5 days on 2 days off
redlips_bighips
Posts: 9 Member
Has anyone tried this?
It’s basically eating completely clean and healthy for 5 days, then having 2 days where you still eat healthy but have treats and cheats? I find this works better for me as I have a major sweet tooth and I like the odd pizza
It’s basically eating completely clean and healthy for 5 days, then having 2 days where you still eat healthy but have treats and cheats? I find this works better for me as I have a major sweet tooth and I like the odd pizza
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Replies
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I guess it’s fine if it’s working for you and you’re not cheating so hard you that you cancel out your deficit for the other 5 days.9
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Stay within your calorie goals and you can have 5 days off if you really wanted. Just make sure you are getting the nutritional needs of your body within your calorie goals and you wont NEED "cheat days"
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I’ve tried it! It worked really well for about a month until I kind of forgot I was doing it and the weight came right back on. Maybe tracking would have helped, but I don’t know—I find it really hard to moderate “treats.”
Keto’s been working surprisingly well for me since any cheating at all would risk knocking me out of ketosis, which would hurt my pride.
It seems to work better for me to just not even try to bargain with my bad habits, so if you’re like me then finding a plan you can live on and enjoy eating on without wanting to “cheat” might be a safer bet.
Ultimately, though, whatever reduced-calorie plan you can actually follow is the right one for you. If it’s working, why worry?3 -
If that works for you, then so be it. Personally I work in a treat every single day. This is how I plan to eat for the rest of my life.7
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I guess it could work, but make sure you track all days.. it can all add up.
What I typically do in a deficit, somewhat similar, though I don't label my food...I tend to bank my calories during the week, being more strict, then indulge and eat more on weekends.That being said.. I am not overly restrictive during the week otherwise I would have a tendency to go all out and overdo it on the weekends.
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Thanks for your comments. I have been very strict in the week sticking to high protein lean fats and lots of fruit and veg, Very similar to slimming world plan but with no syns and little carbs. Weekends have been the same but if I wanted an alcoholic drink or a pizza then I’ve done it. I don’t believe in completely eliminating food, or depriving yourself of anything. I have quite a lot of weight to lose so maybe this is why it’s working for me, I track every day what I eat and I exercise. I just wondered if anyone else did this and if they found that it was working! Not everyone’s the same! X2
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I practice a variation of this method. It's called 7 days off. I eat what I want within my calorie goals for 7 days a week.17
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If it works for you. I personally don’t really eat that “healthy” (well in my mind it’s fairly healthy- I eat at home 90% of the time home cooked food) and I eat treats every day.2
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I get the calorie counting thing that you call all 7 days - days off. But eating what I want everyday would consist of mostly pizza and chocolate within my calories, nothing else! So yeah4
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I have heard this works for many people. I have a friend that lost 100lbs this way. You have to do what works for you and don’t worry about what other people think!4
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This is the fastest way for me to lose zero weight.1
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Although I agree with some of the above points about allocating treats as part of your every day calories to encourage a lifestyle change, rather than a short term diet, my understanding is that you can consider your calories as a weekly allowance, rather than a daily one. So as long as you are still logging on all 7 days, and maintaining the deficit overall, then you should be okay. I am trying to do something similar because of how my week day and weekend schedules differ, but I am only 2 weeks in, so can't give any guarantees.4
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ladyhusker39 wrote: »I practice a variation of this method. It's called 7 days off. I eat what I want within my calorie goals for 7 days a week.
^^ love this answer and do the same
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I think we can all agree to disagree. No 2 people are the same and we are all on different journeys. Although if you trek back to my original post I was only asking people who have tried this or are doing the same thing, not asking for people’s opinion in general. Have a good day.5
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@redlips_bighips
I have done this pretty much my entire way. 81 pounds down. I basically follow Bill Phillips body for life way of eating. I know I can because I have done it for years (except when I got completely off track but that was my fault) it's pretty much six days on, one day off. I have always lost consistently doing this. Look him up.1 -
potatowhoruns wrote: »Although I agree with some of the above points about allocating treats as part of your every day calories to encourage a lifestyle change, rather than a short term diet, my understanding is that you can consider your calories as a weekly allowance, rather than a daily one. So as long as you are still logging on all 7 days, and maintaining the deficit overall, then you should be okay. I am trying to do something similar because of how my week day and weekend schedules differ, but I am only 2 weeks in, so can't give any guarantees.
I average by week, although I do not do a strict 5/2 split. I've lost 41 pounds over the last year, so it's been working fine. So long as your higher days don't wipe out your lower days, and you're patient with possibly having a little extra water fluctuation, it's a perfectly good way to go.1 -
redlips_bighips wrote: »I think we can all agree to disagree. No 2 people are the same and we are all on different journeys. Although if you trek back to my original post I was only asking people who have tried this or are doing the same thing, not asking for people’s opinion in general. Have a good day.
I think you've gone off the deep end a little. You unfortunately don't get to dictate who replies and the insights from others can be really helpful, especially if they have lost/are losing and have stayed consistent. Strategy sharing can give us a lightbulb moment.
Lots of people "bank" calories, which is basically what you're doing. Using your calories weekly as opposed to daily is actually really common round these parts and something I do myself.
