it and found your article which had encouraged me to continue my once a day meal.
Glad to hear this article gave you some encouragement to continue eating one meal a day. Judging from the comments in this post, it seems like you have a good chance to reach your goals on OMAD.
Great article!
I’ve been on the OMAD diet for nearly 1 year and can really see the benefits. One of which is complete mental clarity. It’s hard to explain, but I am more focused everyday and feel as though my cognitive abailities have improved. I have lost a total of around 10Kg from 98Kg to 88Kg. I even have more strength in the gym when I train. I too also had cheat days where I would eat 3 meals a day because it depended on the season and where I was, etc. However, overall I stuck to it and will do so for the rest of my life if I can.
Thanks, Barry! Almost one year on OMAD, well done!
It’s fantastic to see your physical results, as well as your improved mental clarity and cognitive abilities.
Glad to know you can make OMAD sustainable by having cheat days now and then. Thanks for sharing your experience with us 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience. I just did a 65 day juice feast and am coming back to a resume intermittent fasting. Building on the juice feast I felt that I might step up to a the OMAD version. I think in general my previous experience may permit this with ease.
It’s a pleasure, Dwayne. I’m sure OMAD will feel fairly natural after your juice fast. All the best with it!
Best weight lose tips I have ever read. OMAD is the way to go. Starting right away. Thanks for this article. I appreciate
Aw, thank you so much, Grace! I’m glad you’re feeling inspired. All the best with your OMAD journey 🙂
Back in 1973 I lost over 100 pounds eating one meal a day at 2 pm long before many of today’s health advocates were even born. I worked 2 pm to 10 pm in a restaurant where i was busy all night long. I was ready for bed when I got home at 11 pm, and when I got up in the morning coffee was all I needed to hold me over. 2 pm was a perfect time to eat for my needs. I would just have a small plate of whatever the special was that day with a little souffle cup of ice cream for dessert.
I could never have waited until 5 or 6 pm to eat. I would have been too hungry, and I was way too busy working during the dinner hours anyway. Even now that I’m retired and have all day to myself, I am back on OMAD and find it easy when I know I can eat at around 2 pm. That gives me plenty of time to metabolize my meal before I sit watching the evening news and then go to bed at 10 pm. I do, however, enjoy coffee with 2 T heavy cream (no sweeteners) several times a day which keeps me satisfied and satiated. I’m not a vegan, but I do not eat much meat. I can’t stand the sight or smell of it anymore. My OMAD is usually a cup of bean or lentil soup with a slice of multi-grain toast buttered with GHEE followed by a salad topped with nuts, seeds, olives, sliced egg, crispy croutons, and 2 T. creamy dressing ( plus a small sweet potato on the side if I’m extra hungry), then a cup of berries with a dollop of whipped cream for dessert. This works for me, especially now at age 69 with hypothyroidism.
What an inspiring story, Larry! It’s so refreshing to get your insights from doing OMAD back in the 70s.
I am a certified personal trainer and have been in competition shape in the past, though the last 5 years I have been more focused on clients than my own health/wellness/physique goals. I need something challenging to motivate me and have decided to pursue OMAD until I reach a given weight/body fat. Then, I will to start lifting heavy and incorporate my running goals – I know I will need more fuel for those. I have done OMAD in 2007 and leaned up awesomely! I have also done the 16:8 to keep lean during heavy training times and the results are phenomenal especially as compared to eating every 2-3 hours to prevent catabolism. I have worked with seniors, many of whom are fighting diabetes and every one of them have found great success with the 16:8 IF. My routine now is eating one meal at home with my husband after my 9-5 workday. I follow Precision Nutrition so my meal is lean protein and veggies (I am avoiding starch and fats right now). I am not finding this difficult simply because I know it works. The challenge will yield the results I am looking for and beyond. My experience has been, when it comes to dropping body weight and fat, you simply have to sacrifice/be a little out of your comfort zone. The habits and lifestyle you have been following have lead to where you currently are, so…it is going to take changes to everyday choices to get you results 🙂
Hi Jennifer, it sounds like you have an incredibly strong mindset. I have no doubt you’re going to crush it on OMAD much as you did in 2007. Thanks for sharing your experience with us 🙂
This is inspiring me. I am not a vegan, but a low carb pescatarian, however, everyone can eat mostly veggies! It would be much better for the planet! I am contemplating OMAD to reign in my diet and as you said, stop thinking about food all of the time. I currently eat 2 meals per day with a 7-8 hour window in between meals. I am losing weight very slowly, but would like to give my body a zip in the right direction. Straight vegetarian for a month is very doable, as is OMAD. Thank you for your experience, it is helpful.
