OMAD diet refers to One Meal A Day diet which is an extreme version of time restricted eating. It somehow refers like intermittent fasting. OMAD diet is an extreme form of dieting which has become a trend for weight loss. Many people are opting this diet in order to lose weight. Unlike intermittent fasting where in the eating window is 8 hours, wherein OMAD diet has only one hour eating window. It’s clear with this statement that a person needs to fast for remaining 23 hours which is extremely crucial. In today’s article we will learn what is OMAD diet along with the pros and cons of diet.
Various forms of intermittent fasting prove effective. In order to shed those extra pounds of weight, the OMAD diet is not recommended by dietitians. It can prove dangerous to some people and results in developing various disorders. It is recommend to consume one meal at the active part of the day.
What To Eat On OMAD Diet
Unlike other diets where in calories play an important role. It becomes necessary to shed those calories in order to lose weight. Wherein in OMAD diet there is no calorie restriction and we can consume as how much calories during the one hour eating window period. Calorie consumption should be based on factors such as height, weight, age and gender too.
In OMAD diet the calories should consume within the time period of only one hour. We should consume the optimum amounts of calories in order to meet the needs of the body. If enough calories are not consume then it becomes difficult for the body to maintain the energy reserves and results in breakdown of muscles.
Most adults should consume a minimum of 1200 calories per day. It is requires to meet up the body requirements and to make immune system function properly. Staying hydrated is very important for the body. OMAD diet restricts food whereas it allows water, tea, coffee through out the day. Apart from it no other diet beverages or low calorie beverages consumption.
It is advisable to eat the meals every day at the same time to cover the fasting period of 23 hours. It is mandatory in this diet. So you should eat meal within the active period of the day. This will help the body to recover from the fasting period. It provides energy and to replace the lost nutrients during the fasting period time.
Science Behind The OMAD Diet
As OMAD diet involves eating only one meal a day which can be a larger one it can have the opposite effect of dieting in the first place. According to a study in 2015 in Journal Nutrition Reviews where in it became cautious about extreme versions of OMAD which lead to an abnormal increase in appetite and higher body fat percentage.
When a person consume only one meal a day he or she can feel lethargic throughout the day as the body lacks energy as well as the nutrients reserves. As you consume one meal, the urge to eat is increase very badly. One can overeat beyond the limits causing a shoot up in the insulin levels leaving unwell.
Who Should Not Try OMAD
Certain age groups should be not follow OMAD such as children, elderly people and people with health conditions such as diabetes too. Calories are optimum for this kind of age groups in order to maintain the proper health conditions. Those who are on medications should also avoid OMAD.
Pros Of OMAD Diet
OMAD diet can help some persons in achieving their weight loss goals
It May Help In Burning Fat: According to the participants who tried OMAD diet ended up having a lower body fat percentage but didn’t show significant change in losing weight. The typical weight loss was about 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks time.
It Can Improve Metabolism: OMAD cannot claim exactly that it help In boosting metabolism. According to one study wherein people fasted for about 18 hours and ate for 6 hours. It showed boosted metabolism because of this its getting related that even OMAD can help in boosting up metabolism.
Helps In Feeling Alert: When we fast during the day hours it helps in releasing more of a chemical called orexin – A which helps a person in feeling more alert
Cons Of OMAD Diet
- It can be difficult to sustain this diet because the eating period is quite restrictive wherein it can land in discomfort for the body.
- When only one meal is consumed during the day our body produces a hormone called as GHRELIN which even makes us feel more hungry because the body is in starvation mode.
- If the OMAD diet makes us feel hungry we can achieve weight loss if we restricts the calories which we take during the day time.
Eating one meal a day has become a popular way to lose weight now a days but it’s not a good idea in order to lose weight as this can affect your overall health of the body. Fasting is regarded to benefit the body in a number of ways but we can achieve the same ways and effects by following a more balanced and healthy diet for weight loss.
According to a study conducted it showed that the participants who followed the OMAD diet when compared to those who were eating three meals a day it showed that those who were on OMAD diet showed significant weight loss and also improvements in sugar and cholesterol when compared to those who were eating 3 meals a day.
Just because there is no control over calories when following a OMAD diet we should be mindful of what we are eating. We should try to consume foods that covers most of the food groups. We should include foods such as eggs, fish, avocados, olives, olive oil, good amounts of nuts and seeds should be included in the OMAD diet.
There is no start for an OMAD diet. It has a simple rule just to eat only one meal a day. It has a window period of only one hour. So there are no snacks and no grazing through out the day. I’m between tea, coffee and black coffee can be consumed as one to two servings.
We can lose 20 pounds in a period of several months by eating a low calorie diet and also working out vigorously for a period of few weeks. Exercises that can be included are resistance training, strength training and even cardio training too.
Staying hydrated is very important for us when following any kind of diet not only OMAD.
OMAD diet allows tea and coffee but it restricts other diet beverages or any other low calorie beverages.
When we usually follow any diet there is a fasting window period which restricts eating during which nothing should be consumed. If any one consumes during that phase of fasting it is referred to as dirty fasting. People who have the habit of practicing dirty fasting usually have about 100 calories.
Fasting usually burns fat which begins mostly after a period of approximately 12 hours after fasting. The peak point of burning fat increases.
According to the researchers if a person fasts for a period of 10 hours then this fasting can convert its body into a fat burning machine by utilizing energy from fats which in turn releases ketones into the blood stream. This process helps in achieving weight loss.
Do not extend the fasting period more, Hydration is very important, having enough proteins is important, have fruits and vegetables in optimum amounts, do no consume more fats in the diet etc.
