Intermittent Fasting (IF): Conventional view
One meal a day (OMAD) is conventionally considered one of the most aggressive forms of IF. Recently, I got a question from one of my followers. He was trying to determine how to adapt OMAD to his life. He is a Typical, 40-year-old corporate worker with a family. His wife is a nurse that works in the night shift.
Ulla started her OMAD regimen back in the early summer (2018). She has already lost 22% of her body weight and seem to have more energy than before when we play tennis. She posted in another forum that OMAD was a way to maintain a certain level of ketosis. The reply was that OMAD “ascetic”.
IF: my experience
I started my OMAD a long time ago (Nov 2009), and lost 28% of my body weight by 2014. Then I went back to 3 meals a day and gained some of the weight back. So I went back into OMAD with Ulla back in the spring 2018, and have since lost 15 lb. I had no trouble at all, getting back into OMAD, despite my 4-year hiatus. Back in 2009, I started OMAD “cold turkey”, without any adaptative period using other methods of Intermittent Fasting (IF). My recollection is that it was hard to change my regimen, but I was motivated to reduce my body weight. Within 3 weeks, I did not feel that much hungry. But I did feel a bit hungry at 7 pm (I have my OMAD at 11 am).
Not so hard if you know Ghrelin
Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, rises at the time you normally have your meal. It increases appetite, but its levels do come down within minutes, whether you eat or not. So resisting the urge to eat, does dissipate within minutes, and drinking water does help. Hardly “ascetic”, OMAD is a regimen that we can easily adapt to within weeks, and the multiple benefits. Among them: Body weight reduction, increase energy and cognitive focus (ketosis), longevity and detoxification (autophagy). All of these are well worth the effort.
OMAD and the corporate life
Working people have long commutes, a family life, and odd working hours, all causing additional issues to adapt to OMAD. For example, when do you find the time to exercise? What time of the day should you have your one meal? It is ironic because you’d think that eating OMAD should free time in the day for your intense work. Having your meal at night with your family would appear to be the solution. However, one of the great benefits of OMAD is increased levels of growth hormone (HGH). HGH increases at night, 12 hours after your OMAD, which causes secretion of Insulin. You are going to have to set your priorities, and compromise between optimal effects of OMAD and your family time.
Workout while fasting
My approach is to have my meal after my workouts in the morning. I combine my workouts with my stock market trading in the mornings. Then I do my pathology work in the afternoons and into the evening. It works for me. But realistically, it is harder for a corporate worker to find time to exercise or “feast” during working hours.
IF other than OMAD
One adaptation is to do the “warrior diet” instead of OMAD. This warrior diet is an IF variation that allows for a 4hr window of eating and 20hrs of fasting. The benefits are similar to those of OMAD, if one considers OMAD ideal. The warrior diet is a good way to adapt to fasting as you progressively narrow the eating window.
My follower above does work in a laboratory. I presume that he takes one meal at noon, and then a second meal at night with his family. I propose that he skips breakfast until noon to have lunch. Then wait until he gets home to have his second meal. Eventually, he could narrow the eating window by having his lunch at a later and later hour. Then his window will narrowed to 4 hours, eventually sticking to the OMAD at home. Even if the one meal is at night, it is still better than 3 meals every day.
Low carb diet with IF
There is one more thing he can do to eat 2 meals a day and still reduce weight. That is to reduce the intake of carbohydrates. Removing bread, potatoes, and rice from your meals is another way to reduce the Insulin spikes after you eat. I only lately started to reduce my carbs. Back in 2008, I kept eating the same old foods through my change to OMAD regimen. Knowing then what I know now, I would have probably lost my weight faster than in 4 years. Doing it slowly, made it a lot easier, as I did not change my existing diet. This change is an additional burden, that not everyone is willing to endure.
Is up to you, IF is flexible
The truth is that you have the answer to these questions. You are the CEO of your body, and only you can tell what you will be able to adapt to. Keep in mind that the goal should not be just losing weight. It should be to be healthy and prolonge your life, avoid obesity and diabetes, and feel young again. So give OMAD a try because it is the most beneficial of all IF forms. If you find it difficult at first, that is alright, simply adapt to it. Start with a form of IF that fits your lifestyle. Eventually, you will find that OMAD benefits, far outweigh the difficulties.
