Should I eat a lot of calories one day a week?
jdouglasj99
Posts: 4 Member
I'm 58 years old. I have lost 8.5 lbs since September 8, by cutting back on how much I eat and doing more exercise. I have a BMI of 28.5. It really hasn't been that difficult. But to get to a BMI of 24, I need to lose 34.5 more pounds.
My understanding of the eat-a-lot-one-day-a-week thing is to prevent your body's metabolism from slowing down to retain energy.
Questions:
1. Shouldn't I just continue with what's working and not implement the heavy eating day until I plateau and see no weight loss for a week?
2. How many calories should I consume on the day that I'm allowed to eat a lot?
3. Should I eat simple carbs like bagels and pasta on that day? Does it matter what I eat? It is no problem whatsoever for me to eat a whole medium pizza for dinner!
4. Can I drink beer on those days (I've had no alcohol since Sept 8).
My understanding of the eat-a-lot-one-day-a-week thing is to prevent your body's metabolism from slowing down to retain energy.
Questions:
1. Shouldn't I just continue with what's working and not implement the heavy eating day until I plateau and see no weight loss for a week?
2. How many calories should I consume on the day that I'm allowed to eat a lot?
3. Should I eat simple carbs like bagels and pasta on that day? Does it matter what I eat? It is no problem whatsoever for me to eat a whole medium pizza for dinner!
4. Can I drink beer on those days (I've had no alcohol since Sept 8).
0
Replies
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You have lost a massive amount of weight in a very short period of time. Part of that was probably waterweight, but you're still looking at 2lbs per week. That's the maximum someone should lose. And that someone would be someone who is very obese, which you are not. Have you chosen an appropriate activity level and do you log your exercise separately? If not, then do start with that as losing weight too quickly is not as cool as it sounds as you'll lose a shitload of muscle along the way. You can also have a look at this for another 2-3 weeks, and if weightloss slows down to about 1lbs per week you're probably in the right spot here. If not then make adjustments. How you do them it up to you: eat more one day per week (expect more weight of food in your intestines and more waterweight), or overall eat more.0
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So...weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit of some sort over time. Time.
If you want to eat lower calorie during the week and then have a day of pizza and beer, go for it.
It's not going to trick your metabolism. It's still about calories in and calories used.
When I was losing weight I had days like you describe. Heck, I still do. I don't schedule them, but life happens...
Track your intake as accurately as you can over a period of a month or two.
Aim to lose one pound per week.
At the end of that time, look at how your weight is changing (or not) and the calories you are consuming. A pound of weight change is generally 3500 calories. That's 500 calories per day if averaged over a week. 500 X 7=3500. You can do your own calculation based on that.0 -
Do you need a reason to eat pizza and beer once a week? I wouldn't. 1/2 that weight loss has been water to date but good luck with your goal and enjoy your pizza and beer.0
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Hiiii xx
I’ve eaten 1200 calories everyday for the last 5 weeks which I’m told is the lowest of the low..
I’ve lost 9lb so far
but it’s been tough…
I’ve had 1200 calories EVERYDAY…so for me to eat pizza and drink beer at the weekend has been a no-go becuase that would mean I’d have to eat 700 calories a day to even compensate for a pizza and beer on the weekend
I’ve decided to up my calories and lose 0-5lb-1lb a week…because then I CAN compensate to have beer and pizza on a weekend like I’m having now
cheers 🍺
Losing 2lb a week is great for a kickstart but my advice is to lose the other 34lbs slowly
Good luck xx1 -
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and a high calorie day will slow or in some cases stop fatloss and does nothing to “ reset metabolism”. Keep doing what you’re doing. As you lose weight you’re lighter and will require fewer calories to continue with your current rate of loss however it’s been aggressive so keep the same calories and your loss will slow which isn’t a bad thing.
It’s all about adequate protein and overall weekly calories.
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While taking a diet break after one has lost a large amount of weight over a long period of time is indeed a good idea, that doesn't describe your situation.
Also, a plateau is longer than a week. Use a weight trending app such as Happy Scale (iphone) or Libra (Android) and focus on the trend, not the individual weigh-ins.
Like the others have said, some of that initial loss may have been water and do slow your rate of loss.
Here's a great article on Do's for metabolism (and their limitations) plus Myths:
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-increase-metabolism/
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The only hard fact is that if you're eating more calories than your body requires, over time, you will gain weight. How you distribute/eat those calories is up to you. There are no rules or should/should not. People will try to tell you there are. They're all wrong. Across the board. Because it depends entirely on what your specific goals are and in what context.0
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A refeed break is a great idea, but not the way you describe it. You're basically talking about a cheat day, which isn't advisable.
