OMAD and Binge

#1

Hi all,

Been wondering if anybody in the community has experienced this phenomenon when going OMAD.

I really enjoy not having to eat breakfast or lunch, and just worry about dinner meal. I do OMAD weekdays, and am more liberal with my feeding window (usually a 16:8 or 14:10) on weekends.

What I notice, though, is that when I have my OMAD… I really cannot be stopped. The green light switches, and all bets are off. I feel little satiety, and find myself cooking, snacking as I cook, to picking at cheese and nuts / yogurt after the meal, and usually some peanut butter / keto treat as well. Mentally, I allow this because I have fasted all day but I know it is not helping me progress… my weight has slowly crept up.

Just wondering - does anybody have tips on how to control the ‘refeed’ / ‘binge’? Setting hard limits on carbs should cover this behaviour, but I need a way to ‘shut off’ the appetite once I’ve had my meal. I want to decide “I’m finished” and stop wandering back to the fridge for a little something else.

Thoughts? Experiences? Thanks for sharing!

(Jennibc) #2

Sounds like it could be something called ‘moral licensing’ - you have been good all day so why not reward yourself? If so, you have to break that kind of mindset. We humans fall prey to it all the time and that’s how a lot of us got heavy in the first place: I just went and ran this 10K - I DESERVE a hot fudge sundae. There are some techniques spelled out in “The Willpower Instinct” if you want to try that https://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Instinct-Self-Control-Works-Matters/dp/1583335080

So much of being successful on this has to do with our mindsets, and it’s possible to change those even if it doesn’t feel like it.

And if it is based on true hunger and not moral licensing then you might not be physiologically ready for OMAD.

#3

I may want to try going back to 16:8… consuming a decent, fatty lunch to feel good all the way to dinner and not be ravenous. The fasting part shouldn’t be difficult, but there are days I do feel a nagging hunger that won’t quit. Thanks for the tips I’ll check out the book, I may be ‘allowing’ too much to creep in based on this moral licensing you speak of. Appreciate the response!

#4

I sometimes feel like I binge because I eat and eat but when I add it all up I have just eaten the right amounts of calories a day in a few hours. Are you actually overeating and not losing weight?

#5

I’m definitely not losing weight, in fact it is slowly creeping up.

Perhaps setting all of the food I plan to eat out instead of keep picking at things without a clear start / end… or even ensuring I don’t eat after X time at night could help curb it… I found that really helped me in the past… after 7pm for example, I would only allow myself tea / water.

It’s definitely not like I’m getting too little protein to maintain muscle, I’m not worried about that… and it’s also not like I’ve got too little body fat to pull from (I’m ~20 percent body fat). I’ve been focusing much more on protein during this OMAD… but maybe shifting back to a more fat-focused keto ratio could help.

I also notice ‘hangriness’ and sour moods I haven’t felt really ‘keto calm’ in a while… but I’m surely in ketosis, just maybe with the lessened fat intake, not as ‘deep’.

#6

May be time to rethink for sure. If you use IF to “over carb” is probably will not pay off. Sounds to me like you have some good thoughts there.

(less is more, more or less) #7

Amplifying this sentiment, as it is worthy.

(Jay Patten) #8

I am like this. Once I eat, I stay hungry all day.

I battle this by eating a dinner high enough in fat to keep me satiated throughout the night.

I am maintaining weight, so I do sneak in a few spoonfuls of coconut butter or peanut butter, which stimulates my appetite, but my goals are different than yours.

You mentioned snacking on nuts…

Nuts tend to stimulate people’s appetites, so finish the bag and then don’t buy any more until you have hit and maintained your goal weight.

(George) #9

Ah yes, @FatBomb is spot on about nuts. Those things are hard to put down. I cut those out a few months back.

BTW, I’m switching back to OMAD and keeping it simple the next few weeks with mainly eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. per your advice. Your progress and where you are now is some serious motivation man!, also, down another 3.5 lbs since last week @FatBomb

(Jay Patten) #10

Thanks, George!

#11

I am officially through all nuts I would be consuming in the house as of this week… The final bit of walnuts went down my gullet a few days back; all that are left are cashews totally off-limits for me.

Actually, I’ve noticed an increased sensitivity to them now (tongue feels mildly irritated after consuming) which I had never noticed before… but perhaps I am becoming more attuned to mild deviations from ‘normal’ these days… so I’m likely to try avoiding nuts on the regular now for that reason as well.

Now if only my loving wife would stop purchasing these insanely delicious ‘made good’ fat bars… oh man they are irresistable after a meal. 3 more of those in the house and then I am officially ‘keto snack free’. Unless I want to go to the trouble of whipping up a mug cake, which is usually deterrent enough to make me realize I’m not hungry and shouldn’t be going through the trouble.
Maybe I’ll “schedule” 1 keto dessert per week that I allow myself so they are not ‘on the table’ on other days.

PS: Re @FatBomb Would love to see this advice being mentioned as well, any links to follow?

(George) #12

Very good! If you happen to start snacking again for whatever reason, you might have to do what I did just take the reigns on grocery shopping. My wife is keto with me, but I am way more invested in it than she is. So I decided I’d do all the grocery shopping and meal prepping for the week as to eliminate all temptation.

And the advice I referenced was regarding counting calories and OMAD. I wasn’t sure if I should have been getting enough calories in, since I end up unintentionally calorie restricting myself when I do OMAD, so I’ve just started adding a lot more fat to increase my calories a bit, and his suggestion of OMAD of a lot of eggs with cheese, many strips of bacon, whole avocado, etc. made hitting my calorie and macros pretty simple.

(Justin ) #13

Yeah, I do OMAD as well and I find when my fats aren’t high enough in my meal then I feel that way. I also drink water with dinner now and fill my stomach a bit more. I try to keep my fats up for my meal and at the end I have a small dessert treat. Usually 4 pieces of peanut butter pretzels or a piece of dark chocolate. I am not even a sweets or dessert fan but I use it to train my brain that “feeding time” is over and turn off any signals that I still may be hungry. I hope these tricks work and train your brain. Good luck!

#14

Upping fats has got to be a strategy for me. I like the idea of having a ‘trigger’ to close shop on eating… dark chocolate is itself a trigger… I might go back to what was successful in the past - making a pot of mint tea to sip instead of consuming calories

(Justin ) #15

Yeah, I found it tough as well but I have implemented duck fat into some of my cooking and that has helped. I get it with the dark chocolate and yeah go with what works for you. I also do ACV and many people say it has worked for them and it probably has for me.

(George) #16

ACV on its own? I’ve just started using ACV this week but I mix it with olive oil, some lemon juice, black pepper and garlic salt as a salad dressing. I also found that it goes really well when dipping filet mignon in it.

(Justin ) #17

No, not on its own. Tablespoon in my water with some lemon. I use it sometimes in dressing but usually balsalmic.

(George) #18

I’m curious to see if does have any substantial effect on fat loss. Either way, I enjoy the taste, and already planning on using it when I break my fast on Saturday LOL

(Justin ) #19

Yeah I used to take it in the morning but I have heard their are better fat burning benefits if take at night before you go to bed. I have been taking it about an hour before bed.

(Robert C) #20

Another thing you might try is 2 meals a day - just have them both in the evening about an hour apart.

Move away from the eating window concept - a snacking disaster (for most people - I think).

Have your first meal be 60 to 70% of what you plan to eat.

Second meal an hour later will feel like stuffing yourself on a much smaller amount of real food.