One Meal a Day IF - Training Wheels Question for Y'All

(Alison) #1

I’ve been stalled for a few weeks and noticed that I have gradually slipped into eating more frequently and am generally hungrier (no carb creep, just more grazing and fewer actual meals), so I’m giving One Meal a Day IF a try.

Question… do you think a coffee + heavy cream in the morning and a decaf + heavy cream at night is too detrimental or counterproductive? Do I need to have only coffee with cream right before or after my one meal, or can I still enjoy a coffee+cream 2-3 times a day without blowing the whole OMAD plan & low insulin effect?

I’ve listened to several Obesity Code episodes with an ear out for this, but just not sure on the effect of the training wheels and at what quantity/frequency. I totally expect that it may be different for each person, but any info on this would be more than I have now :wink:

Thank you!

#2

The point of OMAD is to keep insulin levels low. So what really matters is n=1. Test your BG before and after consuming the BPC and see if it rises. If it spikes then you know it’s counterproductive to your efforts. If it doesn’t, then you’re feel to imbibe.

(Ethan) #3

Will it ruin everything? No. Will it affect it? Yes. How much is affected is really only for you to determine.

#4

Dr. Fung has clearly stated that only carbs and protein disrupt the fasted state with insulin reaction, and fat does not.

However, those that use lots of HWC will have a slight amount of protein/carbs from it which can be a problem - otoh, many females may find that little bit not a problem, as it seems to stabilize the body’s tendency towards female starvation mode reactions.

Also, there’s no such thing as a real stall on keto - there are always things going on under the surface with regard to lymphatic processes in fat cells and between cells, skin healing, and general metabolic healing. If you’re fueling your brain on fat, the brain is going to prioritize healing along with body recomposition. Some women find the body diverts time and energy rebuilding muscle mass in the upper body (which is often somewhat atrophied in non-peasant women, joggers). In addition, the female body loses fat slower than the male body, and seems to have an extended time whereby the new water-filled fat cells may take a much longer time to shrink - and even longer with high cortisol levels from stress.

Besides that - dairy sensitivities are serious issue for some, whether because of digestive imbalances (too much congestion due to a lack of enzymes or spices, or bacterial overgrowth) or genetic reasons. As dairy on earth has only very recently been highly processed/pasteurized, some folks do better with old-fashioned raw milk from local farmers, but many of us don’t have that option.

You can always experiment by replacing HWC with just butter (minimal lactose) and coconut oil and see what happens!

And, Nurse Cindy’s hilarious video does a good job at going under the surface of “stalls” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3rmi4DJAw

(Alison) #5

Why didn’t I think of that! Super simple, thank you!

(Alison) #6

Thanks Ethan! Such a challenge for me to chill out, slow down, and experiment - I need to be in less of a rush! :upside_down_face:

(Alison) #7

Thank you Mary, awesome - this is really helpful! Good reminders too about the under the surface work during ‘stalls’ - Cindy’s video is super cute too :slight_smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

Just a thought to add: be sure you’re getting enough calories. The body has this weird reaction to short rations that it doesn’t have when you fast completely, i.e., it lowers the basic metabolic rate to compensate for the reduced energy intake. A body that’s getting enough calories will turn up the base metabolic rate and even burn fat unnecessarily.

Also, you may know this already, but I’ll mention for the sake of completeness that the more times a day you eat, the more often your insulin spikes, so if you can get all your calories for the day in one meal, your insulin will come down quickly (because you’re not eating carbs) and then will stay down until you eat again the next day. I’ve been finding myself grazing lately for psychological reasons, and am working hard to take my own advice, lol!

:bacon:

(Alison) #9

Exactly what I was thinking, Paul! As the day was winding down yesterday, I decided to log my one meal + the coffee & HWC I’d had… well, I found I was only at 600-700 calories for the day and there was no way I could have forced down more in my one meal… (beef tenderloin, whipped goat cheese, mushrooms sauteed in butter, and arugula dressed in olive oil w/ a dash of lemon juice, coffee w/ HWC). I have always had a tendency towards caloric deficit (and likely have fallen into that pattern as well as the grazing lately) so I hopped right up and added another 600 calories on - mostly fat w/ a touch of protein. I also started lifting weights yesterday, yet another reason to be careful re’ low caloric intake, right? I think the safest thing for me to do right now, following this grazing period, is to completely STOP the grazing, limit the ‘times’ I consume coffee w/ HWC, and eat two really good meals a day making sure to consume enough calories. Then, when that has been 100% dialed in and no caloric deficit for maybe a month+, I will feel safer about revisiting the OMAD. That’s my latest Master Plan, anyways! Today was much easier w/ the grazing, btw… just a mindset switch and back to being more dialed in - I’m sure it’ll come right back for you too! :slight_smile: How’s it going?

#10

You’re very welcome! Yeah, that video is a great little community education piece that always encourages me when I’m in squishy times before a swoosh, LOL