How to Lose 20lbs in 30 Days on the OMAD Diet

This article may contain links from our partners.

Sharing is caring!

If you’re looking for an effective way to lose weight then you will definitely want to hear about the OMAD diet or OMAD lifestyle. I have tried it all from low-carb, to Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, calorie counting, the zero calorie diet, and every diet you might’ve heard under the sun.

Read about:

• My personal struggle with weight
• What intermittent fasting is
• OMAD Keto
• How to lose up to 20lbs in 30 days
• Final thoughts about the OMAD diet

Let’s go!

My Personal Struggle With Weight and Body Issues

The truth is, when I was younger I had a real issue with body image and weight. This all happened around the time I was in college. Prior to that, I grew up bouncing between regular weight to chunky.

When I started high school it was really important to me to lose weight so I became a lot more active and ended up dropping around 30 pounds in 2 to 3 months.

I went from 175 to 145 as a freshman in high school and I did that doing a combination of Richard Simmons workouts and joining the basketball team.

Those two days are no joke.

In adulthood, I managed to keep my weight down except for that one summer I gained about seven or 8 pounds working a job where I ate a ton of chocolate and coffee just to avoid falling asleep.
And then there was when I met my boyfriend now husband and we put on couple weight.

In my college days I was really obsessed with my weight and I used to follow a site called everydiet or where I’d try a bunch of different diet’s along with trying diet pills to keep my appetite down and help me lose weight.

I hated hated hated exercising but I would do it about 5 to 6 times a week. I actually felt guilty if I didn’t workout so I try to knock it out as early in the day as possible hating every minute of it in the process.

I went from around 185 to 151 doing a ton of different diets, mostly low-carb eating. I stressed out about food, nutrition, and exercise on those 24 hours a day and I was really miserable.

During my final years in college, I gained some weight so I was heavier starting my first job graduated but I dropped 30 pounds shortly after starting Weight Watchers.

You can see that even from a young age weight has always been something that I struggled with.

As an adult, I am currently overweight and in your 30s losing weight just isn’t the same as in your 20s. It’s a lot harder and even despite loving exercise now, I just can’t get myself to do it on a regular basis.

So I learned about something called intermittent fasting and OMAD and I’m super stoked to share it with you. OMAD could actually help you lose up to 20 pounds or more in just 30 days.

        

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is eat, fast, eat.

I wanna first start talking about Intermittent fasting. I start with fasting because the OMAD diet is a form of intermittent fasting and so it’s really important to understand about fasting before you break into OMAD.

Intermittent fasting is about the process of eating within a specific time window during the day.

When your body is digesting food, it is exerting a lot of energy to do so and when you eat and nosh on food all day long, your body is essentially digesting all the time.

This puts its effort on the digestion process and away from other important duties it could be performing in your body.

Fasting helps with this. You will eat during a set time and then fast during a set amount of time. This will be done day in and day out and the goal is to make this a lifestyle.

I won’t lie. In the beginning, it can be a little challenging but after you get past the first three days it is super simple and you’ll be doing fasting or without knowing it before you know it.

I lose four pounds my first week intermittent fasting without changing the way I eat and with no exercise.

The Classic 16/8 Fast

The 16/8 fast is the traditional fasting window that lets people go with when they first start intermittent fasting. You fast for 16 hours per day and you eat for eight hours per day. So your eating window may be 12 PM to 8 PM and then you fast from 8 PM to 12 PM the next day.

If you’re new to fasting and with your doctors approval this is a good fasting window to start with. As you become more experienced you can extend your fast a bit.

A lot of people start with the classic fast and then they may go to a 18/6 fast or a 20/4 fast and then eventually OMAD.

Now finally, what’s this OMAD thing?

What Does OMAD Mean?

OMAD stands for one meal a day. So if you’re doing this one meal a day fast, it’s just what it sounds like you eat one large meal for the day and the rest of the time, you are fasting.

Traditionally this would be a 23/1 fast where you fast for 23 hours of the day and eat for one hour of the day.
This might sound overwhelming and you may think you can never get to a fast for you only eat one time a dayfor one hour but tons of people do this and the results tend to be faster than if you were to do a classic 16/8 bass.

What is OMAD Fasting?

So, if you are ready to break into OMAD fasting, you are totally going to love it once you get the hang of things.

