I have done days here and there following OMAD, but realistically it does not work with my schedule. I work a typical desk job 7-5, exercise after work, and occasionally get invited to dinners/lunches/etc.
How do you make it work? Do you eat at lunchtime or dinnertime? Do you pick a time in between? I can’t skip out on work to eat my one meal. Do you meal prep days before and never eat a hot and fresh meal? Cooking is a passion of mine and I would be sad to skip it. Do you choose not to eat when invited out? What about exercise? It is highly recommended you eat afterwards to recover and build/maintain muscle. My workout is after work, I cannot eat beforehand and then skip dinner.
Help me understand how to make this work logistically because I really don’t see a way.
What does it have to do with eating a hot and fresh meal? Most people eat leftovers during the week and plenty of food that you cook tastes better the next day and can be made hot. Cooking is a passion and hobby of mine as well and I cook something new a few times a week but realistically most people aren’t going to cook every single day, right?
Pick either lunch or dinner and eat that meal. Doesn’t work? Try the next one. You will have to miss out on eating out for one of those meals if you are invited to it but you can simply get a drink. Eating with someone isn’t really about the food - it’s about spending time with them and socializing in the first place.
The timing of eating and exercising also isn’t the important thing. If your goal is to build muscle then you need to eat more protein than if you were not. You need the excess protein to build muscle. If you are trying to lose weight, you will lose a bit of muscle regardless. There’s no way around that.
Sounds like you should try making your meal dinner but it also sounds like you’re over complicating it and maybe OMAD isn’t for you. After all, it just makes CICO easier. If you can’t fast, you may want to just count your calories and forget about OMAD.
Everyone’s schedule is different- I need to eat late enough that night time snacking is easy to avoid, so around 5-6pm.
>What about exercise? It is highly recommended you eat afterwards to recover and build/maintain muscle.
We used to believe that but we now know that food within that day is sufficient.
My workouts are between 6-10 am depending on the day and whether I am running or doing resistance training.
>Do you choose not to eat when invited out?
Depends on the time of day and the significance of the dinner. There is nothing wrong with moving your window to accommodate a special occasion as long as you get right back on track the next day.
>I work a typical desk job 7-5, exercise after work, and occasionally get invited to dinners/lunches/etc.
On that schedule I would eat after I got home each evening.
You simply get used to it.
I eat dinner because it’s important to my wife and I that the family share dinner together. Meal prep is Sunday, I make six dinners worth of food and that’s what I eat Sunday thru Friday.
Sometimes I have a work lunch, and I’ll have water and a salad, it’s just awkward to not eat at a business lunch.
I work out right before dinner or shortly afterwards.
Forgot to mention Saturday. I wake up and have a pint of ice cream and eat whatever TF I want and finish with another pint of ice cream before bedtime. I could probably knock a few more pounds off if I didn’t have a cheat day, but that’s not the life I want.
I can only speak for me (still WFH due to Covid) - I typically meal prep as much as I can and eat my meal over lunch. Or mid morning if I’m hungry. If there is a dinner planned or other event I’ll eat at that event. My body/mind is not expecting food every day at 12:00 PM - the ability to vary my eating times makes me less dependent/moody before my meal. Do what fits you schedule and keeps you feeling sane. If OMAD is negative to your mental health try 20-4, 18-6, 16-8, etc until you find the right balance and if you feel adapted then maybe you can shorten that window.
I work 8-5 from home and I eat my one meal as dinner around 8pm. Truth is I rarely get invited for meal these days but in the past I would know in advance so I would plan for it. If it’s a spur of the moment thing then the one extra lunch/dinner won’t make any difference in the long run. I cook during my lunch break and then heat it up for dinner. Sometimes I make a fresh meal in the evening. It’s really easy, just start one day and it will all fall in place. I do my exercise in the morning before work and then have a double espresso ;) and start my day. No need to eat immediately after.
I generally eat dinner but if there’s a work lunch, that’s my OMAD instead of dinner that day; my meal doesn’t have to be exactly the same time of day every single day for me. If I’m going out with friends in the evening, I don’t cook dinner and I eat out with my friends and that’s my OMAD. I love to cook but even so, I don’t love to cook every single day, I simply don’t have time for that some days. I usually cook 3 or 4 days a week and eat leftovers in between. Depending on what you’re cooking, reheated leftovers can be just as delicious (or even better) than freshly made.
What it really boils down to though is if OMAD doesn’t work for you, don’t force it. Choose a different intermittent fasting method, one that works for you lifestyle and your schedule.
OMAD is very restrictive in terms of the hours fasting and doesn’t work for everyone. Maybe try a 20/4 fast that would allow you to have an early snack and then a meal. A little more flexibility with eating. Or you could do your own version of OMAD, have a low cal lunch and then your main meal later or vice versa. You would loose some benefits of fasting doing that, but if it’s a manageable way for you to cut calories it will still get the job done in terms of weightloss/health.
I usually eat after 3pm. Generally between 3-6. Sometimes later.
I usually just don’t get hungry before that.
I work from home so logistically it isn’t difficult to cook. I also only do OMAD during the week generally. I give myself a break on weekends.
Eat before work and don’t have to worry for the rest of the day. And then go out to the occasional work lunch if you get invited. You’ll still be ahead overall.
I eat breakfast and the rest at my work desk through the morning until I’ve eaten enough (I’m skinny and trying not to lose weight). This means I don’t have to worry about eating or doing anything after work.
I do 22:2 omad on most days. I also do 16:8 some days and, occasionally, a 12:12 schedule. In fact, I track with a 12:12 schedule between 9am - 9pm because all other daily IF schedules fall within that range.
You don’t have to lock yourself down to one IF routine. If you have nothing going on during the day and omad works for you, go for it. If you have a much meeting or like to eat before your workout, do a 16:8 or 18:6 that day. Want to have breakfast some days? Do 12:12 that day.