What might happen to your body if you eat just once a day? OMAD (one meal a day) sounds like an impossible task, but many people do it.
It’s a type of intermittent fasting that’s supposed to help you lose weight.
Not everyone is trying to lose weight; some are just trying to be healthier or save money on food.
Regardless of which group you’re in, here are a few things that have happened to many people after changing their diet.
Let’s take a look at what might happen to your body if you eat just once a day.
You May Experience Headaches
Diet headaches are a common issue for people who want to lose weight quickly. They can be caused by an adjustment period, low blood sugar, magnesium deficiency, and many other reasons.
RELATED: Foods That Cause Blood Sugar To Rise
Your Social Life Might Get Worse
Lunch at work, family dinners, and birthdays go by the wayside because you’re confined to one meal a day.
Your family and friends will start lecturing you about proper eating habits and questioning your sanity. You’ll also be more likely to be cranky from hunger.
Your Blood Sugar Level May Become Unstable
When you go without food for an extended period of time, your blood sugar levels tend to fluctuate.
RELATED: 10 Super Foods to Eat This Spring
Fasting is often the cause of hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar), especially for those with type 2 diabetes. Muscle tension can cause headaches later on.
You May Lose Weight
When there is a shortage of food, your body goes into “starvation” mode and stores all of the food you eat so that you can have it later when you really need it.
- It slows down your metabolism
- It increases cortisol (stress hormone) production
- It causes you to build up fat
You May Not Have Enough Nutrients
RELATED: The Best Times Of Day To Eat Our Favorite Foods
Even if you eat one meal a day, you may not get enough vitamins. This means you’re more likely to experience the consequences of vitamin deficiencies.
For instance, hair loss is usually linked to a deficiency of nutrients.
Nail white spots, also known as leukonychia, are caused by a lack of zinc and calcium.
You May Always Be Cold
Eating one meal per day reduces blood flow to fat stores. In this state, fat stores energy and provides you with strength and agility in an emergency. A low-calorie intake keeps you cold and hungry all the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few FAQs I get asked concerning (or related to) what might happen to your body if you eat just once a day.
RELATED: 6 Foods The Fittest People In The World Eat Consistently
What are the benefits of eating one meal a day?
- Reduce blood sugar levels
- Reduce insulin resistance levels
- Reduce triglyceride levels
- Reduce cholesterol levels
- Increase HDL (Good) cholesterol levels
How much weight will you lose if you don’t eat for 2 days?
A smidgen over 1 pound
Is it good to eat a lot one day?
While a single day of overeating won’t change your weight, it will definitely make you feel bloated.
What happens to your body if you only eat twice a day?
You will lose weight.
What is the best time to eat one meal a day?
RELATED: Best Summer Food Plots For Deer
Between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Does not eating make you lose belly fat?
You would think that eating less would lead to more belly fat, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong. While it’s easy to think that eating less calories will result in a slimmer stomach, that’s not the case.
Because undereating affects certain hormones, eating too little can lead to a build-up of fat on your belly.
How to get slim in two days?
- Make sure you chew your food correctly and slowly
- Do short bursts of exercise
- Avoid sugar completely
- Take a short walk after every meal
- Get enough sleep
- Limit your carbohydrate intake
- Avoid gas-producing vegetables
- Increase your intake of Vitamin C
How many kg do you lose if you don’t eat for a day?
RELATED: Foods To Avoid During Cirrhosis
1–2 kilograms
Why am I gaining weight if I only eat once a day?
According to many dietitians, if you only eat once a day, you’re more likely to eat too much at that one meal because at that point your body is hungry and needs energy.
Why am I gaining weight without eating?
It is usually caused by excess fluid, abnormal growth, constipation, or pregnancy.
Why am I gaining weight when I’m eating less and working out?
RELATED: Vitamin D Foods – Are You Getting Enough?
Your muscles respond by storing extra glycogen, which bonds with water in the muscle cells to maintain your energy levels and can add a pound or two to your body weight.
As you get fitter, you’ll need less glycogen stored to do the same work.
Is it better to eat once a day or twice?
So, according to science, the best way to eat is to eat 2-3 meals a day with a long overnight fasting period, avoid eating too soon or too late, and eat more calories earlier in the day.
RELATED: What Are The Best Foods To Treat Scurvy?
A Word From GetMe Treated
What might happen to your body if you eat just once a day? When you eat only one meal a day, your body is deprived of essential vitamins and nutrients that are necessary for proper functioning.
One of the consequences of this is that you feel constantly hungry, so when you do eat, you naturally overeat.
Eating one meal a day also lowers your blood sugar levels, which can lead to low blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar can cause intense hunger pains that can lead to overeating or eating unhealthy and highly fattening foods.
Another side effect of eating only once a day is that it reduces your metabolism. We all know that the slower your metabolism is, the more difficult it is to lose weight.
RELATED: Best Finger Foods For Parties
That’s because your body slows down to conserve nutrients in an effort to stretch them out until it gets more. When you eat, the food you eat is stored as fat, instead of being converted into energy.