From 363.4 to 197.7 lbs: My One-Meal-a-Day Success Story

dannisiggy

Awesome job ... congrats!:drinker:

RollTide757

Great job!!!

aedreana

My body "wants" two huge meals per day, about 2 hours apart. If I eat one huge meal per day, I maintain a weight in the lower 140s, which is thirty pounds over my ideal weight. But at least with one meal a day, although not as enormous of a meal as I want, I can feel halfway-full once a day. If I divided it into several smaller meals, I would NEVER feel anywhere near halfway-full. For me, once I start eating, I am hungry the rest of the day, more so than if I don't eat until late-day.

SerenaFisher

Congrats, at one time eating one meal a day for me made me lose weight too. I prefer the way my body is now as to then, it;s all perspective, choice, and happiness. If you're happy that is all that matters, I will continue eating my three meals, snacks, and drinking alcoholic beverages now and again without worry. To each their own, again congratulations to your success.

gr8dane

Congrats on your success!!

I have been eating one meal a day on and off for years, but your story has motivated me to get back on track and make it a complete lifestyle change. My fiance has been eating one meal a day since he was 18 (he's now 36), and everyone thinks he's in his early 20s! He also weighs exactly the same as he did 18 years ago. When I was following OMAD (and felt GREAT!!), this is the plan my fiance and I followed:

Mon-Fri:
Workout in the morning during the fasting phase (I do 1,000 jumping jacks before work).
Black coffee, unsweetened tea and water during the day.
Big meal and supplements in the evening.
*Occasionally I would have an lunch meeting or something where it would just be too awkward avoiding food, so in those cases I would eat the meal during the day and take my supplements when I got home. No matter what though, I still stuck to one main meal a day, no exceptions. I would just have a longer fasting period until dinner the next day.

Sat and Sun:
Caloric drinks allowed during the day (beer, wine, etc... hey it's the weekend!) :-)
One big meal any time during the day (brunches, lunches, it's all game! I just make sure it's the only time I take in "solid" calories.
No working out (other than outdoor activities like walking the dogs and hikes)
No supplements

This plan worked so well for me because it allowed me to still experience the benefits of fasting without being socially awkward. Win-win. But alas, I went back to eating 3 "normal" meals because people thought the lifestyle was unhealthy, and now I physically feel like crap again.

I am going to a challenge where I stick to the Warrior Diet for a full month along with no dessert (trying to cut most processed sugars out of my life) and see how I feel. If I make it work I am sticking with it indefinitely. Right now I weigh 166 (5'5") so if this message board is still active in a month I will share my results!

Congrats again on your amazing success with One Meal a Day!

http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/lose-body-fat-by-eating-just-one-meal-per-day/

arguablysamson

Hi, all.

As I have been maintaining for some time now, I can share with you that one way to maintain weight on OMAD aside from doing just one large meal all the time is to go to one meal every 2 or 3 days only (as if still in losing mode) and the other 4 (or 5) days of the week, go all out eating as often and as much as you want. You net out maintaining weight.

It's amazing how well you learn your body and how well you want to continue losing even after you've added multiple meals back in. I still by far enjoying staying with the OMAD platform mostly. There is too much to enjoy in life without having to stop and deal with feeding these carbon units we call bodies.

apostolic470

Thats awesome! thanks for the encouragement.

wapan

sounds interesting. I may have to try it!

do you feel this way of eating increases the speed at which you lose weight?

christianhorsegal

I have lost around 30 pounds by restricting my calories and working out. But with that said I'm hungry and never feel satisfied. I am going to try this 1 meal a day and let you know what comes of it. When I eat several times a day it makes me more hungry too as well as I have to only eat half or a small portion because I have another mini meal down the road to think about that won't satisfy me either because it's mini or I have to pick and choose and give one food up for another because I'm over on calories. When I have fasted in the past I feel a bit dizzy and not on my game. Does this fade after a week? Let me know if you or anyone experienced the low blood sugar dizziness and if it passes after a certain time. I will keep you posted on my progress.

PFPTime

When I was in highschool, I was probably 60-75 pounds overweight. My diet to lose weight was to not eat breakfast, a diet coke for lunch and then a normal supper which my mom prepared. Her supper was probably more than I should have had normally but it worked for me.

Now that I am older, I have put on extra weight and eating sensibly and down 25 pounds, but I can think back and remember how that one meal a day worked for me.

