What happens if you eat once a day

No matter the type of dietary pattern you choose, your intake should mostly consist of whole, nutrient-dense foods. These foods offer little nutritional value, and eating them too often can lead to weight gain and increased disease risk In the strict OMAD diet, this means complete restriction of calories.

You can still enjoy water and other noncaloric beverages in fasting periods. Again, most healthcare providers do not recommend eating just one meal a day, as it can be detrimental to overall health. Eating one meal a day is unlikely to give you the calories and nutrients your body needs to thrive unless carefully planned. Choosing to eat within a longer time period may help you increase your nutrient intake. If eating one meal a day, try to make meals as nutrient-dense as possible.

These meals should deliver at least 1, calories, which can be difficult for some to ingest over a normal meal window. If you struggle to take in enough calories in one meal, consider increasing your eating window by an hour or so and splitting your meal into two smaller meals. This can help you get enough nutrients and calories without becoming overly full. Here are some nutritionally complete meal ideas that are likely to exceed 1, calories, as long as portion sizes are large enough:.

In a day, eating 1, calories is a general minimum. Most adults need much more than that to maintain their weight. Keep in mind that this way of eating is much more difficult for those following specific dietary patterns, like vegan diets or low fat diets , due to the number of calories that must fit into a single meal.

Overall, trying to cram all of your calorie needs into one meal is not necessary no matter what your health goal is. This dietary pattern is also not sustainable or practical for most people. Although fasting in general — including prolonged fasting — may benefit health in a number of ways, people can reach the same health benefits using much more sustainable methods.

Getting good quality sleep is an important part of weight loss. There has been little research into the effects of fasting for 23 hours per day. As an extreme diet plan, however, there may be risks. For some people, eating only one meal per day may increase the risk of binge eating during the single mealtime.

In some cases, following a restrictive diet can even increase the risk of developing a long-term eating disorder, according to some research. Other problems that may arise include the following :. How many calories per day does a person need? Find out here. People with underlying medical conditions may face additional risks. For example, those with type 1 diabetes or low blood sugar need to eat meals regularly throughout each day to maintain a steady blood sugar level.

A study compared the effect of eating the same number of calories in one or three meals per day for 6 months in a group of healthy adults.

None of the participants experienced a significant weight change, but those who ate only one meal per day experienced a reduction in body fat. However, their levels of both low-density lipoprotein LDL and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased, and there was a negative effect on their morning glucose tolerance levels.

A mouse study suggested that eating only one meal per day may have worsen health, compared with eating two meals. In mice that consumed just one meal per day, there was an increase in body weight, insulin , and fat in the blood. There was also a higher risk of oxidative damage in fatty tissue and the liver. The researchers concluded that eating one meal per day could negatively impact the genes that help regulate the body clock, sleep-wake cycles, and metabolism. However, they did not restrict their intake to one meal per day.

High levels of LDL cholesterol may increase the risk of high blood pressure , heart disease , and stroke. Also, those who fasted in this way did not lose any more weight than those who reduced the number of calories they ate each day.

The one-meal-a-day diet may appeal to those looking for quick weight loss solutions, but there are safer and more healthful ways to lose weight. Thank you for your kind words. I tried to lay it all out there based on my experience. Information about my weight loss from OMAD is all documented in the post. I lost 4 kgs in the first month and over 8kgs to date. Loved the article! Thanks for sharing that. Were you getting close to 2,? Thanks again for sharing! I can see how it would be wise to track calories at least initially to see how your body responds to one meal a day.

Good luck! I am Having a tough time trying to figure out how to get all necessary nutrients to fit into this one meal. Hi Denise, thank you for your feedback. I did mention a combination of buddha bowl as a nutrient-dense meal with a link to our recipe if that helps?

All the best. Thank you so much. Its such an inspiring and well written article. I have reached the point where it has become a necessity to shed those lbs, as weight related health issues have started to appear in my life. Btw, my doctor has heartily endorsed my going on a OMAD routine. Aw, thank you so much! All the best with your journey ahead. Thanks for the article. It was a tat easier for me since I did it in after ramadan where I was used to not drinking and eating at all..

Thank you for sharing your OMAD experience with us. I am back on OMAD after trying it a year ago, but like yourself, was having tea and coffee with milk during the day. I switched to decaf about 6 months ago and have eliminated dairy, so now all I have during the day is green tea and water. My dinner has been 2 small baked potatoes with avocado, sauerkraut and corn, a small tub of rice with a mashed banana and some sugarless blueberry jam and a punnet of strawberries or other fruit all up around cals.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I love the tweak to move towards Green Tea. Keep up the great work! I have been on this particular regiment since late March and since then I have lost a total of 48 lbs. I eat breakfast around am. I do cheat probably once a week to eat dinner with my wife but the rest of the week she eats alone and does so with discretion as to not tempt me.

The 1st 3 weeks were terrible and it was a taper process but on the 4th week I finally achieved the one meal a day goal. My body is still angry on some days and I get some pretty harsh headaches. When this happens I down about 32oz of water or Lemon water and the ache slowly backs down. A quick trip to the vitamin hut and that was that. The human body is an amazing machine that can adapt and conform to its current circumstances.

