Help - OMAD

[xxxx]

I am seriously considering starting the OMAD diet, but a little scared, though - the internet search says it is risky and not good for overall health; on the spiritual side, it seems beneficial. 

Shall be happy if I could get some advice. 

 

Questions:

 

1) For how long can I do this? (Sporadic vs Continuous)

2) Are there any general precautions that I need to take?

3) What to do when I am feeling very hungry? (I tend to get headaches when I have not completed my nutrition requirements for the day)

4) For how long does the withdrawal process last? 

5) Are there any things that women, specifically, need to keep in mind before starting this diet?

6) Best and worst foods / time? 

7) Intake of coffee? (I have it twice a day)

8) Any other advice? 

9) Share your stories, maybe? 

.

Thank you.

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by xxxx

[Username]

Are you already doing intermittent fasting?

I'm not doing OMAD yet (I'm not ready) but I think I can help you.

[Osaid]

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

1) For how long can I do this? (Sporadic vs Continuous

Muslims go for a month, it just depends on how committed you are. 

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

2) Are there any general precautions that I need to take?

Try not to get malnourished, get a good meal in. Maybe take multivitamins if you want

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

3) What to do when I am feeling very hungry? (I tend to get headaches when I have not completed my nutrition requirements for the day)

Hunger becomes much more tame once withdrawals are over. Initially, lots of hunger is normal because your body is used to eating 24/7.

BTW, the headaches most likely happen because your body is not ready to use ketones as fuel, and it starts having low blood sugar, which causes headaches. It's basically just a withdrawal symptom. It should go away once you get into ketosis.

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

4) For how long does the withdrawal process last?

IME, only about 4 days. Your body will start to adapt and it will become easy.

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

5) Are there any things that women, specifically, need to keep in mind before starting this diet?

don't think so

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

6) Best and worst foods / time?

Best foods are the ones that are high in fat and protein, the worst ones are high in carbs. (BTW, you can subtract fiber from total carbohydrates because your body does not digest fiber)

I generally do a 16/8 intermittent fast, I eat at 8pm and stop eating at 4am. I'm not sure if there is a best time.

8 hours ago, xxxx said:

7) Intake of coffee? (I have it twice a day)

You can have coffee, just cut the carbs/sugar. Coffee could even speed up the process because it boosts your metabolism

Although, it wouldn't hurt to try and take a break from it

Edited December 22, 2020 by Osaid

[xxxx]

4 hours ago, Osaid said:

Muslims go for a month, it just depends on how committed you are. 

My family is Muslim, and I have observed Ramadan - so that shows commitment, eh? Still, there's an eating window there, and it is bearable - except for not getting to drink water.

If you could answer this, too -

I soon plan to get into water fasts. How long should I wait until that? I am using OMAD just as an entry into that. 

.

Thank you for your answers, Osaid. 

 

 

 

 

[xxxx]

5 hours ago, Username said:

Are you already doing intermittent fasting?

I'm not doing OMAD yet (I'm not ready) but I think I can help you.

Yes, your help is immensely appreciated.

To answer your question - I have done intermittent fasting previously; right now, I am not. 

[Osaid]

1 hour ago, xxxx said:

except for not getting to drink water.

I would recommend still drinking water. The only benefit of not drinking water I can see is purely spiritual, like being more grateful or whatever. Otherwise, I'm not sure if it's that good for you.

1 hour ago, xxxx said:

I am using OMAD just as an entry into that.

That's smart. The best time to go into a water fast is probably when your withdrawal period is over and you're in ketosis, so after about 4 days usually. Your body will have adapted to that sort of diet by then, so the water fast will be easier. It's good to start slowly with intermittent just to see how your body responds. Once you're comfortable with intermittent, you can probably go for a longer fast.

Although, I personally have never done a water fast

[xxxx]

10 minutes ago, Osaid said:

It's good to start slowly with intermittent just to see how your body responds. Once you're comfortable with intermittent, you can probably go for a longer fast.

Yeah. I'll spread it out over a period of time - in a descending order of consumption with an ascending order of intervals - with each diet serving an an entry into another. 

Thank you! 

[Username]

@xxxx  Short answer: don't bother  I would start with 8/16, than transition to 6/18, than 4/20 and finally so called OMAD. In reality eating only one meal isn't the best idea. It's important how you break a fast, it's probably better to eat two meals in two hours window.

 

Here you have a nice comparison on fasting patterns:

https://siimland.com/why-i-eat-one-meal-a-day/

In terms of health benefits you will get more by doing 3 days fast once or twice a month. I am planning to incorporate them next year.

 

1) For how long can I do this? (Sporadic vs Continuous)

You can do it continuously. It's best to eat always eat at the same time every day!

2) Are there any general precautions that I need to take?

I think it's a bad idea to start fasting if you are not fat adapted.

3) What to do when I am feeling very hungry? (I tend to get headaches when I have not completed my nutrition requirements for the day)

It means you are not ready for OMAD. It is ok to feel hunger (especially around meal time) but if you skip it it should go away.

4) For how long does the withdrawal process last? 

It took me nearly a year to really stick to keto and intermittent fasting. I am going about it slowly.

5) Are there any things that women, specifically, need to keep in mind before starting this diet?

I found this, it seems that you should go about it even slower

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-for-women#effects-on-women

6) Best and worst foods / time? 