MKEgal

I weigh about 300 pounds and want to weigh less than my husband (he weighs 180) hoping to wear a bikini by next summer! And your story made me feel like it's completely achievable

A healthier, more reasonable goal would be 1-2 lb per week, or 52-104 lb per year.
Here's a post I did about goal-setting: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/setting-goals-667045
Here's a BMI chart, to see if 180 is a realistic & healthy goal weight for you: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

I can now control myself, but as a binge-eater and psychological follower of cravings, I was one of those people who lost all control. OMAD was what helped destroy those adulterated eating patterns and restored balance.

No, there's no balance. You're still a binge eater, you still have what you call "adulterated eating patterns", only you do it once a day.
It seems to have worked for you, and if that helps you control your cravings & binge eating more power to you.
Your last picture looks like a relatively average person, completely different from the unhappy guy in the other pictures.

arguablysamson

sounds interesting. I may have to try it!

do you feel this way of eating increases the speed at which you lose weight?

No question about it. Nothing compares to OMAD.

arguablysamson

I weigh about 300 pounds and want to weigh less than my husband (he weighs 180) hoping to wear a bikini by next summer! And your story made me feel like it's completely achievable

A healthier, more reasonable goal would be 1-2 lb per week, or 52-104 lb per year.
Here's a post I did about goal-setting: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/setting-goals-667045
Here's a BMI chart, to see if 180 is a realistic & healthy goal weight for you: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

I can now control myself, but as a binge-eater and psychological follower of cravings, I was one of those people who lost all control. OMAD was what helped destroy those adulterated eating patterns and restored balance.

No, there's no balance. You're still a binge eater, you still have what you call "adulterated eating patterns", only you do it once a day.
It seems to have worked for you, and if that helps you control your cravings & binge eating more power to you.
Your last picture looks like a relatively average person, completely different from the unhappy guy in the other pictures.

OMAD was the norm long before the johnny-come-lately of three square meals came around. Since achieving my loss, I've gone to varying meals a day and my body still prefers one meal. I can totally control myself doing whatever I want from this point. The results speak for themselves and OMAD is still simpler and all-round easier / more workable.

arguablysamson

I have lost around 30 pounds by restricting my calories and working out. But with that said I'm hungry and never feel satisfied. I am going to try this 1 meal a day and let you know what comes of it. When I eat several times a day it makes me more hungry too as well as I have to only eat half or a small portion because I have another mini meal down the road to think about that won't satisfy me either because it's mini or I have to pick and choose and give one food up for another because I'm over on calories. When I have fasted in the past I feel a bit dizzy and not on my game. Does this fade after a week? Let me know if you or anyone experienced the low blood sugar dizziness and if it passes after a certain time. I will keep you posted on my progress.

You do feel dizzy / shakey / cloudy-headed for about a week or less. Yes, it fades. Your body is used to fixing itself with sugar spikes, hence, the shakes. This will go away and the blood sugar will stay down even after sizable meals in well under two weeks. Your body will always adapt. You just have to let it know what you require of it.

LinDiSm26262

Thank you for sharing these websites. I'm looking forward to learning more about this way of eating. Planning a menu for three meals and two snacks is just too much time spent thinking about food. Planning one meal a day is much more appealing to me.

Reading your post jogged my memory. This woman I knew about 20 years ago was losing weight on a program similar to what you described. She would eat breakfast and a light snack just before noon and wouldn't eat again until the next morning. She lost a lot of weight and so I tried it for a week to lose 5 pounds and it worked. I forgot all about that.

Thanks again for the information.

Congratulations on your incredible weight loss! You look great.....

donnarogers6211

my loose skin was horrible. I wouldnt wear shorts at all. 2 of my friends at seperate times said Oh my God when they saw my legs. The problem is when you are big everybody expects big when they see you in swimsuit or shorts but when you are small people are shocked when they see you. My friends didnt mean to hurt my feelling it was just a shock. I am now having plastic surgery to get rid of the skin. My doctor says he will be getting at least 20lbs of skin. It is taking 3 different surgeries that cover the tummy and butt, the arms and breast, and the upper thighs. the cost is about $24,000.

arguablysamson

my loose skin was horrible. I wouldnt wear shorts at all. 2 of my friends at seperate times said Oh my God when they saw my legs. The problem is when you are big everybody expects big when they see you in swimsuit or shorts but when you are small people are shocked when they see you. My friends didnt mean to hurt my feelling it was just a shock. I am now having plastic surgery to get rid of the skin. My doctor says he will be getting at least 20lbs of skin. It is taking 3 different surgeries that cover the tummy and butt, the arms and breast, and the upper thighs. the cost is about $24,000.

