WHY AM I SLEEPY AFTER EATING OMAD?

Sleeping after having one meal a day is a very normal response from the body. This is because the body is experiencing decreased levels of energy after consuming food and this is caused by the postprandial somnolence.

The sleep centers in the hypothalamus are stimulated by the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system after a meal. This is very common when one breaks a fast period by consuming a big meal. Most studies show that sleeping after an OMAD meal is a natural response and not a cause for alarm.

A study done to compare the difference and correlation between consuming high fat and low carb meals showed that insulin was significantly higher after consumption of a high carb meal while in a high-fat meal, the person experienced significantly high concentrations of cholecystokinin (CCK).

These results showed that the high carb meals have low levels of fatigue as compared to high-fat food which caused one to feel more fatigue resulting in sleep.

Therefore, there was a strong correlation experienced between, tiredness and sleeping after meals and cholecystokinin (CCK). Sleeping after OMAD is also related to how fast the food we consume is digested.

When you consume heavy and large amounts of food on the OMAD diet, you will definitely be sleepy because the digestion process will be slow so that the food can be digested properly.

Some proteins are composed of an amino acid called tryptophan which releases serotonin into the brain making you sleepy.

When you eat a huge amount of food after OMAD, a lot of blood circulation is directed to the digestive system so as to break it down well. Combining slow digestion with tryptophan and serotonin leads to one feeling super sleepy and tired.

your body needs a lot of energy to properly conduct the process of digestion. If before consuming any meal on OMAD you feel tired and starving, then there are high chances that you will sleep after the meal so as to conserve most of the calories you have consumed.

DOES OMAD MAKE YOU TIRED?

One meal a day (OMAD) will make you feel tired when you consume meals at a fast rate and when you eat a lot of food at once. You can minimize your food consumption rates and put more priority on consuming more proteins as they will increase your satiety and reduce the tiredness you feel after a meal.

Including foods rich in proteins like most of the plant-based proteins in your OMAD will ensure that you don’t feel tired that much, you feel fuller with the less amount of food you have consumed, and help you sustain your daily metabolic operations.

When on one meal a day plan, try to consume food at a slow rate, pay attention to your body cues, ensure you are not watching TV and remove other distractions, and when you feel satisfied or you don’t feel hungry, you should stop eating.

When you are on OMAD, you take meals at certain times which forces the body to be used to the new plan, your body will produce less energy leading to you feeling fatigued. Some of the side effects of being on OMAD include feeling irritated when you feel hungry, experiencing mood swings, and reduced concentration, all of these will make one feel tired.

When you consumed your whole nutrients in one meal while on OMAD, one has to relax fast after the meal consumption before engaging in any physical activity. This makes one feel tired because you are consuming about 2000 calories in one plate.

When on one meal a day plan, to reduce feeling tired and get back to your daily activities, ensure that you drink enough water on a daily basis, review your diet to ensure that it contains all the nutrients your body needs, and eat more food with good nutrients because you might be feeding yourself less food.

After the OMAD period is over, take less food until your body is used to the normal food rates you consume and get enough sleep as this will greatly help to get rid of the fatigue and rest well.

HOW TO STOP OVERREACTING TO OMAD?

Most people react when on OMAD because they have to completely change the way they normally eat their food, the time they take their meals to a specific time, and once per day with all nutrients included. It is good to know that the more you practice OMAD, the easier it gets with time, you just have to be consistent with it. OMAD helps you to be more comfortable with hunger by increasing your tolerance to hunger.

You just have to imagine that you are on a fasting period with one meal a day. Some people overreact to OMAD since they consume huge amounts of food once and mostly these people binge eat for some days.

When on OMAD, it is okay to eat a little more than usual as this will not really affect you, the problem will only arise if you yield to eating pressure and lose control. If you don’t want to overreact on OMAD, then you should adhere to the following step;

Focus on Slow Eating

Reducing the rate, you consume your food is by far the biggest change you can take to achieve your goal when it comes to OMAD dieting. People who overeat do so because they are eating very fast, slow eating can help you reduce the amount of food you consume.

With slow eating, you will not have the satiety response and you will feel fuller after consuming less food. When slow eating, ensure you breathe and relax when consuming your meals, know that it’s good to put your fork or eating tools down between your bites, set up a timer for about 20-25 minutes as this will give you a time frame to eat before satiety kicks in.

Smell and taste

It is very important that you take your time to sense the smell, texture, and taste of the food you want to consume. This will stimulate palatability and olfactory and you will be able to know how really good nutritious food tastes even before consuming it.

When you smell and put your focus on flavor, the satiety hormones will be stimulated to increase. This is because, aromas that are food-related lead to provoking salivation, the release of insulin, and the release of gastric acid. This goes ahead to ensure the digestion process begins before eating.

Eat mindfully without distractions

When you consume food with distractions like TV, driving, walking, and working as you eat it affects the amount of food you take in. This will also affect the hunger signals you get.

Stop consuming food when you’re no longer hungry

It is important that you stop eating when you feel like you are 80% full. When on OMAD, you will reach a point where you will easily be able to differentiate between when you feel full and when actually hungry. Also, don’t just give in to hunger and cravings but remain consistent and disciplined.

Know your triggers

There are some foods that will trigger certain behaviors in you and make you go beyond the recommended amounts. You are supposed to avoid such foods being in your house and make sure there is a red alert on them. If you allow them to be in your house, you might be tempted to consume them.

If it is hard for you to stop consuming certain food like alcohol and chocolate, then ensure that you only have them in your house in the recommended amounts so as not to go overboard as most of them are very addictive, and it is not easy to stop consuming them.

SUMMARY

Being on OMAD can be very stressful as most people are food enthusiasts and eating is like a hobby for them. If such people are on OMAD, then they need to know that one can still consume one meal a day with all nutrients in it and still be okay.

Being on OMAD for some weeks to a month can make us know how it feels to be on physical hunger. If OMAD is done on a short time basis like 2 weeks to a month, it will have many life experiences with good results as compared to when one is on OMAD for longer time periods.

Therefore, when on OMAD, it is very important for one to know that they might feel fatigued and sleepy after eating a meal. This is because the food is consumed in one go with all the nutrients and this slows down the rate of digestion to make sure the food is well and effectively digested.

One can also overreact when on OMAD and this is due to the changes that come with the diet. However, this can be solved when one remains patient, follows the process consistently, and in the end, it will become an easy diet to follow.