There is nothing "magic" about this way of eating. Total calorie intake for the week still counts. But it is a great way I have found to control my total intake. The down days balance out the up days. The up days are not a license to binge! I think having the down days helps the up days stay reasonable....maybe our stomachs have shrunk?
Yes, you will initially lose weight the first week and then it will slow down. This is not a quick weight loss method. I do think it can be my way of eating in maintenance and that really is the answer....find a way of eating you can stay with and not be stressed out over.
I also use the Hacker's Diet website to record my weight so I can see the daily trend. This is a spreadsheet that averages your weight for 10 days and takes into account all those irritating ups and downs. I like to see the trendline.
I'm curious, how do you find energy to cope with down days? I'm a busy mother with 2 toddlers and I don't think I could cope on 500 cals!
I cope by eating nothing or very little on down days, and I avoid having anything to do with food if possible. I try hard to keep very busy on those days. I drink loads of herbal tea and water, and occasionally have 1 bowl of soup if I get desperate. I have found that my energy levels are good on down days, and I often do exercise on those days too.
Hi! new here, but I've been lurking for a while...
I've been doing this diet (alternate days) since the end of August 2012 and I LOVE that I can eat whatever I like every other day... my whole family have been doing it together so it's great to have a support system there.
Only problem is... my parents have both lost almost 2 stone in weight each, but I've only nearly lost 11lbs!
I've only just dropped from a size 16 to a size 14 which I'm happy about, but I don't understand why I don't lose more. Also, I've been at 13st 2lbs, 13st 1.75, 13st 1.5 etc etc for the last 3 months and I'm itching to get into the 12st zone... sigh. Today I had my weekly weigh-in and I actually GAINED 0.25lbs
Do you think it's possible that on my 'up' days I'm eating so much, it cancels out the 'down' days? ...the only other thing is that sometimes (maybe once a month) I'll break the diet for some sort of social event and I went to LA for 2 weeks and broke the diet then, but would you really think that would cost me a entire stone when I've been doing it for 5 months?
I suppose it all adds up when you think about it... it's so annoying to have everyone lose tons and not you!
Last edited by Starscythe; 01-31-2013 at 07:02 AM.
Yes..it does ALL add up. I cannot eat "everything I want" on up days. And I think the closer you are to your goal weight or dress size, the SLOWER the weight loss. I had a great month of alternate days. The trend was down but the daily weights fluctuated wildly. But I do think I have learned that my body really doesn't require as much food as I thought, and my up days or really still very low calorie. They don't feel that way though. I fill up easier.
Hang in there this month and remember to avoid comparing your loss to anyone else. Your body is unique.
Well I'm back again and now after 6 weeks I have lost 8 lbs, so I feel a bit happier. I know that I eat probably too much on my up days and v. occasionally go over 500 cals on my down days but the trend is down so I am happier. I am beginning to find it harder to stick rigidly to 500 cals on my down days and thus I am generally feeling hungrier. I am hoping to cut some of my calories on up days, though it is annoying when my down days coincide with outings and meeting up with people for lunch etc, and I try to either just have soup or nothing. People don't like it when you don't eat! I am finding it hard to avoid having social engagements on my down days though I do try, and have occasionally done two fasting days together(or just low cal days) to adjust my up days to when a social engagement is imminent. But it is really difficult- any tips welcome.
Glad to hear from you roman. I am obviously not from the UK but I cannot find any other board where people are trying to do up day/down day. I am having my best success not strictly staying with alternate days. That way I can adjust for the social occasions you are trying to work in. But I do average my calories for the week and hold myself accountable. That means that yes, sometimes, I have 2 down days in a row and maybe an up day more moderate than usually to get the average calories for the week to my number. We each have to find that "spot" but I love using this approach. There really is no "starting over" and every bite counts and I feel as if I can do this as a lifelong maintenance approach as well. I think that is a major key to success.
Hello! I just registered here, mostly so I could post in this forum... I've just started the alternate day diet and I want to be able to talk about it without driving my friends and family nuts!
I don't weigh myself regularly, but I would like to drop a pants size or two, so I'm pleased to see that several people have seen results in losing inches! My primary goal is to stop gaining weight/size, and to increase my overall health; the biggest thing that sold me on this diet was the decrease in risk of cancer/heart disease/brain degeneration.
Today was my second day of calorie restriction, and it went much better than the first. On the first I was questioning whether I'd be able to keep going on this, because I was getting a headache and my thinking was getting sluggish around midday. Today I delayed my first meal until after 11 am, and I think that is a better plan for me than eating an early breakfast. I actually felt, if anything, slightly more energy than I normally do.
On diet days I'm eating 600 calories: I bike to and from work, which more than earns me the extra hundred calories.
TexArk - I haven't been here in awhile, but wanted to say I'm a fellow American AND Texan doing JUDDD!! I'm actually active on another forum with lots of (American) JUDDDers. Although it's a low carb board, there's alot of non-lowcarbers as well. I can private message you the board if you'd like.
Hi Lirelyn. The Down Days do get easier after the Sirt1 gene kicks in, which is different for everyone. Could be a week or two, or several weeks. I have a regular DD menu that I stick to and that makes them much easier. Plus, I drink coffee in the morning and try to wait until mid-afternoon before I eat anything.
I've done JUDDD several times and each time the weight finally begins dropping, something happens and I get derailed. Nothing to do with the plan, just ME. So, I restarted at the first of the year and although my loss has been painstakingly slow, I'm going to count calories on my UD for awhile and make sure I'm eating up to and not over my UDs.
Lavender
Yes do private message me...not sure how that works on this board.
I also low carb...am now pretty much wheat and sugar free and get my carbs from berries, white rice, and an occasional potato, plus green veggies of course.
I count calories on up Days...not because I have a strict limit, but because it helps me be aware. I also average all previous 7 days so I can keep my overall daily average in sight. It is working. I had been stalled out or gaining for a year.
TexArk, I found a JUDDD thread in the Calorie Counters section here. It's kind of old, so it's down a couple of pages. We could post there, maybe generate some interest since it is a form of IF.
I counted my UD yesterday - I was seriously below my limit!!!! Might account for my slow loss. How much have you lost on JUDDD?
I keep finding that some days for the ADD are harder to stick to than others.
For example i used to always have Friday as my down day, i now have a boyfriend and Friday is the day i see him.
The same problem keeps happening to me
Friday am: I wake up and think i will stick to 500 calories today
Friday pm : I have just walked for near enough 3 hours and worked for 10, i need an extra 300 calories
In my defence if i break the calorie limit, it is usually to subway where i get a 6 inch veggie delight sub (no patty, no sauce, but some cheese on Italian herbs and cheese) and a salad bowl (a drizzle of BBQ sauce). I feel really weak willed.
I am thinking of changing my down day to a Saturday which tends to be a day
1. I have no work
2. Is not very social or food related for me
alternate day diet
So, I restarted at the first of the year and although my loss has been painstakingly slow, I'm going to count calories on my UD for awhile and make sure I'm eating up to and not over my UDs.