Nobody here is being mean, throwing a little sarcastic humour in perhaps? Sure, but that's humans. And you're British, we're notoriously sarcastic! So you should be well used to that dry humour. Nobody is raining on your parade.4 -
Define eating 'clean'? As in washing your food? Definitely do that.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories and that you are getting a minimum of 0.4g fat and 0.6g of protien per pound of bodyweight each day. Enjoy your food 7 days a week.0 -
I just eat...for the most part my diet is pretty nutritious...but I sometimes have less nutritious items. I don't assign specific days for this or anything or plan/schedule it out...I just go about living my life. In the context of my diet on the whole, my less nutritious choices are pretty irrelevant.2
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Define eating 'clean'? As in washing your food? Definitely do that.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories and that you are getting a minimum of 0.4g fat and 0.6g of protien per pound of bodyweight each day. Enjoy your food 7 days a week.
This is off topic but I could not just pass it by.
Why in the would a person need to eat .4g of fat per pound of body weight. That would be a HUGE amount of fat calories for me. Combine that with the protein requirement (which I do know is important) and that for me would mean basically no carbs for me (like 50 grams) which would not allow me to get in my veg.2 -
It's way too easy for me to go overboard and kill my entire week's deficit with a weekend of eating whatever I want.
I can easily eat double my TDEE in a day if I allow myself free reign over pizza and drinks.
I find it much better to just have little treats or smaller portions of food I'm craving (like pizza) throughout the week, working it into my daily calorie goal.
For example, yesterday a coworker gave me a Kit Kat bar. The first thing I did was log onto MFP, log the bar, then make some adjustments to the rest of my day's calories to make it fit.2 -
KWlosingit wrote: »Define eating 'clean'? As in washing your food? Definitely do that.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories and that you are getting a minimum of 0.4g fat and 0.6g of protien per pound of bodyweight each day. Enjoy your food 7 days a week.
This is off topic but I could not just pass it by.
Why in the would a person need to eat .4g of fat per pound of body weight. That would be a HUGE amount of fat calories for me. Combine that with the protein requirement (which I do know is important) and that for me would mean basically no carbs for me (like 50 grams) which would not allow me to get in my veg.
Not only 0.4g fat total, but as a minimum. Your body requires dietary fat for a huge number of reasons. I will say that if someone has a high bodyfat % (i.e. 30% or more), you could cut that back some.0 -
If I eat 1800 calories on weekdays, and 2500 on weekends, I average 2000 calories a day, which is a deficit for me. However I eat whatever I what even on weekdays. I don't "eat clean", whatever that means anyway.0
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Yes, I do it as a lifestyle. Even though I'm in maintenance now I still eat at a deficit during the week so I can overindulge on the weekends.0
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Thanks for your replies.
There’s loads of plans and ways of losing weight and I’m sure we will all do what’s best for us and in a healthy way!
Some of us find it hard to stick to a strict calorie controlled diet. Which is why slimming world is so good it’s about food optimising and it does work. Thanks for sharing your opinions. I guess I’m gonna get a load of comments now about negative opinions on slimming world now but hey go ahead! ❤️5 -
Define eating 'clean'? As in washing your food? Definitely do that.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories and that you are getting a minimum of 0.4g fat and 0.6g of protien per pound of bodyweight each day. Enjoy your food 7 days a week.Define eating 'clean'? As in washing your food? Definitely do that.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your calories and that you are getting a minimum of 0.4g fat and 0.6g of protien per pound of bodyweight each day. Enjoy your food 7 days a week.
Eating clean to me means not eating junk or fast food...
So if I’m aloud 1200 calories a day I can eat a big bag every day? Don’t think this would be healthy, but yeah I would probably lose weight.
Thanks I will try the calorie control to see if it helps x2 -
redlips_bighips wrote: »Thanks for your replies.
There’s loads of plans and ways of losing weight and I’m sure we will all do what’s best for us and in a healthy way!
Some of us find it hard to stick to a strict calorie controlled diet. Which is why slimming world is so good it’s about food optimising and it does work. Thanks for sharing your opinions. I guess I’m gonna get a load of comments now about negative opinions on slimming world now but hey go ahead! ❤️
Unfortunately not.
Sorry to break it to you, but the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn.3 -
redlips_bighips wrote: »Thanks for your replies.
There’s loads of plans and ways of losing weight and I’m sure we will all do what’s best for us and in a healthy way!
Some of us find it hard to stick to a strict calorie controlled diet. Which is why slimming world is so good it’s about food optimising and it does work. Thanks for sharing your opinions. I guess I’m gonna get a load of comments now about negative opinions on slimming world now but hey go ahead! ❤️
Unfortunately not.
Sorry to break it to you, but the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn.
And there are loads of plans and ways of accomplishing that.2 -
redlips_bighips wrote: »Has anyone tried this?
It’s basically eating completely clean and healthy for 5 days, then having 2 days where you still eat healthy but have treats and cheats? I find this works better for me as I have a major sweet tooth and I like the odd pizza
I don't see anything wrong with it if it works for you. Obviously it wouldn't be a good fit for everyone, but anything that makes it easier for you, personally, to stick to a calorie deficit is what matters. If things change or it stops working for you, you can always adjust. Try different things. Make changes if something starts to stress you out. How you get to that all important calorie deficit will be different for everyone and everyone needs to find their own way.2
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