X

I do it all the time. I'm on WW so I eat at the low end of my points and then every once in a while (maybe every two weeks) I eat well over my point limit. I still lose on a regular basis. The only thing is, if you weight every day don't be surprised to see a two or three pound gain for a day or two. I also do it just after my weigh in day so the excess is gone before the next weigh in. Good luck.

X

I think it just makes your body 'sit up and think' - humm, what's going on. I don't eat real junk food either but I have had a hamburger and fries. I think part of it is knowing that you can do this every once in a while without binging all the time.

Yeah I zig zag the amounts every once in a while. Not only does it kind of make my body sit up and take notice but it's nice to have a 'treat' (take today - gammon, fried egg and mashed potato!) every once in a while - ensures I stay on track for the long haul

Yes, I agree with denial (the poster, not the activity!). Zig-zag dieting is pretty established in some circles, and I've read it as not only a plateau-breaking technique but in general good practice to keep your body awake and working hard. Some people believe that if you stay at a calorie deficit for too long, your body begins to adapt and slow down its metabolism to compensate for the lower income. Just like tightening your spending on a low budget, you know?

Zig-zagging is supposed to let your body know you aren't starving it, but it's recommended you don't just binge on nasty, unhealthy food. Either eat more of the good stuff, or like it's been mentioned, allow yourself a few small (but rich) treats in moderation.

The specific technique I want to incorporate eventually is 3 days on my low-calorie diet, then 1 day at my "maintenance" calorie intake. You can increase the higher-calorie days to 2 or 3 if just 1 doesn't seem to be working, and if you only eat at maintenance, there's no way you can gain actual fat by eating that one day higher than the others. The absolute worst result possible - assuming the entire theory is hooplah, which I don't know enough to say for sure - is slower weight loss, and that's not very scary at all.

Hopefully doing so will off-set or at least slow down the gradual metabolism reduction all of us will experience as a result of losing a substantial amount of weight.

X

I'm on WW as well and I do the same thing that Denise does. I will eat the same number of points most days, but then mix it up every once in a while. Personally my body seems to get comfortable with a certain amount of points or calories and I don't lose much. Sometimes just adding and extra 5 or even 10 points once or twice a week really seems to help.

It's hard to do it at first - I felt like I was going to get on the scale and gain like 5 lbs, but that didn't happen. I think the key is to add more calories that are good healthy foods and not just junk. It does work!

I also change up my calories once in awhile. I usually stay between 1300 -1400. Then when I don't see a change for a week I'll up it to 1600 for a couple days and then back down again. It works for me. I don't eat larger portions just healthy food more frequently.