Entertainment

S’pore Actor Lost 14kg in a Year by Using a Diet Known as OMAD

2022-09-24 , 1:12 pm

Five Meals to One

Veteran actor Yan Bingliang shared that at the age of 67, his cholesterol and blood sugar levels started to rise. After a physical examination in October 2021, he decided to go on a diet and lose weight to lower these levels.

Previously, he would eat about five meals a day: breakfast at 9am, lunch at 1pm, tea break at 3pm, dinner at 7pm, and a drink with friends in the evenings. He said that this meant the interval between his meals was very short.

In contrast, he only eats lunch every day now, and does intermittent fasting for the rest of the day. This diet plan allowed him to lose 14kg in one year.

OMAD Diet: What Is It?

Apparently, eating only one meal a day isn’t uncommon. It is actually a pretty popular diet plan, called the One Meal A Day (OMAD) diet.

This is an extreme form of intermittent fasting, where it only allows a one-hour eating window. In comparison, intermittent fasting usually allows for a four or eight-hour eating window.

This means that OMAD dieters can only eat for one hour a day, in which they’re supposed to consume the recommended amount of calories for their height, weight, age and gender.

And while you can’t eat for the other 23 hours, there’s actually no restrictions on what they can eat during the one-hour window.

After that hour is over, they’re not supposed to eat anything else. They can only drink water, black coffee or tea throughout the day, and other drinks are not allowed.

And no, diet coke isn’t allowed.

Must Consume Enough Calories

Dieticians have spoken up about the OMAD diet, saying that anyone who chooses to take this on must ensure that they consume enough calories during that one-hour window.

Generally, most adults should not consume under 1,200 calories per day.

Additionally, many dieticians have also recommended that the meal should be consumed after your most active time of the day. This would better help your body recover, and replace nutrients that have been lost.

Of course, since you’re only eating one meal a day, dieters should also ensure that they eat nutrient-rich foods, so that you don’t suffer from malnutrition.

Helps in Weight Loss, But Could Have Opposite Effect

While eating one meal a day seems like a definite way to lose weight, it could actually have the opposite effect.

Since you’re only eating for one hour a day, people tend to overeat to make up for the other meals that they’re skipping.

This could actually lead to an abnormal increase in appetite, and lead them to gain weight instead since they’re eating more than if they ate three meals a day.

Additionally, dieticians have also warned that the OMAD diet could be dangerous to children, elderly, and people with health conditions like diabetes.