Faded Jeans Living

OMAD

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Full Disclosure: Out of the 30 days, I completed 22 days of OMAD.

On November 1st, I decided to eat just one meal a day for the entire month. I’d been watching several YouTube videos about its benefits and wanted to try it for myself. My goal was to treat it as an experiment—to see if I could get my body back in balance. For me, eating three meals a day with a couple of snacks felt like too much.

When I say balance, I mean getting my body back to a place where energy, appetite, and digestion feel steady. It was about helping my metabolism, digestion, and hormones settle into a healthier rhythm, and seeing if I could feel more in sync and alert when I approached eating.

I was also aiming to kick in autophagy (basically the body cleaning out old cells and rebuilding healthier ones). OMAD is also thought to help with insulin sensitivity, inflammation, gut health, and weight loss.

All your daily calories are meant to be eaten in one meal. The idea is that you fast the rest of the day and get everything you need in that one sitting, and within an hour-window.

Days 1–3:

• Definitely hungry between meals
• Feeling completely stuffed and bloated after eating

Days 4–5:

• Started eating more nutritious meals to stay full longer
• Felt less hungry between meals on Day 5
• Seemed a bit mentally sharper Overall feeling more “up”

Days 6–9:

• Tough to watch football with all the food commercials😃
• Drinking plenty of water helped curb the appetite and keep me flushed
• Visited family for pizza night—made sure to eat plenty of salad

Days 9–14:

• Experimented with changing my meal time; started at 4 pm and shifted it a few times
• Found 1 pm or 2 pm to be the sweet spot
• On the 13th, broke OMAD and ate twice—11:30 with a friend (social meal) and again at 4; I was just hungry
• Still feeling sharper, less bloated, and leaner, even though I hadn’t lost a big amount of weight
• Loving my morning workouts—more energy and definitely feeling sharper

Days 15–19:

• Realized I needed to take full responsibility for my eating—no fast-food excursions or “extra” meals
• One meal a day = easy, especially for prep and cleanup
• Food mindset is shifting
• Need to eat more fiber
• Came down with a head cold and ate twice on the 17th and 18th

Day 20:

• Decided I was going off OMAD and ate three times

Days 21–26:

• Back on OMAD—something inside kept pulling me toward giving it a chance
• Interesting noticing the mind say “you’re hungry” and being able to tell it to settle down… I’m steering this ship
• Feeling far more mindful and in tune; before this, whatever emotional breeze blew in could send me straight into eating

Days 27–30:

• Off OMAD
• Holiday mode
• Hosted Thanksgiving
• Food galore taunting me

Starting weight: 199.4 lbs. Ending weight: 194.2

This experiment definitely showed me OMAD is not easy, but it has some real upsides. I felt sharper, more energized for workouts, and more in tune with my hunger and cravings at times. It helped me focus on healthier, more filling meals and made meal prep and cleanup a breeze. On the flip side, it was tough dealing with hunger between meals, social situations, and the occasional bloating. It definitely takes both physical discipline—to handle the hunger and get the right nutrition—and mental discipline—to stay mindful and not let emotions drive eating.

Overall, I felt like I was getting closer to the balance I was looking for, but by not sticking with it consistently, I didn’t quite reach my goal. It seems OMAD isn’t the right fit for me right now. I may go back to a practice I used before successfully of two meals a day with a 16 – 18 hour fast in between them. We’ll see.

-Dwight

*Understand: I’m by no means suggesting anyone should try OMAD—this experiment was purely out of my curiosity. OMAD isn’t a good match for many people who have demanding physical jobs, struggle with blood sugar issues, are prone to low energy, or have social or family routines centered around multiple meals a day. I get it!