You’re doing so well, Karlene! Step-by-step and you’ll get there 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us, and I’m glad you found this post helpful.
I hope to try this..that is about all I can do is hope.
I have tried fasting and all sorts calorie counting and cannot lose the weight.
Never had a problem with my weight til the last 10 yrs. Stress.
Your post is inspirational and encouraging. Thank you.
Will fill you in if I can really try this and have some results to show.
I’m so glad you found this post inspiring! You can do it!
I never heard this diet and I’m gonna try.I don’t want junk food or bread .I got burned with low carb and couldn’t stick to keto.My weights been up and down my whole life and I’m tired .I want try this and not resort to surgeries or drugs I can do it if could .Thank you very inspiring .
You’re welcome, Gaby 🙂 It sounds like you have a very good mindset for long-lasting health. Try OMAD out for a few days and see how your body responds. All the best!
Hi, Michael,
Thank you for this entire blog. Your grace and spirit of experiment infuse the entire blog with positivity! I agree with you that listening to your body (and occasionally your loved ones) is the best way to judge results.
I’m 68, and overweight but so far not unhealthily so. But I want to be more confident physically to take my grands to the forests and mountains. Plus I want to get a handle on the stress eating that just makes me exasperated with myself. So I started OMAD yesterday. I loved the post that says that any food you like the looks of, well, it’s on the menu in x hours no problem! Just my experience. Also the point that several posts made that hunger often just goes away, and that it’s best to keep busy.
I’ve gone months and even years without putting sugar in my tea or coffee and gone back to sugar/milk and back off again. When I get off, I experience the slight bitterness of the drink as a “clean dose of reality.” (Then again who needs more bitter reality? Still it works for me.)
I started just yesterday because my son has sent me videos about this. So, since I agree with him on so little else, (eyeroll) I decided to make this a link.
Please, everyone: I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to see updates, however mixed they may be. Let’s keep this conversation going…I’m eating it up!
What a lovely comment, Lucy! I can feel your great energy through your words 🙂 I’m so excited for you to give OMAD a go. With your attitude, I’m sure you will feel better as a result. Have a lovely weekend.
I started this OMAD thing the last two weeks and its shown me wonders already,I did not even imagine,though ive not checked on my weight yet but everyone seema amazed about this.I want to take it for about 2months then watch out.I only do a small amount of food including some proteins,vitamins,thats fruits and alittles starch,but its really working and i believe it.My weight has really dropped.
Fantastic news, Betty! Even just a bit of encouragement can go a long way to staying consistent on OMAD. All the best!
Unless you do low-carb, OMAD will make you feel very, very hungry and lethargic. OMAD works best for people who can go from using glucose for energy to using fat for energy with no problems. But if your glycogen stores are already high …I wouldn’t recommend it. I tried both higher and lower-carb diets on and fasting, and the difference between the two approaches is pretty big.
Hi Ema, thank you for sharing your insights about high-carb versus low-carb eating on OMAD. I’ll be sure to do some testing as well 🙂
Hello to everyone who are interested in the topic. I am practicing eating once a day for more than 30 years and from my personal experience this is the lifestyle that fit perfectly for my personality. I am active, 53 years old woman who travel a lot through many cultures so being super picky about what to eat is not the option. I eat real food instead of fast food and this is the only food restriction I have . Bread, pasta , rice are not prohibited.Eating once a day gives you a freedom to eat whatever your body is asking for. My eating time is in the evening. During the day I will drink coffee with a little sweet creamer . My weight and health is stable for more than 30 years and intake of pills equals to zero. I was eating once a day my entire adult life and do not plan to change it.This lifestyle saving your time and money . Guys, you are on the right track if you are thinking to change your eating habits to get healthier and happier 🙂 Good luck to all!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing your OMAD experience with us! It is truly valuable to see an example like this where you’ve been doing it for so long. I hope everyone who visits this post, will feel as inspired as I am from your story.
