The OMAD plus Keto is a new and effective diet regime that helps to reduce weight and also improve overall well-being.
The dieting culture is a result of abundance in food and also increased awareness towards nutrition. Back in the 18th century, every meal in a household was home-cooked and fresh; vegetables were home-grown, and poultries were bought from nearby farms.
Contrastingly, supermarkets have entirely revolutionized the way we consume foods today. One can quickly get their weekly food supply in just one trip to the supermarket. Though it’s more convenient, it sometimes comes at the cost of compromised nutrition.
Hence, dieting, when done correctly, helps us to keep the food we consume in check. Many kinds of diets exist out there, and the OMAD plus Keto diet is one of them.
What Is The OMAD Diet?
The word ‘keto’ is highly popularized, and many of you reading this may have already heard of it; but what’s OMAD? It’s an abbreviation that stands for ‘One Meal A Day’. This form of diet is said to be partly inspired by the Ancient Roman way of eating.
Historians found the civilians of Ancient Rome only having one large meal, approximately at 4 PM, every day. Besides that, records from multiple philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle, who lived during this time, were also found.
These records were reviewed and found to have described the excellent benefits of fasting. This information gave the green light to nutritionists to study and eventually develop the OMAD diet. Essentially, the OMAD diet practiced today consists of taking breaks between meals that last up to 23 hours.
What Is The Keto Diet?
Although ketogenic diets gained attention only recently, it was first introduced way before in the early 1900s. The Keto diet describes eating meals that are of high fat or protein and minimal carbohydrate content. Moreover, foods containing sugar such as candies or cakes have to be cut off, too.
Carbohydrates are typically our primary source of energy. Hence, low carbohydrate levels inevitably push our body into ketosis, a metabolic process that accommodates fat burning for energy. That said, ketogenic diets may lead to a rapid reduction in body weight—one of its main benefits.
What Is The OMAD Keto Diet?
We’ve seen what OMAD and Keto diet entails individually, so what does OMAD mean in a Keto diet? Incorporating both diets into one means double the benefits and also a two-fold increase in the difficulty level. Nonetheless, it’s completely doable with enough discipline and consistency.
Firstly, the ‘OMAD’ part of this diet follows a 23:1 ratio; this means fasting for 23 hours and eating for the remaining 1 hour (the feeding phase). Though the most common time picked to eat is lunchtime, you can choose any time that fits your schedule the best.
Moving on, the keto portion of the diet comes into play during the eating hour. When choosing your meal, make sure you pick foods with high protein or fats and comparatively fewer carbohydrates. Here are some of your OMAD Keto food options:
- Cod liver
- Avocado toast
- Chicken bone broth
- Poached salmon
- Bacon and lettuce sandwich
The one-hour feeding period aims to eat sufficient food to fuel yourself for the fasting period and meet your calorie count. The amount of recommended calories per day differs depending on your weight, age, gender, and daily physical activity level. In general, the recommended calories typically range from 1500 to 2500 calories daily. To keep this diet balanced, you’d need about 390 calories from this quota to be in the form of carbohydrates.
Is OMAD On Keto Good?
The OMAD Keto diets are pretty promising based on their success stories and scientific research. In 2016, a study in Czech involving 48 673 participants looked into the relation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and frequency of mealtimes. The group of participants who only had one meal a day (a.k.a. OMAD) recorded the greatest reduction in BMI.
On the other hand, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study comparing the effects of ketogenic and non-ketogenic diets among obese men. At the end of the 4-week long investigation, the researchers found a ketogenic diet to significantly reduce hunger and lower food intake compared to a non-ketogenic diet.
These results, alongside many others from all over the world, emphasize the effectiveness of the OMAD Keto diet.
While the OMAD diet helps reduce your weight, the addition of Keto helps keep you full for a longer time and, consequently, reduces the chances of falling back on the diet plan.
How Do You Do OMAD Plus Keto?
To successfully integrate the OMAD Keto diet into yourself, you need to understand its basic structure. This diet is typically divided into two phases: fasting and feeding.
During the fasting phase, you’d have to abstain from eating anything. The only exception during this phase is calorie-free drinks such as plain water, unsweetened black coffee, or diet coke. This portion of the diet is undoubtedly challenging initially, but most people get the hang of it as time goes by.
One of the tricks to reduce the chances of relapse during the fasting period is to keep yourself occupied the whole time. You could perhaps overlap the fasting time with your office hours. Other than that, you can also do physical activities like swimming or brisk walking to burn more calories and get your mind off hunger pangs.
However, be aware that exercising when fasting can get very tiring and harmful for some. So please consult your doctor or nutritionist to get advice on the ideal and safe workout intensity for yourself.
Lastly, during the feeding phase, you can indulge in meals of choice for approximately an hour while basking in the feeling of accomplishment. Choosing healthy foods over instant or fast foods helps your body derive more energy and get through the remainder of the day.
