What do the "O" and "M" stand for in OMAD?

#1

I buried this question in another thread, but given the pace of the thread, I’m not surprised it didn’t get a reply. But, I think the question is interesting (at least to me), so I’ll try with a new thread.

For a meal to be OMAD, what is the window of time that forms the O? For example, if someone eats 1500-2000 calories in 25 minutes, we can safely conclude that’s indeed OMAD. But, what if someone eats 1500-2000 calories over 2 hours? Over 4 hours?

Here’s how I generally eat: big salad at 5:00pm; steak or chicken at 5:45pm; more vegetables at 7:00pm, then something high-fat around 8:00pm. Is that OMAD?

If not, what window of time would all of this need to be eaten to be OMAD?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Eat once a day. Start eating when you grow hungry, stop eating once you are satisfied. If you can stretch such a meal out over four hours, I salute your iron self-discipline. When I eat, it takes only 20-30 minutes to eat enough to satisfy me.

#3

Thanks, Paul, but your approach doesn’t give me enough calories as I can’t do it all in 25 minutes. I need 4 hours to get enough calories in. (I am concerned about using OMAD for weight loss as I know there’s some skepticism on that.)

(Susan) #4

I do TMAD because I cannot eat enough calories in one meal. I eat lunch at 1pm then supper at 4:40ish so that I do IF of 20:4 -Fasting of 20 hours a day from 5pm-1pm. After 5pm I have water and herbal teas only with a splash of Almond Milk from Costco (that has 25 calories per 8 ounces, and I just add a tad per cup so not adding many calories at all).

#5

I want to clarify my original post as it may be unclear. I’m not necessarily looking for eating strategies for me as much as I am trying to gain an understanding of what the time constraints are for an “O” in OMAD. With people like Megan Ramos expressing concerns about OMAD, I want to see if there’s consensus or agreement on what eating pattern counts as “O” in OMAD.

If, however, there’s no consensus or science defining OMAD to mean one meal a day eaten within XX minutes per 24 hour period, I think that’s important to put on the table so we can understand and discuss further.

#6

How do you know this is TMAD and not OMAD spread out over a 4 hour window? Know what I mean? This is what I’m hoping to get at with my thread/question.

(Susan) #7

I am not sure, Brian, I just assumed what I do is 20:4 IF and TMAD -I don’t snack between the times, I eat a meal at those two times, and nothing except the water/tea from 5pm-1pm. To me personally what I do I consider TMAD. From what I have gathered on the forum, that seems good? I just find I cannot eat 1500 calories in one period of eating, the daily I aim for (sometimes I go a tad over or under that but that is the approximate number I aim for).

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

Then start eating when you grow hungry, and eat for as long as it takes to satisfy your hunger. If that requires a four-hour meal, then so be it. Or perhaps eating only one meal a day isn’t something your body is ready for, yet?

I’m not actually convinced that we really do know better than our bodies what’s best for us. Our ancestors had to have done a lot of feasting and fasting, just in the nature of things, but I seriously doubt that they worked to eat only a specified number of calories or during a specific period of the day. Unfortunately, eating the way our bodies want us to doesn’t fit well into lives lived by clock time, and our current mindset is that scientific learning should always trump instinct. The latter is a mistake, in my view, because it appears that our picture of how our bodies actually work is nowhere near complete.

I often wonder whether our brains aren’t actually a liability, when it comes to determining what’s best for us.

#9

Thanks, Paul. I get it, I really do. I’m with you. I am completely fine and comfortable with eating all my calories in a 4 hour window and have had great results. So, I will KCKO in that regard and I didn’t mean to imply that I’m looking for confirmation or suggestions regarding how I eat or how others eat.

What I’m trying to understand is the answer to my very specific and likely inartful question, which is when everyone (including people like Megan Ramos who expresses concerns about OMAD for weight loss), what eating pattern counts as OMAD? What counts as TMAD?

I suppose if we agree that OMAD isn’t defined and it can mean anywhere from 25 minutes (as in your case) or 240 minutes (as in my case), then I suppose we have to conclude that OMAD isn’t a very helpful term when people say they do it, don’t do it, tried it, never will try it, or as Megan Ramos suggests, not use it for weight loss.

The first rule of debating is to ensure you’re working from agreed-upon and accepted definitions. If, as I’m afraid this thread might begin to show, we don’t know what eating timing is required to constitute “one” meal, I want to pause and understand that better.

(mole person) #10

It’s a single meal. If you get up and do something else it becomes an eating window instead. I ate OMAD for two years and still do a couple of times a week. My meals have increased in length as my appetite for eating in a single sitting has increased to accommodate my eating pattern. But it’s still not much more than a half hour.

