What Is the OMAD Diet, Which Karan Johar Follows For Weight Loss? Is It Safe?

While Karan Johar’s recent weight loss has been the talk of the town, sparking both concern and curiosity, the filmmaker came clean on his journey and highlighted how adopting a balanced lifestyle and focusing on clean nutrition helped him get into shape.

Karan said he followed the OMAD—“one meal a day“ diet—“rigorously and relentlessly” for the past six to seven months. “The first seven days were extremely difficult. Then, for seven months, it became OMAD—I ate one meal. Would eat at around 7:30 pm-8 pm,” he said on a podcast interview. “In that one meal, I would eat food with lactose, gluten, or sugar. I did this for 6-7 months at a stretch rigorously and relentlessly,” the 52-year-old filmmaker added.

Eating one meal a day is a practice many people swear by to lose weight and improve overall health. Even though the content and timing of the meal will vary based on personal preference, most of those who follow the OMAD diet restrict calories to a single meal or a short window of time.

There are many types of intermittent fasting practices and multiple ways to implement OMAD.

According to experts, OMAD includes having a single meal and fasting for the rest of the day or having one meal and eating limited amounts of food during fasting periods. It creates a calorie deficit, which causes weight loss.

OMAD is also said to be beneficial for reducing the risk of heart diseases, balancing blood sugar levels, and reducing inflammation. However, as compared to other fasting regimens—various versions of intermittent fasting—eating just one meal per day is one of the most extreme methods of fasting.

OMAD also helps reduce blood sugar levels and LDL, or bad cholesterol. Fasting is also associated with reducing markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein. Additionally, it offers unique benefits that support a healthy nervous system and promote longevity.

Even though it helps in restricting calories, evidence suggests that too much calorie restriction, which includes only consuming one meal a day, can do more harm than good. Experts say too much dependence on OMAD causes a spike in total and LDL bad cholesterol and triggers higher blood pressure levels.

A few earlier studies have also said that eating a single meal in the day increases fasting blood sugar levels, delaying your body’s response to insulin and spiking appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, leading to extreme hunger and, thereafter, overeating.

Doctors advise those with type 2 diabetes should not follow this diet as it can cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, along with side effects like:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Low energy
• Constipation

The OMAD diet is also not appropriate for many groups of people, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children and teens, older adults, and those with eating disorders.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Health and around the world.