An OMAD Keto Meal Plan
To get you started on your OMAD Keto diet journey, we’ve put together a list of recipes (some of which are tried and tested by others in OMAD Keto Reddit threads!) for you. These meals are divided into three categories based on meal types, so you can easily pick up ingredients suiting your feeding phase.
Breakfast:
- Half-boiled egg
- Sweet potatoes
- Avocados
- Kombucha
- English breakfast
Lunch:
- Fish fillet
- Quinoa rice
- Chicken breast
- Protein shakes
- Green salad bowl
Dinner:
- Broiled asparagus
- Salmon with parsley
- Steak with broccoli and carrots
- Almond/walnut milk
- Tofu and egg scramble
While you’re on the OMAD Keto diet, try to maintain the same eating time to get your body used to the routine. On top of that, remember to not over-exert yourself when starting the diet. It takes time to get used to a new diet, so allow yourself the time to cope with the changes.
Since the OMAD Keto diet requires you to eat a certain amount of carbs and calories, you can track your intake using smartphone apps.
Risks And Precaution of OMAD Keto Diet
While the OMAD Keto diet sounds good on paper, it does have some flaws when applied in real-life situations. Here are some risks you should anticipate when starting the OMAD Keto diet:
- Lightheadedness or nausea
- Dehydration
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Increased irritability
Additionally, if you fall into any of the below categories, avoid the OMAD Keto diet or consult your doctor before trying this diet.
- Pregnant women: The daily nutrition intake during pregnancy increases to accommodate fetal development, hence unsuitable for dieting.
- Chronic diabetes patients: This diet requires you to reduce your daily sugar intake, causing fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. Consult your doctor before trying this diet.
- Chronic hypertension patients: This diet may de-stabilize your current blood pressure.
- People with gastric problems: Fasting, in general, may cause acid reflux if one has pre-existing gastric issues.
- Underweight/ individuals with eating disorders: This diet will make you lose weight and potentially lower your BMI further.
Generally, though, people should consult their health care providers to investigate the suitability of diets consisting of fasting before commencing them. This is especially important because the OMAD Keto diet is considered extreme, strict, and challenging to sustain.
FAQ: OMAD Plus Keto
Why am I not losing weight on OMAD Keto?
OMAD Keto isn’t an overnight fix for your weight—it takes time. For some, there’ll be rapid weight loss in the first week, followed by nothing in the next couple of weeks.
For others, their weight loss journey could be quite the opposite. Though there is evidence suggesting OMAD Keto takes weeks to show its effectiveness, it really comes down to your body and level of consistency.
Will I lose weight by doing the OMAD diet?
Suppose you followed through consistently and correctly; yes, it works. Your chances of losing weight are higher when you take only one meal per day, but you can quicken the process with healthier food choices.
However, losing weight too quickly has its risks and drawbacks. Typically, healthy OMAD dieters will lose 1 to 2 lbs in the first week. We recommend you weigh yourself daily to make sure you’re not losing more weight than that. If you’re experiencing excess weight loss, please consult your doctor as soon as possible.
What should I eat on an OMAD diet?
The OMAD diet greatly varies from the OMAD Keto diet. For example, if you’re following an OMAD diet, you have the freedom to eat anything you want during the 1 hour. However, when we talk about OMAD Keto, only meals that meet the criteria of “keto-friendly” are on the table.
How many calories should I consume on the Keto-OMAD diet?
The calorie restrictions are pretty loose with this diet. You can consume around 1500 to 2500 calories daily, which lands in the average calorie requirements for adults.
Of course, you may choose to be more lax with these calorie restrictions. Consume the amount that keeps you energized and full throughout the day. The OMAD part of the diet makes it easier to avoid calorie overconsumption, since it’s generally more difficult to consume too many calories in just a single meal.
Bottomline: OMAD Plus Keto
The OMAD plus Keto diet is an excellent way to ration your food intake and eventually reduce your body weight. Its effectiveness and safety have been demonstrated in multiple studies, over and over again. Nevertheless, there’s a fine line between a healthy and harmful diet plan. Therefore, we encourage you to periodically reflect on your dieting habit to make sure you’re not going down the wrong path.
Disclaimer: This article is only a guide. It does not substitute the advice given by your own healthcare professional. Before making any health-related decision, consult your healthcare professional.
Editorial References And Fact-Checking:
- Alexandra M Johnstone, Graham W Horgan, Sandra D Murison, David M Bremner, Gerald E Lobley, Effects of a high-protein ketogenic diet on hunger, appetite, and weight loss in obese men feeding ad libitum, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 87, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 44–55,https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.1.44
- Digital History. (2021). Retrieved August 1, 2021, from Uh.edu website: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/topic_display.cfm?tcid=92
- History of Fasting | AllAboutFasting. (2019). Retrieved August 1, 2021, from Allaboutfasting.com website: https://www.allaboutfasting.com/history-of-fasting.html
- Sybertz, A. (2020). The OMAD Diet: Intermittent Fasting with One Meal a Day to Burn Fat and Lose Weight. Simon and Schuster.
