Last Monday, in this article, I declared I would be eating only seven meals during the next seven days, aka one meal a day (OMAD). And now, the week of excruciating hell of eating only once a day is finally over! Okay, just kidding - it wasn't that hard, but that's probably because my body had already been accustomed to eating about two meals a day, and also because I had a lot of fat and protein on my meals. And also because I followed some handy tips, more of which later.
So what I did was that every day, sometime in the afternoon, I would have an enormous, carnivorous meal, and then not eat anything until the afternoon of the next day. When I wasn't eating, I was drinking a lot of water and hot drinks. I mainly ate salmon, avocados, deer liver, ground beef, chicken leg quarters - on the last day also squid and tuna - with butter and homemade mayonnaise. Here are the main things I noticed during the week:
- Eating until you're stuffed isn't a good idea, contrary to what I said in this article. It will only result in a sickening feeling in your stomach that lasts until the next day.
- Having coffee in the morning makes you hungry earlier.
- Cravings can be killed with a cup of apple cider vinegar drink.
Now, the results:
- On Monday (this morning), I took my measurements and they were better than ever - waist, hips, thigh, leg, arm - all of them.
- I felt light.
- My body looked hot.
- I had higher energy levels and I felt more positive about life and everything in general. I didn't get grumpy even when I was hungry. I was happy basically all the time.
NOTE: I can't be 100 % sure if the results are because of the OMAD experiment of because of my carnivore diet. But since I had been a carnivore before, I'm inclined to think the OMAD habit had something to do with them.
Tips and best practices I learned during the week:
- Eat until you're satisfied. Don't try to eat until you're stuffed. Your body, once it gets used to eating only one meal a day, will tell you how much is needed.
- If you're used to drinking coffee the first thing in the morning, replacing it with hot water with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice might be a good idea, at least in the beginning when your body doesn't know yet when to expect food. It will help you stay satisfied until noon, at which point you can have that coffee, that will in turn help you make it to meal time.
- Getting cravings outside the meal window in the beginning of your transition to OMAD is normal and to be expected. The hot water / ACV / lemon juice drink will help. Have a cup whenever you get cravings, up to three mugfuls a day, each with 2 tbsp ACV and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
The pros of the OMAD eating style include:
- Cooking and eating only take about half an hour of your time every day.
- You'll feel great and positive.
- You'll get a lot of fluids in during your fasting time.
- If you're trying to lose weight, this could help.
The cons include:
- Cravings - which can be killed with the ACV drink.
- Confusion about how much food is enough - although in time your body will start to tell you that.
- You may have to push your morning coffee to noon and have ACV drink in the morning instead.
All in all, I think this experiment tested me mentally, and because I didn't give up or fall for the cravings, I feel super awesome about myself! The OMAD experiment increased my confidence and the trust I have in myself that I can do anything. To top that, it also made me feel great mentally and physically and gave me a beautiful bikini body - just in time for summer!
So if you're interested in getting the results I've mentioned above, or if you're just curious about the OMAD habit, I warmly recommend you give it a try. And you don't have to do it carnivore - make it your own to suit your needs and your diet. And remember to have fun with it!
RK