A refeed break would be for 2-3 days every couple of weeks. If you feel fine from the last three weeks, keep going, then take a multi-day break soon. In that break, eat around maintenance. If you can squeeze in cheat foods then that you've been missing, do so. Otherwise, just have larger portions of your regular foods.2 -
In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.1 -
jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜0 -
That's water weight.Lildarlinz wrote: »jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜1 -
Retroguy2000 wrote: »
That's water weight.Lildarlinz wrote: »jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜
Oh good 😁😁 thank you 😘😘 xx
Mind you I’m guessing it was with the salt content 🤣🤣0 -
Lildarlinz wrote: »Retroguy2000 wrote: »
That's water weight.Lildarlinz wrote: »jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜
Oh good 😁😁 thank you 😘😘 xx
Mind you I’m guessing it was with the salt content 🤣🤣
Quite possible. But it's not bodyfat, which is what you want to lose but temporarily more water to compensate for more salt.0 -
The very first post in this section is titled: "Most Helpful Posts - Health and Weight Loss (Must Reads)"
Have a look number 19 there.
They first few pages pretty much contain all the information you need to understand and implement the refeeds you have heard distorted rumors off
That said weight loss takes time and compliance is not (and doesn't have to be) always perfect.
When I lost from obese to very low overweight I didn't implement premeditated breaks and above maintenance eating days evolved naturally from life, get togethers and vacations.
Yes the vast majority of the days have to be deficits but not every single one, once you accept that the time limit of managing your weight is hopefully many years in the future and with your bucket list complete
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Many people will be in a deficit for a while, and then have a big cheat day and end up being lighter. There are two reasons for this. It could be that your body is now knowing that it’s going to get more food and approves itself to lose water due to our homeostatic system.
The second situation can be that your deficit you were previously in the week before is now taking hold a bit better. When you take in calories, your body doesn’t instantly show that results on the scale. It can take time. A high day can either slow the next weeks loss or totally halt it if your deficit is small and your high day is sizable.
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Lildarlinz wrote: »jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜
@Lildarlinz Use a weight trending app such as Happy Scale (iphone) or Libra (Android) and focus on the trend, not the individual weigh-ins.
I use Happy Scale and use the Moving Average as my weight, not an individual weigh in.1 -
jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
Yes, reducing calories doesn't dramatically slow metabolism and cause some kind of "starvation mode". That doesn't mean losing weight very fast is smart or health-promoting or even penalty-free. It's even true that if a person loses fast they can become weak and fatigued, so move less in daily life and burn fewer calories than expected that way.
Fast loss increases health risks (immune system compromise, gall bladder disease, muscle loss, and more). Fast loss can cause things like thinning hair and brittle nails. That's just a few examples of potential down-sides of fast loss.
Is something bad guaranteed to happen? No. But risks increase. YMMV, but I'm not going to bet my health for faster weight loss, unless so overweight that my bodyweight in itself is a grave health risk . . . and in that case I'd want to be under close medical supervision for complications or deficiencies).
ETA: This is not purely theory. I accidentally lost weight too fast when I first joined MFP (because I'm one of the relatively rare people for whom MFP dramatically underestimates calorie needs). I got weak and fatigued. It took multiple weeks to recover normal strength and energy, even though I corrected (ate more) quickly. It was not a good thing. I was lucky nothing worse happened (though there was maybe a little hair breakage/thinning).1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Lildarlinz wrote: »jdouglasj99 wrote: »In 2015 I reached 235 lbs. and then I came down to 202 losing about 2.5 lbs per week. I kept it off for about four years, but then I had a full hip replacement, I had to give up running (I ran 30 miles per week until my hip went bad), and I eventually made my way back to 237 lbs when I stepped on the scale on Sept 8.
It's relatively easy for me to drop weight quickly because there had been no restraint on what I was eating: gallon of whole milk a week, a half gallon of Trader Joe's lemonade (what I miss most), a lot of rice and potatoes, a basket of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant four days a week, McDonald's steak bagel three times a week, etc. When I decide to lose weight, I cut out all of that on day one, and I bump up the exercise.
Anyway, I had heard somewhere that your body can slow the metabolism down if it thinks its going into starvation mode, and you need a day when you eat more to keep the metabolism down, but what I'm hearing here is that that isn't really true.
I'm glad to hear it actually. I get used to a low calorie, high protein diet quickly. Sure i miss gravy and bread and pizza and pie, but it's not that big a deal to me. But I have to be all-in. Going back and forth would actually make things more difficult.
I’ve literally had a crash…
Did calorie counting for 4 weeks
Lost 9lb…now put 2lb on…because I couldn’t keep away from the pie and I needed a well earned beer 🙈🙈
I think I give up…I love food 😜😜
@Lildarlinz Use a weight trending app such as Happy Scale (iphone) or Libra (Android) and focus on the trend, not the individual weigh-ins.
I use Happy Scale and use the Moving Average as my weight, not an individual weigh in.
I found the culprit 🩸 😩😩😩
Why don’t guys have this trouble 😩😩😩
I hate that thing that comes once a month 😖😖😖🤣🤣🤣🤣2 -
Hugs. It is what it is. Some people get more hungry during that time of the month, but overall female bodies just hold more onto water then. It's normal, and it will drop off again in a few days. If you log every day for a few months you will notice these trends and hopefully not be scared about them anymore.3
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