🥗 What OMAD Actually Is
OMAD – “One Meal A Day” – means eating only once within a short daily eating window. I’ve followed this way of eating several times, and for me it has been the most effective method to change my eating habits long-term. Whether you want to lose weight or simply live healthier, OMAD creates clarity in your daily routine, structure in your schedule, and a calmer, more natural sense of hunger.
🧠 Thinking Less About Food – More Concentration
A major advantage is that you think about food far less. When you only eat once a day, your mind isn’t constantly occupied with what to eat next. It becomes easier to concentrate. Since returning to OMAD, I’ve been fully focused on my course work from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Of course, there are exceptions when I have appointments or travel, but in general this is my strongest focus time of the day. And afterward, the meal feels like a real reward.
⏳ Saving Time With Just One Meal
Another big advantage is the amount of time you save. You cook only once, wash dishes only once, tidy up only once, and set (and clear) the table only once. All that extra time can be used for something truly meaningful.
🥦 Automatically Eating Healthier
Another benefit is that with just one meal a day, you automatically begin to eat healthier.
Right before the meal, you notice your circulation getting a bit weaker and your stomach completely empty – and you know exactly: this is the one opportunity today to give your body what it really needs. If you eat something unhealthy now, you’ll feel even weaker tomorrow. That feeling motivates you immediately to start with something nutritious.
🍽️ What I Usually Eat
Sometimes my meal begins with salad, vegetables, whole-grain pasta, potatoes, mashed potatoes, fish, or brown rice.
Occasionally, I eat whole-grain toast dipped in egg, fried in the pan, and topped with a little melted cheese.
On other days, I use a can of vegetables and a small carton of tomato purée and prepare the whole dish with brown rice or whole-grain pasta, ideally finished with Parmesan.
⚖️ The Downsides of OMAD
Of course, this way of eating doesn’t only have advantages. There are also a few downsides.
🏠 Disadvantage 1: OMAD Is Only Easy When You’re at Home
The first disadvantage is that OMAD is only easy when you are at home during your meal time. When you’re out and about, this way of eating becomes a real challenge. To have something healthy, you’d need to eat at a restaurant. But if – like me – your eating time is around 2 p.m., you won’t necessarily find a restaurant that’s open at that hour.
👥 Disadvantage 2: Social Situations and Meal Times
The second disadvantage is social situations – meeting others for meals that don’t match your regular eating time. You basically have two options:
- 🍽️ eat at their time, when the meeting takes place
- 🍱 or eat a smaller amount, splitting your meal into two portions:
once at your usual time
and once when you meet with others
🚉 Eating While Traveling – When Nothing Fits
Train stations, platforms, and trains are not suitable places to eat because they are simply unhygienic and uncomfortable. That’s why people often end up going to a café – but cafés usually don’t offer anything healthy. My solution is therefore simple but effective.
🌤️ My Solutions When I’m Out
In dry weather, I eat outside on a park bench. When it’s very cold, I split my meal into two parts and walk in between to warm up. And when nothing else works, I eat standing under an umbrella.
🚗 My Wish for the Future
In the long run, it would be wonderful to have a car again. Then I could heat it while driving, park somewhere quiet, and eat my meal at my usual time in a warm, comfortable space.
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