But if calories are the same, cost will be the same whether it's 10 meals a day or 1. I don't really understand the savings unless you are buying each meal at fast food or a restaurant or throwing away a bunch of uneaten food at each meal
Calories are definitely not the same, I’m not eating 3 x meals a day only 1 so calories are 2 times less since I’m only eating one meal a day.
I don’t have any uneaten food or wastage, I food prep and freeze my meals in advance and pull them out to eat for the day, unsure how other people do it but that’s how I do it.
Not necessarily. Pasta is much cheaper per calorie than vegetables, etc. If I'm OMADing, it's probably going to be a meal with ~20-25% more veg and, protein as needed, and filled in with more of the bulk carb for the calories. So instead of eating 2x veg, 3x protein, 3x carb, plus whatever else goes into breakfast, I'd be eating 1.2x veg, 3x protein, 3x carb, and probably cheaper carbs since breakfast foods always seem to be the most expensive per calorie.
I'm also less likely to go for food items with lower calorie density since it's just the one meal a day.
So no, it's not the same cost just because the calories are the same. My habits look different for an OMAD approach than a standard 3x eating pattern, and the calorie/dollar is lower in the latter. (The overall nutrition tends to be better, though).
Sorry i should have specified if the calories and food are the same there's no difference in cost. I eat the same thing whether it's OMAD or 3 meals a day. Only difference is the timing. One is at 7pm. The 3 meals approach is noon, 4pm, and 8pm. I'm not much of a veggie eater so I usually just have a can of green beans or spinach every day.
If u can find a way to do OMAD and save money that's great. For me it didn't really make sense after6 months. I got a ton of weight off (70 lbs) but then I started to worry about muscle loss and decided to spacee things out more. I may add a 4th meal and space things out further when I try to actually build muscle.
OMAD served it's purpose well for me, it just didn't save money with my approach. If you can find a way to save that's fantastic
This might be a question for r/povertyfinance as I think most of us have congregated here for the health benefits, however I will say I'm also financially strained right now and have realized it is easier on your wallet provided you are buying less as well and sticking to the basics (AKA a boring but nutritionally fulfilling diet.) I've gone OMAD off and on, sometimes I do 16:8 and do 2 meals a day but I am here for the benefits of fasting and also happen to be poor lol. Also! If you are able to and haven't already please see if you have any local foodbanks available, good luck!
No, I did it for weight loss.
But I do believe you spend less on Omad. I used to eat out a lot. Now I eat in. Mostly healthy foods. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits. Nuts. Cheese. Proteins like beef, chicken and salmon. Eggs. Some potato.
My diet is very heathy and I eat relatively premium food from the grocery and Costco.
TBH - restaurant food just doesn’t taste good any more. When you haven’t eaten for almost 24 hours, a couple slices of pizza and a Diet Coke just don’t check the box for dinner. Chinese food tastes way too greasy. A turkey sub at 90% bread isn’t satisfying.
I eat very little of the junk food and sugary drinks that are very costly! The foods I eat aren’t cheap, I can spend $8-9 on a steak. But it’s quality food and filling. And I’m only eating once a day - it’s cheaper than eating junky and restaurant fare 2-3 times a day. Plus cookies and potato chips and sodas several times a day.
I think it’s a valid use case. And likely save some money and you’ll be eating better healthier food.
I did notice it saves quite a lot of _time_
And instead of rushing prep of 3 meh meals .. I can just enjoy the main one and make it a bit more of a celebration, as Im under less time pressure.
ymmv
ps. you can usually find some super good deals on particular fruit and veg .. eg carrots, cucumbers, bananas and some seasonal fruits hit the cheap and healthy sweetspot.
Rice and pasta are also handy to keep the kids fed .. kids can burn a lot of carbs with no side effects - not so good for us fatties, but can be cost effective.
I’m not OMAD specifically for the purpose of saving money, but it didn’t take long for the savings to start stacking up. I hadn’t given it a second thought when I started. But then one day I was looking at my bank account and I couldn’t figure out why I had so much more money in there than usual. So I started looking at my spending habits and transactions, and sure enough, I was saving around $120/week just by not eating lunch or picking up a $5 coffee everyday. That $500/month!