This is amazing. About 3 weeks ago I saw the same video you saw of the black guy in the woods doing OMAD for anti aging. He was inspirational. I’m trying to text as slow as he was talking! Haha. I’m African American, overweight, and HBP & Diabetes runs in my family. Sadly, so does Alzheimer’s. A week ago I was 262lbs. I have been doing OMAD for one week and one day, thus far (just finishing up today’s meal now 3:30pm). I try to eat after 2:00 pm and before 7:00 pm. One of the things I noticed in that anti aging video is that he said ONE MEAL A DAY, but added that in mornings and evening he and his wife have small snacks (Dessert), I think it was grains/nuts and some other collaboration. So I’m doing a low carb version of OMAD (while also reducing red meat during the week), but will grab a handful of Walnuts, black berries and 1/4 Dill Pickle slice, once during the day with have a cup of Almond Milk. I call that my dessert. Psychologically it makes OMAD easier. I call my version OMAD+ (OMAD Plus). I felt I need to getting some fruit and nuts in my diet was mandatory, even if my carb count is slightly higher. So here is the good news. After One week, yesterday I weighed in at 254 lbs. I lost 8 lbs last week! I’m extremely encouraged and after one week have so much more energy, as well as mental clarity. Reading your post was inspirational; it makes me feel I can go all the way! My big vice is diet coke/soda. I’m limiting myself to one a day with my meal, but make sure I’m drinking water throughout the day. Moments ago, I had a Diet Coke and it didn’t taste as good as normal. Hopefully, like you with Coffee, I can get off it altogether. That is a goal of mine. By July 1st 2020, I want to be 185 lbs. That’s a loss of 77 lbs. In 40 weeks…then by Sept 1 2020, I want to be 175 lbs. I was looking for a supportive OMAD post and I am glad I found you, brother! Keep pushing me! Next Tuesday I will add “The Gym” for resistance work and I will walk until down to 205 lbs. before I start jogging (gotta watch the weight on the knees).
Peace and Take care!
–Ip
Hey! A fantastic effort at the beginning of your journey. You’re also inspiring me 🙂 I love the idea of OMAD+ as it promotes sustainability of OMAD. You’ve got this ??
Good write up! I’m on Day 3 of my OMAD enterprise and feeling pretty good. I’ve been intermittent fasting, mostly 16/8, for about 2.5 years now, and also eat a *mostly* vegan diet already, so OMAD is not completely foreign to me or my body. After researching the hunger and satiety hormones ghrelin and leptin and how they behave (e.g. ghrelin will rise as I feel hungry but will eventually fall back down if I persevere through it) I decided to give it a try. I have lost 7 pounds in 2 days already, though losing weight is not my main objective. I feel like my body might perform more efficiently with only 1 meal a day and I’ve read that the body will process nutrients better resulting in less calories needed, as well as increase life span, and a longer duration for optimal autophagy to occur. Anyway, thanks for the post, it was insightful to read someone else’s experience with OMAD.
Hi Dan! It’s so exciting to hear about your experience transitioning from 16/8 to OMAD. You’ve done your research, and I’m sure you’ll continue feeling the benefits of intermittent fasting. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi….loved reading your article! More information than most other stuff out there. And always nice to read a first hand account.
One question though – how much weight did you lose? And did you have any medical ailments that were reversed / Fixed post your OMAD experiment?
Hi Renuka! Thank you for your kind words. I tried to lay it all out there based on my experience. Information about my weight loss from OMAD is all documented in the post. I lost 4 kgs in the first month and over 8kgs to date. I’m grateful not to have any medical ailments. All the best!
Loved the article! Thanks for sharing that. I’m curious as to what your average calories per day was. Were you getting close to 2,000-2500? Seems like a lot of calories for one meal but I’m really interested in trying this. Thanks again for sharing!
Hi Eric, I’m glad you enjoyed the article. While I love the idea of counting calories, I’m not committed to tracking them. So I’m not sure how many calories I was consuming on OMAD. I can see how it would be wise to track calories at least initially to see how your body responds to one meal a day. Good luck!
One thing I would have liked to see in your article (and have had trouble finding on the internet), is WHAT to eat for this ONE meal. I am Having a tough time trying to figure out how to get all necessary nutrients to fit into this one meal. Some examples of what you ate would’ve been nice.
Hi Denise, thank you for your feedback. I’ll keep it in mind for future updates. I did mention a combination of buddha bowl as a nutrient-dense meal with a link to our recipe if that helps? All the best.
Thank you so much. Its such an inspiring and well written article.
I am 60 and am trying to lose, ( pl don’t ask ), X amount of lipids as it were accumulated over the years.
I have reached the point where it has become a necessity to shed those lbs, as weight related health issues have started to appear in my life. Btw, my doctor has heartily endorsed my going on a OMAD routine.
Thank You Mike, for a Brilliant article, and Best Regards!
Aw, thank you so much! It sounds like you have a great plan in place, and it’s reassuring that your doctor supports OMAD. All the best with your journey ahead. You’ve got this!
