What exactly is the “one meal a day (OMAD) diet” that involves fasting for 23 hours? Is it effective? Experts explain
The diet method of eating at fixed times during the day is attracting attention as a diet that is as effective
What is the OMAD diet? Is one meal a day actually good for weight loss? And is it safe?
https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-omad-diet-is-one-meal-a-day-actually-good-for-weight-loss-and-is-it-safe-207723
◆What is the OMAD diet?
According to Nick Fuller, who studies obesity and metabolic diseases at the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney in Australia, the OMAD diet, in which you only eat one meal a day (One Meal A Day), limits the time you eat. It's a type of 'intermittent fasting.'
Famous practitioners and supporters of the OMAD diet
The basic idea of the OMAD diet is to eat your entire day's worth of food in one hour and then fast for 23 hours. The rules are designed to be simple and easy to put into practice, and are summarized in the following three points.
-You don't have to follow any calorie restrictions or nutritional guidelines; you can eat whatever you want as long as it fits on a standard dinner plate.
・You can consume zero-calorie beverages such as water, tea, and coffee at any time.
-Keep a regular meal schedule and eat once at the same time every day.
When you follow the OMAD diet, you can expect to lose weight due to a calorie deficit, and by increasing your fasting time, you can induce
◆Is there any evidence?
According to Fuller, unfortunately there has not been much research on the OMAD diet, with the only notable study being a 2022 study in which 11 young people who were naturally thin followed the OMAD diet for just 11 days. thing.
In this study, five men and six women with normal body mass index (BMI) were asked to eat three meals a day, or one meal a day between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., in which their calorie expenditure and calorie intake were balanced. , it was reported that the group that followed the OMAD diet lost more weight and their athletic performance did not deteriorate.
Due to the lack of research, many of the claims regarding the OMAD diet are based on studies of intermittent fasting, which has shown some efficacy. However, much of the research on intermittent fasting has been short-term, often focusing on results over a period of 12 weeks or less, so long-term effects are unclear.
One of the few long-term studies was published in 2022. 139 obese patients were divided into two groups: one group ate a calorie-restricted diet within a time limit of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, and the other group only calorie-restricted but had no time limit. Results showed that both groups had similar weight loss. conducted a study and found that similar changes appeared in body fat, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
You can read more about this study in the article below.
What did we find out from an experiment in which we continued the ``8-hour diet'' for a year, which limited eating time? -GIGAZINE
'These results do not show that intermittent fasting is better for long-term weight loss, but rather that weight loss with intermittent fasting is comparable to traditional calorie restriction,' Fuller said. He explains.
◆How about the OMAD diet?
Fuller lists three problems with the OMAD diet. The first is the possibility of nutritional deficiencies and health problems. In principle, the OMAD diet has no dietary restrictions or nutritional guidance on what to eat, so it includes whole grain carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, good fats, and a well-balanced diet that are important for maintaining good health. You may run out of protein sources.
The second point is that sustainability is low. The OMAD diet may have some effects at first, but the effects will diminish over time. Furthermore, extreme diets such as fasting for 23 hours are not fun and require giving up socializing through food, which can lead to social isolation and make it difficult to continue.
The third point is that it is only a stopgap measure. Like other forms of intermittent fasting, the OMAD diet is appealing because it's easy to understand and you can start seeing results quickly. However, once you lose weight, your body activates defense mechanisms to fight the weight loss and immediately try to gain it back. This reaction, commonly referred to as rebound, seems to have been developed by our hunter-gatherer ancestors to survive times of food scarcity.
From this point of view, Fuller says, ``Contrary to the hype, the OMAD diet is not long-lasting, nor is it easier to lose weight than traditional diets. 'Before you know it, you'll find yourself battling a series of physiological changes to ensure you regain the weight you've lost.'
According to Fuller, the key to successful long-term weight loss is the following two points.
- Lose weight in small increments in a sustainable and manageable way. Specifically, you should repeat periods of weight loss and weight maintenance until you reach your goal weight.
- Change your lifestyle little by little to ensure you develop diet habits that will last a lifetime.
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