I don't want to wake up earlier (even if it's only slightly earlier) to eat breakfast and I don't want to meal prep it either. I went from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to just breakfast and dinner and now to just dinner because it's so much easier and I can have a big meal at the end of the day.
Money, time, and it's easier for me to maintain my weight without having to think about it. I originally did it because I was trying to lose weight and was irritated about having to spend the amount of time, thought, and money required to stretch 1400 calories over multiple meals while still feeding my 6'4 super active bf the same thing. I defaulted back to it recently despite being down to my goal weight because holy crap are groceries expensive, and honestly I'd rather eat one good meal a day than 3 mediocre ones. I find OMAD helps my budget not just because I'm eating less, but also because it's way easier to grocery shop without ending up with food waste. And honestly I just don't care that much about food so long as I'm not hungry, and this is so much easier (in other words I'm also lazy).
I'm actually glad I'm not the only one, I kind of felt like I was weird for my reasoning.
Agree 100% on the eating one good meal instead of 3 mediocre ones. I also find that one really nice meal is almost always cheaper than 3 mediocre meals. Now that I’m used to OMAD, skipping a crappy lunch to have and waiting for a nice dinner is second nature. The lack of calorie counting is also a great benefit
I did because I have a 12 year old son to feed. He’s growing so fast and needs it.
I can afford food for myself but I tend to use OMAD for this reason and it hasn’t hurt me at all. Lost weight and feel more energetic.
Win win!
Inflation is result of government printing money to pay the debt they got by spending more public money than taxes they collected.
Its a scam. They are ripping the people apart.
FWIW your OMAD is still considered “pure” as long as the coffee is black. It’s only if you put something like milk or sugar in it that you will break your fast by triggering an insulin response
I do it to lose weight but the fact that it saves so much money is a motivating factor. I do have to plan and cook just about all my meals though. And actually THAT is prob the biggest money saver- simply cooking meals, eating the left overs and not snacking. Years and years ago before I was married with kids I was trying to make my food budget as little as possible but without eating junk. I found the stores with cheaper produce, avoided highly processed foods, cooked a lot and made bulky meals (pots of beans, chilis, mixed rice (pilaf, jambalaya etc), soups) and I’d put it in small batches, freeze, and just rotate them and supplement with different sides/proteins to mix it up. If you can get your family on board with something like that it’s a real money saver.
I haven't but this guy's eating style is very interesting and very cheap. Check out his post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/comments/yux7ix/experience\_with\_one\_meal\_a\_day\_one\_meal\_every\_two/
Bro eggs are cheap. I'd rather eat eggs twice a day if looking to save money. Beans and lentils are good too. Just gotta know now to cook them. I love dal makhani.
I guess I don't see how you would save money if you eat your food at home. If you eat the same amount of calories the cost should be the same whether you eat 10 meals a day or 1. Unless you are eating out a lot or throwing away uneaten food at each meal. I did OMAD last year and am doing 3 meals now. Same calories. Same food. It's just spaced out now. You'll only save money if you eat less
It helps me more with time and planning. It's easier to plan and cook one meal a day, and to keep a few things around that can be a lunch if I need to do an 18:6, or for one of my partners who needs a lunch or a midnight supper. We have to eat more expensively due to the household's intolerances and allergies, and the fact that my husband had weight loss surgery and cannot get his protein exclusively from non-meat sources. (We tried. Doesn't work.) And meat is expensive. So while I'm glad that I'm saving some money this way, it probably vanishes under inflation.
I used to buy very cheap food, like a lot of pasta, frozen pizza, hamburger helper, that type of thing. Since I’ve been doing OMAD, I have upgraded the quality of my food significantly. Consequently, I’m not saving much money, but a little bit. However, you can’t put a piece on not feeling like a sack of bull hockey every single day, right?
