My one month progress report on IF/OMAD/Low calorie diet

Progress chart for my US friends

Progress chart for my metric friends

Background:

Male, 6’0”, 40 years old

Starting weight: 210 lbs or 95 KG

Desired weight: 165 lbs or 75 KG

Hello all,

First of all, I’d like to mention my appreciation for the members of this subreddit. Everyone is very positive, constructive and non judgemental. I was around 160-165 lbs in my late 20s and was probably in the best shape of my life. Over the last 10 years, marriage and life happened (9-5 desk job) and all the bad food choices started adding on weight. I didn’t hit my rock bottom until this thanksgiving. I have been going to my wife’s family for thanksgiving since 2013 and we have a tradition of taking a group photo in the backyard with family members lined up at the same spot. My MIL immediately prints the photo and proudly displays the yearly tradition on a board. After I stuffed my face, per usual, I started paying close attention to the photo collage and it was very obvious how much weight I gained compared to 2013. As years progressed, my face looked fatter and my clothes tighter. Over the years, I also had difficult sleeping well due to weight gain and felt lethargic throughout the day.I decided to make a lifestyle change and here we are.

This is what worked for me, and I’m sure each person is different, but I did a mix of IF/low carb/OMAD.

1. In the morning (7:00 AM), I started taking my cold brew with one cream instead of the usual 2 creams, and a lot of sugary flavored creamer (Coffee mate Cinnamon Toast Crunch creamer is the bomb). I don’t like the taste of artificial sweeteners or stevia, so I rather go without sugar than try to mimic the taste. It sucked intitally, but over the last 4 weeks, I have gotten used to the taste

2. For lunch (noon to 1:00 PM), I started doing big omelettes (3 eggs, veggies, little bit of cheese, salsa verde), couple of seitan ‘bacon’ and one wheat toast. I’m a vegetarian, so no meat in my diet. To switch it up, I would replace eggs with tofu and make a scrambled tofu dish. Because of my ability to work remotely, I’m able to take the time and make lunch at home. This may not work if you’re working in an office setting as omelets dont travel well.

3. For the first few days, I’d get hungry in the evening, so I started eating an apple and handful of nuts (Brazil, pecans and almonds). But after a week, I stopped snacking

4. I drank copious amounts of water. I’m lucky that I always liked the taste of water and would consume a fair amount. Seltzer water is your friend. In the evenings, I consume a can, sometimes two of Polar seltzer water and I was surprised it made me feel full. I also take multi vitamins and Vit D and omega 3 capsules every day

Overall, I lost about 16.5 lbs or 7.4 KG in 30 days. It wasn’t easy but I think I know my body and how it responds to certain foods. I did see the weight loss plateauing and plan to do a 24h fast to get over it. My clothes fit better and the weight loss is apparent in my gut and thigh area. I’m still only about 40% into my ideal weight and I know its not going to be easy to get there. But the current weight loss has me motivated to keep going. Once I hit my goal, I plan to change my eating habits to a healthier lifestyle as we know, OMAD etc is not sustainable forever.

I can’t thank this subreddit enough for the daily motivation!