It’s totally normal to feel deprived at first. Your body is used to eating all day or even eating on a schedule like breakfast, lunch, dinner so it’ll be a transition for sure but, totally worth it. Imagine being able to eat anything you want and lose weight.

This can happen with the OMAD Diet.

There is no such thing as an easy diet.

You either restrict yourself from fat, carbs, sugar, or other things you love to eat or you change your lifestyle by exercising yourself into the ground when you’re not used to it or you can eat whatever you want with exercise not required but you’re limited to just having that food in a one hour time window.

So there really is no perfect diet but I think this one is as close to perfect as you may be able to get.

Now granted, you can eat pretty much anything you want during your one hour feeding window, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stuff a double whopper and a large onion ring order with a side of ribs and three pieces of triple chocolate cake in your mouth just because you can.

You want to be reasonable here.

Its better to eat a healthier diet because the goal, along with weight loss should firstly be health.

Think of a world where you knees don’t hurt from walking up the stairs or you aren’t huffing and puffing walking into another room. You can potentially get off all your medications, you sleep better, you feel better, you can finally expand your family, you have health.

The OMAD Diet can help with this?

It’s a way of eating, a lifestyle that can help you lose weight which can lead to a healthy life.

What is the OMAD Diet?

One.Meal.A.Day.

Some people may call it the eating once a day diet.

This could mean eating at noon, eating at 6 PM, or eating at midnight or any hours in between. You literally make the rules here and you can pick any eating window that you would like. I have seen people choose a midnight or 1 AM eating window and lose a ton of weight, believe it or not. It’s totally up to you.

How does OMAD work?

The rules.

Stick with your eating window.

For more support, make sure to join an intermittent fasting or OMAD group on Facebook.

What is OMAD KETO?

OMAD keto blends the OMAS diet with a ketogenic diet.

A keto diet is about low carb eating and while is not a mandatory part of OMAD, a lot of people do this to quicken the weight loss even more. I saw a success story on YouTube today where a lady lost 100 pounds in 4 months on OMAD keto. Her OMAD transformation was astounding.

I won’t dive into all the ins and outs of the keto diet here, just know that it does involve a low carb way of eating so no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, refined sugars or any other high carb foods, starchy fruits or veggies are allowed.

This is depriving enough with just limiting your feeding window to one hour day but you’re really pushing yourself when you do keto as well. If your goal is to lose weight quickly and you like the challenge feel free to give it a try.

How to do OMAD?

What are the OMAD rules?

You’ll eat one meal a day. This can be at midnight, 6am, noon, whatever time you want. And, you’ll eat within a one-hour window. Some people lengthen this to two hours, four hours, etc. Pick what works for you but, you will eat within that window.

Outside that eating window, you will fast. During fasting time, you should consume no foods and no drinks that contain calories. Examples of no-calorie drinks to enjoy are water, unsweetened tea, and unsweetened coffee.

What is dirty fasting?

Some people dirty fast which involves eating/drinking a small amount of caloric foods during their fasting window. They still manage to lose weight. For example, when I dirty fast, I have a fasting window of 12pm to 8pm and in the morning I’ll enjoy coffee with cream. The cream is not sweetened or flavored and it’s no more than a tablespoon or so.

Other people might add lemon to their tea or water. Or, add sugar-free coffee syrup to the tea or coffee. If you want to try dirty fasting to see how you do, feel free. Some people can still lose weight dirty fasting, other’s have a tougher time. Experiment if you wish to see how you do with it.

Here are some quick guidelines to follow with OMAD:

• Choose a time frame: Decide on a window of time during the day when you will eat your one meal, typically this is a window of 4 to 6 hours.
• Stick to water: During the fasting period, only drink water, tea, or coffee without sugar or cream.
• Eat a balanced meal: When it’s time to eat, make sure to consume a well-balanced meal that includes a source of protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich vegetables.
• Avoid overeating: It’s important to not overeat during the eating window, as this can undo the benefits of the fasting period.
• Stick to it: Consistency is key when it comes to OMAD, so try to stick to the same schedule every day to see the best results.

It’s important to note that OMAD may not be suitable for everyone and it’s important to speak to a healthcare professional before starting any new dietary regimen.

What to eat on OMAD?

Wondering what to eat on OMAD? The great news is, no foods are off limits, unless you’re doing something like OMAD Keto or combining it with another lifestyle.

Just because you can eat anything you want doesn’t mean you should. You want to be healthy and eat good, healthy foods.

