Every other day diet

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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    akitagirl15 wrote: »
    I was just wondering if anyone has tried the 'Every other day diet' outlined in a book written by krista varady? Basically you consume 500 calories one day, unlimited calories the next. You alternate fast/feast every other day. The book has scientific data to back up why you would safely lose weight. It even says people don't end up binging or overeating on the unlimited calorie days. If anyone has tried this before, I would love to hear your experience.

    I've heard of this, it's like intermittent fasting. However, you do realize you can't eat unlimited calories every other day without gaining weight? In other words, you need to plan your calories out for the days you are fasting and the days you are not and make sure the week's average comes out to your goal for losing however much weight per week you want to lose.

    Bingeing is often a deeper issue than just food, so if you binge you might want to address that as well.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    I lost all of my weight doing alternate day fasting. However the up day wasn't a free for all.

    I had 500 calories on my down day, and my tdee on up day.

    And, it does require planning, as you have suggested.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    peachyfuzzle wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    I lost all of my weight doing alternate day fasting. However the up day wasn't a free for all.

    I had 500 calories on my down day, and my tdee on up day.

    This makes more sense. Not something I could ever do because I'd want to eat the wood moulding off of my drywall on my off days, but definitely makes sense for people who could sustain that sort of thing.

    Amen, brother!

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    How about doing it the "old fashion", eating at a reasonable deficit and exercise, BOOM!!! Weight loss!!
  • MistleToeSter
    MistleToeSter Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm starting it today. It is a natural extension of 5:2 which gave me a 10 lb lost over past month.

    For me on 5:2, the day after the fast is not particularly huge, it is the second and third day after. I think Varady also mentioned that somewhere.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2015
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    yesimpson wrote: »
    Sarasmaintaining wrote: »
    yesimpson wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    If I ate unlimited every second day, no 500 calorie day would save me haahaa

    God, me neither. I think on my unlimited day I'd 'panic' eat to a ridiculous extent, because I know I'm going to be crazy hungry the next. My blood sugar levels are a tricky beast too, so a 500 day would probably be a bad idea.

    You'd think it would work like that, but it actually doesn't for some reason. I hung out at a alternate day IF forum during my active weight loss phase and it was a common complaint that people were having a hard time hitting their maintenance calories on their regular days (which is really important to do). I have no idea why this happens, but it was an interesting problem to have :)

    That is interesting. Did it get easier as you got into it then? I appreciate some people naturally gravitate towards fewer, larger meals with many hours in between, but I imagine making the transition to that would be difficult if that wasn't your default position.

    Actually I did both 5:2 and every other day diet. With 5:2 it does get easier, but you are still hungry sometimes on fast days. Oddly enough with every other day diet after about a month you stop feeling hungry COMPLETELY, as if only eating 500 calories is a normal thing. On feast day you still get hungry enough for your full calorie allowance, but not on fast days. It's really odd.. I'm not sure what it is, but as if your body gets into a 48 hour "groove" or "schedule" or something in a way 5:2 could not replicate due to days not being uniform.

    OP the diet is just another way to re-arrange your calories in a way that helps you eat more of the things you like while still losing weight. It's a little bit hard at first, but then it gets much easier and more interesting. Your energy is normal, your don't feel hungry, the only difference is that one day you eat one meal and the next your eat 3 (or however much you prefer).

    I have noticed that I don't binge on feast day. It's as if some sort of appetite switch turns off and you eat to your maintenance or less, especially if you have been dieting for a while and are used to a low calorie amount.

    Now the problem with this diet may be a bit tricky for those who have a lot to lose. As you lose weight and your maintenance starts getting smaller, you will notice that eating to your liking no longer creates a decent deficit and you may need to regulate down to your new maintenance. It's still much easier than having to restrict every day, but it's not as effortless as it used to be when you first started.

