Starting OMAD soon - some questions

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #1

Hi all,

Been doing IF 18/6 for weeks now. Generally alternating 2 to 3 days of IF and not and back to IF. It seems to help my mental state a lot and energy. I’ve also done 5 days if IF 18/6 in a row. Lost a few pounds but would like to drop more weight eventually. I’m doing light strength training so gaining muscle. Also, my body comp is improving steadily.

I plan on easing into EF with OMAD. Plan that meal to be in the morning. I’m going to do breakfast because I will sleep through most of the hunger and because I think my insulin response will do better if I’m not eating at dinner time.

These are my questions:

  • my last meal will be breakfast. Do I feast to start the OMAD?
  • my ending meal for breakfast after a day of fasting how much do I feast? If I normally would do X calories in a day than what percentage of X do I have for my breaking fast feast? I want to plan my meal at least until I am used to this fasting.

I’m going to do one OMAD then wait a day and do two in a row and see how it goes.

Any advice is welcome.

What a great forum this is. KCKO

Confused about intermittent fasting
(Carpe salata!) #2

Probably just add some extra fat. Like do scrambled eggs in a good oz of butter and add some high fat grated cheese - and bacon of course.

If you have bpc, add some extra fats there.

This would be to start with, you would find your own level after a while. Satiety and all that :slight_smile:

(Hoby Bradfield) #3

I did the month of August alternating between OMAD and a 16:8 … early in the processi would use box on OMAD days but by the end of August, I found I didn’t need it…

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #4

What is box?

(Hoby Bradfield) #5

Darned autocorrect… BPC got corrected to box…

(Anthony Rosa) #6

Actually from what I have been reading the body already has a hightened level of insulin in the morning. It would seem that making your meal in the AM would work counter to your purpose. I just go by what the medical findings are.

(Candy Lind) #7

I don’t know, maybe it would actually be better. I guess you’d have to look at eating schedules vs. insulin levels of a bunch of IFers to find out.

(Candy Lind) #8

If you poke around in the fasting subforum you should find a lot of posts telling what people eat to break a fast. It’s normally a quite small meal to just “jump start” your system again, and very individualized. Some people say NEVER eat nuts to break a fast, but I’ve included a few macadamia nuts every time I’ve broken a fast, with no ill effects. I’d say try a small meal of something you eat regularly, or to keep it simple, drink some bone broth and let that be all for an hour or so. It’s another “N=1” experiment. Most people stick to the same thing every time, once they find something that doesn’t give them “disaster pants.” Oh, about that - break your first EF (at least ones over 48 hours) with bathroom facilities nearby and no meetings on tap. Just to be sure!

#9

You asked for it. :wink:

Actually, I don’t have advice, I’ll just share my experience. I started off OMAD eating supper, after work. The weight came off pretty good, but the closer I am to my goal/ideal/whatever weight, the harder it is to lose. So, I decided (not sure what chain of events led me to this) to start eating a big breakfast (4 or 5 eggs, depending on the size, and four sausage patties, I chose sausage because they’re pre-cook and quicker to prepare–I guess my unspoken motto is: lazy keto, the lazier the better.)

This usually gets me by all day at work, I just need to drink coffee and water, and I’m fine. Since I’ve been eating breakfast, I may feel like a want a little something when I get home. I usually try to eat sunflower seeds to give my mouth something to do, and have minimal carbs.

One night I decided to eat a can of sardines, and discovered they practically had no effect on my weight the next morning. So I just recently (last week) decided to start having some sardines and a few pickles when I get home. I guess technically I won’t be OMAD anymore, so I’ll have to stop telling people I am! :grin:

The only thing I truly pay attention to is my carbs. I don’t worry about the protein or the fat percentages, I just make sure I have plenty of them. I usually just make sure I eat enough to be full. Sometimes I overdo it a little, but I know I’ve had enough. And actually, that kinda helps me mentally later in the day, when I think I’m feeling hungry, I remind myself I’ve had plenty to eat. That’s when I usually go from some more water.

On thing I’ve never done while eating OMAD, if I think I need to eat, I will. I won’t torture myself to wait for the next eating time. The way I look at it, I’m eating better now than I ever have, why should I torture myself?

So, this is truly the great thing about this forum and the ketogenic diet, finding out what works for you. I think you’re on the right track.

Good luck!

(Carpe salata!) #10

Darren I like your laissez-fare approach because I also use a freewheeling style like that. I don’t want to be bogged down weighing and counting. I know that some people actually love all that, but not me.

Once you get your set of foods and know where the sneaky carbs are hiding, keto is pretty easy to stay on track with.

Fasting is even easier of course.

#11

Fortunately, my body has responded well to this approach. I’m sure there are others who need to be more strict with when, how and what they eat.

But as long as it’s working for me, I don’t want to make this anymore complicated than I have to. :wink:

(Judy Thompson) #12

Wow, you’ve coined a phrase in my brainstem! I’ve been doing OMAD since Jan 2nd 2019 and nearly every day has been “disaster pants.” Sometimes well into the night or wee hours. I had an aha moment which led me to break the fast with kefir, and that worked for a bit, but then stopped. I have been breaking it with a small amount of protein and waiting an hour before dinner. I have tried with alcohol and without. And really, no difference.
I wonder how much of the nutrients I consume are being absorbed at all?

My history, I did OMAD in high school to lose about 30 pounds back then, then at 25 did a 3 week distilled water fast (it was the 70’s, you didn’t BUY water.) We have been doing 18/6 IF for 5 years or so since reading the Warrior Diet. So I have experience with different types of fasts, but have never experienced this liquid life! I would like to continue this OMAD IF for the rest of 2019, to resolve weight, slight elevation in blood sugar and blood pressure, and inflammation contributing to osteoarthritis.

On a side note and NSV, as a result of the 5 years I’ve been doing LCHF, a few people have arm-wrestled me over my age! Many say I look more than 25 years younger. Yay keto!

#13

Good plan. :+1:

:grinning:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #14

Humm,

I’ve never had disaster pants. I IF 18/6, OMAD, EF 42 to 54 hrs. I tend to break fasts of 42+ hrs with plain pork rinds and some sauerkraut (Bubbies which is active culture and mild https://bubbies.com/sauerkraut). But I usually follow that with any mix of: macadamia nuts, liverwurst, eggs and bacon. Sometimes other foods.

I think I’m lucky. I’m sure longer fasts will be more of a problem.

(Judy Thompson) #15

[quote=“daddyoh, post:14, topic:59858”]
I think I’m lucky. I’m sure longer fasts will be more of a problem.
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On longer fasts I never had any problem, this is just OMAD. 18/6 I’ve never had the problem either, not in several years. Your sauerkraut is like my kefir solution. Bubbies is like the home-pounded I used to make, which was awesome!
It seems like the less fiber, the less problem, might be true. Tonight and the one other night I broke it with just eggs and then didn’t eat salad or veggies with dinner, things have been digestively calm (so far). This may just be a mystery that can’t be solved!

(Judy Thompson) #16

Okay so I’m coming to the conclusion that the problem was dairy, and switched to the sauerkraut. Maybe a few nuts, or ½ avocado. Much better now.
I IF’d OMAD 53 days, then went to lunch this past Sunday (16/8) for fajita guts (holy tortilla, none of that!) and then fixed a small dinner. Monday was hard but now I see why - I’m coming down with a major cold. So just suffering through till 5pm fighting grelin gremlins!

I just finished Jason Fung’s Obesity Code, and started The Diabetes Code. Never knew of him till the Fasting Transformation Summit in January. So excellent.