Keto OMAD Diet: [What Is OMAD Keto For Weight Loss?]

What exactly is the Keto OMAD Diet?

You have probably heard of the Keto diet before, but you may have no idea what OMAD is. Let’s start by definiting each term than I’ll explain how they work together to help with your weight loss.

And why listen to me? Well, I was on ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss where I lost 255 pounds in one year. I ended up gaining all that weight back! And have now gone on to lose over 250 pounds using the duodenal switch procedure mixed with intermittent fasting, OMAD, and keto.

So, what is the keto diet?

According to Healthline:

The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low carb diets.

It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

Pretty simple. Keto just means that you cut back on carbs, usually keeping your daily carb intake to less than 20 grams per day. It’s important to remember that you don’t count dietary fiber as a carbohydrate which is great because food labels include dietary fiber under the carbohydrates section.

What we are most concerned with are carbs that spike your blood sugar, causing the release of insulin. This is what we want to avoid when following a ketosis diet.

So What Exactly Is Keto OMAD?

Now that you know that Keto is short for Ketosis and it means to keep your carbs low, let’s look at OMAD. OMAD is an acronym that stands for One Meal A Day.

So, OMAD just means that you will reduce your daily food intake to eating one meal or one time per day. This type of eating pattern is also sometimes known as time restricted feeding. It is part of the family of “intermittent fasting”.

Intermittent fasting is generally fasting (not eating) for periods up to 48 hours. Once you get past that, you move into extended fasting also known as prolonged fasting.

Here’s a quick video from Thomas Delauer that explains the difference

OMAD = One Meal A Day

So, we’re gonna focus on OMAD today and not go into full blown extended fasting. OMAD simply means One Meal A Day and the whole goal is that you eat once a day!

Rocket science, I know.

The premise is that we eat way too much food. Not, just too many calories, but too much food. Humans evolved to be hunters and gatherers, but mainly hunters. We went out in our small tribe and hunted. If we were lucky we ate once a day, but usually we only ate every day or two.

Food was scarce. Our bodies adapted to this style of eating. It’s only been in the last few thousands years that we started eating multiple meals per day. The idea of eating breakfast is still somewhat new to the human race (in the evolutionary timeline).

What Can OMAD Do For You?

Consider this quote from Diet Doctor:

As a form of time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting, OMAD may help reduce hyperinsulinemia, control diabetes and improve metabolic syndrome.² Consistent clinical experience shows that widening the fasting window can help improve these metabolic conditions. So, when used appropriately, OMAD could potentially deliver better results than shorter fasts.

Some see OMAD as an “easy” way to reduce calorie intake. When you only allow yourself to eat in a 30-to-60-minute time window, it is physically difficult to exceed your daily calorie needs. It’s not impossible (just ask hot dog speed-eating champion Joey Chestnut, who can eat more than 10,000 calories in 10 minutes) but it sure is challenging. For those who benefit from a firm schedule that restricts snacking, OMAD can be the strategy that works best. (Of course, “easy” is in the eye of the beholder!)

A Few KETO OMAD Tricks

It’s important to remember that OMAD stands for one meal a day, not one meal every 24 hours. You can’t really run in 24 hour cycles because each day you would lose an hour. For example, if you start eating at 5pm and finish at 6pm, the next day you would start eating at 6pm and finish at 7pm, and the cycle would continue.

So, in reality, it’s more like eating every 23 hours or so. What you want to do to make sure you are truly eating KETO OMAD is to eat your meal around the same time everyday. 6pm (dinner time) seems to be good for most people because you can still eat with the family and still “go out” to eat from time to time.

Most people can enjoy a cup of coffee for breakfast, skip lunch at work , then have a nice meal with the fmaily.

What Do You Eat On A KETO OMAD Diet?

Basically, you will want to keep your carb counts low and just eat one meal a day. It’s important you get enough calories in your meal to sustain you throughout the day. A typical meal for me if I am doing OMAD KETO is to have a healthy serving of steak or chicken along with a large salad with chicken, bacon, eggs, and even some ranch dressing.

OH and cheese, lots of cheese.

You can intake more fat than you are used to when you are on a keto diet, but you still don’t want to crazy with the fat because it’s still higher in calories. If you are trying to lose weight, focus on protein mainly. You really can’t go wrong eating lots of protein.

As always, consult your physician before embarking on any food change.

Problems With OMAD KETO

One of the main things to watch out for is for any sign of an eating disorder. If you’ve struggled with anorexia or bulimia before, then this diet may not be for you.

Also make sure you watch your calorie intake. You don’t want to keep your calories too low for too long. You actually will have better results anyway when you eat your OMAD meal with lots of meat and fat.

Another issue is that you may get bored with your food choices. You are saying so long to sugar, bread, potatoes, and most drinks. This is difficult for some people.

I can say from experience though, that it gets easier once you do it. Getting all sugar and carbs out of your system is a game changer.

Finally, eating one meal a day can be tough for some people. We grow up eating all the time, so learning to restrict yourself takes practice. But I can tell you from experience, it really does get easier to eat less. And, over time, you’ll actually feel way better.

Final Thoughts On OMAD KETO

I don’t know if anyone can do OMAD Keto for life, so don’t look at it as a lifelong endeavour. Depending on your goals, set a time frame that you want to try first. Maybe 30 days. You should start on Keto first. Get used to not eating carbs and sugars.

Then, start working your way towards OMAD. Start by skipping breakfast. Then, cut out snacks after dinner. After that, you can start pushing lunch back further. Finally, cut lunch out altogether and just eat dinner.

BAM – you are now OMAD.

Like all things, KETO OMAD can be effective, but you need to make sure you follow the plan wisely and strictly. Build up over time, and compliance to the OMAD keto diet is much easier.