A few years ago, I was spending another Sunday weighing chicken breasts and filling Tupperware containers when I stopped and thought:
Why the hell am I doing this?
I’m not competing in the Mr. Olympia.
I’m running a business.
So I stopped.
I stopped preparing six little containers of food. Stopped worrying about eating every few hours. Stopped letting my diet dictate the schedule of my entire day.
Instead, I started eating once.
One big meal. Once per day. Done.
And after years of experimenting with different diets, it’s probably the easiest one I’ve ever followed.
I Don’t Want My Life Revolving Around Food
I care about my physique. I like being lean and muscular, and I take my appearance seriously.
So over the years, I’ve tried just about every kind of diet imaginable.
The traditional bodybuilding diet was one of them. Eat every few hours. Prepare container after container of chicken and rice. Measure everything. Time everything. Spend half your day thinking about the next meal.
That might make sense if bodybuilding is your job.
It isn’t mine.
I have businesses to build. Articles to write. Things to learn. Places to go. I don’t want my entire day revolving around Tupperware.
Once I realized I could maintain the kind of physique I wanted without eating all day, I couldn’t think of a good reason to keep doing it.
Food Costs More Than Money
When most people think about food, they think about calories and macros.
I also think about time and attention.
You have to decide what you’re going to eat. Buy it. Prepare it. Cook it. Eat it. Clean everything afterward.
Now do that several times a day.
Fuck that.
There’s also the way eating makes me feel. A big meal makes me want to sit down and relax. That’s perfectly fine at 6 p.m.
At 10 a.m. when I’m trying to write?
Not so much.
When I haven’t eaten yet, I personally feel light and focused. And when I get into a flow state while writing, I don’t want to stop because some meal plan says it’s time for another serving of chicken and rice.
So instead of building my life around my diet, I built my diet around my life.
Why I Eat Once Per Day
The biggest benefit for me is simplicity.
I handle eating once and then I’m done.
That gives me more uninterrupted time for writing, business, training, errands, reading, or whatever else I want to do that day. I don’t experience the daytime sluggishness I sometimes get after eating because I save my meal until later. My stomach feels lighter during the day, and I don’t spend nearly as much time thinking about food.
Is some of that psychological? Maybe.
Do I care?
Not really.
I know how I feel and how I perform.
And after trying plenty of other approaches, this is the one that has been easiest for me to stick with while maintaining the physique I want.
Here’s Exactly What I Eat
My meal hasn’t changed much in years:
- ½ kilogram of 95/5 ground beef cooked in Kerrygold butter
- 3 slices of deli cheese—the real stuff, not that prepackaged Kraft Singles bullshit
- 3 pieces of pita bread
- A small glass of kefir blended with frozen blueberries
- 1 piece of fruit—usually a banana, apple, or orange
- A handful of almonds or walnuts
- 1 tablespoon of honey
That’s it.
No six Tupperware containers. No elaborate recipes. No alarm reminding me that Meal #4 is approaching.
I eat my food.
Then I move on with my life.
What About ______?
“Don’t you get sick of eating the same thing every day?”
No. It tastes good, gives me what I’m looking for, and removes another decision from my life.
I don’t need every meal to be an adventure.
“How can you eat that much at once?”
I got used to it. The first few days were an adjustment. After a while, eating one large meal became normal.
Now I look forward to it.
“Isn’t red meat bad for you?”
Nutrition is one of those subjects where you can find somebody ready to tell you virtually anything will either save your life or kill you.
I’m not interested in turning this article into a nutritional holy war.
I eat beef because I enjoy it and it makes getting plenty of protein and calories simple for me.
You decide what belongs on your plate.
“Isn’t eating like that expensive?”
Compared to what?
I’ll spend money on things that benefit my health, appearance, or business and cut aggressively on things that don’t.
Good food is something I’m willing to pay for.
“Don’t you need to eat frequently to keep your metabolism going?”
I used to worry about things like that.
Eventually, I started paying more attention to what was actually happening.
Could I stay lean? Could I maintain muscle? Could I perform in the gym? Did I feel good? Could I stick with it?
For me, the answer has been yes.
So I kept doing it.
My Routine Is Stupidly Simple
Wake up.
Work.
Handle whatever needs handling.
Train.
Eat.
I normally have my meal after training, somewhere around 5–6 p.m. Then I have the rest of the evening to relax and digest before bed.
The next morning, I start over.
That’s about it.
Find a Diet That Fits Your Life
After years of experimenting, I don’t care much about finding the “perfect” diet anymore.
I want one that works without taking over my life.
For me, that’s one meal per day.
I don’t wake up thinking about breakfast. I don’t stop writing for lunch. I don’t carry Tupperware around. And I don’t spend Sunday afternoon weighing chicken breasts.
I eat once, enjoy the hell out of it, and move on.
That’s why OMAD works so well for me.
Not because I think everybody needs to eat the way I eat.
Because it fits the life I actually live.
If your diet is getting the results you want and you barely have to think about it, you’ve probably found a pretty good diet.
Mine just happens to be one meal a day.
— Uncle Blayde