Yikes. Kinda makes us reflect on the actual need (if there is one) to go the way of losing all the weight.

And the problem becomes, once we start noticing the high energy and health benefits of carrying little weight, we want to keep going. But this certainly makes us face the grim reality that weight loss doesn't fix all problems. In your case, however, the skin reduction should be like a renewed lease on life.

donnarogers6211

It is but there are many rewards that I didnt realize until I lost the weight. Things I can do now that I didnt realize was the cause of me not doing. Didnt even realize I wasnt doing some things that come natural now. I was on medication for diabetes and I am no longer diabetic and off all medicaton. I no longer have high blood pressure and my knees donot hurt anymore. The doctor told me he could tell I lost weight by the scale, by the way I look but also he could tell I lost weight by my blood work. I am going to the mountains in August and I am really looking forward to being able to hike the trails because before I couldnt and I had to sit and wait for my family to do it.

Nicole7711

WOW! Congraulations on your weight loss and you definitely have me intrigued. I am a mom of two young ones and am eating all the wrong things on the go. I hope hunger panges go away with this and I am worried about the headaches, shakes, light headedness around my kids/job/etc. I am going to research more...do you lose about 1-2lbs per week? More?

arguablysamson

WOW! Congraulations on your weight loss and you definitely have me intrigued. I am a mom of two young ones and am eating all the wrong things on the go.

Thanks. The good thing about OMAD is that it is totally accommodating to have so-called "bad" eating. You can make fast food work for you, and the calories are already counted out and portioned for you. It's just not a good idea to rely on those types of food by themselves. I started out OMAD eating terribly and gradually transitioned into healthy eating. Took more than six months for me. Don't worry. Just follow the procedures as I've laid them out.

I hope hunger panges go away with this and I am worried about the headaches, shakes, light headedness around my kids/job/etc.

Yes, they do. You just have to break in and STAY with the plan. The first four days are awful, followed by seven days of toughness. At the three weeks mark, things get easier. After that, you are set.

I am going to research more...do you lose about 1-2lbs per week? More?

I averaged 2.4 to 3.6 lbs per week. That's consistently faster than anything else I know of.

christianhorsegal

Alright, here is the day two update. Lol! Stomach gurgles all day and I'm burping a lot. Is this from empty stomach? Very gassy in stomach. Does this go away? I feel pretty good during the day but have to fight hunger about once per hour for about 15 minutes starting around 9 AM. My biggest question is about 10 minutes after I eat my one meal around 6:30 PM I feel dizzy dizzy dizzy for a good hour. I thought I would feel this fasting not eating. Any helpful advise? Did you get this when eating? It weird.

arguablysamson

Alright, here is the day two update. Lol! Stomach gurgles all day and I'm burping a lot. Is this from empty stomach? Very gassy in stomach. Does this go away? I feel pretty good during the day but have to fight hunger about once per hour for about 15 minutes starting around 9 AM. My biggest question is about 10 minutes after I eat my one meal around 6:30 PM I feel dizzy dizzy dizzy for a good hour. I thought I would feel this fasting not eating. Any helpful advise? Did you get this when eating? It weird.

People react differently, but those issues will pass. I can say I remember some of that, but mostly just being queazy, dizzy, and shakey with bad hunger pangs. I had mild heartburn briefly, too. Might also be what you are eating.

It's going to be tough for a while, but it will pass. And yes, it is sometimes part of the adjust process to feel full and/or a bit lethargic when eating (since your body is confused right now on what you are doing). You might find yourself filling up faster at the mealtime. That is also normal.

christianhorsegal

Thanks for the encouragement. I will keep it up and let you know. Going to the Keys diving for two weeks with friends so it will be tricky hiding my night time meal only regime. But at least I will be busy. I have the summer off right now and at home I just watch the fridge to make sure it does not go anywhere. Ha!

303enfield

awesome job your doing great

pusheen12

wow, great job! Whatever works for you buddy...those pictures don't lie!

vinyladdict

The first few days were very rough with the dizzyness, feeling groggy, and overall just blech. The OP is correct in that after your first week, it gets easier. By week 2-3, you're in full bore weight loss mode. In about six weeks, I'm down around 25 lbs from 341. I'll take it! Some days are harder than others, and those are the ones I find myself grabbing a cheese stick or a handful of turkey pepperoni. Every now and then, water won't curb the hunger and you need to get something in you. Just make sure that it's healthy and has some protein, as protein helps curb hunger.

