Dear Kayla,
I’m thinking about doing OMAD for Lent to help me with temperance. Have you ever done an OMAD Lenten challenge before? I hesitate to call it a challenge, as that is not the correct term for the spirt of what is taking place during Lent, but I’m sure you understand what I mean. Could you speak a little on doing OMAD for Lent? I really like it when you connect our eating with our spiritual life.
Sincerely,
Anon
Dear Anon,
Thank you for the question! First, for the uninitiated, lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday. It’s calculated slightly differently for us Orthodox Christians, when compared to Catholics and Protestants. Calculate it however you will, we’re all using it as an opportunity to pray more, fast more, and reflect on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
I think OMAD is an excellent way for one to practice temperance, provided that person is a relatively experienced faster. If someone has never practiced before, and jumps straight to OMAD, they might end up sitting down to that one meal, scarfing it down with no self-control, and perhaps even overeating. This would be the precise opposite of temperance. Even worse, it could lead to feelings of guilt or anger, which is also not in the spirit of lent.
This is part of the reason why I haven’t led any OMAD challenges. I think OMAD is (for most people) something best arrived at gradually, pushing the fasting window out further as one is able to, all the while keeping self-control at each meal.
My plan for this lent is to eat OMAD Monday-Saturday, and to limit my coffee breaks to twice during the day. I also will not be consuming any meat on those days. And I’ll do my best to pray more. I’m sure I will not be perfect. But I’ll do my best in the fast, as I’m sure you will too, Anon.
OMAD has been helpful to me in my spiritual life. This practice of going almost the entire day without eating means that I can’t turn to food to comfort me. I have to look to something else. During my weight loss journey, when I was feeling stressed and wanting to eat, I’d go for a walk, and then I’d end up praying about everything that was on my mind. This helped me to draw nearer to God, and to depend less on food.
OMAD also made me a more patient person. I feel angry far less often than I used to, and I think it’s also helped me to become more compassionate. Of course, all these things have led to weight loss and maintenance. That’s how I perceive the change happened. As I became more patient, I was able to lose weight more consistently and keep it off once I lost it. Previous to this, I used to let my moods dictate what and how much I ate, if I weighed, or if I exercised, and my anger and impatience led me to quit over and over again.
I hope that in the 8 or so years I’ve been practicing OMAD I’ve moved closer to being who God created me to be. As best I can tell, it’s helped me, and that’s precisely why I continue to practice it.
Sincerely,
Kayla Cox
PS: Another reason why I don’t lead challenges is because I’m really not good at posting daily. It’s just not one of my strengths. (: