What happens if you eat only one hour a day? 6 consequences of a “one-time” diet

Those who care about their health are interested in proper or rational nutrition. And age and gender are not important here. Girls want to get a slim figure, men – strong muscles, and older people consider nutrition as one of the factors of longevity.

However, the abundance of different diets – Kremlin, Mediterranean, ketodiet – can confuse even the experienced zoogehnik. Some resort to a modern approach to nutrition and reduce the number of meals. But only such restrictions can lead to serious consequences, especially if you are actively engaged in sports.

What is the essence of the diet with a single meal?

Olga Vvedenskaya

Scientific Advisor, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Disciplines, Synergy University

Eating once a day, if it is not a forced measure, is a trend of the last decades. Its full name is One Meal A Day Diet (OMAD), or once-a-day eating. Hollywood stars and world professional athletes resort to this method of keeping fit. For example, model Naomi Campbell has been practicing it for many years.

The author of the diet is considered to be an American Jimmy Schwartz. After experimenting with food, he was able to achieve good results – he lost 27 kg in a year.

The man believes that he created a physiological diet based on the behavior of ancestors. For example, after a successful hunt, people ate heavily, and then waited for a new portion of food, sometimes for a day or even longer. The image of such a diet is “hunter’s diet” or “nomad’s diet”.

Scheme of the diet: the authors of the diet advise to take food only once a day. In this case, the pieces should be chewed slowly, without distracting yourself by reading, cell phone or watching TV. During the day you should always take enough water. Drinks are preferably unsweetened – any kind of tea, coffee is allowed.

According to the author of the diet, when eating once a day, weight correction is achieved quickly.

Diet One Meal A Day Diet doctors refer to the most extreme. It can cause a lot of negative consequences.

What happens to the body if you eat only once a day?

1. Calorie deficiency

When the number of calories is reduced, the body switches to endogenous nutrition, that is, it begins to use its own resources – proteins, fats and carbohydrates – as a source of energy.

Such a waste of resources can lead to pronounced intoxication. Therefore, when eating once a day, it is very important to observe the drinking regime – at least two liters of liquid per day.

2. Deficiency of nutrients

Protein and vitamin deficiency can be observed. After all, one dish does not have all the necessary nutrients in the right proportion. In addition, it is not a fact that this meal will be low-calorie.

3. Development of hypovitaminosis

Food contains a large number of different vitamins. A single meal can hardly cover the body’s need for them. Moreover, important substances are contained in different types of food, which can hardly be eaten at one time.

4. Disorders of the digestive system

Prolonged starvation can lead to increased production of hydrochloric acid, which is a prerequisite for the development of gastritis, gastric ulcer and 12-acid ulcer. Therefore, therapists and gastroenterologists are strongly against this method of weight loss.

5. Changes in blood glucose levels

When fasting, blood glucose levels can drop dramatically, leading to the development of hypoglycemia. Low glucose levels have an extremely negative effect on general well-being – headache, weakness, dizziness, up to hunger fainting. Therefore, patients with diabetes are also not recommended this type of weight loss.

6. Stress

Yes, starvation is a stress, and one of the strongest. Adrenal and thyroid hormones are released. They have a number of negative effects: they cause vasospasm and increase blood pressure, provoke dry skin, brittle nails.

Thus, to the desired effect of weight loss, we get a number of side effects. We recommend eating at least three times a day, but rationally, taking into account individual physiological needs.