What do you feel about 6 days of healthy and 1 day off?

UnicornRides

I know there's the diet floating around (not exactly sure what it's called but it's been mentioned on Dr. Oz and in a few magazines..) where you eat healthy for 6 days.. then you have a day off to do as you please. SUPPOSEDLY (and, again, it was on Dr. Oz so possibly doctor certified?) it throws off your metabolism in a good way and gets it to "restart" or something helpful.

Has anyone tried this or knows anyone who has?

Example:
A week would be: Mon through Sat = healthy. Sunday = day off.
Monday through Saturday would be 1.4k calories with exercise.. and Sunday could be order something unhealthy at TGI Fridays day. (..which I did today, actually.)

See my drift?

The reason why I'm asking is because I've been doing this exact pattern.. and, yeah, I've been losing weight.. but I wonder: if I stopped doing it could I lose even more weight? But, then, where would my "big cheats" fit in?? (I don't have little cheats! I don't like candy bars or anything with smaller calories- I like things like burgers, and pizza, etc. Haha.)

Thanks for any responses and opinions. Also, if you know the name of this diet (if it has one), I'd love to know!

maggs155

I have always done this i heard it helps u not to hit a weight loss Plateau. So far it has worked and after my free day i always loose a pound its weird. I say keep doing it i was also told by a nutritionist to do this also:)

Troublemonster

I too do this most weeks. I allow myself to eat at or above maintenance on one of the weekend days. I find that it helps keeps me satisfied and prevents slips during the week.

metacognition

I don't like that idea, only because on a deficit I can actually put away over 2,000 calories in one sitting WITHOUT feeling sick or experiencing any other negative side effects the following day aside from a general heavy feeling.

I could easily undo a week of deficits in one day, unless I count.


If I eat poorly, I just attempt to work it into my calories.

Ahanaz

Definitely stick with it. I've lost most of my pounds that way. I've been bad at diet now last week since it's finals so I tend to cheat more or less every day right now, but now they're over so once my red week has passed too I'm fit for fight to lose more the way you explained, like I did earlier.

Like they say above, it helps you really stick with your program the rest of the week by having that big cheat day.

tstancom

I eat less healthy on the weekend, but I exercise more so I stay within my calories as well. I find if I eat some crazy "cheat" meal of 2000 calories, I just end up feeling sick later. Also, I find that reducing the sodium, fat and sugar during the week over a long period of time has made me crave these things less. So I don't go too overboard, but I sure do love my burgers and fries now and again, and I don't stress if I eat something "unhealthy" once a week!

Troublemonster

I'm going to retract my reply on this after re-reading the original post. I don't encourage a day off of tracking for an all out un-tracked-free-for-all day.

I do agree with the idea of 80/20 eating though meaning that 80% of the time you do it right then for the other 20% you eat what you want but do so without blasting through a days worth of calories in one sitting.

I am convinced that either Doc Oz doesn't want people to actually succeed or he is simply trying not to alienate his American audience by reminding many of them of how unhealthy and over-weight they really are. Kinda like that article someone posted in the fitness section that basically said exercise is unnecessary.

As a society; I think we are just getting really good at rationalizing.

FoodandFitness

I don't think its good to be on a diet you feel like you have to "take a vacation" from. I would rather balance my calories day to day and have something good when I want it in the right amounts. A diet that is strict and allows for a cheat day would be more likely to promote a binge, and a binge is never healthy.

chicasc12

I think this is the best idea for weight loss, mostly for psych reasons! But I have also found that when I am being truly really healthy with a low-fat, mostly-natural diet, then after a few weeks my free day is "better-behaved" because eating a whole sleeve of cookies or a chimichanga just makes me nauseated. So after a while my free day is more like my diet was before I became more strict. I learned this from Body-for-Life but I'm sure it is prevalent in a lot of fitness plans.

bluebear_74

I like to have a day where I have a day where I don't worry too much about being over. Keeps me sane because I get to eat something naughty and stops me craving during the week and binging.

catcunningham7

I'd like to chime in on this one. I think it depends on personal preference and personalitiy. I like my "Fat Fridays" to give into anything my tummy desires. For me, it keeps me on track, it is fun looking forward to and planning what naughty foods I will seek out to eat. It has work for me to prevent cravings and I feel satisfied all week. In additon to that I enjoy being disciplined the rest of the week. However, I do agree with Tony that if your diet is so strict that you need a vacation from it, something needs to change, otherwise long term it is not going to work out. Some people do better if they allow themselves wiggle room to have a treat everyday, while others do better having a day off every week or so. The idea of eithor is to prevent "burn out" and feeling deprived but instead satisfied. The question you have to ask yourself is "can I eat this way forever?" If the answer is no, then it is not the right choice for you.

suv_hater

1 day of junk can set you back another 2-3 days.

1 day a month would be better.

tomg33

This is called binge eating and is a good way to develop an eating disorder.

What you have to understand is that if you eat mostly unprocessed whole foods, track your macros and sit in a caloric deficit, and train intensely at least 3x/week, you can literally have chocolate or icecream or wine every day of the week. You can eat whatever you want, just not as much as you want.

It's natural to have flucations and eat more on the weekends, as you go out with family and friends to restaurants and bars but to plan a single day to not track what you eat defeats the whole purpose of health which is balance and moderation.

