Eating once a day: a new trick to lose weight fast?
The "one meal a day diet" trend is beginning to be echoed in France. Dietitian Laura Sirio warns that being satisfied with just one meal a day is dangerous to your health.
It's a new way to fast! If we are to believe the American websites that promote this concept, OMAD (One Meal A Day Diet) will be the key to "extreme weight loss" and will enhance "physical and mental performance." In the United States, the single-meal method has been a huge success, and there are countless guide books on the subject.
Eat once a day: to tap into your reserves
If intermittent fasting is gaining popularity among us, the practices are very diverse. Fasting, for example, requires a 16-hour diet and a 5:2 regimen that encourages you to reduce your calorie intake two days a week. Lately, the 4:3 diet recommends fasting every day...suffice to say we're seeing a real escalation with increasingly harsh diets! And with Emad, we're tightening our belts even more! From now on, to burn more calories, it will be necessary to impose on our body a period of rest of 23 hours! If you do not eat anything during this time, on the other hand, as in any fasting, you need to be well hydrated (water or soaked, tea, unsweetened coffee).
Practically: how do we do it?
In practice, we keep one meal a day, preferably dinner like our distant ancestors who ate only in the evening after hunting. To eat, we choose from a list of foods that are sources of lean protein (chicken breast, white fish) that provide fuel without unnecessary fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber essential for digestion (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains), and good arterial-preserving fats (nuts). Eggs, dairy products and oils (olive or coconut) are also allowed. No sign of portion, we eat to satiety.
Eating once a day: health risks
Dietitian Laura Sirio warns against restricting food to just one meal a day. In addition to losing ease of use, this expert lists several risks:
Long-term risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies...
Risk of regaining weight and cravings if you want to resume a usual diet.
Risk of gastrointestinal disturbances while resuming the "classic" food with a variety of foods and several meals a day.
The risk of "stepping back" after the 11 p.m. fast by saying, "Okay, I've fasted, so I can eat whatever I want."
Risk of dehydration if you do not drink enough fluids during the day.
According to Laura Sirio, some people are more at risk than others if they follow this extreme intermittent fasting:
Diabetics: Carbohydrate (sugar) intake is not spread throughout the day, causing glycemic (blood sugar level) disorder, which leads to hypoglycemia, which is a nuisance.
Renal insufficiency: In this case, it is the intake of protein that is not distributed throughout the day that will increase the renal insufficiency.
Heart: Heart arrhythmias may appear as a result of a lack of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Pregnant women: They can be very deficient in nutrients vital to themselves and their babies.