Functional medicine expert Dr. Rolando Balburias said in an episode of ‘Pinoy MD’ that OMAD, an abbreviation for ‘One Meal a Day,’ benefits the body by allowing it to help in weight loss and body repair, which people started to hop into the medical trend.
Several people decided to follow the OMAD trend, thinking it is the ultimate shortcut for fitness, but that is not the case. Balburias suggests that before people engage in an OMAD diet, it must be medically advised and monitored, and it must be first consulted by a healthcare professional.
There are common misconceptions about the OMAD diet, such as it is the most efficient way to lose weight and eliminate fat. However, it is only fitting for certain people with body types and build that can cater to the extremes of the diet, like not eating for 23 hours. Some of the celebrities and social media influencers who are fond of the OMAD diet are American Singer Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, and TikTok influencer Michael Tedoso.
What is OMAD?
The OMAD diet is an abbreviation of ‘One Meal a Day,’ which is a weight loss eating plan, where a person does not consume anything containing calories until the actual meal. According to Medical News Today, OMAD uses a type of intermittent fasting called 23:1, 23 hours of fasting and only 1 hour for consuming calories.
Dana Angelo White explains that OMAD may consist of any food you like, as long as all your calories are saved up for one period. However, an OMAD diet can allow people to drink beverages, but it must be calories-free, like black coffee and water.
Following this diet will make people only eat a meal in the evening and skip every meal until the evening of the following day, and a 2019 study from British Journal of Nutrition revealed that skipping breakfast and lunch may increase type 2 diabetes.
“Generally speaking, if only eating one time per day, one should consume the amount of calories required to meet their daily energy needs in that meal,” says Kelsey Hampton, a registered dietitian.
Possible health benefits
People doing the OMAD diet believe the diet can healthily influence one’s lifestyle, including rapid weight loss, no calorie-counting, non-exclusion of any types of foods, and not being limited to a certain food group like being a vegetarian.
A 2022 study by Emma Meessen found that eating a single meal in the evening or performing the OMAD diet may help achieve weight loss and increase fat oxidation when doing physical activities. Since you intermittent fast for 23 hours, you are less likely to add unnecessary calories to your diet and exclusively consume the calories from your single meal.
Meanwhile, in a 2023 review, it was concluded that intermittent fasting was ‘more effective than calorie restriction’ for weight loss and cardiovascular risks. In restricting calories or caloric deficit, people can exceed their caloric threshold, unlike OMAD, which has the entire meal for a specific calorie count. However, it involves a small sample size and needs further study.
One Meal, Many Risks
Despite having a promising aid in weight loss, an article titled ‘Unintended consequences of dieting: How restrictive eating habits can harm your health’ revealed that restrictive diets can cause psychological distress and lead to disordered eating behaviors, like binge eating and caloric overboard.
Most people who practice the OMAD diet have also experienced increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or a bad cholesterol level, which can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. As well as, people who consume 25% of their energy needs in food on one day result in consuming 125% on the next, alternating days for a year.
Following an extremely restrictive diet like OMAD might have harmful health risks that can be encountered, such as dizziness, fatigue, headache, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), nausea, and trouble sleeping; these can be experienced by people whose body types are not built for longer duration of not having food.
Safer, Smarter, Simpler
Instead of only eating a single meal a day, try eating a balanced, nutritious diet, or follow a safer eating plan, such as the Mediterranean or DASH diet.
According to Cynthia Sass’ research, choosing and eating foods on the Mediterranean diet assists with weight loss, which includes food like fruits, high-fiber foods, lean meats, nuts and legumes, olive oil, seafood, vegetables, and whole grains.
On the other hand, they should limit the intake or consumption of foods, like fast food, sugary baked goods and pastries, white bread, sugary cereals, soda or carbonated beverages, and chips and salty snacks.
“When someone deprives themselves food for 24 hours, they tend to lose control and overeat when it’s time to eat again. This can lead to choosing unhealthy options and eating way more than what feels natural in one sitting, NYC-based Registered Dietitian Natalie Rizzo said.
In addition, she also stated that she does not recommend this diet and it could lead to choosing unhealthy options in the long run.
