Eat Whatever with OMAD

Are you affraid of going into any diet because the rules will force you to stop eating your favorite foods? Perhaps you fear that caloric restriction will keep you hungry and moody all day long. Here, I show you how you can lose weight, gain muscle and be happy without missing your favorite foods.

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Back in Sept 2009, OMAD was not even a “thing”. So there was no information to explain the best way to do it. We did not even know if it was “safe”. When I started I only had one rule: Eat whatever I was going to eat for the day between 11am and 12 noon. I followed no rules or kept track of the number of calories or the quantity of the 3 macronutrients. I did not consume any foods or drinks that I did not consider apetizing. I kept going to the same restaurants I did before, at my usual Saturday lunch. Admitedly, my weight loss was not quick. But I was happy to see the consistent drop in pounds over the months and years.

Calories in, calories out

I broke with the conventional wisdom that we lose or gain weight depending on the calories in and calories out. We are not test tubes. When we take food in, our hormones and enzymes are stimulated to produce chemical reactions depending on the macronutrient content. Most significantly, carbohydrates stimulate the secretion of Insulin, the energy storage hormone right after a meal or snack. With OMAD, Insulin is secreted only once a day.

My diet, which I changed little or not at all, in those first 5 years of OMAD, was carbohydrates-rich. I avoided fats in my diet, following the conventional advice of the medical comunity. My carbohydrate-rich diet kept my insulin high, while eating 3 meals a day plus snacks. Once I started OMAD, my physiology began to change in ways I never hoped or expected. Not only did I begin to lose weight, I was feeling more energetic than ever before.

Should OMADers cut carbohydrates?

To cure obesity one needs to bring insulin under control. When we eat 3 meals a day, our Insulin remains high most of the day, except during our sleep. Yet we can hardly wait to eat of cereal, waffles or orange juice as soon as we wake up. Without a doubt, diets that are low in carbohydrates do cut our insulin production. Three high-fat meals would probably stimulate insulin 3 times because of their protein and carbohydrate (if low) content.

OMAD and Keto?

Arguably, the “Ketogenic” diet and all its variants may spike insulin 3 times a day, if only slightly. Plus, the ketogenic diet requires strict adherance to rules and controls. Some even check the “ketone” levels routinely to make sure they remain in ketosis. They are hoping to make the switch from a glucose-based metabolism to a fat-based metabolism. You can achieve the very same goal, without rules or hunger, if you follow OMAD.

With the switch, our bodies become adapted at extracting energy from our own body fat storage. After all, our insulin did put it there for us to use during times of scarcity. Our abundant western societies made us prone to obesity because we consume abundance of grains, potatoes, rice, corn and pasta. If you are obese, I am here to tell you that you are not to blame. However, you now have the knowledge to reverse the obesity and begin to look and feel great again. You don’t need to change your diet, at least not at first. Keep it very simple. Eat what you enjoy and love. Do not count calories and do not worry about the macronutrients. So long as you eat only one meal a day.

The argument for cut carbohydrates?

There are two reasons to cut your carbohydrates while in OMAD: 1. you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, or 2. You want to lose the weight faster than I did. I lost 28% of my body weight (65 lbs) in 5 years. My wife Ulla started her OMAD only 18 months ago because she was diagnosed with Diabetes. In 3 months she lost 30 lbs, or 18% of her body weight and reversed her diabetes. So you see, cutting the carbohydrates along with OMAD had dramatic effect on her insulin levels and her triglycerides went quickly to back to normal. Read Dr. Jason Fung’s book “The diabetes code” and consult your physician if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

I would take Fung’s book for my doctor to read. Not every doctor is familiar with the use of intermittent fasting to treat (and cure) Diabetes. My only objection to Dr. Fungs approach is that he uses Alternative Day Fasting, instead of OMAD to treat Diabetes. My reason is that on the fasting day, Ghrelin will still spike at the normal meal times, increasing your hunger. Ghrelin is the apetite hormone and if we eat 3 times one day, Ghrelin spikes 3 times the next day. Diabetes may be a good reason to eat OMAD and lower your carbohydrate consumption simultaneously. However, since Diabetes is a medical condition I most direct you to follow a medical doctors advice. Simply bring them the information, such as Dr. Fung’s book for them to help you make the right decision.

Should you eat a high protein diet with OMAD?

Here again, in order to treat and cure your obesity, you do not have to alter your macronutrients in any significant way. However, later in my journey, I became more and more interested in workouts and muscle building. This is when I begun to supplement my meals with Whey protein. Why? because it is cheaper than a stake and richer in protein than a cup of yogourt.

OMAD and Muscle

Contrary to popular believe, OMAD alone will not reduce your muscle mass, in fact it might help you increase it. OMAD should increase your levels of growth hormone and testosterone which in turn help maintain your muscle mass. When you do intense calisthenics or weight lifting, your muscle fibres break apart and they are rebuilt causing hypertrophy.

If you do not consume sufficient protein, your muscle growth may be slower. Without an intense workout and without consuming sufficient protein, only then should you be concerned about losing muscle mass. It is very unlikely that your body would breakdown your muscle to provide aminoacids to convert to glucose. This process is known as gluconeogenesis. It is a protective mechanism to maintain the critically important levels of glucose in blood.

High protein with OMAD?

The benefits of a high protein intake are well documented. Also, there are no significant negative effects of a high protein diet. The recommended minimum is around 0.80 g of protein/kg of body weight. Remember, this is a minumum. With time, as you lose the pounds, you will be better able to sustain intense work-out routines that are so valuable for building muscle and stimulate autophagy. However, do not fool yourself into thinking that exercise and cutting calories is the route to weight loss. Your body is a complex system of hormones, enzymes and chemical reactions. At the center of your energy metabolism is Insulin. Bringing it under control is essential for curing obesity. To do that you have to cut your carbs or reduce your eating frequency or, even better, do both.

Adaptation to fat for energy

With OMAD, your body will be adapted to using your body fat for energy, rather than blood glucose. Maintaining appropriate glucose blood levels should not be a problem. Energy from fat is a more efficient. Your body will surprise you with a new love for sports, exercise and workouts, at any age. Meanwhile, a good protein intake will help you maintain and even grow your muscle mass with OMAD. Your focus should be on when you eat and not be what to eat or how many calories should you consume. Once adapted, your life willl change in ways you never expected, like mine did.