[graaja]

Originally Posted by download2live

@Graaja I have been trying the only thing seemingly possible for me. I am trying to maintain a 12hr gap between the dinner and the breakfast.

Now I am not sure if this is right but I am trying only to have a mug of tea in the morning and then have lunch at around 1-2PM.

Having a mug of tea means the fast is broken. Right?

With mug of tea I mean a big one. And 1 part full cream milk + 1 part water + 4 spoons of sugar. Cringe.

Is your 12 hour fast from your dinner to that cup of tea?

Yes. That tea you are having is not only breaking your fast, but is doing major damage to your body due to that 4 spoons of sugar.

Believe me, you are greatly underestimating yourself when you think this is all you can do. It takes just a few days of hard work in getting the body used to fasting and unlocking the fat metabolism. Once you persevere through this initial three to four days, fasting comes easily.

I have seen this with lifetime foodies (including me). So, you need to first believe in yourself and decide that no matter what, you are going to get that 16 hour fast. Once you unlock this fat metabolism in your body, you will see all those food cravings gone and you will have full control on food. Keep trying.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by graaja

Is your 12 hour fast from your dinner to that cup of tea?

Yes. That tea you are having is not only breaking your fast, but is doing major damage to your body due to that 4 spoons of sugar.

Yeah that is dinner at 9 PM and then tea at 9 AM.

I will try to increase the streak of 12 hrs to 14 hrs. Regarding tea, without it I feel drowsy and heavy headed. What if I try to reduce the sugar to 2 spoons? Sorry to sound as if I am negotitating. It is tough.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by download2live

I will try to increase the streak of 12 hrs to 14 hrs. Regarding tea, without it I feel drowsy and heavy headed. What if I try to reduce the sugar to 2 spoons? Sorry to sound as if I am negotitating. It is tough.

Yes. If giving up sugar is difficult, gradually reduce the quantity and bring it to zero. And gradually increase the fasting window. You can do 13 hours for a couple of weeks, 14 hours for a couple of weeks and so on till you get used to fasting.

[coolmind]

Originally Posted by graaja

IF is not a diet that you stop when you reach your target weight. IF is a lifestyle. With this lifestyle, your body will maintain the ideal weight. Don't worry about continuously losing weight. That will not happen. Just make this your lifestyle.

Can you please elaborate on how the body weight is being maintained inspite of being on less diet?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by coolmind

Can you please elaborate on how the body weight is being maintained inspite of being on less diet?

IF is about reducing the eating window. But you will be eating your fill during this window. You can still have the same 3 meals in the 8 hour eating window, and will eat to satiety.

There is a saying in Tamil "Pasithu pusi", which means eat only when hungry. I am sure this should be there in many other cultures as well. With our lifestyle of abundance, we don't follow this. We feed on time even when we do not have hunger which results in constant insulin spikes. Because of this, the brain loses its sensitivity to these signals and this is what causes the accumulation of fat (body just stores anything you give in excess).

What happens with IF is that your body becomes more sensitive to hunger/satiety signals when you lose the excess fat and keep insulin levels low. Your body will be able to properly signal hunger to let you know when it needs food and signal you satiety when it has enough. When you hit this equilibrium, there will be no further weight loss, unless you force yourself into restricting calories.

Hope this clarifies your doubt.

EDIT: There is lot of proof that the above concept works. I know many people who have been doing OMAD for years and remain at their ideal weight.

[GLAD73]

Originally Posted by download2live

Yeah that is dinner at 9 PM and then tea at 9 AM.

I will try to increase the streak of 12 hrs to 14 hrs. Regarding tea, without it I feel drowsy and heavy headed. What if I try to reduce the sugar to 2 spoons? Sorry to sound as if I am negotitating. It is tough.

Try black tea without sugar and see if you can manage till lunch time, I too thought that it would be impossible but surprisingly found it quite easy. Drink plenty of water to help with the hunger pangs, soon it will be a way of life.

[bhokal14]

Hi Graaja,

First of all a big thank you for taking the effort to pen this down and sharing/interacting with all those interested. I always wanted to write something like this but lacked the data and experience as I did not maintain a journal. I am sharing my bit and want to ask few questions.

