Newsletter › #18
12 Weeks of OMAD (One Meal a Day) | Start with Why | The Psychology of Money
【What I've been up to】
Annyeong, Reader!
As I write this,
I'm on holiday in Busan, South Korea.
A cold wave has just hit —
it feels as cold as −18°C,
which at one point made me want to die 🥲
People with low body fat really feel the cold.
It hasn't snowed, but it's cold enough.
Next week is Lunar New Year,
so the newsletter and the show will take a week off.
Wishing you a happy new year and great luck in the Year of the Horse 🐎
【Life notes and reflections】
12 weeks of OMAD (one meal a day)
I started experimenting with OMAD on November 7, 2025,
and by late January 2026 it's been 12 weeks.
By the idea in The 12 Week Year,
that's a full year done.
Now I eat only dinner five days a week;
on weekends — family days or dinners out — I eat lunch and dinner.
Today let's look at how my body has changed and what I've learned after 12 weeks of OMAD.
How my body changed:
- Fat 12.8 → 10.8 kg | −2 kg
- Muscle 30.7 → 31.7 kg | +1 kg
- Weight 67.4 → 66.4 kg | −1 kg
- Body fat 19% → 15.6% | −3.4%
My body responded quite directly.
Eating one meal a day means eating less,
so losing weight and fat didn't surprise me.
What surprised me most was gaining muscle!
There are three main reasons
for this counterintuitive result:
- Growth hormone (HGH): when the body enters a deep fast, insulin levels drop. To protect muscle and prepare to hunt for food, the brain releases a lot of growth hormone.
Studies show fasting can increase HGH several times over. HGH not only helps burn fat; it's key to building muscle and repairing tissue. - Autophagy: fasting triggers autophagy. The body acts like a recycling plant, breaking down old and damaged proteins and rebuilding with good protein when you eat, so muscle quality improves.
- Better insulin sensitivity: long-term OMAD makes the body extremely sensitive to insulin.
It can deliver nutrients — especially amino acids and glucose — to muscle cells more efficiently, instead of turning them into fat.
Time slowed down
Besides the physical changes, time also feels slower.
Skipping two meals
gives me two or three extra hours of open time each day.
At first it made me a bit anxious, because time suddenly felt so slow.
Then I moved my gym time to midday
to fill the lunch slot.
That calmed me down —
and midday is when the gym is emptiest.
One day I was the only one there.
More energy
I used to need a rest after breakfast, and another after lunch.
Now, since I'm not busy digesting,
my productivity stays high from morning to night.
I've never felt like this in my whole life.
The downside: you get thinner!
What's a downside for me seems like an upside for most people 🤣
Conclusion
Calling fasting a “life upgrade”
is no exaggeration.
Every friend who started fasting because of me
has given positive feedback:
fasting has genuinely improved their quality of life.
Here's part of a letter a listener sent me —
it's long, so I've excerpted it:
Hi Doug,
I'm Han — I left a comment on your podcast a long time ago.
I wanted to share that three or four years ago my husband and I both tried 16:8 fasting. We worked hard at it but failed, and our doctor advised us not to continue, so back then I concluded that 16:8 fasting didn't suit our bodies. My husband had followed Dr. Sisi's articles for years, so when you interviewed Dr. Sisi I shared it with him right away (really hoping he'd start listening to your show). I expected him to say he already knew all of it, but he said your conversation with Dr. Sisi gave him new insights.
Surprisingly — we'd completely failed at drinking oil before and couldn't stand it — after your episodes we both successfully took on a spoonful of olive oil a day and fasted at least 12 hours, for a month. My skin improved, and without trying, my figure and weight went back to where they were years ago, before I had children. We were only after better health; this was a bonus I never expected.
I wanted you to know that what you share from your own practice really has a profound effect on your listeners. Your actions themselves create so much positive impact. Thank you so much!
I'm so glad I could help her, and her message gave me a lot of strength.
The life I live now is one I couldn't have imagined before —
I never knew people could live like this.
It's so simple: one meal a day.
So why did I ever eat three?
If you want to upgrade your life too, fasting is a good place to start.
I have two episodes with my family doctor, Dr. Sisi,
on fasting and blood sugar,
if you're interested:
EP55 | Why does eating make you more tired? Fasting, ketones and energy (with Dr. Sisi)
EP62 | Can't lose weight? Obesity, metabolism and insulin resistance (with Dr. Sisi)
【From the blog】
Book notes: Start with Why and the Golden Circle
Why can some leaders inspire everyone around them? After reading Start with Why, I realized the key is the Golden Circle. How I apply it to money and to running FIRE University, and how the learning pyramid turns what moved me while reading into lasting memory. Practice with me: don't compete with others, only race against who you were yesterday.
This week's episode
#64 | You don't need the holy grail, just to stay in long enough: The Psychology of Money #5
Compounding, keeping wealth, and tail events. Buffett's real edge is time; getting rich is hard but staying rich is harder; and why automatic, regular investing works even though it goes against instinct.
Read the full show notes in English › (the episode is in Mandarin Chinese)
🍎Apple Podcasts
🎧Spotify
🎦YouTube
P.S. I'm traveling this week, so there's no new episode.
【Things I like】(not sponsored — just recommendations)
Today I want to introduce an iPhone case I absolutely love —
no exaggeration, once you've used one you can't go back!
- MagSafe compatible
- stands upright or sideways
But what I find most useful
is when I'm holding it.
I can hook my left index or middle finger through the ring,
which takes a lot of strain off my wrist.
And it's super cheap — only NT$100–200.
I really feel the difference.
I've used one for years,
and recommend it wholeheartedly.
If you have a phone case you love,
let me know.
Group-buy deals
🎙️ New: PLAUD Note Pro AI note-taking recorder
🎧 Your own AI secretary
🎁 Enter 【FIRE95】 at checkout for 5% off
🛒 Buy: lihi.cc/up6Oq
——
⚡️ MONITORMATE MS-Z magnetic 3-in-1 charging stand
💼 The travel essential for Apple users — the smallest and lightest, with fast charging
🈹 Enter the code 【FIRE150】 for NT$150 off right away!
👉 monitormate.shop/MS_Fire
——
🎓 Don't Want to Go to Work Lab (an online course, in Mandarin)
👉 Course page: eleanorfilmacademy.tw/VlRMg
⚠️ Enter the code 【FIRETW】 at checkout for a special price of NT$4,200.
My sign-up link: eleanorfilmacademy.tw/NfK0d
That's it for this issue of the FIRE Life Weekly.
If you have any questions about the show or the newsletter,
just write to me at doug@firetw.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a lovely day,
and see you next time.
Doug