Probably evenings. However Sadhguru has his meal at 4:30 AM 

7) Intake of coffee? (I have it twice a day)

You will try to cheat by drinking more caffeine - I did that to suppress hunger. I am still addicted  I used to REALLY abuse it. I think one espresso a day is quite safe. Caffeine is probably much more harmful for females, be careful

8) Any other advice? 

Go about it slowly: first eat healthy and reduce meals to three times a day. Than reduce carbohydrates intake and transition into two meals. I think it wold be best to start keto diet (it will take you long time to figure it out logistically) and stick to intermittent fasting. This is a good starting point for OMAD.

Also once you are fat adapted do carb cycling - eat unlimited amounts of carbohydrates once two or three weeks.

Supplements: berberine (500 mg twice a day, it works with IF nicely and it has positive effects on longevity), nutritional yeast (one spoon a day - you might not get enough B vitamins on keto diet). Eat 3 to 5 free range eggs a day - they are nutrition dense, have nearly zero carbs and are a good source of choline. Eating a teaspon of fenugreek (it's super cheap!) should help to suppress the hunger. I would also recommend curcumin ([maybe] 2x500 mg a day) to increase fasting effects and longevity.

[xxxx]

Hey @Username,

Thank you for such a comprehensive answer. I will go through the videos and the other links you have attached. 

 

[PurpleTree]

6 hours ago, xxxx said:

 

I soon plan to get into water fasts. How long should I wait until that? I am using OMAD just as an entry into that. 

i went directly into water fasting without omad etc.

 

first time i think it was 5 days 

next time 7 days

and twice 10 days

just water, tea, maybe some electrolytes

if you're not feeling good you can always just stop

[xxxx]

32 minutes ago, PurpleTree said:

i went directly into water fasting without omad etc.

Damn, that's brave. 

.

Could you share your experience?

How hard was it?

What are the benefits you noticed? 

 

[PurpleTree]

26 minutes ago, xxxx said:

Damn, that's brave. 

.

Could you share your experience?

How hard was it?

What are the benefits you noticed? 

 

I don't think it's that brave, because you can always just stop when it's too hard.  

I tried it for the first time like two yrs ago, did it because i tend to have some gut issues, feels inflamed a lot and also anxieties etc. which i think a lot of it in my case originates in the gut.

 

So i watched some podcasts from Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Dr. Valter Longo and then just gave it a try.

Bought some laxative salts, didn't eat and took the laxatives on the second-ish day.

The first two, three days are the hardest and then it gets easier for most people, your mind quiets down etc.

Your body just doesn't have a lot of energy for monkey mind after that.

 

The first few times i did it i got obsessed with food while fasting and started to watch tons of cooking shows, competitive eating shows and so on, just couldn't stop myself from watching them. But the last time i fasted, like three moths ago, i almost didn't have any food craving during all the 10 days and also didn't watch any food related videos. Which was kind of weird because it was so different from previous times.

 

For health. It really does help my gut. After one of those water fasts my gut feels better and i feel overall healthier. And then after a few weeks months i'm usually back to my old issues.

After like 8,9 days or so of fasting i usually get a kind of heart racing feeling, which is when i end it.

I'll definitely keep the water fasting thing in my health stack and aim for at least once or twice a year.

It's also important that you eat very healthy after the fast to build your body back up.

[PurpleTree]

Also i think in these times of abundance of food etc. in the west, i'm from western Europe.

It's nice for me to practice this also as a challenge. Like yea there is delicious food everywhere but i'm just not going to eat it as a exercise.

never did it for weight loss btw.

[xxxx]

1 hour ago, PurpleTree said:

So i watched some podcasts from Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Dr. Valter Longo and then just gave it a try.

Shall check them out. 

1 hour ago, PurpleTree said:

It's nice for me to practice this also as a challenge

That's the same reason I am planning to try it - I want to test my limits. I read somewhere that hunger is the first element of self-discipline and if one can control what they eat and drink, they can control a majority of other things in their lives. 

.

Thank you for your insights, @PurpleTree.

[KenDo]

Hey I have done OMAD in the past for about a year and I didn't have any negative affects from it. I didn't do it consistently because sometimes my family or friends wanted to eat with me or I was just really hungry. But overall I stuck to the OMAD diet for quite a long time. I was following the amen ra regimen, not sure if you have heard about it, but it's worth to check out. Anyways I didn't loose much weight because of the diet because I think my body just adapted to needing less food. For feeling hungry, drinking black coffee or sparkling water helps and since they don't contain calories it won't break your fasting. Just try it for yourself, there is really nothing to worry about. If you feel it is serving you in your life then go for it! 

For me personally I stopped doing this diet because I wanted to enjoy eating with other people and because I only ate one meal a day and my diet was very restricted, I was missing out on socializing. Also I discovered I have irritable bowel syndrome and in my case it is better for me to eat multiple meals a day. 

So what I want to tell you is, just make sure it is the right thing for you! No worries, you can do it! 

[xxxx]

Hey @KenDo,

Thank you for your answer. 

I gave The Amen Diet a cursory glance - it seems a little tough, haha - nonetheless, shall do further research on it. 

[KenDo]

@xxxx No problem, just do whatever works for you  If you have any questions or concerns about how to OMAD I am glad to help you out!