#11

Ok now we’re getting somewhere…

(Full Metal KETO AF) #12

OMAD is tied to but a separate concept from IF. Eating three small meals in a 3-4 hour period is not what I would call OMAD. As a possibility I would suggest filling up on protein and fat first and topping off with the salad and vegetables. Raw greens take longer to digest and will hang out in the stomach longer than meat. If you eat a huge salad first it’s harder to get that protein in afterwards and the meat is more important to fill up on than salad.

I eat pretty much like Susan posted above, TMAD at about 9am and 2pm most days. You can eat through your whole eating window if you like I guess but I prefer two solid meals, no snacks in between. For some reason I thought you were doing carnivore. A lot of people strive for OMAD when they aren’t really ready for it thinking it’s really important for some reason. It should come naturally if you are ready for it. I have occasional days where it ends up OMAD because I have no appetite early. But it doesn’t happen a lot. Like you I can’t do one meal in a normal meal time for an extended period of time. Maybe I never will, and that’s okay. Generally OMAD people are doing a 23/1 IF schedule.

:cowboy_hat_face:

#13

Good memory. I gave up after a few days. Wasn’t in the right mental space to do it just yet. Lots of life activity right now and once that settles down I’ll give it a go again.

#14

Again, helpful. :smile:

(Joey) #15

@PrimalBrian Perhaps I’m not going to provide a satisfying answer here, but I’ll try to share my perspective.

I wonder if maybe you’re getting too caught up in an acronym for what sounds like a very effective and healthy eating pattern you’ve settled into for yourself.

To me, it sounds like you’ve got a somewhat wider window of grazing. Perhaps you might think of your eating style, based on this grazing period, as OGAD.

Now, if you’re concerned because there’s some research on OMAD and none directly applicable to your OGAD, don’t sweat it. Research is mostly about large enough groups of subjects that the individual differences are averaged out - and comparisons between groups can be made and treatment vs control can be tested.

You are an n=1 individual. If this OGAD works for you, it doesn’t really matter what a larger group of different individuals might or might not show … your results will be your results - and you’ll have all the data you need - regardless of how all the other subjects produce results in a similar circumstance.

Enjoy!

#16

Agreed. Completely. What intrigued me was reading Megan Ramos’s criticisms of OMAD for weight loss and I realized I don’t know what the “O” means, hence the thread.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

Well, here’s another complexity to add to the puzzle: what does it mean, to say that a food pattern “works”? Are we talking specifically about weight loss and weight loss only, or do other benefits count? When we speak of “weight loss,” do we mean losing only fat, or is losing muscle and/or bone density also part of what we want? There are linguistic traps everywhere, if we parse closely. :scream:

I’m still reeling from a couple of threads we had, months ago, about what the proper definition of “fast” is, and how to figure out how long one has been fasting. . . . :confused:

Of course, I’m partly being facetious here, but I am also an advocate of not over-complicating things. Einstein recommended keeping things as simple as possible (but no simpler).

(Joey) #18

@PrimalBrian Ok, sorry … a more direct reply (= my guess): I would assume the “O” that was referred to in the OMAD does not quite jive with what you’re doing.

Having said that, the metabolic effects of OMAD largely stem from the preponderance of hours that one is NOT eating.

So, if you’ve got 20 hours to 22 hours of not eating, it would seem that your “OGAD” is pretty darn near the same thing as “OMAD” as far as biochemical effects.

Eat slowly, enjoy, and reap all the benefits of your healthy approach.

Alternatively, shooviing food into a narrower window than what feels comfortable for your hunger/satiety has got to be worse than doing the wise thing that you’re doing.

You’re the king of OGAD!

(Susan) #19

Brian; I think what really counts is that you are comfortable and happy eating in the way you are and that it is working for you, so keep on doing what you like. It doesn’t really matter if it is OGAD, OMAD or TMAD, I think what is good is it is IF and having a fasting window of the 20 hours or so is great (according to what I have watched with Dr. Jason Fung videos and other videos).

As long as what you are doing works for you and you are staying Keto, that is all that really matters, IMO. We are all individuals and different ways work for all of us, so do what style of Keto works for you! =).

#20

Well, Megan Ramos says OMAD doesn’t really “work” for weight loss, so there’s that.

But, I know you were getting at something different, which is the point. We should be clear and careful about sweeping generalizations of what “works” and “doesn’t work” since we are all so different.

OGAD (thanks @SomeGuy!), “works” for me as I feel great, drop weight effortlessly, run 1-2+ mmol on ketone meter, work 6am to 5pm non stop every day, etc.