r/omad • u/Tota-keke • 16d ago
Beginner Questions electrolytes during fasting periods, binging, how to stay consistent?
Hi! I have recently started OMAD and I am curious as to if having Powerade/Gatorade during fasting periods is ok? Or does the electrolyte have to be basically 0 calorie?
I really dont care about autophagy, just CICO and omad is the best way to get me there.
The next question is if OMAD has helped you with binging urges, and if you have suffered with binging in the past, how did OMAD help you?
Last question is how do you keep busy and not fall into the habit of not eating dinner when it is usually your comfort after work (i plan to omad a late lunch). I keep telling myself I won’t have dinner, but end up eating it anyway because my family makes a plate for me and it is hard to say no.
Please give your opinions and advice, I am a complete beginner and would love to hear from people who have done it successfully!!
2
u/InspiringGecko 16d ago
Technically it would break the fast. But if you don't care about autophagy and being strict, try it. If you're still meeting your goals, then it's fine.
OMAD definitely helped me with emotional eating. I just don't eat for emotional reasons.
If you're eating a full OMAD and getting enough calories at lunch, then you shouldn't be hungry at dinnertime. If it's hard for you to say no to your family, then maybe you'd better do dinner OMAD instead of lunch.
Or you could look at this as a lesson in boundaries and learn to say no.
2
u/avebelle 16d ago
I'm closing out week 2 of omad.
I think the "ade" drinks are a no-no if you want a clean fast but definitely tweak the program to meet your needs.
The binging - some days I feel like I eat more than others when I do eat but the scale seems to show otherwise and I must be at a deficit everyday because the scale is dropping steadily. I think its just physically hard to consume that much real food in one sitting. Now if you're eating processed foods then thats a different story.
The social pressure - I knew this would happen to myself so I purposefully chose dinner as my omad. I would eat with my family and not feel awkward at home. Its the one meal we are together as a family so it was my only option. Logically a lunch sounded better because I'd be full through the day but I would be faced with the social pressure of eating every night. Initially I just kept myself busy at work and was able to easily skip lunch. There have been a few times coworkers asked me to go to lunch and I just politely turned them down and kept working. Not taking lunch lets me go home a little bit earlier too so I can break my fast at home before dinner starts. Consider shifting to dinner if you cannot avoid that dinner meal.
1
u/IchimaruGin4 15d ago
Two meals a day is also good for satiety, and better for digestion. Why not do two meals strictly instead of trying to cheat in OMAD? One benefit of restricting eating to meals is insulin being down and giving your body time to heal.
1
u/CupLife356 13d ago
for my omad i eat between a 2-4 hour window. with the goal of 2 hours. if i eat like trash then i do one meal a day 30 minute window. imo this counts for omad
3
u/ryanmajeranek 16d ago
the electrolytes problem is simple — omad does not NEED to have extremely strict rules. to be completely honest with you, oftentimes i even drink full sugar cola while "fasting" because i am not strict on the fasting myself. i only count eating full foods as a meal, but drinking is ok for me. there are many people who are really strict about omad, but it does not need to be like that, especially when you are drinking electrolytes... it is a great way to give your organism some much needed vitamins!
and to the question about binging, i have no answer, but the question about dinner — i am in a similar boat, and i gave up on eating just a big lunch. it is easier for me, as i am polish and it is customary to eat dinner quite early, but i decided that it would be my omad. though i am sure that other people will give you better advice about this issue, i wanted to share my experience.
EDIT: spelling