That’s a good article I could say I started OMAD 1 week and I within this one week I am experiencing a lot of change on my weight. Thanks for the article
Fantastic start, Sharon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve been doing omad for 5 months now.. It was a tat easier for me since I did it in after ramadan where I was used to not drinking and eating at all.. But I’ve first really started after… But I can say I’ve had days where I fallen in and I succumbed to the mindset that is I can eat whatever witch is a big mistake. But even tho I’ve failed alot of times on som days I always made sure to get back up on the horse again the day after. I’ve lost around 16 kilos during the last 4 5 months.
Amazing results Tarek, but more importantly, you’re able to bounce back time and time again, which I admire. Thank you for sharing your OMAD experience with us.
I am back on OMAD after trying it a year ago, but like yourself, was having tea and coffee with milk during the day. I switched to decaf about 6 months ago and have eliminated dairy, so now all I have during the day is green tea and water. My dinner has been 2 small baked potatoes with avocado, sauerkraut and corn, a small tub of rice with a mashed banana and some sugarless blueberry jam and a punnet of strawberries or other fruit all up around 1000 cals. Too early to say if I’ve lost weight but I feel great. I’m also taking vitamins C,D,Iron,Collagen,Magnesium, probiotics and a multivitamin. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I love the tweak to move towards Green Tea. I think I’ll do the same 🙂 It also looks like you’ve found nutritional balance with your meal and vitamins. How you feel is a much better measure than how much weight you’ve lost. Keep up the great work!
I have been on this particular regiment since late March and since then I have lost a total of 48 lbs. I eat breakfast around 6:30 am. I do cheat probably once a week to eat dinner with my wife but the rest of the week she eats alone and does so with discretion as to not tempt me. The 1st 3 weeks were terrible and it was a taper process but on the 4th week I finally achieved the one meal a day goal. My body is still angry on some days and I get some pretty harsh headaches. When this happens I down about 32oz of water or Lemon water and the ache slowly backs down. It is very important to also make sure you’re supplementing with essential vitamins your body needs since you no longer have the intake from the daily food you once were eating. It took me a several weeks to realize that lack of vitamins and nutrients were causing more harsh side effects than I would’ve liked. A quick trip to the vitamin hut and that was that. The human body is an amazing machine that can adapt and conform to its current circumstances. I encourage anyone who has a weight issue or a health issue to give this a try. The body will go into a state of rebuilding and healing while this regiment is being utilized.
Good luck and stay strong.
Wow, what fantastic results! Your honest experience with OMAD has been really insightful. Yes, I’ll have to do a much better job with vitamins. We have lots in the house, so there’s no excuse. You should be proud!
Interesting post.
I stumbled onto OMAD after doing it for a week. Have been trying to lose weight for a few years. Tried calorie counting. Worked but made me miserable and snappy. Tried alternate day fasting which also worked but I wasn’t good for much by the end of a fast day. Also overate on feast days. Put all the weight from calorie counting back on. Put about half the fasting weight back, so some of that stuck.
It occured to me that I could try one meal a day and then after a couple of days I looked it up and it is a thing. Two weeks in and tbh I am loving it.
Hands down the easiest diet I have tried. I eat at 3pm. Couple of pieces of fruit to start, then soup (with veg!), couple rounds of sandwiches (with veg!), then whatever else I fancy, which is usually very little because by then I am pretty full. Not hungry at all in the evening, in the morning you are only a few hours from eating again!
Unlike alternate day fasting I never have a whole day to get through. However, alternate day fasting did teach me some useful tips which are making this easier I think.
1. Drink lots and drink before you get hungry. Like, a pint at a time. Drink early and drink often. You are probably just thirsty if you feel hungry. Sugar free cordial is great for this. Mix up the flavours or you’ll get bored and then you’ll drink less.
2. Hunger goes away. If you really are hungry, find something to do for 5 mins. You’ll find it goes away.
3. Fruit and veg in every meal. Ideally the biggest part. You can go a week without meat, junk. Go a week without fruit/veg and you’ll feel terrible. Take vitamin/mineral supplements.
4. Get busy. Nothing breeds hunger like boredom.
Hoping this is the diet that works out long term! Funny thing is that I’m making such an effort to ensure I am eating fruit and veg in that one meal a day, I’ve almost given up meat by accident.
David, what a valuable share! You’ve got your OMAD system on lock. And it’s really cool that you’re naturally pulled to add more vegetables to your diet. Keep kicking goals and check back in with us later with an update 🙂
Hi Michael. Thank you so much for sharing! I started this diet about 2 weeks ago – mainly because i am trying to reverse the symptoms i have as pre-diabetic. I have actually been noticing better blood glucose levels since I started this OMAD diet. When I am hungry i add a pinch of pink salt+cream of tartar (5:1 ratio) to my liquids (cold tea/water/cold coffee) which helps a lot.
