Starting The UpDayDownDay Diet... Anyone Try this?

flumi_f

It sounds similar to the 5:2 diet. There are a couple groups on here that are about it.
I've never heard of the updaydownday before.

Sounds like alternate day fasting, which of course can be done and has been shown to improve other health issues aside from the weightloss.

Personally I wouldn't want to fast every other day. Which is why I chose 5:2. It is working brilliantly for me. 16kg in 4.5 months, lots of energy and fitter than ever. If you want more infos on 5:2 go to the two groups on MFP. There is alot of information there and alot of nice people.

Whatever you do - don't look at it as a diet, that will end someday. It may change, but it has to fit into your life pretty much forever.

Good luck!

Keiras_Mom

JUDDDing's posts have covered all the bases. I just want to add that it IS sustainable and quite a nice way to live one's life. I've done it for nearly two years now, with a few breaks to try other plans "just to see" and I always come back to JUDDD. I've lost nearly 130 pounds, and I'm enjoying maintenance easily and with no food restrictions. I've actually increased my UDs to 2000 calories and my DDs are now around 750 average, but I go anywhere from 500-1000 calories on a DD. In weight loss mode, I was eating 1750/350 or so.

I also thought, "There's no way I could eat that little." I had blood sugar swings, would get shaky and irritable if I didn't eat. DH was very worried for his safety when I started doing JUDDD. :blushing: The first DD wasn't super easy, but I managed, and my relationship with food has gotten SO much better. I never have crazy mood swings or blood sugar issues anymore. I suspect it was more in my head than actual physical issues.

stefjc

It sounds similar to the 5:2 diet. There are a couple groups on here that are about it.
I've never heard of the updaydownday before.

It is quite a bit older than the 5:2, I think it was one of the versions Mosely looked at. The Dr who wrote it included quite a lot of really interesting research, a lot of noodling on how he and other dieters had responded to 'normal' diets, and recommended some simple guidelines - one rule "eat your calories" - appealed to me. I spent about 3 months in the medical library of Bristol University reading round on the research, mainly in endocrinology journals, they are usually quite sceptical and detailed in their research.

OK, he then did the sales thing - well he does give away the diet and is/was a plastic surgeon, so he had to sell some sort of supplement

It is all really interesting - once you ignore any sales hype!

mike_ny

I don't put a lot of faith in gimmicks for dietary changes or fitness in general. Catchy diets are easy enough to remember and can go viral because of that, but they aren't sustainable in the long run. The basic idea from this seems to be to keep your body guessing on how many calories it'll get and also cutting your total weekly calories by a good amount. I'm a big believer of keeping both diet and exercise inconsistent enough to prevent your body adapting to regular routines and getting stuck in a plateau, but there are lots of ways to mix things up other than just drastic changes in daily calorie totals. I throw a high or low calorie day into the mix every now and then, which works well for me, but much more randomly than every other day.

Fasting has been around for a long time for a number of reasons. This is not a gimmick for everyone. This is a lifestyle change for me. What is not sustainable about eventually fasting one day a week? It's not like you're not eating at all or fasting daily, which IMO would not be sustainable.

Fasting is fine. Everyone should do a fast day now and then, but this is not about fasting. It's eating extremely low calories every other day. That 's the gimmicky part. Depending on what those calories are from and how they are spaced could cause some insulin swings or dizziness in some people. Avoiding exhausting workouts until you know how your body will handle the 400 or so calorie days is what I was suggesting.

as9026

Thank you everyone for posting your feelings about this. I looked at the 5:2 diet, but I dont think i could 2 down days in a row. The every other day seems to be going okay. I am on my 4th day.. 2 of each and yesterday w:bigsmile: as pretty tough. However, I kept reminding myself, "Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. " I feel like I have been constantly reading reviews on this diet for days. Most people that have been doing this diet for 2 years plus say that it gets easier on fasting days after the first week. I'm okay, I am getting the slight headaches at night, but nothing horrible. Jello and hot Tea have become my favorite snacks for nights. And actually on this fourth day (Up) I am feeling pretty good.

JUDDDing

Very glad to hear that it's going well for you!

I looked at the 5:2 diet, but I dont think i could 2 down days in a row.

Most people who do 5:2 don't do the 2 fasting days consecutively.

as9026

Most people who do 5:2 don't do the 2 fasting days consecutively.

Ohhh Haha.. That makes alot of sense. I was wondering how anyone could do that on 2 consecutive days. Well, yesterday was my third down day, and I honestly feel great in general. I feel like my clothes are fitting a little better. My stomach aches have completely diminshed and I am overall happy with this diet so far. I will update soon!

Also, on my up days, I noticed that I have not really wanted anything bad, and my portions have definitely gotton smaller.