Alternate day diet
#1
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5
Alternate day diet
Hi all well out of all the diets I have ever done this has to be the best for my body and weight loss. I am on the low calorie day system where one day is a "down" day and you consume only 500 calories. The next day is an "up" day where you can eat what you like within reason. So typically I have 2000 calories a day so by having 3 down days in a week I am cutting back significantly for an overall calori deficit for the week. It averages out that I eat about 1200 cals a day. I find this quite good for me as I can diet easily for one day at a time. Also it seems to not slow my metabolism down as I eat well one day and small the next. And if I do exercise on my down day I can use those cals burned for extra food!!!! Once you have reached your target weight you increase your down day calories untill you get to a maintenance level. You can also play around with it a bit and if you have a bad down day you make it an in between day, and just eat less the next day! Sounds confusing but it's really not. has anybody done this type of dieting before and if so, how did it work for you? Thanks.
#2
I didn't follow a specific diet to do this, but I did employ the concept of calorie cycling, or zig zagging calories. My swings were not as severe, with the lowest days being about 1000, the highest ones about 1800, and some moderate ones thrown in. This site Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs will give you calorie suggestions for each day if you type in your weight, height, etc. and click on the 7-day-calorie cycle link. I found it was pretty effective.
#3
It makes sense that this would work. When I log my foods into fitday, and I see the total calories for the day, it doesn't mean as much to me as what the report for the week, or two weeks, or month. It's how the total daily calories average out.
Interesting way of looking at the average: If you eat 2000 calories one day and 1000 calories the next, then your average for those two days is 2000 + 1000 = 3000. 3000/2 (days) is 1500 calories. That's your average calories for those two days. You would have gotten the same average if you had eaten 1500 calories both days! 1500+1500=3000 calories. 3000/2 = 1500 calories. The average, 1500 calories, is the same if you ate that number of calories both days, as when you ate 2000 calories one day and 1000 calories the next. Cool!
It sounds simple and mundane. But, if you OVEREAT (have a binge day or weekend), you bring the average calories for each day - in a week, say - UP. All that careful dieting and it was like adding food every day. On the other hand, it speaks to the power of really cutting down on calories one day. It's as if you ate fewer calories each day of the week, without actually having to do that!
That's why I don't really like the idea of having 'cheat days' if I'm really mildly cutting calories. If I'm cutting calories a lot, every day of the week, a cheat day is going to impact the average, but I might be willing to live with that... it's not a whole, whole lot of impact. But if I've been kind of rolling along, eating less, but not a whole lot fewer calories, a 'binge' is going to undo even my mild efforts by slightly raising my average for each day. Easy enough to fix, given more time (and more time added to the average) - just 'get back on the horse' and really cut down on calories the next day and see if I can try to 'fix' the damage.
Easy enough to see when you run reports and try the different time periods (week, two weeks, four weeks, etc.)
Interesting way of looking at the average: If you eat 2000 calories one day and 1000 calories the next, then your average for those two days is 2000 + 1000 = 3000. 3000/2 (days) is 1500 calories. That's your average calories for those two days. You would have gotten the same average if you had eaten 1500 calories both days! 1500+1500=3000 calories. 3000/2 = 1500 calories. The average, 1500 calories, is the same if you ate that number of calories both days, as when you ate 2000 calories one day and 1000 calories the next. Cool!
It sounds simple and mundane. But, if you OVEREAT (have a binge day or weekend), you bring the average calories for each day - in a week, say - UP. All that careful dieting and it was like adding food every day. On the other hand, it speaks to the power of really cutting down on calories one day. It's as if you ate fewer calories each day of the week, without actually having to do that!
That's why I don't really like the idea of having 'cheat days' if I'm really mildly cutting calories. If I'm cutting calories a lot, every day of the week, a cheat day is going to impact the average, but I might be willing to live with that... it's not a whole, whole lot of impact. But if I've been kind of rolling along, eating less, but not a whole lot fewer calories, a 'binge' is going to undo even my mild efforts by slightly raising my average for each day. Easy enough to fix, given more time (and more time added to the average) - just 'get back on the horse' and really cut down on calories the next day and see if I can try to 'fix' the damage.
Easy enough to see when you run reports and try the different time periods (week, two weeks, four weeks, etc.)
#5
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5
Defnitly enjoyin this way of eating. I find on my down days if I do lots of exercise then I earn calories to eat!! Today I have walked through our orchard for 3 hours looking at vines and marking out plants. I burned 436 calories just from doing that!!! So that defnitly gives me extra calories to eat at night for tea!! Down about a kilo from last week so now on 65 kilos. Goal weight is 61 kilo.
#7
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 8
ADF (alternate day fasting)
I have just read an article about ADF diets and was wondering if anyone has tried this and what were the restults.
It sounds good, I would like to try it, but am worried about feelin ill or faint on the fasting days.
I was planning to fast for 2 days a week.
I would restrict my calories to under 500 a day and then eat sensibly the other 5 days.
Any advice or opinions would be great.
Regards.
Lynne
It sounds good, I would like to try it, but am worried about feelin ill or faint on the fasting days.
I was planning to fast for 2 days a week.
I would restrict my calories to under 500 a day and then eat sensibly the other 5 days.
Any advice or opinions would be great.
Regards.
Lynne
#8
FitDay Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3
Hello, im interested in this diet having seen it on a tv documentary last night. Im going to do the 500 cals. on the down day, but want to spread them over the whole day, has anyone any good tips for this, i.e. maybe 3 small snacks please? I dont fancy drinking those shakes