I eat my meal between 12-2pm like yourself and 1 have one cheating day where I eat two meals.
I am a bit worried about the lack of vitamins (when i eat one meal i day, i try to add one fruit, but sometimes i am just too full after eating). Should I get vitamin pills? Furthermore , I am not sure if working out ealy morning is ok when only having my first meal so many hours later … What’s your take on that?
Hi Marlon, that’s so fantastic to hear that you see better blood glucose levels since starting OMAD!
I understand your dilemma, as it feels like quite a bit of pressure to give your body everything it needs in one meal. Nutrition is not my area of expertise, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving you advice. For me personally, I listen to my body. If I wanted to take it further, I would get regular blood test results to measure movement in nutrient levels, and adjust accordingly.
So, I think I’m a bit like you ‘100% in or 100% out. A friend had just started IF and I saw great results in him. I’m overweight and I needed to make many changes , especially with mindset. I have taken on the OMAD and I’m eating a Keto diet (so only carbs in low starch veggies and zero fruit). Everything is better. I’m at Day 12 and my sleep has improved so much. Head hits the pillow and I’m asleep, my mood is way happier, I can actually think clearly!! I have more energy. I have lost 4.4kg in 12 days. So that’s like 10pound or something. I was between 170/180 pounds to begin with (76kg) – I only know the metric system 🙂 I am at the gym every day but it’s not high intensity. I eat my meal at night at 7.30pm. I’m excited to see where this leads.
Hi Megan! Congrats on making it to day 12 on Keto OMAD. Very impressive. It sounds like you have a solid foundation in place, so I’m sure you’ll go far with it. Just go easy on yourself if you break the chain. You’ve got this! Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Thanks for sharing your helpful article with us. I wish you all the best.
im not a vegan. i eat almost everything edible. lately im checking which should be the best omad eating-window.
It might be worth tweaking to see if plant-based feels good. The eating window is very personal, based on your lifestyle. Let us know how you go.
thanks for sharing your omad experience. Although i have been eating with one principal meal a day for d last 25 yrs, Now im trying to improve it. Im keeping my eating-window at 3-5am, and eat a fruit or some salad during d day. so its no longer strict omad.
25 yrs! It’s nice to see an example of longevity with OMAD. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Eric.
What a fantastic article! Thank you for the inspiration! I’ve been working towards OMAD all summer. I’ve been consistent for about a month. Over this summer I’ve lost 25lbs. I try to eat whole nutrient dense foods when I eat at around 6 pm -7 pm. I also take a multivitamin to be sure I’m getting the vitamins I need. I haven’t cut out my coffee with half and half though. I also drink a slash Simply Light lemonade with mostly water to stay hydrated throughout the day. I’ve found I have more energy eating this way. It’s also easier to just make one meal a day and shop. Tonight I had sardines, cottage cheese, a whole tomato from the garden and a nectarine. I feel full and ready for tomorrow. I make sure I sleep 9 hours a night and I’ve cut out drinking any alcohol. Tomorrow I’m starting strength training. A half hour a day, three days a week. In the fall, when it cools down, I’ll resume my walking routine (2 miles, 5 days a week). I also have mostly stopped dinning out. My brother was in town a couple weeks ago so we went out for fish tacos (grilled fish). I thought that was pretty healthy. A friend came to town for a visit last week. We usually go out for Indian food once a week. I just explained that I’m only eating one meal a day and she was kind enough to bring over some guava and dragon fruit for me to eat at dinner. She was very supportive. I want to loose 40 more pounds by my 50th birthday in May. That would make me very thin, but still healthy. I’ve been thin most my life and it feels good. I’ll let you know how it goes. ~Cheers!!!
Wow, Kim! What incredible results! But it’s not surprising as you are very committed to the OMAD lifestyle. Yes, please come back and give us an update on your progress leading up to your 50th birthday. Well done.
