500 Calorie "Diet"

LandyBreigh
LandyBreigh Posts: 207 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning!

I recently read an article from the magazine Prevention online about the 500 calorie 'diet.' Instead of restricting food intake daily, it is only every other day. Today is day 1 for me. My intake will be 500. Tomorrow will be a normal day to eat what I would normally eat, then the following day is back to 500.

Has anyone had success using this method? If so, any pointers, menu ideas, etc.

Thank you!
B
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Replies

  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    That sounds...difficult. Why not just eat with a reasonable calorie-deficit every day? That 500 every other day thing would just make me over eat on the regular days, and it wipes out the whole deficit on the 500 days. Sounds awful.

    This ^
  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 350 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    That sounds...difficult. Why not just eat with a reasonable calorie-deficit every day? That 500 every other day thing would just make me over eat on the regular days, and it wipes out the whole deficit on the 500 days. Sounds awful.

    Ditto. Why over-complicate your life?
  • LandyBreigh
    LandyBreigh Posts: 207 Member
    Thank you!
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    That sounds a lot like the alternate day fasting diet plan. I don't personally follow that, but a lot of people on MFP do with great success. If you do a search for Intermittent fasting, or fasting groups, there are a few good ones on here that can help get you started. Good luck!
    ETA: Someone on here..I think it was @Christine_72..recommended a book to another poster askng a similar question awhile back called The Alternate Day Diet by James B. Johnson, that explains this better. I have it in my reading stack right now, just because I wanted to learn more about it. Maybe give that one a shot.


    This definitely ^^^
    I've been an intermittent faster for about 40 years but this method is too tough for me. Some people do well with it though.
    I follow the 16:8 or 14:10 IF, and while I don't find it to be a magic bullet for weight loss, at least not for me, it does give me super energy and the shorter window for eating makes it easier to adhere to a deficit.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    If you have trouble restricing food intake, I don't think restricting it further is a recipe for success. If you can do it, it will work. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
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  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
    I'm doing the same thing! I do 600 though, I just had my first 600 calorie day yesterday. It was pretty hard but not impossible, I had sugar free jello, a big salad with grilled chicken, an apple and two bananas. You could split it up like I did or just eat one big meal. I would suggest not eating early in the morning because at least for me that makes it easier to not be hungry. Diet soda, tea, coffee and water help. I'm not hungrier than usual today :smile:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2016
    LandyBreigh wrote: »
    Good morning!

    I recently read an article from the magazine Prevention online about the 500 calorie 'diet.' Instead of restricting food intake daily, it is only every other day. Today is day 1 for me. My intake will be 500. Tomorrow will be a normal day to eat what I would normally eat, then the following day is back to 500.

    Has anyone had success using this method? If so, any pointers, menu ideas, etc.

    Thank you!
    B

    A more aggressive form of 5:2 intermittent fasting. With 5:2 you only have two 500 calorie days. Be aware that larger deficits (ie: aggressive diets) should be left to those with lots of weight to lose. Large deficits (closer to goal) make it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass.

    Pound per week goals
    75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range (1,000 calorie deficit daily....or 7,000 a week)
    Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
    Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range (500 calorie deficit daily......or 3,500 a week)
    Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range


    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8628-5-2-diet

    I tried 5:2, the 500 calorie days were too difficult. Now I zig-zag my calories differently, allowing myself to eat maintenance on the weekends. Google your TDEE to figure out your maintenance calories. I log these days also. Maintenance is something I have yet to master.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    My husband did it for a little while. I would pack his little portions for him the day before. I tried to keep it to foods he liked that would still provide good nutrition. It was usually a hard boiled egg, cheese stick, broccoli, strawberries, and some lunch meat. Then, I would make a dinner with something like chicken and veggies. He also got some lite lemonade packets that you add to water. Too bad he's not a fan of salad, that would be easier to fill up on. He said when he got too hungry during the day, he'd suck on a peanut, lol!
  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Xo_healthylc wrote: »
    That's called intermediate fasting. A lot of people on here follow it.

