What is the OMAD diet and does it help you lose weight? Well OMAD basically stands for one meal a day thus the abbreviation OMAD. It is the latest weight loss trend and is practiced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and apparently even British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
It is also said to be anti aging and leads to long term health gains. But are these promises just empty or does it really work?
What is the OMAD Diet?
Basically the OMAD diet is a variation of intermittent fasting and allows you to eat as much as you want without any calorie restriction with as much food as can fit on a dinner plate.
The idea is to fast for 23 hours and have all your calories in one meal. You can also drink calorie free drinks such as water or black tea or coffee throughout the day.
In addition the one meal that you have should be at roughly the same time every day.
How it works?
The verdict
It’s effectiveness is yet to be determined as there is evidence that the OMAD diet itself may not work as efficiently as it is focused on short term gains and there have been no long term studies on it. But if it is viewed from the perspective of intermittent fasting then there are definitely some gains that can be expected.
Drawbacks
The main drawback with the OMAD diet is possible nutritional deficiencies as the meals we eat everyday needs a variety of nutrients and it may not be possible to incorporate everything in just one meal a day.
Nutritional deficiencies can then lead to poor immune function, fatigue, a decrease in bone density and osteoporosis.
OMAD is also unlikely to be sustainable in the long term as not eating for 23 hours a day can result in extreme hunger and food cravings which may make you eat food that is simply not good for you.
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