New to OMAD and struggling
Babygyrl17
Posts: 49 Member
I've been doing OMAD for exactly 2 weeks and I'm struggling. I'm sticking to the fasting period but the hunger pangs are killing me!I thought they'd ease up by now. How long can the adjustment period take? Also, i have not lost any weight and I've been eating within my caloric deficit determined by mfp. I really want to continue OMAD but I'm getting discouraged. Any advice?
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Describe yourself, your goals, and your general meals?
We can work one-on-one if you are interested.0 -
Also, tell me about your beverages and any medical conditions.0
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Started weight loss journey Dec 11, 2016 at 291, currently 260. Became interested in IF last month and started with 16:8 on march 11 which resulted in - 2lb lost. Then started OMAD March 20th. My window is from 5-9pm but typically eat around 6pm. On average I consume 1500-1750 calories. I drink water and chew gum during the day by the hunger pangs are still really intense. I stopped exercising after reading your blog but my weight has remained at 260 for the last weeks.
My ultimate goal is 170-180. I really feel like OMAD is the way to go because of both the benefits and convenience with my work schedule. Im just having a difficult time with the initial adjustment period.0 -
No medical conditions. I Drink water, water with mio, & Crystal light0
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Keep going. Sounds like you are facing your big plateau (we all have them up front after a bigger loss phase).
Try dropping the cals to no more than 1,500 for the next week. Are you carb-dominate or protein/fat-dominate in meal choices?
Add in green tea if you have not already--and ACV.0 -
I will try that. I'm fat dominate (around 90g) and carbs 100-150. Thanks!0
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There are calories in Crystal light but not sure if that would be a problem or not???0
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Fung says artificial sweetners can spike insulin as much as sugar. A little coconut oil (1/2tsp) about every hour as needed has gotten me through some hungry days. It kills my appetite and is about 50 cals and won't spike insulin. I've done that the last couple of hours on rough days. How is your protein uptake. I think being deficient in that can cause hunger. Also, I think if we take a multi vitamin and mineral supp, that can help too.0
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Try a bit of coconut oil in tea or coffee as an appetite suppressant, it has calories but 100% from fat so it won't really spike your insulin and it is super effective. Butter is a good alternative if you prefer.
Also, I would be careful with too much gum as the sweeteners used can spike insulin even if they don't contain calories.
If you're not exercising, 100-150 g carbs might be aiming to high for you until you are more adapted. I at least notice my hunger levels rising on days after eating more carbs than my body can efficiently deal with. For me that is anything more than 75g for the day, it might be different for you.
If you are feeling hungry all the time the body probably won't be very motivated to let go of the weight, so I would make it a priority to deal with that and worry about calories later:) more fat is usually the most efficient way to make a meal more satiating and lasting.0 -
Thank you all for the advice. For the lady OMADers, once you have adapted, do the hunger pangs return during your TOM?0
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Absolutely! I'm expecting mine tomorrow and I can feel the difference already. I had a cup of tea with coconut oil in it this morning and needed another one just now. That will probably hold me until dinner, but I might need another one before bed. On a normal day I don't need any at all, or at the most one cup.
I will also have some chocolate for dessert
and I moved my splurge day up from Saturday so I can have it tomorrow or whenever my TOM hits. That makes it a lot easier and guilt free!
Sidenote: My weight has increased these last few days bcs of water build up before my TOM, even if I have eaten low carb and not overeaten. Could be the case for you as well? Just the way the body works, it will adjust itself once it's over
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Quite possibly just not sure since I'm still adapting to OMAD. Either way, i will use these great suggestions and try to break through this plateau.2
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Since doing OMAD my TOM has improved so much! I'm so relieved. I'm still pretty new to OMAD but I have seen a huge decrease in cravings around that time. I used to eat everything in sight but now I have WAY more control!1
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Fung says artificial sweetners can spike insulin as much as sugar. A little coconut oil (1/2tsp) about every hour as needed has gotten me through some hungry days. It kills my appetite and is about 50 cals and won't spike insulin. I've done that the last couple of hours on rough days. How is your protein uptake. I think being deficient in that can cause hunger. Also, I think if we take a multi vitamin and mineral supp, that can help too.
Fung is completely wrong on the sugar-spiking. There is none whatsoever in the vast majority of cases.
And coconut oil I have NOT found to have much affect on appetite. At least for me.0 -
brendagaudette wrote: »There are calories in Crystal light but not sure if that would be a problem or not???
Yes, because any calories that are not pure fat will stimulate insulin production. That may be why she is hungry. And that's why caloric beverages make OMAD harder when it's not the mealtime.1 -
All, as a rule, anything more than 15 or 20 calories total will score an insulin response, thereby making you hungrier.0
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arguablysamson wrote: »Fung says artificial sweetners can spike insulin as much as sugar. A little coconut oil (1/2tsp) about every hour as needed has gotten me through some hungry days. It kills my appetite and is about 50 cals and won't spike insulin. I've done that the last couple of hours on rough days. How is your protein uptake. I think being deficient in that can cause hunger. Also, I think if we take a multi vitamin and mineral supp, that can help too.
Fung is completely wrong on the sugar-spiking. There is none whatsoever in the vast majority of cases.
And coconut oil I have NOT found to have much affect on appetite. At least for me.
Don't know about the artificial sweetners, just repeating what he said. I do think that is much better than the sugary stuff and if it helps fasting then even if it did cause problems, I think the trade-off would be worth it. The coconut oil definitely helps me with with hunger issues. Sounds like some it doesn't help.0 -
I only have Crystal light at mealtime. I stick to water +/- mio during fasting. I'm trying to give up chewing gum.. Its sugar free but 5 calories.0
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Babygyrl17 wrote: »I only have Crystal light at mealtime. I stick to water +/- mio during fasting. I'm trying to give up chewing gum.. Its sugar free but 5 calories.
It may just be taking you longer to adapt. No worries. Just keep moving forward and your body should adjust.0 -
I drink coffee in the morning which suppresses my appetite so much. It is a life saver for me. Tea supposedly does the same thing. So like Joe said, green tea would probably help you a lot. Plus, I've heard green tea is good for weight loss.0
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How are you doing?0
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The hunger pangs are a little better. Just giving my body time to adjust and aiming for less than 1500 calories. I weigh in this weekend, so hopefully I'll start losing again. I was losing consistently with 3 meals /day but really want to give OMAD a fair chance.1
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As you lower your calories, your body will be compelled to kick you into fat-burning a bit more. That may have been the problem.0
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I want to incorporate ACV with OMAD this week. Has anyone experienced dental injury/tooth erosion with ACV?0
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I haven't noticed any. I dilute 2 tbs of ACV in a cup of grape juice, with a tsp of local raw honey.0
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Babygyrl17 wrote: »I want to incorporate ACV with OMAD this week. Has anyone experienced dental injury/tooth erosion with ACV?
No. Just brush about 20 minutes after consuming it if it worries you.0 -
Pickle juice!0
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Yes, the tooth decay part worries me too. I tried checking the research for benefits of ACV. I must say I was surprised that this idea was not a total failure. It seems there ARE some benefits. Yet - yet - I'm not doing it.
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So a few updates along with a question about ACV. The hunger pains are significantly better and I'm down 1lb1
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Sorry my post cut off... I finally purchased ACV and tried it with cranberry juice. I tried it before my meal but it was quite strong and burned going down so didn't finish it. Do you drink this before or during your meal? I may be sensitive since I don't drink but the acid was a bit much. Thoughts?0