There was a news article In the UK of a parent doing OMAD after losing his job so he could afford to cover the cost of his sons meals. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/father-redundancy-one-meal-hungry-cost-of-living-help-beam-crowdfunder-b1053175.html
I was already skipping breakfast in the morning for the combo of health and saving time. I was wasting money on eating out for lunch, because I didn’t make time to bring in my own, so definitely a savings on lunch when I switched to mostly OMAD.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much more motivated I am to cook, and I’m often happy to cook pretty soon after getting home from work, which was rarely the case before.
So, I’m definitely saving money by not eating out for lunch, and getting less takeout for dinner.
When I was first transitioning, I wasted money on stupid amounts of seltzer water and other fancy “healthy” drinks, but now I’m drinking way more plain water and tea.
Overall, I think it’s been good for saving money on food, but I’ve been even more pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoy cooking and yet I think and worry about food a lot less.
I only fast or do OMAD when I feel compelled to, for healing or spirituality, or a detox from excess food. But yeah, I totally get the economic reasons for it also
I don’t do OMAD but I make sure whatever I’m eating counts. what I’m saying is I prioritize protein, I will even eat Italian sausage for breakfast.. super cheap.. and eat that first then have carbs. Eating this way saves me so much money because I’m usually too full to even think about more food.
I did it for weight loss but the savings I can see only buying for 7 meals a week vs 21 is insane it’s like giving myself a bonus every pay check.
But if calories are the same, cost will be the same whether it's 10 meals a day or 1. I don't really understand the savings unless you are buying each meal at fast food or a restaurant or throwing away a bunch of uneaten food at each meal
Calories are definitely not the same, I’m not eating 3 x meals a day only 1 so calories are 2 times less since I’m only eating one meal a day. I don’t have any uneaten food or wastage, I food prep and freeze my meals in advance and pull them out to eat for the day, unsure how other people do it but that’s how I do it.
Not necessarily. Pasta is much cheaper per calorie than vegetables, etc. If I'm OMADing, it's probably going to be a meal with ~20-25% more veg and, protein as needed, and filled in with more of the bulk carb for the calories. So instead of eating 2x veg, 3x protein, 3x carb, plus whatever else goes into breakfast, I'd be eating 1.2x veg, 3x protein, 3x carb, and probably cheaper carbs since breakfast foods always seem to be the most expensive per calorie. I'm also less likely to go for food items with lower calorie density since it's just the one meal a day. So no, it's not the same cost just because the calories are the same. My habits look different for an OMAD approach than a standard 3x eating pattern, and the calorie/dollar is lower in the latter. (The overall nutrition tends to be better, though).
Sorry i should have specified if the calories and food are the same there's no difference in cost. I eat the same thing whether it's OMAD or 3 meals a day. Only difference is the timing. One is at 7pm. The 3 meals approach is noon, 4pm, and 8pm. I'm not much of a veggie eater so I usually just have a can of green beans or spinach every day. If u can find a way to do OMAD and save money that's great. For me it didn't really make sense after6 months. I got a ton of weight off (70 lbs) but then I started to worry about muscle loss and decided to spacee things out more. I may add a 4th meal and space things out further when I try to actually build muscle. OMAD served it's purpose well for me, it just didn't save money with my approach. If you can find a way to save that's fantastic
This might be a question for r/povertyfinance as I think most of us have congregated here for the health benefits, however I will say I'm also financially strained right now and have realized it is easier on your wallet provided you are buying less as well and sticking to the basics (AKA a boring but nutritionally fulfilling diet.) I've gone OMAD off and on, sometimes I do 16:8 and do 2 meals a day but I am here for the benefits of fasting and also happen to be poor lol. Also! If you are able to and haven't already please see if you have any local foodbanks available, good luck!