Shadowknight137

This is called binge eating and is a good way to develop an eating disorder.

What you have to understand is that if you eat mostly unprocessed whole foods, track your macros and sit in a caloric deficit, and train intensely at least 3x/week, you can literally have chocolate or icecream or wine every day of the week. You can eat whatever you want, just not as much as you want.

It's natural to have flucations and eat more on the weekends, as you go out with family and friends to restaurants and bars but to plan a single day to not track what you eat defeats the whole purpose of health which is balance and moderation.

^All of this.

Why eat six days healthy one day unhealthy, when you can eat healthy seven days a week? - Healthy being mostly whole foods and a little bit of a treat daily.

initforlife_cc

I don't think its good to be on a diet you feel like you have to "take a vacation" from. I would rather balance my calories day to day and have something good when I want it in the right amounts. A diet that is strict and allows for a cheat day would be more likely to promote a binge, and a binge is never healthy.

This! ^^

Francl27

It seemed a good idea at the time until I realized that if I just ate 3500 extra calories on that day, I'd just work against everything I did during the rest of the week.

So no.

Plus if you watch what you're eating, you can easily fit treats daily. I've had ice cream, chocolate etc. Just in moderation.

1223345

It is nice to take a break from worrying about what we eat. However, I have had times where this did back fire on me. I would get to my free day and the day after that would go out the window, and then the next day etc... You have to be sure you have a good grip.

Phrick

This is called binge eating and is a good way to develop an eating disorder.

What you have to understand is that if you eat mostly unprocessed whole foods, track your macros and sit in a caloric deficit, and train intensely at least 3x/week, you can literally have chocolate or icecream or wine every day of the week. You can eat whatever you want, just not as much as you want.

It's natural to have flucations and eat more on the weekends, as you go out with family and friends to restaurants and bars but to plan a single day to not track what you eat defeats the whole purpose of health which is balance and moderation.

QFT!! Listen to this guy.

4theking

I think everyone is overreacting on this one. I have done this for years and coach others using this kind of method. You are not setting yourself back 2-3 days. It's about caloric intake over the course of a week. You simply eat lower carb and less calories on the six days, which in and of itself, creates a great environment for fat burning. It makes dieting so much more bearable not to mention the physiological and physchological benefits from doing it. Your carb or spike day, has many benefits to losing weight that are not yet understood, but I know from experience, it works. I have worked with people that had been stuck for months and months on a diet, but once a spike day was introduced, they quickly lost 40 or 50lbs. Just because it's not your preference, does not mean it's not an effective and valuable diet that fits a great many people. I recommend around bmr for six days and around 2 x bmr for your spike day.

KrazyAsianNic

i never heard of this, but give it a try and see if it works for you. it sounds like that new jenny craig one where you have 2 "my days"

SmartAlec03211988

I do that. Six days eating well and at goal, then one day off and eat whatever.

FitMrsR

I basically do that. I don't have an entire day of stuffing my face and eating every calorie in the world but I'll have a higher calorie less healthy dinner and dessert. It works for me and I don't eat anything 'bad' the rest of the time because I just don't want it

Primrose_au

I do this as part of the Body For LIfe program. I find it works well for me as I can indulge any cravings on the Sunday if I feel I need to. But after successfully losing weight for the last 8 weeks, I find I don't really want to indulge too much and spoil the effort I have put in. Plus, too much food after reduced portions makes me feel horrible.

Try it and see if it works for you.

Skrib69

I did this 8 years ago and lost 35lbs without counting calories or anything fancy. It was great for dealing with cravings sensibly, taught me how to fit such things into my diet, and kept me motivated. Yes, I am dieting again, but I only put back 25lbs over those 8 years because I changed jobs into a more sedentary role and didn't change my habits accordingly.

tomg33

I think everyone is overreacting on this one. I have done this for years and coach others using this kind of method. You are not setting yourself back 2-3 days. It's about caloric intake over the course of a week. You simply eat lower carb and less calories on the six days, which in and of itself, creates a great environment for fat burning. It makes dieting so much more bearable not to mention the physiological and physchological benefits from doing it. Your carb or spike day, has many benefits to losing weight that are not yet understood, but I know from experience, it works. I have worked with people that had been stuck for months and months on a diet, but once a spike day was introduced, they quickly lost 40 or 50lbs. Just because it's not your preference, does not mean it's not an effective and valuable diet that fits a great many people. I recommend around bmr for six days and around 2 x bmr for your spike day.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't plan to consume considerably more on one or two nights of the week (mostly in the form of fermented hops unfortunately) however it's important to keep in mind that many people who have weight problems already have some psychological stuff going on that they use food to deal with. To suggest to such a person--who may not have much of any knowledge of proper training and nutrition--that they binge instead of learning more moderate eating habits is just not my bag, man. Again I'm not saying it doesn't work or is necessarily bad for your body, but for some it can be bad for their mind.

EDIT: Also you're talking about strategic refeeds which is a very good strategy, but these people are being coached by you Of course they can't fail.

skincy

I try to stay within my calories every day and just alow treats throughout the week. Usually my Saturday is within my deficit, just might not be as big as other days because I may have some drinks or go out to a restaurant.