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

MityMax96

When you did this did you follow it religiously or were there days where you strayed? For instance if someone wanted to take you out for breakfast or you went on vacation etc

I never cheated. I was THAT sick of being huge!

When people took me out, I made them accept I wasn't going to eat, and instead, just had a diet Coke or something and we chatted. It was nice. Doesn't detract from the social experience.

Good for you putting your foot down, and making sure people understand you had a plan and goal in place and you weren't going to deviate.

A lot of people don't understand that...and then get mad at you and how you eat or what you eat.


Also, your BP numbers jump out at me...
I had similar results with mine (although I think my BP had to do with other things aside from diet)
But before I started my IF program, I was at 133/72. Doctor was wanting to put me on pills for it.....and I told him I was eating right, exercising, don't smoke and don't drink...don't do drugs. He just said well good thing you don't or you would already be on pills....

After starting IF back in Aug of 2013, by December, my BP dropped to ~118/73

Then a few months ago, my BP was at 104/72

yorkshirelass29

What you have achieved is truly amazing - you look awesome.

For anyone who tells you that eating one meal a day is unhealthy - just direct them to a book called 'The Fast Diet' by an English Doctor called Michael Moseley; I guess you should be able to get hold of one via Amazon or similar.

It is precisely the concept of 'three square meals a day', cheap and readily available fast food (to save time for a busy lifestyle), drinks full of sugar on every supermarket aisle, and the introduction of 'acceptable' between meal snacks that has generated this epidemic of obesity.

Well done you for sticking to your guns! :bigsmile:

slimbettie

Still love your story. Told so many people about your "one meal a day" approach. Ongoing success to you! :drinker:

rbailey614

It works for you... CONGRATS on your weightloss success! FYI-- I remember watching a segment of DR. OZ where "Judge Judy" said she does the one meal a day thing too. And she looks great in her bikini at whatever age she is!!!

JazmineYoli

Congrats to you for finding something that works. I just started intermittent fasting 2 days a week, but that's about it.

When did you exercise? Before or after your one meal? (sorry if you answered this question already)

JazmineYoli

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.

How is yours going so far?

a_stronger_me13

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.

You don't know what binge eating is about if all you think it means is eating a large volume of food in a short period of time.

But good try.

Digby55

The main difference is the WD allows for some fruit & veg snacks during the day, so not as clean IF as what OP is doing. I think thr WD is really great for younger, less obese people.

lolly2414

Wow, you look amazing!! I'm not one to criticize the diet methods of anyone here. Obviously this worked for you and probably bought you a lot of years you would've lost at 350+ lbs! Congrats!!

clean_green

I am particularly drawn to this method of fasting, and I'm not a binge eater. In fact, I'm just about the opposite at times. My body rarely gets hungry, despite the fact that I have a positive relationship with food: no past history with EDs, no extreme yo-yo dieting, etc. I'm up 15 pounds from where I was two years ago because after dieting for a while it became too much of a hassle. I was sick of having food constantly on my mind, worrying about fitting in enough calories on particular days, wasting hours of my precious time eating and planning meals when I could be improving other aspects of my life.

I decided to give OMAD a try this past Sunday, and already I've lost 3 pounds. I like this style of eating because while I LOVE food, I hate having to make eating a chore by sticking to a schedule (6 meals a day, every 2 hours, or else!!!). My body did not get hungry regularly over the course of 24 hours because in the past I'd been constantly eating, snacking, trying to "keep my metabolism going," as they say, when in truth all I really did was cause myself to forget the value of food for what it truly is.

I've done a lot of research on IF and metabolism in preparation for this, and would suggest that future readers do the same.

My distain towards eating when I'm not even hungry coupled with an interest in IF led to my decision to give OMAD a try. OP, huge congratulations on your success! I'm so inspired by your determination to do what is right for your health. I hope you will give me a few minutes of your time by answering some of my questions:

1. You mentioned slowly building up your daily calorie intake as you settled into OMAD, but I'm curious to know: did you take your BMR/TDEE estimations into consideration while working up to your maintenance weight? Did you make any effort to net at least your BMR during that one daily meal?

2. On the topic of raw fruits and vegetables, I've found over the past week that OMAD doesn't really leave room for such things when one has their meal in the evenings like I do. I love my raw fruits--apples, bananas, cherries, berries, etc.--but I've read that it's bad for the digestion to mix fruits with grains/carbs during meals. I feel like there's no room left for fruit by the time I've eaten my feast of a dinner! What do you suggest I do, then, in order to get my fruit fix without compromising the fast?

3. I'm also curious to know what kind of exercises you did during your transition. You said you didn't do a lot of exercise at all when starting off, but did that ever change?

