Losing weight with the OMAD diet: results and contraindications
Have you ever heard of the OMAD diet? It is a diet that is becoming popular everywhere. Let’s see how it works and if it is really effective.
With summer just around the corner, there are many people who, wanting to lose weight quickly, are looking for the most effective diets to quickly achieve their goals.
By browsing the web you can find an infinite number of proposals and advice on how to lose weight quickly. Among the infinite number of proposals for getting rid of extra pounds, one that has been very popular recently is the OMAD diet, One Meal a Day which translated means “One meal a day”.
It is a diet based on a few simple rules which, however, promises excellent results in a very short time. So let’s see how it works.
OMAD diet: how it works
Omad consists of a sort of intermittent fasting. In practice, just as the name One Meal a Day suggests, this diet provides only one meal a day, in which you consume all your daily calories. So that, throughout the day, one hour is dedicated to eating and 23 hours to fasting. The diet allows you to eat what you prefer, without any caloric restrictions or nutritional guidelines to follow, as long as the meal is studied and balanced, and include foods rich in nutrients and mineral salts, such as fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, they can be taken throughout the day only calorie-free drinks such as water, black tea and coffee. Finally, the meal must be consumed preferably always at the same time of day.
In essence, the OMAD diet significantly reduces calorie intake, therefore speeding up the weight loss process. However, this is a rather extreme diet which, in some cases, can present contraindications.
“One meal a day”: the contraindications
As we anticipated, the OMAD diet is literally becoming popular, above all for its effectiveness in weight loss. However, since it is a rather extreme diet, it may present some contraindications.
As reported by Dr. Riccardo Roveda, a nutritional biologist, “Eating only once a day can make sense for calorie control and weight loss, but it remains something that I personally advise against, there are some very serious ‘cons’: during the day you can have glycemic imbalances which lead to experience a drop in blood sugar levels due to long fasting; there is an increase in stress and anxiety; the stomach, remaining empty, increases the risk of acidity, reflux and gastritis. Furthermore, it increases the risk of developing poor eating habits and binge eating, with a ‘rebound effect’ which could also lead to eating disorders.”
While the OMAD diet may show promising results in terms of weight loss, it is important to consider the potential risks and contraindications before embarking on this extreme eating plan. Consulting with a healthcare professional or nutritionist is recommended before starting any new diet regimen.