    Or intermittent

    Thanks my spell check hates me! ❤️
  • kelleymarie1993
    kelleymarie1993 Posts: 4 Member
    I've been alternate day fasting for a few months. I haven't found a large community base specified for ADMF but I just started blogging about how it's going for me. I've lost 10 pounds so far and I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

    http://everyotherdayfasting.tumblr.com/
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    I know a lot of people find success with this particular method, but that would be pure torture for me. If I only ate 500 calories in a day I would not be a very pleasant person :D My breakfast alone is around 500 calories.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    If you have trouble restricing food intake, I don't think restricting it further is a recipe for success. If you can do it, it will work. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.

    This.
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
    Sounds like a version of intermittent fasting. I tried it. On my fasting days, I found myself thinking about food more than I ever had before. For me, it was not a balanced approach. I know some people have had great success with it.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    LandyBreigh wrote: »
    Good morning!

    I recently read an article from the magazine Prevention online about the 500 calorie 'diet.' Instead of restricting food intake daily, it is only every other day. Today is day 1 for me. My intake will be 500. Tomorrow will be a normal day to eat what I would normally eat, then the following day is back to 500.

    Has anyone had success using this method? If so, any pointers, menu ideas, etc.

    Thank you!
    B

    It sort of depends on what you normally eat... if your maintenance calories are 1500 for example, and you are eating 2700 cals per day normally, and plan to alternate that with 500 cal days, you could still be in a surplus.

    I know there are people who love intermittent fasting, and some who have a lot of success with ADF as you've described. I prefer to just set a reasonable calorie deficit for myself every day, rather than restrict so heavily on some days. I also am not sure how people who follow this approach do with exercise - I would have a hard time working out on 500 cal days. Actually, I would have a hard time not killing people on 500 cal days, but that's me.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    I was doing something like this naturally for awhile and I had great success with it (I had lost 30 pounds and was ON IT in terms of exercise and diet). I'd have days where I'd be really hungry (depending on what my workout was) and then days when I'd be far less hungry. It made more sense for me to have those 2500+ calories days when I felt like I wanted to eat that much and then 600-800 calories days when I wasn't hungry at all.

    I think it works best for people who aren't snackers and people who have reliable hormonal cues for hunger.

    As for menu : I'd make a few things and have them always on hand. At the time I ate meat so I'd have a bunch of ground turkey I'd cooked and seasoned and could place into tacos, salads, etc. Full fate yogurt, eggs, etc. For the days I wasn't hungry to be honest I usually made my calorie goal via ice cream lol.
  • _sacar
    _sacar Posts: 80 Member
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    I sort of take the idea that if you're not eating in a way you'd be happy eating for the rest of your life, it's probably not a good way to be eating now.

    Exactly this. I feel like if you're not making a lifelong change, you are likely to gain your weight back.

    Fasting for short periods like that does give me some mental clarity, but usually I crash shortly after lol!

    Anyway, different strokes, but I agree with kommodeveran.
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    I have done this from time to time. My purpose is usually to eat a larger amount of calories on the next day, which is what you are supposed to do. I found eating 600 calories difficult in the beginning, but once I learned how much food I could actually eat, it became easier. This is definitely not for everyone and one should be careful about making sure they are getting enough calories for the week if doing this method on an on-going basis.
  • BlitzCracker
    BlitzCracker Posts: 2 Member
    Seems like it would be easier to just fast one day a week in addition to a slight caloric deficit on the other days of the week.
  • xxsplease
    xxsplease Posts: 16 Member
    I like to do something like this... I wont eat all day then I'll have one big meal much bigger than a typical meal but not as many calories as I need for the day. I'll eat fewer calories than I think but feel very full. Easy way to limit calories. I don't find it hard, give it a shot but if you do then just limiting a little every day always works.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Yep, I lost the majority of my weight doing ADF. I did it for 4mths and lost 24lbs. For me it was easier to be on diet every other day, rather than 7 straight days a week.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Xo_healthylc wrote: »
    That's called intermediate fasting. A lot of people on here follow it.

    .....Do you mean intermittent fasting? :/
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