I encourage anyone who has a weight issue or a health issue to give this a try. The body will go into a state of rebuilding and healing while this regiment is being utilized. Good luck and stay strong. Wow, what fantastic results! Your honest experience with OMAD has been really insightful. You should be proud! I stumbled onto OMAD after doing it for a week. Have been trying to lose weight for a few years.

Tried calorie counting. Worked but made me miserable and snappy. Also overate on feast days. Put all the weight from calorie counting back on. Put about half the fasting weight back, so some of that stuck. It occured to me that I could try one meal a day and then after a couple of days I looked it up and it is a thing. Two weeks in and tbh I am loving it.

Hands down the easiest diet I have tried. I eat at 3pm. Couple of pieces of fruit to start, then soup with veg! Not hungry at all in the evening, in the morning you are only a few hours from eating again! Unlike alternate day fasting I never have a whole day to get through. However, alternate day fasting did teach me some useful tips which are making this easier I think.

Drink lots and drink before you get hungry. Like, a pint at a time. Drink early and drink often. You are probably just thirsty if you feel hungry.

Sugar free cordial is great for this. Hunger goes away. If you really are hungry, find something to do for 5 mins. Fruit and veg in every meal. Ideally the biggest part. You can go a week without meat, junk. Hoping this is the diet that works out long term! David, what a valuable share! Thank you so much for sharing! I started this diet about 2 weeks ago — mainly because i am trying to reverse the symptoms i have as pre-diabetic.

I eat my meal between pm like yourself and 1 have one cheating day where I eat two meals. I am a bit worried about the lack of vitamins when i eat one meal i day, i try to add one fruit, but sometimes i am just too full after eating.

Should I get vitamin pills? I understand your dilemma, as it feels like quite a bit of pressure to give your body everything it needs in one meal. For me personally, I listen to my body. If I wanted to take it further, I would get regular blood test results to measure movement in nutrient levels, and adjust accordingly.

A friend had just started IF and I saw great results in him. Everything is better. I have more energy. I have lost 4. I eat my meal at night at 7. Hi Megan! Very impressive. Just go easy on yourself if you break the chain. It might be worth tweaking to see if plant-based feels good. The eating window is very personal, based on your lifestyle. Let us know how you go. Although i have been eating with one principal meal a day for d last 25 yrs, Now im trying to improve it.

Im keeping my eating-window at am, and eat a fruit or some salad during d day. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Eric. What a fantastic article! Thank you for the inspiration! I try to eat whole nutrient dense foods when I eat at around 6 pm -7 pm. I also drink a slash Simply Light lemonade with mostly water to stay hydrated throughout the day. Tonight I had sardines, cottage cheese, a whole tomato from the garden and a nectarine.

I feel full and ready for tomorrow. A half hour a day, three days a week. I also have mostly stopped dinning out. My brother was in town a couple weeks ago so we went out for fish tacos grilled fish. I thought that was pretty healthy. A friend came to town for a visit last week. We usually go out for Indian food once a week. She was very supportive. I want to loose 40 more pounds by my 50th birthday in May.

That would make me very thin, but still healthy. Wow, Kim! What incredible results! Yes, please come back and give us an update on your progress leading up to your 50th birthday. Well done. Thank for sharing your experience! But your results are really great! Glad you enjoyed the post, Joshua! I am menopausal and all I was doing was gaining weight.

I got up to and my mom told me to try eating one meal a day. When she told me about it I thought it was impossible. I love it. I am elated….. I know this sounds unbelievable, and it is, but true.

I eat one meal a day, and I eat whatever I want to eat. Which is a good thing because my stomach has shrunk. I drink so much water, but I add a little cranberry juice to that for a little flavor.

Does anybody have any suggestions for my coffee and water. Hi Toni, your story is inspiring. Thank you for sharing it with us! Hi Toni I enjoyed hearing your account and found it encouraging. You asked for suggestions re flavoring water or coffee. For water one could try combinations of: fresh mint with peeled cucumber slices, lemon slices and ginger. Or strawberries. Celery and parsley. Leave to stand in room temperature water overnight to infuse or if prefer pop in fridge immediately.

Use filtered water. Can serve with ice if hot climate. Change out each day but can top up jug throughout day with more water. Hope you find this useful.

Lemon supports liver and helps ph. Ginger is anti inflammatory; cucumber, parsley and celery assist with cleansing liver and kidneys; mint assists digestion. Strawberry I cannot recall benefit but it tastes nice and is low calorie. But after reading this I have decided to test my will power. Hope this works for me. Hi Rachel. Perhaps if you do OMAD again, you could keep a food journal.

I recently OMAD only on weekdays at pm. Plus, Best points out that if you're filling up on those quick carbohydrates in order to feel full, you aren't giving your body the nutrients it needs. So what's the solution? It will obviously depend on your body, but many dietitians recommend eating every three or four hours or at least eating three meals , and following the proper nutrition guidelines to set up a healthy meal.

If you're not sure what the proper caloric intake your body needs, here's a calculator —or even talk to a medical professional to find out the right diet for your specific body. Get even more healthy tips straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

This toxic dieting belief is not advised by real medical experts. Here's why. By Kiersten Hickman.