OMAD - use for weight loss or no?

#42

How do you know that your body is keeping your blood sugar right?

When you do OMAD how many calories do you consume for that one meal? Have you ever done two days of OMAD in a row?

#43

While there are clearly some benefits to fasting, it is very difficult to measure what happening cellularly. Most experts in the field, such as Fung, use it as a tool to get blood sugar levels to normalize. The benefits also come with a downside: decreasing muscle mass. I just don’t feel that that trade-off is worthwhile, at least at the extreme level that I was at. (monthly and quarterly multi-day fasts). Over a period of 3 years, I lost about 10 pounds of lean mass. (DEXA) Holding on to muscle is essential as we age. Muscle loss slows down your metabolism and decreases your strength and functional ability to complete daily tasks with ease. Many times, a common scenario is that a person loses weight on the scale, but their body composition alters for the worse. Having read more than just a few papers on fasting, I believe it is a tool to be used by someone with high blood sugar levels, T2D, pre-T2D, or a body fat percentage over 35% and some muscle that they can afford to lose. Fung does not recommend fasting every day.

(Chuck) #44

I fast for an average of 19 hours daily, I eat plenty of protein, I eat a moderately low carb diet. I have also read lots of research and books about keto and low carb and even fasting with a high carb diet. I am 75 years young, I also do resistance training and I walk and hike at least 4 miles daily, then I do my daily chores both inside and outside of the house. I am not losing muscle! It wouldn’t be possible for me to be losing muscle if I am slimming my body fat percentage down while not losing weight.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #45

Just bear in mind that the problem is not fueling the body. The problem is keeping the body supplied with nitrogen, which it needs for certain purposes, including making nitric oxide for keeping blood pressure low.

Unfortunately, the body can use only that nitrogen that comes as part of an amino acid, which is why the distinction between “crude protein” (nitrogen in any form) and “digestible protein” (amino acids) is so important. The result is an unavoidable daily nitrogen loss, and if that loss is not made up from amino acids in the diet, then the amino acids have to come from tissue, because the body has no practical way to store amino acids in any quantity.

Just how much muscle is lost when we fast can be debated, but it’s not nothing.

(Chuck) #46

That is why ir is so important to do resistance training and to get plenty of good protein in the diet. I may be 75 but I am still noticing improvement in my muscles, from my workouts and ensuring I get plenty of protein and sleep to repair my muscles. And I don’t do multiple day fast either.

(Rossi Luo) #47

Oops, it seems that OMAD every day like what I am doing is a debated topic, I don’t know much about Dr. Fung, as I am not a person believing any authority no matter who he is, I believe data, proof and how the data is collected is also important.
After all, it’s informative that OMAD every day has the risk to lose muscle, I will take that into consideration once I reversed my fatty liver at all one day, I think I will stop OMAD every day, I might change to two meals a day everyday.

(Polly) #48

You said. “I think I will stop OMAD every day, I might change to two meals a day everyday.”

The obvious alternative, whilst ensuring that you have enough good food going in, is to mix things up a little. Do OMAD when you feel like it and 2MAD on other days. Have a four hour eating window [time restricted feeding] sometimes and and 8 or 12 hour window on other days.

(Robin) #49

OMAD is my norm, but I switch it up sometimes when my body is obviously hungry again.

#50

It is my norm too, but I am going to change that. I somehow don’t feel I am eating enough - well - that’s bad wording. I feel that my eating window isn’t long enough, or that I fast too much. OMAD just became a habit, and often I eat OMAD because I am busy with something and don’t want to cook. I don’t know, it’s just a feeling, but I’ll make room for it and see.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #51

Trust your body. If you are feeling a need for more food, eat it! Fasting yields a highly variable individual response, which is why we don’t encourage newcomers to fast. I also understand that carnivores are advised to eat three meals a day and not attempt to fast at all, for reasons I don’t remember. So dietary pattern is apparently also relevant. Also body composition–Richard Morris even wrote a book about why fasting is difficult for very lean people.

(Chuck) #52

I agree, I am finding as I continue to lean I am having to at times break my fast earlier some days. I definitely encourage anyone that fast to learn to really listen to their body’s needs. I have learned to recognize when I need to break my fast earlier and when I can fast for longer periods, I have also learned to recognize when my body is needing some nutrient that I haven’t been giving it.
I keep hitting on my beliefs in balanced metabolism. When I get the feeling that I need to break my fast early it is because something is out of balance with my metabolism the same is true if my body is craving some nutrient that I haven’t been giving it.

#53

Because it’s my body and I am the exact opposite of a hipochonder :smiley: I really believe in my health :slight_smile:
I didn’t notice any problems regarding blood sugar so I obviously suppose it’s right. I never think about it and hardly will start. I just don’t make problems when I experience none, it wouldn’t be hedonistic.

Yes, I had several OMAD days in row once (that was one of the few short periods on keto when I lost some weight) and I usually have a few OMAD days before it falls apart. It depends but 1500-1800 kcal is typical (1500 is a bit small meal so it’s tricky but occasionally I can get away with it), I did 2000 too in the past but it drops after some days and on carnivore too. It’s great for my small energy need. I have about 100-170g protein per OMAD meal, that’s important too.
I could eat more if it was needed, maybe raising my eating window to 1.5-2 hours but 1 hour is long enough if I am determined and have a proper supply. And if it’s really the day where I can’t eat enough for OMAD, it becomes a non-OMAD day, I am fine with that. OMAD isn’t my goal, it’s just seem to be the best way to reach my actual ones on the average day.

(KM) #54

Yes, I agree. Eating nearly no carbs is usually easy for me. So is fasting for several days. If I find myself miserable and thinking about eating, or thinking about a certain food, I’m pretty sure my body is telling me about something I need. It doesn’t tend to tell me I’m chocolate or beer deficient. :grin: