Health Benefits of Intermittant Fasting and OMAD (one meal a day)

I was stalled for a while and noticed I had navigaged away from the IF. Due to work load and the stress from work project due dates, I found i wasn't eating until dinner. But I also noticed that the weight started coming off again. Not a lot, but passed that plateau. Not the best way to dpo it (due to stress and work) but it does work.

I also noticed I have to keep the junk food out of the house. If it is there, I eat it (unless stressed from work). But at least I am not doing the "stress" eating like I used to. So I guess that is something. :)
 
I did IF about two years ago to lose weight when I was diagnosed with prediabetes. I would go all day without eating......or hardly anything. Turns I really didn't need to. Sleep is fasting....... sleep 8 hours and waiting 2 to 4 hours for breakfast was enough. Along with eating right and exercising, the weight fell off and I reversed the prediabetes.
 
I've done intermittent fasting for years. 13 hours between dinner and breakfast. I exercise a lot and my metabolism definitely goes into ketosis. I still eat three meals a day.

Like most other people when I ran low on carbs I felt miserable. After I retrained my body to burn fat easily that went away and I can skip meals without discomfort if necessary. It helps one stay lean and I can sometimes feel my body switch over in the morning while exercising.

Lots of health benefits and I eat plenty of carbs, no radical diet needed. Just make sure to eat enough protein to support my lifestyle.
 
I have noticed that the more I do the IF, I am not as hungry as I used to be. Right now I am on a regime of OMAD on most weekdays. Dropped another 7-8 lbs in last few weeks. For a total of 45 lbs since my highest. I haven't talked myself into exercising much, so it is all diet induced. But I feel a lot better at 245 then I did at 280. That's for sure. Another 35+ to go and I think I will be set.
 
In addition to IF with mice, they have extended their life with caloric restriction. My calorie intake is around 1500-1600 per day. I am 6ft tall and exercise 6 days a week. I usually average 14-15 hours fasting each day. I’ve maintained a BMI of approximately 22.5 since age 25.
I think most people would consider my regimen repressive. My ex claims I eat like a bird and am “too skinny.” Whatever. I don’t feel like I am suffering in the least. It’s all about what you get used to.
 
keedge said:
I have noticed that the more I do the IF, I am not as hungry as I used to be. Right now I am on a regime of OMAD on most weekdays. Dropped another 7-8 lbs in last few weeks. For a total of 45 lbs since my highest. I haven't talked myself into exercising much, so it is all diet induced. But I feel a lot better at 245 then I did at 280. That's for sure. Another 35+ to go and I think I will be set.
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What's OMAD?
 
Mostly due to medications that need to be taken seperately and on an empty stomach it is usually 17 or 18 hours between my evening and morning meal. This could be considered itermittant fasting. I lost weight without trying. Because of ulcers I was eating a lot of creamy, starchy foods. I eat 2 meals a day and sometimes a snack.

I now have a Watchman installed in my heart and have recently (3 or 4 days ago) stopped blood thinners. This should help the bleeding problem and may help my diet. The purple blotches on my arms are already receding.
 
Babs2u said:
Mostly due to medications that need to be taken seperately and on an empty stomach it is usually 17 or 18 hours between my evening and morning meal. This could be considered itermittant fasting. I lost weight without trying. Because of ulcers I was eating a lot of creamy, starchy foods. I eat 2 meals a day and sometimes a snack.

I now have a Watchman installed in my heart and have recently (3 or 4 days ago) stopped blood thinners. This should help the bleeding problem and may help my diet. The purple blotches on my arms are already receding.
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Sounds like you are making progress.
 
Babs2u said:
Mostly due to medications that need to be taken seperately and on an empty stomach it is usually 17 or 18 hours between my evening and morning meal. This could be considered itermittant fasting. I lost weight without trying. Because of ulcers I was eating a lot of creamy, starchy foods. I eat 2 meals a day and sometimes a snack.

I now have a Watchman installed in my heart and have recently (3 or 4 days ago) stopped blood thinners. This should help the bleeding problem and may help my diet. The purple blotches on my arms are already receding.
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My wife is still on blodd thinners after having a heart attack earlier in the year. That and her pancreatitis the IF and a few OMAD sprinkled in there we have both lowered the number of pills we take and collectively we have lost 80 lbs (45 for me and 35 for her).

She still show bruises easilyt, but hopefully can get off the blood thinners soon.
 
I did Intermittant Fasting a few years ago and it worked well for me, losing about 2 pounds per week. My daily fasts were about 17 hours, nothing between dinner and 11 o'clock lunch the next day. I also logged my calories on My Fitness Pal and tried to keep it at around 1200 per day. If I didn't do that part my two meals would have totaled around 3000 calories. I can really pack it in.

Yes, I would have lost weight on 1200 calories spread throughout the day, but I found myself much less miserable dividing it into two meals. Something about that long stretch, knowing food was not an option, was mentally restful for me. After dinner I would do the dishes and tell myself the kitchen was closed.

So I'm trying it again. Today is my first day. It's ten in the morning. I'm hungry.
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One meal a day long term doesn't seem realistically sustainable. If you exercise or are physically active it would be extremely difficult to maintain optimal calorie intake. If you remain in a long term calorie deficit your metabolism will switch to starvation mode negating most of the benefits.

Short term or periodically eating only once a day should work great.

I intermittently fast every day eating three meals in a 10 hour stretch. Recently I have started fasting for 24 hours one day a week. Not sure what the overall benefits are yet, but I have noticed an extreme clarity in my mind in the later stages of the fast.
 
The key is to find a healthy option that you can maintain and live with. If you fast, cut carbs, fast some more but then go on a cake binge, the net effect can be worse than doing nothing at all.

Personally, I am miserable if I fast. I eat 3 major meals of whole foods with a lot of vegetables along with two light snacks of oatmeal with nuts, ginger, a little honey, and fruit. No processed foods. I have a plan I can live with and actually enjoy (about 7 years now) and it works. My diet is very similar to this "Blue Zone" diet posted below.

I’m a nutritionist from a small California city that's home to America’s longest living people: Here's what I eat every day
 
Lewkat said:
I only eat one meal a day and have done so for years.
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I really wanted to be able to do that. But with my workouts and physical lifestyle I need 2800-3000 calories per day. There is no way I can fit that amount in my stomach at one time while striving to balance proper nutrients. I guess one could drink a couple of cans of condensed milk and a couple of cups of animal lard to get 3000 calories, but that would certainly ruin any benefits and your health too.
 
Lewkat said:
I only eat one meal a day and have done so for years.
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Tell us more! I know from your pictures that you're nicely slender. Did you ever have a weight problem? When and what do you typically eat? Do you get weak during the fasting hours? Coffee? Tea?
 
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