Does this really work?

SMK715
SMK715 Posts: 108
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Hey! So I was doing some googling in hopes that I could find new tricks for workouts or my diet and I stumbled across a website with this guy talking about dieting. He said that in order to keep your metabolism in check, you need to "shock" your system once a week. His way of doing this was by taking all of his cravings from the week (chocolate, candy, fast food, etc) and just going at it on saturday or sunday. He said he would eat so much of it that he wouldn't even want to think about it during the week so he stuck to his diet even more strictly. Im not asking if I should eat 5000 calories worth or mcdonalds every weekend, but should I be taking a break, to some degree, on my weekends.? I usually do just because its hard to maintain a strict diet. I drive myself crazy all week and pass on food that I love because it just doesn't fit in with my diet. I take in about 1600-1900 calories daily, but anywhere from 1900-2500 calories on the weekends. Sometimes, if there is a party or some big event, I slip up to nearly 3000, but that has only happened 2 times in 3 months.

Hopefully I get some good responses! Thanks for the help :)

Replies

  • SMK715
    SMK715 Posts: 108
    Also, I don't eat garbage on the weekends. I still abide by my guidelines for the most part, I just have some slips. Maybe have that bowl of ice cream I've wanted since last week or have a slice of pizza.
  • SLaw4215
    SLaw4215 Posts: 596 Member
    IDK. It sounds like the yo-yo diet I've been doing for as long as I remember but like someone just gave it a name. My daughter used to see a nutritionist and she never once mentioned anything about "shocking" your diet.
  • harvest05
    harvest05 Posts: 10 Member
    I don't know about taking everything you wanted during the week and eating it in one day but..... I do "shock" my system every now and again and it helps me mentally not crave the "bad" stuff. I find that when I am eating healthy everyday and have a craving for something that isn't normally on my "diet" I just eat it and be done with it. I don't beat myself up or mull over it.
    Not sure if that helps but it's what I do and its works for me. Good luck!!
  • tsmom1128
    tsmom1128 Posts: 151 Member
    Slips=human!!! Don't worry about them. I myself have had them yesterday and today. I really don't think stuffing your face on a saturday with everythign you were craving all week will accomplish anything except getting you sick. If you really want that bowl of ice cream, just do more exercising that day to balance it. After all, you don't want to deprive yourself of things that you want cuz thats what makes us over indulge when we finally break down and eat it. (then we feel horrible that we went over our calories for the day, and then just eat more.. and so the cycle continues)

    It's all about balance and moderation my friend! Good Luck! :wink:
  • nurse_carolyn
    nurse_carolyn Posts: 348
    I'm thinking "no." Last weekend I went to a wedding and the festivities lasted 3 days... so we ate for 3 days. I gained about 4 pounds, so I think if you did this it would just set you back any progress you made during the week.
  • SMK715
    SMK715 Posts: 108
    Yeah I thought that guy was a little insane. I don't even really like candy or chocolate. But just so were clear, pizza on the weekend instead of grilled chicken and salad is cool, right?! ;) lol have a good weekend everyone
  • SMK715
    SMK715 Posts: 108
    ** not to sound rude, I appreciate the responses - they definitely help - BUT **

    im on my phone so I might have seen the pictures wrong, but it looks like all female replies - keep in mind im a 6 ft, 20 year old male. 2000 calories a day is advised just to function lol
  • Kbridges82
    Kbridges82 Posts: 5
    If your body isn't in starvation mode, then I see no need to "shock" your system, and even that that case, you should be consuming foods rich in macro-nutrients, not junk. If you need to cheat, then cheat - just don't fool yourself into believing it's good for you.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Every once in a while on the message boards you'll see someone mention a cheat day. Everyone approaches it differently and I think the guy you mentioned may be a bit more extreme than I'd dare but I do allow myself one day a week of overindulging a bit.
    I'm also about non-deprivation and the one thing I LOVE is pizza so hubby and I order it once a week and that's my cheat day/meal. I still try to get exercise in that day and eat reasonably the rest of the day but I'll still go over because I indulge.
    And it hasn't hurt my weight loss so far. I might have been able to lose more faster but I wouldn't have been as happy and I might've failed (once again) because I would have been deprived.

    My point? Go ahead and give it a try if you're curious. Be as on target as you can be 6 days and have one day where you go over 500 or so calories and see what happens.
  • PalmettoparkGuy
    PalmettoparkGuy Posts: 212 Member
    My opinion is that that isn't a good idea. The fact of the matter is that if you want to be successful, you have to completely change your lifestyle. If you want to eat something that's high in calories, you have to plan for it by cutting elsewhere and exercising. Eat unhealthy foods in moderation. Any doctor will tell you that gorging and shocking your system is very unhealthy.
  • ccorkery
    ccorkery Posts: 13
    I have also heard of this "shocking" your system, but in a slightly different way. I've heard you should vary your calorie intake, some days drop it quite low, others increase it.

    That being said - I don't believe it. I don't think ANYONE should ever drop their calorie intake to such low numbers (I read to drop down as low as 700 some days). On the flip side, I don't see how binging on an entire weeks worth of cravings will help either. That may have been that persons tactic to stop himself from going overboard, and it's great that it worked for him - but I'm not sure it's the best advice for anyone in particular.

    I personally will eat what I want in moderation, and as long as it fits into my calorie intake for the day. I'm not always perfect with my calories - as I also enjoy pizza or a bowl of Ice cream now and then. And if that sets me over my 1200 limit for the day, well so be it. I don't do it every day, but I also have no intension of depriving myself of the foods I love. This is a life style - not a diet. I don't think you should cut out the items you enjoy, as long as you eat them in moderation.

    So all in all, I don't think binging on Saturday and Sunday on only candy and junk would be beneficial to one's weighloss goals, and I'm no expert, but I certainly don't think it would have any health "benefits". BUT, I see nothing wrong with having either a Cheat day - or comfort food or whatever you need to keep your cravings in check and keep your head in the right place.
  • alexbowser
    alexbowser Posts: 322
    I've noticed that I lose weight after the occasional cheat day, but that's only once or twice a month. It sounds similar to calorie zigzagging, but I wouldn't trust this guy. Everyone feels differently about cheat days, I try to save them for special occasions, some people never do them and other people have 1 every week. Find what works for you.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    ** not to sound rude, I appreciate the responses - they definitely help - BUT **

    im on my phone so I might have seen the pictures wrong, but it looks like all female replies - keep in mind im a 6 ft, 20 year old male. 2000 calories a day is advised just to function lol

    No one said you we're eating too much during the week, even eating 2500 cals on the weekend probably isn't too much for you so don't play the gender card.

    If you ate ALL of your cravings on one day you will in fact reach 3000-4000+ cals easily so have a little of each 1-day a week. Enjoy a cheat meal if you want but NOT a cheat day. I joined MFP to lose the 8lbs I gained on my 10-day honeymoon. I ate about 5000 cals a day, I was 5’8, 130 lbs so I laugh when people say “oh I can’t possibly eat that much”. When a Caesar salad is 1000+ cal’s and French toast is 400 a slice it’s easy AND I worked out in the gym everyday on board (cruise).

    Also, you shouldn't start these cheat events for a few weeks into your new lifestyle b/c you need to resolve any emotional eating or lack of willpower issues you have beforehand and also get your body used to much less fat intake that way when you cheat, you'll either not feel good the next day or feel horrible and that will help reinforce your decisions in the future.
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