Safety Concerns For most people, there are no serious dangers involved in eating one meal a day, other than the discomforts of feeling hungry. That said, there are some risks for people with cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol.
The one-meal-a-day diet — also known as 23:1 intermittent fasting — may help people lose weight and body fat. However, it can lead to hunger and cravings and may not be suitable for everyone.
Conclusion: A single meal per day in the evening lowers body weight and adapts metabolic flexibility during exercise via increased fat oxidation whereas physical performance was not affected.
While it seems perfectly fine to eat two meals a day, such a routine is not suitable for everyone. There are a few groups of people who are advised not to try such a diet plan. It is because such a meal plan may increase their risk of health problems.
The one meal a day (OMAD) diet is, simply put, fasting from food for 23 hours a day and eating whatever you'd like for one meal. That meal can range from a double cheeseburger and fries to a more healthful salad loaded with greens, roasted veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
The Theory: Nutrition experts tend to recommend eating 3 balanced meals (350 to 600 calories each) and 1 to 3 snacks per day (between 150 and 200 calories each). The calories for each meal and snack depend on a variety of factors including, height, weight, age, gender and activity level.
In Western culture, it is a common idea that the daily food intake should be divided into three square meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Often dieticians suggest adding two snacks (morning and afternoon) to help appetite control, and indeed the mainstream media message is to eat “five to six times a day”.
Mood swings, lack of concentration, irritability are some common side effects of following one meal a day diet. If you eat fewer calories in a day, your body goes into a preservation mode, which slows down your metabolism. This may be harmful to you in the long term.
One of the latest trends among celebrities is the “one meal a day” diet (or “Omad”). Fans of Omad include Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Many proponents of Omad claim it helps them better manage their weight and keep fit.
OMAD can then start to look a lot like chronic caloric restriction. Although chronic caloric restriction helps with initial weight loss, it poses long-term concerns because it tends to lower resting metabolic rate, which makes weight loss very difficult to maintain.
"The Romans believed it was healthier to eat only one meal a day," food historian Caroline Yeldham told BBC News Magazine in 2012. "They were obsessed with digestion and eating more than one meal was considered a form of gluttony.
OMAD promotes autophagy
Autophagy occurs when damaged cells are broken down, recycled, and used to form new cellular components. Autophagy may also allow your liver to remove stored toxins from the body. It's thought that fasts of 16 hours or more are needed to initially trigger autophagy.
Some suggest that having 5-6 small meals in a day is better than having 3 large meals in a day as it helps to boost metabolism, resulting in quick weight loss.
“On a day you don't eat for 24 hours, you're guaranteed to be losing a third or half a pound of non-water weight that's mostly from body fat,” Pilon told Global News.
Bottom line: skipping meals rarely results in weight loss for the long term and it can negatively impact your metabolism. So, consider waking a few minutes earlier to fit in a quick breakfast before your busy day gets away from you.
Risks of OMAD
An unhappy stomach Some people experience cramping or stomach pain with eating after prolonged periods of fasting. Others may have diarrhea or loose stools. Increased blood sugar OMAD fasting has been found by one study to increase fasting glucose (5).
You need to eat only once when on OMAD diet, but that doesn't mean that you will not even have water for the rest of the day. Keeping yourself hydrated is the key to lose weight. So, drink plenty of water. You can even have coffee, tea, and other calorie-free beverages when following this diet.
"The other negative effects can include having your blood sugar drop so you feel weak and shaky, nutrient deficiencies, exhaustion, binge eating at the one time you do eat, weight gain, or if you do keep your calories low at your one meal, heart problems, hair loss, cold intolerance, and more," says Hotz.
Breakfast is often called 'the most important meal of the day', and for good reason. As the name suggests, breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period. It replenishes your supply of glucose to boost your energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health.
While many folks still plan their days around “three square meals,” it turns out the number of meals you eat may not be so important. How you eat those meals is what matters most when it comes to decreasing the risk of heart disease and other health problems that come along with being overweight.
The goal is to eat every 3 to 4 hours in order to keep your blood sugar consistent and for your stomach to optimally digest. Setting this schedule consistently across days can also help curb overeating which can lead to bloating or indigestion.