I have to get 200g of protein a day… how the heck do I do that in one meal?!?
It’s far more important to get the right amount of calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients than to get your fasting hours in. So if you can’t get enough calories OR macronutrients OR micronutrients in your OMAD, then you need to extend your eating window.
In your case, I agree that 200g of protein is a lot to take in one hour. There’s also the issue of protein absorption. I know that it’s a controversial topic with contradicting studies, so I personally decided to err on the side of caution: I stopped doing OMAD so I can eat multiple meals. This helped me meet my protein target, AND gave me the peace of mind just in case there really is a limit to how much protein our body can absorb in one meal.
What so much protein in one day?…
You don’t need that much. For maximizing building muscle, you only need about .6 grams of protein per pound. Also, your body is never going to absorb that much protein in one meal. Most of it is going to waste, and is just unnecessary calories at that point.
If you’re trying to maximize muscle growth, OMAD isn’t for you. Maybe go on a 16/8 where you can atleast get two meals in a day. But still, if I was trying to bulk, I’d eat three meals a day, and just be sure not to snack in between those meals.
Yeah, I ran into the same issue of being a certain size and trying to get a certain amount of protein was logistically and digestively difficult.
Some ideas. Well you don’t strictly need to eat your OMAD in a single sitting, you can spread it out over an hour or so. Eat half come back after a bit, eat the rest. Focus on the leanest protein. Shrimp, egg whites, ground turkey, etc are going to be easier to get in relative to their grams in protein because they are almost entirely protein. A good lean protein powder mixed with just water can also help because liquid just tends to be less satiating.
Ultimately my solution was just to break it up and follow OMAD+ to include a small meal/snack a few hours earlier. I just try to get a bunch of protein in then.
U/slycne response is spot on.
I’m not sure that there is a greater benefit to doing OMAD vs a snack to break the fast followed by a full meal.
I want to also add that you can 1) mix protein powder into just about anything (oatmeal, chia pudding, smoothie) and 2) make some super thick protein shakes. Double the amount of a high quality whey protein powder for a nice thick shake with your meal. I prefer a serving of Naked Whey mixed w a serving of About Time, which has stevia and yummy flavors!