In terms of side effects, I do not experience many hunger "pangs," though my stomach does growl a little as the day goes by. I like the feeling, though, of knowing that my stomach is empty and I'm in control of how I fuel my body. I try to exercise (40 mins. on the elliptical) a couple hours after I've had my meal in order to have some energy, but some nights I just can't do what I'm usually capable of. My body gets tired quickly depending on what my one meal consists of.

Other than that, I've experienced a few throbbing headaches since Sunday, but I've been keeping hydrated and expect these symptoms will subside, too.

I'm really looking forward to getting to know this way of eating better in order to improve myself! Thank you so much for contributing your valuable information.

lintino

Congratulations. It is a huge victory. You did it the way that would work for you. I do hope you learn to eat in moderation and continue on your way to good health!!! :flowerforyou:

christianhorsegal

Well let's just say two weeks in the Keys on vacation with friends and family was not in the best interest of the plan, but I'm starting over tomorrow and will keep you updated. Anyone else have better results this past two weeks?

arguablysamson

Congratulations. It is a huge victory. You did it the way that would work for you. I do hope you learn to eat in moderation and continue on your way to good health!!! :flowerforyou:

I have often wondered why so many people assume that OMAD meals are gluttonous overkills for their users, and not rather a controlled and responsible endeavor? :ohwell: Not every meal is a big, heaping, huge meal. Many are rather small, in fact, and eating OMAD doesn't have to be an everyday thing (it isn't for me anymore).

Sizes of portions will vary and be on the larger sizes in general for OMADers, but take 3 meals of most people, total them up, and you'll see how much the average 3-mealer is actually eating--and they don't know it. If it's calories one needs, then multiple meals work way better. Getting your "fix" every few hours with sustained multiple meals is what taxes a body more than a sizable single meal per day and what causes weight gain.

Digby55

My omad is never more than it was before. I wasn't able to huge amounts of food even before, and when you focus on healthier options you just fill up faster. The sugar-starch junk calories are condensed, so you can consume many more calories than eating chicken and broccoli, and such.

I was appalled to learn McDonald's et al, in effect predigest (the spuds are milled then formed into fries) the potatoes that go into making french fries so that they give a hit to the blood sugar faster that in the whole potato state. That's why you can eat so many.

I suppose a person could be gluttonous, but it would be hard using only one plate of food. I do know that I feel pleasantly full, but never uncomfortably stuffed. And the food tastes so much better for the wait.

Veil5577

I am going to start OMAD this Sunday.

I cook with a Crock Pot, and I work two jobs 4 days a week. I can't go to sleep on an empty stomach, so my one meal a day will be around 11:00 PM. I also have to stop using sugar in my coffee in the mornings and in my tea. That won't be easy.

Calorie counting isn't working for me and I find it tedious. I think this plan will work better for me, since I work so much and am so busy, it will be nice not to have to worry about eating until right before bed, and then I can just grab a helping of the last Crock Pot meal I cooked.

I haven't been weighing myself, I don't have a scale, and I'm wondering if maybe I should get one... one of the old fashioned ones, not the digital kind.

Digby55

I would recommend the digital. They are much more accurate. If you get the old style (I still have one around) get something with a true weight, like a barbell, or several cans of veggies, and check the weight. Most older models do have an adjustment feature if the weight is off.
I like the the scale feedback; so long as one remembers there is anywhere up to five pounds of water weight gain/change any given day. For instance, if I eat regular ham, I'm up 3-4 pound next day with water retention. I only record my weight on Sundays.

Good luck!

Veil5577

I decided to start today instead of Sunday. Why wait?

I also gave up gum. In an effort to stop smoking I was chewing both Nicorette and regular gum all day long.. even though every piece has only 5 calories, I'm sure the sugar and or carbs were adding up because I was chewing it constantly.

All I can say is, thank God we have a water cooler in the office because I'm sipping that like crazy, not having gum to chew and fighting the hunger pains that are starting, though I'm trying to see those as a GOOD thing.

Jasonrosey

Great job and interesting approach. You must have great self control. Keep up the good work.

wrenegade64

FREAKIN OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

eels4peels

I think the biggest key to successful weight loss is finding what works for you - something you can stick to, that keeps you healthy. This is a perfect example of that. You've obviously found what works for you. It's not something I would have done. I do save the majority of my calories for dinner, but I find I get quite lightheaded if I don't have at least *something* during the day as well. But that's what works for *me*.

Congratulations on your weight loss! I bet you feel amazing

So much this! Congratulations on your success. You look amazing!

Kate7294

Congrats! I personally have to eat more often or I get the shakes but glad it worked for you.

Lost_in_Transformation

Amazing and BUMP for later!