Hi! Thank for sharing your experience! I’ve heard a lot about this diet but haven’t tried it. But your results are really great!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Joshua! I just added an updated towards the end of the article if you’re interested 🙂
I have been doing the OMAD diet since 7/5/2019, and have lost 11 pounds so far. I am menopausal and all I was doing was gaining weight. I got up to 190 and my mom told me to try eating one meal a day. When she told me about it I thought it was impossible. I have tried everything under the sun and couldn’t loose weight, so I thought I would give it a try. I love it. I’m loosing weight, I stopped taking my hormone pill, I still have energy, No hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings etc…. I am elated…..I know this sounds unbelievable, and it is, but true. I have done my research about the OMAD diet and it’s really legit, and I feel great. I eat one meal a day, and I eat whatever I want to eat. I use to think I could just eat how ever much I wanted to eat, but that’s not so, because I get full quick, and if I do overeat I am miserable as ever. Which is a good thing because my stomach has shrunk. After reading this blog I’m going to start watching what I eat now. I drink coffee, but I can’t drink it black, so I still add heavy whipping cream and equal. I drink so much water, but I add a little cranberry juice to that for a little flavor. Does anybody have any suggestions for my coffee and water. The only added sugar I use is the equal , and I eat between 6-7 on the weekdays, since I don’t get home from work until then, and 4-6 on weekends. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi Toni, your story is inspiring. Thank you for sharing it with us! I still haven’t cracked the code on coffee. I’ve had varying success with herbal teas, but it’s just not the same.
Hi Toni I enjoyed hearing your account and found it encouraging. You asked for suggestions re flavoring water or coffee. For water one could try combinations of: fresh mint with peeled cucumber slices, lemon slices and ginger. Or strawberries. Celery and parsley. Leave to stand in room temperature water overnight to infuse or if prefer pop in fridge immediately. Use filtered water. Can serve with ice if hot climate. Change out each day but can top up jug throughout day with more water. Hope you find this useful. (Lemon supports liver and helps ph. Ginger is anti inflammatory; cucumber, parsley and celery assist with cleansing liver and kidneys; mint assists digestion. Strawberry I cannot recall benefit but it tastes nice and is low calorie).
Hi Ak, thank you for sharing your OMAD experience with us. It looks like you’ve found a right balance with weekdays and weekend splits. I agree that OMAD is getting back to our biological shape. Eating multiple meals seems excessive when you think about it.
Today is my third day , I was actually loosing ny mind as I didn’t loose a single gram of weight. But after reading this I have decided to test my will power . Hope this works for me
You can do it, Deepali! It will get easier the longer you do it. All the best!
I was wondering about the 1 meal a day diet I’ve been on it before and lost over 100 lbs I just can’t remember what I ate if I can remember I ate anything I wanted on it and I ate it about lunch time
Hi Rachel. Perhaps if you do OMAD again, you could keep a food journal. With such strong results, I’m sure others would be curious about your process.
I see some say the best time is to eat in the evenings. How long of a window should you wait to go to sleep? Always heard eating and than going to sleep is not good. Thanks !
I’m a happy, fat, diabetic, old carnivore! This is a good article. Thanks. I’ve been eating One Meal a Day for about 3 weeks now and so far I’m loving it. I’d been having considerable trouble keeping my blood sugar levels within recommended thresholds (always too high). The many small meals a day recommended by all the diabetes organizations wasn’t working, despite doubling my meds. So I tried a keto approach for a couple of weeks and my sugar went down immediately. But I didn’t like keto. I’m kind of skeptical of any approach to eating that cuts out huge categories of food types. Then I met a guy who had lost 100 lbs on OMAD and gone from being Type 2 Diabetic to ‘normal’. It was enough to cause me to give it a whirl. And I’m loving it. And my body is loving it. My blood sugar is consistently in range (I never seem to have trouble with low blood sugar ratings; always when they’re off they’re too high). I was concerned about that because the popular wisdom is that regular small meals is the way to manage blood sugar.
So far I haven’t seen any dramatic weight loss but I’m not someone who has access to a set of scales. But even if I lose no weight I’m a very happy old gal!! I love how the conversation inside my head about food has shifted. On keto and in general it was a deprivation conversation. “Gee, I’d love to have some of that but I can’t because I have to keep my blood sugar in line.” Now it’s “OK, you want that? Great. Just wait x hours and you can not only have it but have as much as you want of it.” Often by the time my meal time comes around that urge has moved on, btw. So far the only real challenge I’m having is ensuring that I get enough fruits and vegetables in in one hour. One trick I’m using is that if I’m especially low, I make up a shake with 3-4 servings of fruit in it and have that as my dessert. I make a small pot of French Press coffee each morning and have my couple of cups of that and the rest of the time it’s water and water flavoured by letting herbal tea bags sit in it for 30 min. I seldom feel hungry. And when I do that “It’s OK. Just X hours til you can eat what you want” conversation kicks in and I relax into it.
I’m about to have my regular round of bloodwork done so it’ll be interesting to see if my cholesterol is up. I’m medicated for that at the moment so that’ll be an interesting variable. And it’ll be a test of my doctor/patient relationship when we have the conversation about my eating choices. He’s a fairly new family doc I have so I’m not sure how open to innovative thinking he is.
