Is it a good idea to eat less for two days a week?

Frelling_Tralk

I keep hearing about this new diet where you eat regularly five days a week, and eat very little/under 1000 calories the other two days. I'm not getting great results at the moment from trying to lose weight through eating 1,500 calories 7 days a week, and for the past few weeks I've been frustrated at the scales not budging much

So basically I'm wondering if it would help me lose the pound a week I'm aiming for if I did take the two days off. I've heard people say that diet really works, but has anyone here tried it and would you recommend it?

LaurenAOK

It's a form of intermittent fasting. It works when done correctly. The thing is that on the other five days of the week, you're supposed to eat your maintenance amount. Some people like it, some don't.

Let's say for example, your maintenance amount is 2000 calories a day. You eat 2000 calories five days a week, and 500 calories the other two. For those two days, you have a 1500 calorie deficit, meaning 3000 calories a week. This equals out to almost one pound a week (one pound is 3500 calories).

OR you could eat 1500 calories every day, for a 500 calorie deficit a day, equaling 3500 calories a week, still a pound.

Calories in vs. calories out. If you want to try the IF method because you think it will work, there's nothing wrong with that. But it does all come down to calories. I tried a form of IF for a while and I actually really liked it, but I didn't lose any more or less weight than normal.

_Waffle_

1500 calories a day = 1500 Sun - Sat or if you want to borrow 500 calories from Fri and Sat you can eat 1700 Sun - Thur and 1000 Fri and Sat.

It all adds up to the same amount either way. Is it really worth it to have an extra 200 per day for having two days where you feel starved?

SRH7

Click on the 'Community' tab then 'Groups' at the top of the page. Then search for the intermittent fasting and 5:2 groups - lots of support and advice from people who have tried it.

Frelling_Tralk

Thanks

Tinkerbell1010

Im on week 4 of IF and love it. I thought I would feel week and tired on ' down ' days but those are my workout days and I have more energy then ever. I've lost 5 lbs since beginning. I fast from 7pm to 7pm the following day. On the fasting day I drink at least 64 oz of fluids being water or ice tea . It works for me, some it does not.. good luck