Starting The UpDayDownDay Diet... Anyone Try this?

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  • InForBacon
    InForBacon Posts: 1,508 Member
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    tl;dr, just eat bacon.
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
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    Here's my thing...If you can manage to eat just FOUR HUNDRED CALORIES a few times a wk, why not just eat the avg of all of the calories on that plan, instead? You're practically starving yourself for those few days. I'm sorry, but I just don't see the benefit of putting your body and MIND through that a couple of times a wk. It's just not worth it, IMO. Myyy opinion.
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
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    I think it sounds interesting. No way I could eat only 500 cals in a day. How is it scientifically different between just eating 1300 a day which is somewhere in the middle? Is it more about self control or about how the body loses weight faster this way?

    There are a variety of past, current and ongoing studies that seem to indicate that periodic fasting is good for you (has some metabolic and health advantages).

    But, meh, who cares at this point? I don't think the pile of evidence is quite large enough to call it "proof" yet.

    So, IMO, eating 1300/day should be metabolically the same (or substantially similar).

    IMO, the main advantages of this are;

    1. I only have to restrict calories every other day. I have sufficient willpower for a series of 1-day diets.
    2. I get to eat the foods that I like - often. So, no cravings - just eat it tomorrow at worst.
    3. I get to have full-sized portions of the foods I love. i.e., half a pizza as a meal instead of 1 or 2 slices.
    4. Food planning and prep is super easy. I eat what everyone else does on up days. On down days, I have a couple pieces of fruit and maybe a protein shake or bar.

    So, for me - it's all about being easy.

    Most people seem to describe their weight loss "journey" as "difficult".

    I would describe mine mostly as "tedious". Not in terms of the food or exercise (love my runs), but because, once I got on the program - It's mostly just a matter of waiting it out as I predictably lose my 0.3 lbs or so a day.

    Wow! This sounds like something I need to do... I started with 150 to lose and have dropped 16 so far. I have joint issues and really need to lose this quickly as it is affecting my job and daily living.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    tl;dr, just eat bacon.

    I don't disagree. :drinker:

    Big BLT's with avocado factored highly into my first several months.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Good Luck! Glad You have a plan to stick to and hope it works well for you!

    :flowerforyou:
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    I've been doing 5:2 for almost two months now. I actually eat 600 calories on my fast days. (They recommend 500 for women but I'm tall and feel better with 600.)

    I find it easier than being restrictive everyday because I do not want to count calories everyday to fit under 1,400 calories and I want to be able to have days where I am not going crazy thinking about whether or not I can have a second slice of pizza (where I am, each slice averages around 500-600 calories) or that extra cup of coffee (light and sweet). I don't want to deny myself a delicious black and white milkshake an entire week---I'll just say, "I'll have that tomorrow." Makes sense to me. Mentally, it keeps me in check on my non-fast days as well. And it's not terribly difficult to orchestrate---I try to have staples around the house that are great for fast days and you can change the days around however you please to accommodate you.

    I don't think it's for everyone but it appeals to many people for a reason. Maintenance for many people down the road is 6:1.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    Here's my thing...If you can manage to eat just FOUR HUNDRED CALORIES a few times a wk, why not just eat the avg of all of the calories on that plan, instead? You're practically starving yourself for those few days. I'm sorry, but I just don't see the benefit of putting your body and MIND through that a couple of times a wk. It's just not worth it, IMO. Myyy opinion.

    Don't worry, it's not mandatory. :happy:

    And you're really not "practically starving yourself".

    All that food you ate yesterday is still being digested. So you are still being actively nourished.

    And the total 2 day deficit is more or less exactly the same as if you had just eaten the 1300 (or whatever) calories per day.

    It's just a different pattern.
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    I recommend learning how to control portions and not do diets...diets are not sustainable...fixing your eating lifestyle is.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    I recommend learning how to control portions and not do diets...diets are not sustainable...fixing your eating lifestyle is.

    Definitely.