Overall, though, it sure seems to be working for me. I feel good. I love my meals. I appreciate the shift in my thought patterns. And I’m over the moon that my blood sugar levels finally seem to be in range on a long term basis!
Not bad for a 71 year old, meat eating, food loving, fat (and hopefully soon to be non-diabetic) gal!
Thank you for this! I was looking for a personal perspective after hearing about OMAD and yours was by far the most helpful.
I’ve been doing 16:8 for about six months and have even had a few days with just one meal. I’m also not eating carbs for the most part. I’ve lost about 50 pounds so I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting but I still feel pretty hungry in the mornings and at night if I’m up late. I can tolerate it and it’s only really bad if I’ve cheated and had carbs or sugar recently.
I’m most interested in seeing how cutting down to one meal a day affects my hunger pangs and what it’s like long term.
I love this article. I have wanted to try OMAD for so long but I felt that the info online was gimmicky or varied too much. Your experience was realistic and honest. Thank you so much. I waiver between vegan and vegetarian…one day I’ll get it right 🙂 Looking forward to trying OMAD now 🙂
I’m glad you found this article to be honest and realistic! Hope you feel good after trying OMAD 🙂
Hello Michael,
I felt inspired after reading your article. I think I will try OMAD very soon. I have been doing 16:8 for 2 months now with very minimal results because I have done it the wrong way. I use the 16:8 as a spring board to OMAD. I am so excited.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience and more power to you.
Sincerely,
Brendz
Hi Brendz!
You’re pretty much there coming from 16:8.
Keep listening to your body, and I’m sure you will get the results you’re after.
Thanks for sharing!
Michael
i enjoyed reading this article, so interesting! As for me, I did the 16:8 diet for about 2-3 months and it was hard in the beginning because i was always home and wanted to eat. However, now that I have a job, I only eat once per day and I already lost 2 lbs in just one week! which is crazy because i could not lose weight when i was doing the 16:8 diet. But I have to say that I do get really tired and just like you said I want to sleep at 8:30, which is very very surprising for me. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Hi Diana, thank you for sharing your experience with us. What a difference it made dropping one meal. I’ve now been on OMAD for over three months, and I’m no longer feel tired. It’s amazing how your body adapts.
For me the best way to lose weight is OMAD every other day with nothing in between (like 47:1 fasting). It is very easy to lose weight this way and it lets you be insanely focused. This should also be combined with 4-5 hours of sleep every day for maximum effect, the 4-5 hours ensures that you have more time in the day.
Wow, Steve, I can’t say I’ve heard of this before. It sounds intense, and I have no doubt it would be an effective way to lose weight and free up time. I just don’t know how sustainable that would be for me. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Steve,
I am doing the same thing as you are. I am on a 47:1 fast and have been going for about 2 weeks now. It’s really good and I’m dropping about 5 lbs a week or so. My goal is to lose 90 lbs.
I started with 16:8, which didn’t seem to have any effect… then tried 23:1, which was better. But 47:1 is really powerful and isn’t that hard once the body gets used to it.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
Brian
so inspiring and great to read, i have started OMAD diet 7 days ago am into my 8th day today, my struggle is cutting off sugar and carbs and it is a bit challenging but am keeping focused and i want to make it a life style and have one day a month or so to go out with family and friends and eat with them a healthy meal that way friends will be comfortable and happy,
i have a question i feel like in the evening i eat one meal but unsure if it’s a big meal or normal meal as i try to eat for 15 mins max so i have natural yoghurt and lettuce cups filled with lean beef mince and veggies followed by a full tablespoon of crunchy almond butter and one piece of fruit mainly passionfruit and pistachios is that too much food?
i can’t see any difference in my appearance as yet as i know things take a while to show up physically.
Hi Anna, I’m so glad that you found my story inspiring.
Wow, well done for making it past one week on OMAD! I also love the idea of having one day each month when you go out with friends and family.
It’s hard to say what is enough food based on your body’s needs. If you’re unsure, I’d recommend tracking your calories in an app like chronometer.
Regarding progress, I’ve been OMAD for nearly three months now, and my weight loss has been VERY gradual. I do eat quite a bit more food than you, but I assume I’m also a different build.
Just stick with it, and limit yourself to checking your weight monthly. This is at least what worked for me.
Wow! What an interesting article! Thanks for this, I am seriously looking into OMAD as I am 2 years vegan and hoping to lose some weight. One questions is I’m searching for the one perfect vitamin and nutrient meal for the day as a vegan…. any suggestions? Also did you take any supplements in the 29 days ?
