Opposite of Intermittent Fasting???

jessiekins123
jessiekins123 Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
I've seen people on the boards talking about intermittent fasting (having 2 very low calorie days each week). Does anyone try the opposite? I have heard that it can be helpful to have 1-2 days per week where your calorie intake is higher so that your body doesn't get used to the same thing day after day.

So what do you think - is it better to stick to 1200-1500 every day, or have a couple higher calorie days mixed in?

I'm a newbie here, so feel free to add me as a friend!

Replies

  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    I'd say the opposite of IF is more that whole "eat six small meals a day" thing, but I digress.

    Some people do advocate a spike day and are happy with their results. Other people find that doing that gets them off track and does more harm than good, so they don't do it. Overall, I'd say that the spike day shouldn't be done in a way that puts you significantly over your intended weekly caloric goals, otherwise you're going to torpedo your efforts. Aside from that, it probably doesn't really matter; do what works for you.

    Edit: in regards to the first thing, didn't notice your definition of IF on the post. I've only heard of this two-low-day-per-week version of intermittent fasting very recently (like the last week or two). Usually it has to do with eating for a period of hours during the day and fasting for the rest. I don't think it makes a difference for what I said anyway, but wanted to clarify.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Find a way of life that work for you. If having spike day is what give you results, then it is a good thing.
  • Agator82
    Agator82 Posts: 249 Member
    The IF or ADF is pretty new on this board and is based on a BBC documentary called Horizons: Eat, Fast, and Live Longer. The difference between what you suggested is that with ADF you have two days a week at 25% of your daily calories and the rest of the week you could theoretically eat you normal calorie intake. With the spike days you eat 75% of your daily calories for 5 days a week and then have two 'normal' days. It comes down t what works for you because I know some people love spike days. I on the other hand am trying the 5:2 ADF.

    You should look up the BBC documentary when you have a chance. It is off iPlayer now, but I understand it is floating around Youtube.
  • polo571
    polo571 Posts: 708 Member
    Check out Tom Venutos arguement for and against cheat days. It depends on the person you are
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    i can see that. If you binge or have those tendencies a cheat day could spiral out of control. For me.. a cheat day would keep me on track.
  • Merlygirly
    Merlygirly Posts: 8
    Personally I see better results with ADF - If I try CR 5 days a week and then have two days where I eat what I like I simply don't lose weight - furthermore I believe that ADF only works because I stick to my daily recommended calorie intake on my non-fast days.
    Also it is important to note if you are following an ADF program you can't eat crap on your non fast days - Your body has to be able to use whatever you give it efficiently so it should be as wholesome and nutritous as possible.
  • Merlygirly
    Merlygirly Posts: 8
    ps - loving that cute little face on your profile pic :happy:
  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
    I follow my own style of IF where I only eat 1/3 of my 1200 cal every third day. So I eat like this.. day1-1200, day2-1200, day 3-400 at breakfast and then I water fast until breakfast the next day and i start my day1 routine all over again but I eat light for breakfast/lunch and eat most of my cal in the evening on the first day back and then I eat most of my cal at dinner on my second day. It works very well for me. I get a loss of about 2-3lbs a week. I have been following this method for about 6 months and I lost 30lbs before I joined MFP. I exercise hard on my 1200 cal days and very light on my low cal day. I will sometimes dip to 1000 cal, sometimes I increase to 1800 cal, I found the variations in it confuse the body in the right way and makes the metabolism stay active. I don't feel the need to binge and I still have a few of my "crave" foods and it all balances out in the end. I don't think I could feasably follow 5:2 ADF because I can't eat low cal for more than one "fasting" day in a row. I feel like I'm starving and I end up binging. However every third day gives me the cal deficit I need and then I get a "weekend" persay of two days of normal eating.
  • Agator82
    Agator82 Posts: 249 Member
    Danaleeder,
    It sounds like you have a good system and if it works, stick with it FYI, 5:2 does not need to be done back to back, some do, but I personally do Tuesday and Thursday which works with my schedule.

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