1 meal 1 plate lost in translation...

Hi everyone
I’m new to OMAD since a week and I can confess it’s not as difficult as I anticipated to not eat during 23 hours.
I have just finished James book and where I have the most confusion is the 1 meal 1 plate story.
I understood we must fast for 23 hours and eat for one hour in a four hours window.
Where it is hard to understand is the 1 plate story.
How do I eat a (healthy) soup then ? Can’t I have a side salad in order to increase my vegetables intake or a soja yogurth to get more protein s (I’m veggie). Finaly, shouldn’t it be then OPAD for One Plate A Day instead of OMAD?

I asked the questions on the Facebook group but most have a different vision. Some saying one plate strictly, some others being more relaxed with the rule. For’me the book seems to be clear but I may have missed some subtle details, being from Europe and not fluent in English.
What can leads to confusion, at least myself, is that it says eat what you need to be satisfied volume wise when OMAD is restricting to 1 plate?

Thanks a million for clarifying, hoping James or other Admin can join the post

In any case, i am already very satisfied with OMAD

Ps I’m a tall, large guy and veggie so quite difficult to organise a meal in one plate and feel full
 

Jimmy Swartz

Administrator
Staff member
Hi @Vegomad and thanks for the question! To maximize the benefits of fasting while doing the Omad Diet, you must also stay consistent in your daily practices. This means setting up an eating window, establishing meal guidelines (such as the 4 "ones" rule), and being strict about behavior outside the eating window.

The reason I practice the "4 ones" rule is for a few reasons:
  1. Structured Discipline – when beginning changes that will be occurring within the body and the mind, having a structured discipline will help you achieve long-term success.
  2. Staying Consistent – Consistency is also vital to achieving your weight loss goals. When you are consistent in your daily habits, it tends to become second nature which also leads to long-term success.
My meals usually contain around 1200-1700 calories, but there isn’t a specific requirement.

As far as eating soup, it would be ok with your one meal, but be sure to keep your soup intake consistent and measured. For example, if I ate soup, I would eat 1 cup of soup with my meal. If I had soup the next day, I wouldn't eat more than one cup with my meal. The key is consistent practices for long-term success. If you find yourself stalling in the long-term, it will be easier to make adjustments if you keep your practices consistent and disciplined.

I wrote my book on the Omad Diet to help others break free of the usual diet restrictions that they feel with most diets. But, the most important takeaway I wanted people to get from my book is how a structured and consistent approach to intermittent fasting can help them achieve their long-term goals.
 
Hi everyone
I’m new to OMAD since a week and I can confess it’s not as difficult as I anticipated to not eat during 23 hours.
I have just finished James book and where I have the most confusion is the 1 meal 1 plate story.
I understood we must fast for 23 hours and eat for one hour in a four hours window.
Where it is hard to understand is the 1 plate story.
How do I eat a (healthy) soup then ? Can’t I have a side salad in order to increase my vegetables intake or a soja yogurth to get more protein s (I’m veggie). Finaly, shouldn’t it be then OPAD for One Plate A Day instead of OMAD?

I asked the questions on the Facebook group but most have a different vision. Some saying one plate strictly, some others being more relaxed with the rule. For’me the book seems to be clear but I may have missed some subtle details, being from Europe and not fluent in English.
What can leads to confusion, at least myself, is that it says eat what you need to be satisfied volume wise when OMAD is restricting to 1 plate?

Thanks a million for clarifying, hoping James or other Admin can join the post

In any case, i am already very satisfied with OMAD

Ps I’m a tall, large guy and veggie so quite difficult to organise a meal in one plate and feel full


I belong to the Facebook Group also, and I have noticed that there are a lot of people there who seem to have different ways of eating their OMAD meal.
Some people (it looks like) try to pile everything on their plates that they would be able to eat if they were eating several meals in a day, so they are actually still eating the same amount of food, just inventing it all at one meal.
Some people have fast foods and desserts, and other people will eat only low-carb/keto, or whatever food style they prefer.
Amazingly, it all seems to be working for many of these people; but I have found that , for myself, it is important to follow the rules that Jimmy has about having only one average sized plate of food, and that being healthy foods.
I eat mostly plant-based, so I have a large salad with lots of veggies, and beans and a bit of cheese for protein. Sometimes, I have a cup of hot broth with it, or just coffee.

I think that each person has to see what works for them, and then follow that routine.
 
Thank ou very much for your detailed replies. Much appreciated.
I definitely undertsood (and implemented) an eating window 5pm to 8pm and I eat during an hour within this window, most of the time from 6 to 7pm. I am extremely carefull during the day and have no intake except water tea coffee.
I understand now the need of consistency Jimmy. I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of my intakes and 90% of the time, I am at 1300 to 1500 cal with a proper ratio between the macros.
If I understand well, I can have my plate as described + a soja yoghurt as long as this’soja yogurth is there, all the time and every day, not less, not more in order to be consistent (and disciplined on this) Am I well correct?

True FlowerLady. Many on the Facebook page a creating their own little world ;)

Thanks a million to,you both
 
You do not have to eat the same meals each day, @Vegomad . If you want a yogurt with your meal, have it, and if you want something else instead, then have that.
Basically, I eat my meal after my exercise (swimming), and the time varies from between 11-3PM, depending on what time we go to the fitness center, and when we get back home.
When I eat my meal, it takes me less than an hour to eat it, and I have one plate of whatever I want. Most of the time, it is salads , veggies, and some kind of protein; but if we happen to go out somewhere for lunch, then I just have whatever I want, in a reasonable amount.
I look at OMAD as more of a lifestyle change than as a diet that HAS to be perfectly followed each day. Swimming is the same thing. Both are part of my lifestyle, and I have a schedule for them; but if life works out different some days, then I don’t fuss about it, I just get back on schedule again.
 
You are definitely right @Happyflowerlady it was a way to say and in an ideal world we need to be consistent as suggested by @Jimmy Swartz
I’m on holidays at home this week so rather easy to be consistent and occasionally, we need to adapt.

My biggest concern was to be too hungry during the day and fail. I realize this is achievable and not the drama I anticipated, and this is a good point.
 
I think that since OMAD is a lifestyle, and not specifically a diet plan, it is not the end of the world if we don’t do it exactly right every day. My goal is to eat one meal per day, and most days, that works out fine; but some days not, and I just roll with it, and go on , and get back on schedule the next day
It is the same with my fitness goals.
Swimming for an hour every day is part of my lifestyle; but some days my schedule gets re-planned, and swimming is just not an option, but that does not mean I have failed at fitness, it just means that I have missed one day of swimming.
 
Top