Thanks, you are a true inspiration ?
Hi Dora, I’m glad you found this post interesting! I’m not sure I’ve found the one perfectly balanced meal for OMAD, but as I mentioned in the post, it’s hard to beat the combination of a green juice and a huge Buddha bowl to pack in your nutrients. I’m historically bad at remembering to take supplements, so no. Now and then my wife will remind me to take B12, but that rarely happens.
Hey Michael, great article! I’ve been doing OMAD for a little over a year now – down 80 pounds with about 40 left to go. In my experience, it’s the easiest method of weight control for all the reasons you set out in your article: naturally less caloric intake, less insulin spikes throughout the day, and puts the body into a background “can’t rest, time to find food” mode that paradoxically increases energy. At this point it’s the natural rhythm for my body and (aside from the social aspects you mentioned) an easy routine to stick to.
I personally start my day with black coffee because it’s my vice! And I drink about a gallon of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Will note here that with reduced water consumption through food it’s important to stay hydrated but also not to go too overboard because also reduced electrolytes and don’t want to induce hyponutremia. My meal is around 6 PM. I am not vegan, but try to incorporate 8 different fruits and vegetables into every meal as a guide, then a light animal protein of some sort to balance macro and micro nutrients.
Again, great article and best of luck!
Hi Chris, your story is so inspiring, and I was hoping to find examples like yours to feed off!
It’s incredible that you’ve made it past 12 months on OMAD. But now that I’m over two months in, it kind of feels like I could easily keep it going.
I also love your simple meal goals of 8 different fruits and vegetables. Thanks for sharing, I’m sure readers, like myself, will find your experience helpful.
Hi, Michael. I’m a 47 year old, mostly raw vegan and about 50 lbs overweight. My caloric requirement is around 2200 calories by the older, conventional models. Problem is that 2200 cals is ALOT of food to consume on OMAD. Would you share my opinion that I should simply pack in as many nutrient dense calories as comfortably possible and worry about totals later? My concept is that my body will tell me if I’m lacking as I go along. I may be wrong but my belief is that 1000 raw, plant based calories are equivalent to 2000 meat and oil inclusive calories. Am I close here?
Thanks so much,
Tracy
Hi Tracy, kudos to you for eating mostly raw. Very impressive!
I’ve wondered the same thing about cramming required daily calories into OMAD—but ultimately, I decided to throw tracking out the door and respond to how my body is feeling. I’ve found that eating your caloric intake is incredibly hard to achieve and in a one-hour sitting, so I don’t force it. This is a personal decision and perhaps a plant-based nutritionist would have other ideas?
A calorie is a calorie, doesnt matter what it comes from. So eating 1000 calories of one thing can not equal 2000. Calories is measure of energy.
I started yesterday and I have done different IF over a few months. I started doing the 5:2 for a while mid-last year or something and recently I have tried the 20:4 but I found that makes me really hungry, and I do an OMAD day every so often. Now that I know I can do it pretty well I’m planning to do it for 15 days, as I am a young female women and we are advised to be very careful with IF we are usually told to stick with the 5:2 or 16:8 but I’m going to see how my body responds for me. When I did the 5 days it actually made me feel a whole lot better hormonal which is the usual concern so I’m just going to try 15 days and if I can do it with no negative health impacts that’s great, if not then I’ll just stick to short amounts of time that my body can do safely. Great post I enjoyed reading it. 🙂
Hi Nicola, so glad you enjoyed reading my post. It sounds like you’ve done quite a bit of experimenting yourself! You’re so right. You got to listen to your body and see how it responds to different types of IF. Let us know how you got with the 15 days.
Wow interesting, I’d not heard of this before and after reading this I’ve seen it pop up more. I think it’s an interesting concept, one I may apply to myself in future. I am an overweight vegan because lotus spread is life haha, jk I’ve just always been overweight. In all seriousness though I think I will drop a meal and then maybe move onto this after a few weeks to see if it works for me! I’d love an update when and if you have more to share. Thanks 🙂
Love it, Kelsey! Experimentation is the only way to know how your body will respond. Sure thing. I’ll see if I have more to share after another decent period of time 🙂
This is so inspiring and candid. Thank you for sharing your experience. I recently switched from three meals to two meals, and I have been wondering about dropping down to one… Your experience has given me the courage to try it. I’m going to try it for May, starting today. Thank you!
Hi Charity, I’m glad this post has inspired you to take it a step further and go down to one meal. I’d be interested to see how you feel after doing it for a month. Good luck!