Maryaly40

bump

MKEgal

binge
noun \ˈbinj\
a short period of time when you do too much of something
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/binge

I'm amazed this encouragement to develop an eating disorder is allowed to continue on MFP.

My body rarely gets hungry, despite the fact that I have a positive relationship with food: no past history with EDs
... wasting hours of my precious time eating and planning meals when I could be improving other aspects of my life.
... I like the feeling, though, of knowing that my stomach is empty and I'm in control of how I fuel my body

Claims a "positive relationship with food" & no eating disorder, but thinks that meals are a waste of time, improving food intake will not improve her life, likes knowing that she's starving her body & in control of what she's eating.
Sounds like an eating disorder to me.

... I try to exercise (40 mins. on the elliptical) a couple hours after I've had my meal in order to have some energy, but some nights I just can't do what I'm usually capable of. My body gets tired quickly depending on what my one meal consists of.

Not having energy the rest of the day (because you have no fuel for your body), and tiring quickly should be red flags that you're not doing what your body needs.
Yes, once in a while I'll have a low-energy day. But most of the time my body ticks along normally & I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and know that I have the energy for whatever is coming.

... I've read that it's bad for the digestion to mix fruits with grains/carbs during meals

Grains are carbohydrates. So are fruits. So are vegetables.

McDonald's et al, in effect predigest (the spuds are milled then formed into fries) the potatoes that go into making french fries

Unless they're adding enzymes which break down the starch, they are not "predigesting" them, they're just changing the form.
Fries are addictive because they're high in fat & salt.

arguablysamson

binge
noun \ˈbinj\
a short period of time when you do too much of something
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/binge

I'm amazed this encouragement to develop an eating disorder is allowed to continue on MFP.

Distinguish, please, between fasting (something every culture in the world has had) and resuming eating vs binging; the former is controlled and the latter is not. Plus, your body regulates over-indulgence by not letting you stay hungry. Your intake averages out. And I don't even have the time to list all of the other huge, massive differences. And OMAD does NOT encourage binging. My plan certainly doesn't. I don't know why you think it does.

You are simply jealous, my dear. It's easy for all to see. If someone doesn't lose weight like YOU want them to, then it's "unhealthy." Alas, you are dead wrong.

UPDATE: This morning, my scale showed 186.4 pounds. Are you happy with the numbers you are seeing?? I'm thinking not. Either way, please go elsewhere. You can go about losing weight however you want to. Nothing is keeping you here except your own desire to naysay and argue.

Heirgreat

Body can assimilate approx 20gm protein at one time. How does eating all caloric needs within one hour a day provide adequate nutrients? A man your height wt would likely need apex 90-112 gm protein a day but now way can your kidneys process that in one hour- that's the concern I would see with the OMAD -but your pics results are amazing and your kids are darling too

arguablysamson

Body can assimilate approx 20gm protein at one time. How does eating all caloric needs within one hour a day provide adequate nutrients? A man your height wt would likely need apex 90-112 gm protein a day but now way can your kidneys process that in one hour- that's the concern I would see with the OMAD -but your pics results are amazing and your kids are darling too

Well, while losing, your body is going to be getting less of various needed nutrients, but recommended stats do not a sensible way to go through life make. And as long as the deficit is not severe, it doesn't really matter. To be under the recommended amounts of nutrients or calories doesn't take into account an individual's metabolism or weekly splurges. Plus, it doesn't take into account that your metabolism becomes more efficient at digesting food on OMAD over time and continues to process nutrients long after the feeding window has closed. And I can always go back to pointing out (as I've done with criticisms about eating healthy) that losing weight is a lesser-of-evils business to start. No one should forget that. First, you have to take control, and that is what this is about (i.e. quitting the compulsive eating and snacking, etc). You gradually feel compelled to go for healthier and more foods, and that is due to a progression toward more nutrient-dense foods.

but your pics results are amazing and your kids are darling too

Thanks, and thanks! :-)

paddybonner

How do you find going to sleep on an empty stomach? I did OMAD for the past 2 days but literally couldn't sleep last night so had to have a small meal. I was eating the OMAD meal within 2-3 hours of getting up. Now I'm pushing the OMAD meal back. Around 10 hours after getting up. So far I'm feeling great today, very energetic and I'm 8 hours in. I really couldn't sleep on that empty stomach last night so I think if I'm to continue this OMAD, I;'m going to have to eat about 10 hours after waking.

Aurelina

Congratulations! Great success!

I've been drifting towards this option myself. In the process of my tinkering around I found this latest that might be of interest to you. Turns out the research is giving some data to show that breakfast isn't the be all and end all of good nutrition.

http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/100/2/539.full.pdf

Veil5577

OP.. when you reached goal weight, how did you transition into maintenance? I'm already having trouble getting all my daily calories in one meal because I get full now on so much less.