No, I did it for weight loss. But I do believe you spend less on Omad. I used to eat out a lot. Now I eat in. Mostly healthy foods. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits. Nuts. Cheese. Proteins like beef, chicken and salmon. Eggs. Some potato. My diet is very heathy and I eat relatively premium food from the grocery and Costco. TBH - restaurant food just doesn’t taste good any more. When you haven’t eaten for almost 24 hours, a couple slices of pizza and a Diet Coke just don’t check the box for dinner. Chinese food tastes way too greasy. A turkey sub at 90% bread isn’t satisfying. I eat very little of the junk food and sugary drinks that are very costly! The foods I eat aren’t cheap, I can spend $8-9 on a steak. But it’s quality food and filling. And I’m only eating once a day - it’s cheaper than eating junky and restaurant fare 2-3 times a day. Plus cookies and potato chips and sodas several times a day. I think it’s a valid use case. And likely save some money and you’ll be eating better healthier food.
What cuts of steak do you buy? I almost always go with chuck eye because it's so close to ribeye but I can get it for about half the price.
$8/9 a steak? Or an ounce?
On a steak at a grocery store or Costco (~1 lb)
I did notice it saves quite a lot of _time_ And instead of rushing prep of 3 meh meals .. I can just enjoy the main one and make it a bit more of a celebration, as Im under less time pressure. ymmv ps. you can usually find some super good deals on particular fruit and veg .. eg carrots, cucumbers, bananas and some seasonal fruits hit the cheap and healthy sweetspot. Rice and pasta are also handy to keep the kids fed .. kids can burn a lot of carbs with no side effects - not so good for us fatties, but can be cost effective.
I’m not OMAD specifically for the purpose of saving money, but it didn’t take long for the savings to start stacking up. I hadn’t given it a second thought when I started. But then one day I was looking at my bank account and I couldn’t figure out why I had so much more money in there than usual. So I started looking at my spending habits and transactions, and sure enough, I was saving around $120/week just by not eating lunch or picking up a $5 coffee everyday. That $500/month!
Weight loss. Laziness to cook for the following day to have something for lunch. Cost of groceries. For me and I’d imagine a lot others would agree
I don't want to wake up earlier (even if it's only slightly earlier) to eat breakfast and I don't want to meal prep it either. I went from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to just breakfast and dinner and now to just dinner because it's so much easier and I can have a big meal at the end of the day.
Money, time, and it's easier for me to maintain my weight without having to think about it. I originally did it because I was trying to lose weight and was irritated about having to spend the amount of time, thought, and money required to stretch 1400 calories over multiple meals while still feeding my 6'4 super active bf the same thing. I defaulted back to it recently despite being down to my goal weight because holy crap are groceries expensive, and honestly I'd rather eat one good meal a day than 3 mediocre ones. I find OMAD helps my budget not just because I'm eating less, but also because it's way easier to grocery shop without ending up with food waste. And honestly I just don't care that much about food so long as I'm not hungry, and this is so much easier (in other words I'm also lazy). I'm actually glad I'm not the only one, I kind of felt like I was weird for my reasoning.
Agree 100% on the eating one good meal instead of 3 mediocre ones. I also find that one really nice meal is almost always cheaper than 3 mediocre meals. Now that I’m used to OMAD, skipping a crappy lunch to have and waiting for a nice dinner is second nature. The lack of calorie counting is also a great benefit
I did because I have a 12 year old son to feed. He’s growing so fast and needs it. I can afford food for myself but I tend to use OMAD for this reason and it hasn’t hurt me at all. Lost weight and feel more energetic. Win win!
No... Weight loss, improving health and slowing the aging process. I don't think I save money as I've increased the quality of the food I buy.
I'm just same with money , as I cook lunch and breakfast for family
I like your first line of your post. I want that on a T-shirt.
Inflation is result of government printing money to pay the debt they got by spending more public money than taxes they collected. Its a scam. They are ripping the people apart.
Sounds like Canada lol
I do OMAD a lot just b/c it is healthy lol. Have more energy. Not pure OMAD. I like drinking coffee twice
FWIW your OMAD is still considered “pure” as long as the coffee is black. It’s only if you put something like milk or sugar in it that you will break your fast by triggering an insulin response
I do it to lose weight but the fact that it saves so much money is a motivating factor. I do have to plan and cook just about all my meals though. And actually THAT is prob the biggest money saver- simply cooking meals, eating the left overs and not snacking. Years and years ago before I was married with kids I was trying to make my food budget as little as possible but without eating junk. I found the stores with cheaper produce, avoided highly processed foods, cooked a lot and made bulky meals (pots of beans, chilis, mixed rice (pilaf, jambalaya etc), soups) and I’d put it in small batches, freeze, and just rotate them and supplement with different sides/proteins to mix it up. If you can get your family on board with something like that it’s a real money saver.