In terms of bad days, I've had them. A few more beers than I should have had, a pint of vodka, etc... It happens. But waking up the next day knowing that I have to wait until 5-7pm to eat, makes me feel a little bit better and gives my body time to flush out the garbage. Going out to eat has been easier as well. My wife and I are big fans of buffets, and it is possible to eat healthy at them. Chinese food is my absolute crush. This past weekend, we went to our local Chinese dive. I ate four crab rangoons, a bunch of peppers and onions, sushi, mixed veggies. The sauces are bad for you, but with water, they are not as bad. Same goes with places like the Golden Corral. You can load up on plenty of tasty unbreaded meat and veggies. It's nice going out to eat on a spurt of the moment and not feeling like I shot myself in the foot.

Digby55

This is the only way I can lose. I tried the cw methods only to get little or no results, plus lots of cravings. Love how this takes away all the thinking about food that the several small meals creates. Real freedom, especially for people in middle age, pre-diabetic, or otherwise metabolically compromised. Thanks for sharing you story! Brilliant!

Digby55

"Now that I'm maintaining, I'm at 2,100 to 2,800 calories a day. That fills two to three plates easy. Tonight was about 3,000 calories, mostly protein. I vary my days and still follow my tastes. Eating is serious work now. For the first time in my life, I have to work to tank up and the only time I think about food is basically when I get ready to prepare it--aside from some occasional phantom cravings from the old days."

You make an exellent point about "phantom" cravings, for habit studies (cf Chas. Duhigg) suggests the old habit pathways don't go away, and we can be led down the path to fat hell pretty easily, clearly why so many people relapse.

MityMax96

There are lots of ways to drop weight. Unfortunately, the way I chose is still viewed as a radical and reckless method that is "unhealthy." Well, blood panels and practical, measurable results don't lie, friends. It's not unhealthy, and it isn't as hard as it seems and can offer hope when hope seems altogether gone. The Macedonians, the Greeks and Romans, our hunter-gatherer ancestors, not to mention the followers of Elijah Muhammed, all ate one meal a day.

-BEFORE-
Age: 39
Height: 6'4
Clothing sizes: 4X shirts, 54' waist pants
Blood pressure: 152/117

288 lbs, 3X shirts, 42 inch waist pants


These last ten months have changed me in ways that it is hard to begin to describe. Going from a mouth-breathing, weazing, inactive fat guy who was sick all the time to an active guy who can actually live and interact in the world around him WITHOUT having to take 3-hour naps after eating is something that is hard to comprehend (unless you've gone through it). And, well, it makes me think I should pinch myself because it must all be a dream. I can't even imagine how I once managed to consume 9,500+ calories a day!

You start out with "baby steps," eating what you want to minimize discomfort, nursing your stomach to a smaller size all the while. Then, gradually, you make healthier eating choices (not because you have to but because it just feels right). Then, that extra energy and go-ahead power allows you to bring in exercise and see yet better improvements. Every little step is a step forward.

To whom it may concern, here is how I did it. You should ignore the haters and armchair dieticians out there and give it a try if you have serious trouble with obesity, are a binger, a psychological eater, or otherwise struggle with serious resistance to other, more lenient programs. Mind you, THIS WILL WORK when everything else has failed...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1241325-how-to-do-one-meal-a-day-the-basics

Once you get your system down and can readily remember WHY you must make the changes and stick with them, it isn't that hard to see them through.

But however you choose to knock off your pounds, the key is consistency and doing it for you. When all is said and done, you can only do it for you, not for anyone else. Aside from some loose skin and the need to keep getting rid of old clothes, I am left with incredible energy and gasping reactions from people who knew the fat me and the disbelief they experience in seeing the new me. I figure I'll ride this high for at least a year or so as I continue to maintain and "firm up," now with 2,100+ calories a day. It can absolutely be done, folks. It can be done. Food doesn't have to own you.

Feel free to add me if you'd like.

Congrats on your weight loss!!!!

What you were doing was the "Warriors Diet"
I know a few people who have done it and have had great success.....

I personally do an 8 hr eating window, 16 hr fasted period and love it.

Tisiwa

Applause for such a GREAT accomplishment.