I started IF a couple of months ago and I feel good and see some body comp changes but the scale is not really moving. I’ve been doing 16:8 and moderate cardio 4-5x/week but this week have increased to 18:6 because I don’t feel like I’m fat adapted yet. I’m just curious about how people actually do OMAD. Would love to hear experiences and strategies and just what it looks like for you. For instance, When do you eat? Does your meal extend over several hours? What do you eat and how do you make sure you get proper nutrition? What’s the difference between OMAD vs 18:6 or 20:4? Thanks y’all!
no idea if this is the right way to do it, but i have one actual meal that’s usually a lean protein and lots of veggies. during the remainder of my eating window i allow myself snacks which are usually nuts, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and popcorn. if i feel like munching through my whole four hours i do it. if i don’t, i just stick with my main meal and leave it at that. i’m not counting calories per se, but i have eliminated added sugar and eat as low carb as i possibly can. i’ve yet to weigh myself, but i’ve lost five pants sizes so i know it’s working!
there is a sub too r/omaddiet for other questions too just a heads up. but when I was doing it I always liked keeping my meal at night, gave me something to look forward to throughout the day, and it didn’t let me have to stop and think about food during my day whether I was working or off. helped me stay more consistent that way too.
I’ve switched to usually two feedings a day only since it just works better for me, but usually it was about two hour window of cooking and eating typically. really just making sure I was hitting my protein targets and the rest of the calories from energy calories being fats and carbs fell kinda wherever based on my training/activity levels etc. was loosely tracking calories, more weighing my food and staying consistent with that.
wouldn’t be too concerned on the 18:6 to omad timing unless being stricit on timing works well for you. just finind the form of restriction that seems the least restrictive to you is what is going to be sustainable long term, instead of a temporary diet
IMO, OMAD can give you initial weight loss, but your body quickly adjusts to the short eating window and weight loss will stall after 3-6 months.
A better option would be 36:12 or 42:6 and have 2-3 meals every other day.
i do my one meal a day at lunch time between 12 to 2 pm. i eat 1 cup of rice, as much veggies and meat i want, and a dessert (usually a custard or a fruit). after dessert i press the start button on my zero app and begin fasting. i work a full time job and also do a lot of studying (work related) in the evenings. i wake up and do fasted cardio. i have coffee (espresso) and work in a fasted state until 12 noon. i lose at least 5 lbs a month and one time i lost 7 or 8 lbs / month. i lost a total 25 lbs with a 3.5 months OMAD fasting effort. i only started exercising this december and have yet to understand by end of month if fasted cardio makes me lose more weight.