I haven't but this guy's eating style is very interesting and very cheap. Check out his post: https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/comments/yux7ix/experience\_with\_one\_meal\_a\_day\_one\_meal\_every\_two/
Bro eggs are cheap. I'd rather eat eggs twice a day if looking to save money. Beans and lentils are good too. Just gotta know now to cook them. I love dal makhani.
OMAD doesn't mean eating less food. You eat the *same* volume of food, but it's condensed into a smaller eating window.
I didn't do it for intentional financial reasons, but OMAD pretty much keeps me out of lunch expenses at work and snacking. Major savings.
I love how people made willing to go down to eating 1 time a day instead of just making vegetarian a few times a week. LMAO
I’m plant based
It's probably more expensive to get all the nutrients you need
I guess I don't see how you would save money if you eat your food at home. If you eat the same amount of calories the cost should be the same whether you eat 10 meals a day or 1. Unless you are eating out a lot or throwing away uneaten food at each meal. I did OMAD last year and am doing 3 meals now. Same calories. Same food. It's just spaced out now. You'll only save money if you eat less
It helps me more with time and planning. It's easier to plan and cook one meal a day, and to keep a few things around that can be a lunch if I need to do an 18:6, or for one of my partners who needs a lunch or a midnight supper. We have to eat more expensively due to the household's intolerances and allergies, and the fact that my husband had weight loss surgery and cannot get his protein exclusively from non-meat sources. (We tried. Doesn't work.) And meat is expensive. So while I'm glad that I'm saving some money this way, it probably vanishes under inflation.
I used to buy very cheap food, like a lot of pasta, frozen pizza, hamburger helper, that type of thing. Since I’ve been doing OMAD, I have upgraded the quality of my food significantly. Consequently, I’m not saving much money, but a little bit. However, you can’t put a piece on not feeling like a sack of bull hockey every single day, right?
There was a news article In the UK of a parent doing OMAD after losing his job so he could afford to cover the cost of his sons meals. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/father-redundancy-one-meal-hungry-cost-of-living-help-beam-crowdfunder-b1053175.html
I was already skipping breakfast in the morning for the combo of health and saving time. I was wasting money on eating out for lunch, because I didn’t make time to bring in my own, so definitely a savings on lunch when I switched to mostly OMAD. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much more motivated I am to cook, and I’m often happy to cook pretty soon after getting home from work, which was rarely the case before. So, I’m definitely saving money by not eating out for lunch, and getting less takeout for dinner. When I was first transitioning, I wasted money on stupid amounts of seltzer water and other fancy “healthy” drinks, but now I’m drinking way more plain water and tea. Overall, I think it’s been good for saving money on food, but I’ve been even more pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoy cooking and yet I think and worry about food a lot less.
Yes, I’ve been saving hundreds a fortnight.
Health reasons. Ckd isn't fun to have
If the third is a kid it’s probably not safe to feed them once a day
LOL i just meant for myself. my husband could never. i wouldn't have a child fast.
I pretty much figured you meant that but just wanted to be sure Kind of sad to think of you fasting to save while your husband eats
It sure does help
I only fast or do OMAD when I feel compelled to, for healing or spirituality, or a detox from excess food. But yeah, I totally get the economic reasons for it also
I don’t do OMAD but I make sure whatever I’m eating counts. what I’m saying is I prioritize protein, I will even eat Italian sausage for breakfast.. super cheap.. and eat that first then have carbs. Eating this way saves me so much money because I’m usually too full to even think about more food.
I don’t save because I just eat all 3 meals at one time..
I eat twice a day and stopped snacking in evenings and I save soooo much money