EXPERIENCE
I have been following OMAD for a bit more than three years now. I occasionally did eat more than once a day on festivals and family functions but always ended up regretting it as I felt bloated/heavy and ended up with upset tummy. They were more of a pleasure thing than hunger. Sort of indulgence days. I started cold turkey and was comfortable in about a week. I started eating only dinner as this is the meal which we mostly are able to eat in peace with friends/ family. So the habit won't break even when I go out for dinner. Felt very light and energetic in general. Apart from losing weight I got following benefits -
1. Reduction in sleep time- I always needed 9+ hours for a good sleep. The same is achieved in about 7 hours now plus I am not lethargic in the morning. Also I am not sleepy in the afternoons.
2. Reduced Meal Size- Gradually the meal size became constant to about 4 Chapatis, a small bowl of rice, two vegetables (one cooked for lunch and one for dinner) and daal.
3. Got Rid of Acidity- I used to get acidic at least 3-4 days per week which has now reduced to almost zero a month.
4. Increased Energy Levels - A general lethargic feeling is now replaced by a ' let's do it now' feeling
5. Increased Metabolism- food digestion saw a remarkable feeling and general feeling of bloatedness is gone.
6. Weight Stagnancy- Weight has been consistent at 75 to 77 kg. I am 173cm tall. Need to go down to late 60s now.
7. Drastic reduction in sick days- I fell sick at least for 3 to 5 days every season change. So that was at least 3 times a year. General viral fevers to throat infection (tonsil related) mostly. That has gone away totally. Had dengu and chicken pox (very rare for adults) though. I feel my body was weak pre OMAD but now it is at least at a bit more than basic strength level of immunity. Also I don't remember any head aches apart from hangover related.
8. Physical Activity- I hadn't been particularly active and did not follow any routine exercises apart from a bit of cycling. I did ride for 100kms one day to check if I could do it and surprisingly I did not feel any more tired than I should be. I did it at a very easy speed though. Also did a 10 hr trek and was comfortably tired again. So I suppose these are OMAD benefits as I wasn't training at all when I attempted these.

QUESTIONS
Right now I have started cycling to work and do about 100-120 kms a week, mostly at a bit more than comfortable speed. I wish to add running too and trying to figure out the time as per work and family commitments. My diet is almost a vegetarian one and I just eat whatever is cooked at home and do not take any sort of supplements. I do eat a lot of vegetables though. I do not have any sort of deficiency per se but I haven't done any tests. It is just a feeling.

I needed a bit of guidance from you on the following -
1. Strength training - I can barely do 10 proper push ups and zero pull ups. I have not been consistent but I have a feeling that I might stress my body. I never have been a strong guy ever in my life. Carrom board was my definition of physical idea. Any sort of guidance on this is greatly appreciated although you have mentioned a lot of in the thread which is a bit overwhelming.
2. Diet changes- Any inclusions/exclusions I need to make? Would like to mention I consume almost zero sugar. I drink black tea/coffee twice a day without sugar. Would like to mention that I don't eat green/red/any kind of chillies at all. I always end up with an upset stomach if I do. Consumption of alcohol is limited to a the most twice a month. Also working on cutting down the white sticks of death to zero from two a day.
3. Ultra Endurance- Although I am very far from this I wanted to know your experience/views on ultra endurance like 300 km plus cycling and 50 km plus running with OMAD. This is still a day dream for me but wanted opinion/ insights on this so that I can start working on it. I am curious to what I can push myself to.

Thanks in advance. I greatly appreciate what you have started.

PS: I am taking cold bath too but it's more of a room temperature bath as its not really cold where I live (Nagpur, MH). This may or may not have helped in my immunity.

[graaja]

Starting the year with a 72 hour fast. Broke the fast with a small cup of curd, a couple of eggs, lots of chicken and a couple of rotis. Gave 10 to 15 minutes gap between each food to give time for the digestive system to wake up. Ideally, I should have left the rotis off, but felt like eating some rotis. So kept the portion limited.









Usually, during my long fasts, I don't to any workouts. This time, wanted to experiment with some moderate workouts. Did a 4km run 18 hours into the fast and a 2k+2k walk and run after 42 hours of fasting. On the third day, did not feel like doing any workout and skipped.





Energy level was quite good all the three days till I broke the fast. Had some tiredness in a couple of instances. But this was solved with a glass of lemon juice with salt.

Originally Posted by bhokal14

I have been following OMAD for a bit more than three years now...

QUESTIONS
I needed a bit of guidance from you on the following -
1. Strength training - I can barely do 10 proper push ups and zero pull ups. I have not been consistent but I have a feeling that I might stress my body. I never have been a strong guy ever in my life. Carrom board was my definition of physical idea. Any sort of guidance on this is greatly appreciated although you have mentioned a lot of in the thread which is a bit overwhelming.
2. Diet changes- Any inclusions/exclusions I need to make? Would like to mention I consume almost zero sugar. I drink black tea/coffee twice a day without sugar. Would like to mention that I don't eat green/red/any kind of chillies at all. I always end up with an upset stomach if I do. Consumption of alcohol is limited to a the most twice a month. Also working on cutting down the white sticks of death to zero from two a day.
3. Ultra Endurance- Although I am very far from this I wanted to know your experience/views on ultra endurance like 300 km plus cycling and 50 km plus running with OMAD. This is still a day dream for me but wanted opinion/ insights on this so that I can start working on it. I am curious to what I can push myself to.

Thanks in advance. I greatly appreciate what you have started.

Thank you for the kind words. It is great to know that you are doing OMAD for three years now and seeing great results in weight loss and general well being. I am sure you should have inspired many in your family and friends circles to take up healthy living. Please continue to inspire.

Answers to your questions:

1. You can start strength training using low weights and gradually progressing as you gain strength. Though I have not used any, I think there are lots of apps that provide you with workout routines for strength training. Just be cautious with enough warm up before workout, not going overboard with weights and proper stretching and cool down post workout. This is the best way to get into strength training without going to a gym.