When following OMAD, you can eat a wide variety of foods, as long as they are consumed within your designated eating window. Here are some food groups that can be included in an OMAD meal:

• Proteins: meats (chicken, beef, pork, fish), tofu, eggs, legumes, dairy
• Fruits and vegetables: leafy greens, berries, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc.
• Healthy fats: avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil
• Whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat bread, oats
• Fermented foods: yogurt, kefir, pickles, kimchi

It’s important to aim for a balanced and nutrient-dense meal, as you only have one chance to consume all your daily nutrients during the eating window. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks during OMAD. Drinking plenty of water during the fasting period is also important for hydration.

Easy OMAD meals to try

Now that you’re sold on trying OMAD, what easy OMAD meals are out there? You want one meal a day recipes that are easy to do, quick to prepare and taste good. We’ve got you covered…

Here are some easy OMAD meal ideas that are well-balanced and satisfying:

1. Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables: Grill a chicken breast and serve it with a side of roasted vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.
2. Stir-fry with tofu and mixed vegetables: Sauté tofu and mixed vegetables (such as broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms) in a pan with a little bit of oil and a sauce of your choice.
3. Salad with grilled salmon: Make a big salad with greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado, and top it with grilled salmon for a protein boost.
4. Veggie and egg scramble: Scramble eggs with veggies such as spinach, bell peppers, and onions.
5. Beef stir-fry with brown rice: Sauté thinly sliced beef with vegetables and serve it with brown rice.

I usually eat a variation of $1 and #5. I make a honey soy glazed salmon that I pan sear and finish in the oven with a tiny amount of Basmati or Jasmine rice (like 1/4 cup) drizzled with soy sauce and some veggies. It’s amazing and I could literally eat it every day.

The best OMAD meals are those that are easy to prepare and taste delicious. Then, you’ll look forward to making them and eating them. It makes this entire process that much easier.

Remember, when doing OMAD, it’s important to make your one meal a balanced and nutritious one, to ensure that you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs.

1 Meal a Day for a month

1 meal a day for a month..what can you expect?

I think if you do OMAD for a month, you would have built some great habits that are sticking. It takes a while to get used to a new lifestyle and way of eating. Everytime I start a new diet, the first 3-4 days are toughest. This is true for every time I’ve started and restarted intermittent fasting.

A month of the OMAD diet is plenty of time to break that initial window where it’s tough and now, you’re used to it and it’s part of a routine for yourself.

What is OMAD is not working?

OMAD not working?

If OMAD doesn’t seem to be working for you, switch up some things.

• Drink more water: Increase your intake of water.
• Evaluate the foods that you are eating (they might be too high in calories): Make sure that you’re consuming a balanced and nutrient-dense meal during the eating window, and avoid consuming processed or sugary foods.
• Try changing your eating window: Experiment with different fasting windows to find what works best for you, as some people may do better with a shorter or longer fasting period.
• Track your progress: Keep track of your weight and body measurements, as well as how you feel during OMAD. This can help you identify any potential issues and make necessary adjustments.
• Get enough sleep: Adequate sleep is crucial for overall health and weight management. Make sure you’re getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
• Consult with a healthcare professional: If you’re experiencing any adverse effects from OMAD or have any health concerns, it’s important to speak with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

Is the OMAD Diet Worth It?

Is taking an OMAD challenge worth it?

You make the choice.

Can OMAD diet help you lose up to 20lbs in 30 days? It’s possible, sure. Whether you do the classic 16/8 fast or decide to do OMAD where you eat one meal a day, losing a lot of weight fast is within reach.

OMAD weight loss tends to be fastest when you combine it with another lifestyle like Keto dieting, Paleo, vegan eating, etc. It’s combining forces and putting together two diets in one, which can optimize your results. But, this definitely isn’t needed.

I have read stories from dieters online that lost 10 to 20 pounds monthly on Intermittent Fasting without OMAD, Keto or other diets and without changing what they eat or adding exercise.

I think that it definitely can be worth it and it is a weight-loss solution. As with any diet nutrition or exercise plan make sure to consult with your doctor. I am not an expert or a nutritionist, this is just my personal opinion and I am writing this for informational purposes.

Remember, before starting any new diet, nutrition or lifestyle to consult with your doctor.

Do you have experience with intermittent fasting? Or OMAD diet? Share your progress, best practices, or advice down below. I’d love to hear from you.