Thoughts on the on/off method?

journeyjessi

Something my Dad always did when he was trying to lose weight was do the diet for five days and go off for two days. He said it helped him from burning out and he thought he lost more weight because his body was constantly readjusting. I've heard this method in variations several places.

Thoughts? Is this healthy? Does it work?

BrianSharpe

I suspect how well it worked would depend on how you ate on your off days. If you go nuts and eat back all of the deficit from the previous 5 days I don't think it would be very beneficial; on the other hand if you ate at or close to maintenance it could, psychologically, make the whole "dieting" thing easier to deal with.

The real trick is finding a system that can be sustained over a long period of time (and all the fad diet books & specific metabolic orders notwithstanding the proven system is creating a modest caloric deficit and losing weight gradually, adding exercise and improving fitness is the icing on the cake), weight loss is a marathon not a sprint.

jlkennedy88

I agree with your dad's method - especially if it helped him stick it out for the long haul. Granted, you won't lose as fast - and as long as you don't go overboard on your off days, it would work. It reminds me of the idea behind calorie cycling (google it). I did Calorie Cycling prior to my wedding and really lost a lot fairly quickly. It took a lot of dedication, so I like your dad's laid back approach better

brattyworm

I trained with a trainer/nutriionist for a little bit. He said something similar. Not necessarily 5 days/3 days, but its good to change your food and caloric intake regularly to keep your body guessing so that its constantly burning. For instance, if you have a bad day and eat everything in sight (we all do it) then the next day, eat better so you have fewer calories and bad stuff. That doesnt mean starve yourself, but if you have a lower intake your body will see that you didnt really need all those extra calories and instead of storing them it disposes of them.

fionarama

sounds like some kind of weird contraception!

personally I think a lot of people do that, they diet during the week and relax during the weekends. They get into a vicious cycle of losing during the week and then gaining in the weekend, and end up thinking they are "plateauing".

Consistency is terribly important.

I decided lately to skip a few meals in the weekend thereby being able to have a cheat meal. This is known if you want to give it a flash term as Intermittent Fasting.

happythermia

Works for me. I've been doing week on, weekends off (with in reason) and I've been losing steadily