    My solution for the above issue was to eat to my goal weight maintenance with a 200 calorie leeway rather than eating whatever I desire. That's two birds with one stone! You get to practice maintenance while you are dieting and you create a reliable deficit. I have maintained for extended amounts of time during my weight loss for several reasons and it was extremely easy because of the "training" I had on the every other day diet. I highly recommend it.
  • Carrtee
    Carrtee Posts: 1 Member
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    I have been on this specific diet for a week and lost 3.5 pounds. It is working really well for me. On fast days I fill a plate to overflowing with healthy foods that equal 500 calories. Then I eat two meals from it. It really is not that hard. I have a significant amount of weight to lose and I feel like I can stick with this long term. I don't go crazy on feast days. I've found that I eat about 113% of my regular intake. One day of fasting is so much better for me than many days of complete deprivation. I do allow a cheat if I really want it so I don't feel deprived. But the low calorie days have shrunk my appetite and now I don't eat as much of that cheat item. I'm finally excited about a diet and this is it. Working really well for me!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,007 Member
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    Carrtee wrote: »
    I have been on this specific diet for a week and lost 3.5 pounds. It is working really well for me. On fast days I fill a plate to overflowing with healthy foods that equal 500 calories. Then I eat two meals from it. It really is not that hard. I have a significant amount of weight to lose and I feel like I can stick with this long term. I don't go crazy on feast days. I've found that I eat about 113% of my regular intake. One day of fasting is so much better for me than many days of complete deprivation. I do allow a cheat if I really want it so I don't feel deprived. But the low calorie days have shrunk my appetite and now I don't eat as much of that cheat item. I'm finally excited about a diet and this is it. Working really well for me!

    I'm glad it's working for you :)

    Both 500 days and unlimited days would be a complete disaster for me. My goal is set to lose 1 pound per week and as long as I earn exercise calories, I don't feel deprived at all.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    If someone was offering me 'unlimited calories' on days following the 500 calories, I'd be eating like an adult elephant. This whole thing screams binge day - fast - binge day - fast. I don't think it's promoting a good relationship with food at all.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    peachyfuzzle wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    I lost all of my weight doing alternate day fasting. However the up day wasn't a free for all.

    I had 500 calories on my down day, and my tdee on up day.

    This makes more sense. Not something I could ever do because I'd want to eat the wood moulding off of my drywall on my off days, but definitely makes sense for people who could sustain that sort of thing.

    You just made me spit my tea out all over my lap top screen lol
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    If someone was offering me 'unlimited calories' on days following the 500 calories, I'd be eating like an adult elephant. This whole thing screams binge day - fast - binge day - fast. I don't think it's promoting a good relationship with food at all.

    I'm very prone to binging, and believe it or not when I'm on this diet I'm less likely to binge than usual. At first, on fast days it's like "tomorrow I will eat this and that..etc", but when tomorrow comes you find yourself eating normally without even putting any thought into it, and tend to forget you even craved "this and that". You're just more relaxed around food because you are not restricting it, so binging becomes less likely. As time goes you crave less and less on your fast days as well and hunger becomes barely noticeable.

    The difference between this diet and calorie fluctuation cycles as a result of a questionable relationship with food is that you are following a particular system and you don't feel like you are doing something wrong. You are not punishing yourself for overeating by undereating, and that feeling of guilt which fuels the cycle does not exist.

    Personally I use my maintenance days as training wheels for real maintenance by introducing small habits that would help me not regain, habits that may not have stuck if I stressed myself to make them happen on a smaller calorie allowance.
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
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    Isn't that called....zigzagging? I tried doing that to get the scale moving again, but it really didn't work for me.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    It's a strategy that works very well for some, but not for others. Just like every other diet & weight loss strategy it's not a one size fits all. Really not that difficult to understand
  • sunandmoons
    sunandmoons Posts: 415 Member
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    Bing, fast, repeat = Epic fail. Why do some people make it harder then it has to be???
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    sunandmoons wrote: »
    Bing, fast, repeat = Epic fail. Why do some people make it harder then it has to be???

    You may have not read my post above. The answer is simple: because it's easier for some even though you perceive it as hard. The easiest diet to follow consistently for any particular person is the best diet for them. I tried low carb a few times and it was one of the hardest ways of eating I have ever experimented with. My experience with it doesn't make it invalid for those who thrive on it.
  • lynalinda
    lynalinda Posts: 37 Member
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    I do my own version of ADF.
    Basically everyother day i eat till my tdee ( which is 1600 calories) and i alternate with days when i eat half my tdee (800 calories). I find it easier and more managable like this. It feels less restrictive than 500 calories and i can get plenty of food.
    The weight loss might be a bit slower than with varady's plan, but at least its something i can sustain comfortably !

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