    For my lifestyle, I choose not eating (or eating way less) a couple days a week.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    you still end up with the same weight loss goal per week. 3500 calories in a pound, so you can divide that number over 7 days any way you like it. Personally, if I only ate 400 calories in a day I would murder everyone around me. Also, weight watchers is calorie controlled. They have just figured out a system to translate food items into points. There is a reason you only get a certain number of points and people get different amount of points. What it doesn't do is teach you about calories in v calories out (because they never really explain about the weekly and exercise points) or why you should make the food choices you do. They don't tell you that fruit is (or was) 0 points because of the high fiber, low fat ratio. If you really think you need some restrictions. I would first look into making sure you are eating all your macros correctly.
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 814 Member
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    I looked this over and put in my figures (height, weight, age and it said that I should have 1713 calories on up days and 344 calories on down days. I would starve with only 344 calories. I would basically pass out with only 344 calories and working out on a day like that is a definate no. They suggest using slimfast or atkins shakes and bars on down days to avoid going over on calories, but those are full of carbs and sugars. I think I will stick with my normal logging. Definately not for me. Doesn't seem like it would be good long term.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    I would starve with only 344 calories. I would basically pass out with only 344 calories and working out on a day like that is a definate no.

    You get used to it. I kind of like fasted cardio.
    They suggest using slimfast or atkins shakes and bars on down days to avoid going over on calories, but those are full of carbs and sugars.

    That recommendation is for the first 2 weeks - and is just for portion control (since most people have no concept of portion control).

    Slimfast has a "high protein" version that is low carb. (20 grams protein, 4 grams carb (2 sugar)).

    But yeah - you've been super-successful on your plan (Well done!) - definitely stick with what works!
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    Personally, if I only ate 400 calories in a day I would murder everyone around me.

    Please don't try this plan!

    :bigsmile:
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    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.

    However, if you do pursue this diet, then use common sense and don't also try and do cardio on your super low calorie days. Its also not smart for weight lifting where you will be seriously shorting yourself on protein and other nutrients in the rest and repair days afterwards.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    However, if you do pursue this diet, then use common sense and don't also try and do cardio on your super low calorie days. Its also not smart for weight lifting where you will be seriously shorting yourself on protein and other nutrients in the rest and repair days afterwards.

    I believe that both of those statements ("fasted cardio is bad" and "protein must be properly timed") are unproven and long standing debates that are FAR from being resolved.
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    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.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    Just popping in to support JUDDDing's great postings.

    I've been JUDDDing for 20 months, on and off to fit in with my up/down busy and stressful lifestyle. It works for me, I could never stick to daily restrictions, I thought about food too much. With this I have relearned portion control and restraint. And having not bothered for about 2 months I gained 1.5lbs - that's it. Whatever I am doing now is maintenance and that average of 0.4lbs per week over 80 weeks has been easy and is obviously sustainable, or at least more so than WW on the whole.

    It really is just a different eating pattern - should the health benefits ever be supported by good research in humans I'll be even happier :-D
  • slim4health56
    slim4health56 Posts: 439 Member
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    Your health, your choice. But if I've read your posts correctly you say you don't want to mess with counting points with WW but you will count calories for this new diet and your new doctor says you'll lose weight faster on this up/down diet? So, in other words, you're looking for a quick fix? I hope this isn't the case. However, there does seem to be a sizable number of folks here who are on the 5:2, which sounds similar to what you're suggesting...you might want to seek them out. Fasting is not my thing, but I wish you success and good health.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    However, if you do pursue this diet, then use common sense and don't also try and do cardio on your super low calorie days. Its also not smart for weight lifting where you will be seriously shorting yourself on protein and other nutrients in the rest and repair days afterwards.

    I believe that both of those statements ("fasted cardio is bad" and "protein must be properly timed") are unproven and long standing debates that are FAR from being resolved.

    Unless there are specific health issues. But, I think she said her doctor actually suggested it, so she is doing this pattern of obtaining fuel with her doctor's approval.
    To OP: More power to ya! :glasses:
  • Sarra33
    Sarra33 Posts: 30
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    Definitely not for me, I get weepy and irrational any days when my net calories falls below 1200-1300 or I have to go more than 2-3 hours between meals/snacks.
    As an example I had my whole life planned around a run on Wednesday. I ate a small meal at 6:30, was supposed to run from 8:15-9:00 and then have a protein shake, hit the hot tub and go to bed. My husband was late from work so when he walked in the door at 9:00 I was sitting on the couch sobbing because "I just wanted to run and now I'm so hungry waaaaaaaaaa".

    On the other hand, my husband fasts 2 consecutive days a week and it works well for him. His total calorie intake on those days is under 400 and he's just fine. He has supplement that he takes to keep his blood sugar more or less stable. He's been doing this for a couple of years now.
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