I personally follow various programs in my workout schedule. I have subscribed to a website called beachbodyondemand where they have many awesome home workout routines in both strength training and cardio. I also follow a Calisthenics program designed by Simon Ata, and an animal flow program by Mike Fitch. These are a little expensive programs, but are comparable to annual gym memberships. I also have set up a small gym with a few pairs of dumbbells, resistance bands and a pull up bar.

2. I see that you have a big portion of rice and rotis in your OMAD. When you do OMAD, it is very essential that you eat nutrition dense food which has lots of protein, fat and micronutrients. I would suggest you reduce the portion of rice and rotis and replace that with more dal, greens, vegetables, eggs etc.

3. I would not recommend endurance training on OMAD. You could do endurance training on low carb, but you will need to give the necessary nutrition to cover for the energy spent during these endurance workouts. Doing endurance events without proper nutrition can result in muscle loss. If you get into endurance training, I would suggest you change to a shorter fasting window like 16:8 or 18:6 and have food rich in fat and protein.

[drrajasaravanan]

Hi graja,
Need your idea regarding my better half who started Keto, partly with a 6:18 window and one cheat meal every 2 weeks after seeing the results I had after a month. Questions are
1. She is a major fruits addict and giving it up was tough for her, she has given up rice and rotis to allow Strawberry and Guava during her eating window.
2. She doesn't drink tea or coffee and during fasting window she takes lemon water with salt. Is there anything else that she can add.
Cheers.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by drrajasaravanan

Hi graja,
Need your idea regarding my better half who started Keto, partly with a 6:18 window and one cheat meal every 2 weeks after seeing the results I had after a month. Questions are
1. She is a major fruits addict and giving it up was tough for her, she has given up rice and rotis to allow Strawberry and Guava during her eating window.
2. She doesn't drink tea or coffee and during fasting window she takes lemon water with salt. Is there anything else that she can add.
Cheers.

Good to know your wife is also taking up IF.

If she wants to do strict Keto that has less than 20 grams of carbs per day, cheat meal once in 2 weeks is not recommended, as it takes 4 to 5 days for the body to get into Ketosis. On the other hand if she is not particular about being in ketosis and wants to do LCHF, then once in 2 weeks of cheat meals is fine.

Regarding fruits, most of the fruits are rich in sugar and not recommended for strict Keto. If strict keto is not the goal, then she could have small portions of fruits (moderation is the key) once a few days during the eating window.

During the fasting window, if she does not like tea or coffee, then lemon water with salt is just fine. Anything else would break the fast.

[sagarpadaki]

One question on IF.

During the fasting window, i get hunger pangs on some days. How to handle this? I do not drink black tea/coffee during the fasting window since I do not like them and drink only water. Sometimes, these hunger pangs are so much that it becomes a distraction to my day to day work. It does eventually fade away after resisting for a couple of hours.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

One question on IF.

During the fasting window, i get hunger pangs on some days. How to handle this? I do not drink black tea/coffee during the fasting window since I do not like them and drink only water. Sometimes, these hunger pangs are so much that it becomes a distraction to my day to day work. It does eventually fade away after resisting for a couple of hours.

Hunger pangs usually come in waves. If you are able to ride it for say 10 minutes, it will go away. As you continue with IF, these hunger pangs will start reducing in frequency and should be completely gone in a couple of weeks.

if the hunger pang is becoming too much of a distraction, and if you are not used to black coffee or green tea, try lemon juice with salt. That can help.

[ast.ggn]

Graaja, after getting inspired by you I have started IF couple of weeks back and I would say that it is working well for me. I had never thought of myself as someone who could fast but surprisingly it is working well this time. I am following 16:8, joined the gym around Christmas last year after a gap of 2 years and there is no lack of energy during the day. Black coffee takes care of the hunger pangs.

Thank you for sharing your journey and inspiring

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Graaja, after getting inspired by you I have started IF couple of weeks back and I would say that it is working well for me. I had never thought of myself as someone who could fast but surprisingly it is working well this time. I am following 16:8, joined the gym around Christmas last year after a gap of 2 years and there is no lack of energy during the day. Black coffee takes care of the hunger pangs.

Thank you for sharing your journey and inspiring

Great to hear that you have started IF and it is working well. Keep at this for a few months, and it will be come a lifetime habit

And IF + strength training is the best combination for a healthy and fit life. Wishing you all the best.

[drrajasaravanan]

Originally Posted by graaja

If she wants to do strict Keto that has less than 20 grams of carbs per day, cheat meal once in 2 weeks is not recommended, as it takes 4 to 5 days for the body to get into Ketosis. On the other hand if she is not particular about being in ketosis and wants to do LCHF, then once in 2 weeks of cheat meals is fine.

Hi
Sorry graaja I meant LCHF diet and mistakenly typed Keto. I have managed to stick to my schedule LCHF with IF which is lot more easier now and cutting down carbs as much as possible. Still not in Keto segment probably will be able to switch over next month. My better half is also getting comfortable with the same plan. Let's see how it goes. Cheers.