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I just joined today:) What do you think of the 3 day on 3 day off plan?

I don't know alot about what the body does when it thinks it's starving. I am not counting calories but I find whenever I want to loose weight I go from one extreme of not eating to the other extreme of eating everything. I'm finding this past couple of weeks that I am probly not eating enough calories throughout the day because I'm starving at night. I have been telling myself I will eat one helping at supper and the second helping I will save for lunch the next day. I am down 8 lbs in 2 weeks. I really don't think this will be a healthy way to maintain a weight loss and I know in the long run it won't work. I just can't break my all or nothing eating habits. This all or nothing attitude carries over into alot of aspects of my life too.
So, I noticed I was eating good for several days and then we went out of town for the weekend and I ate at Culvers and a Pizza joint and then TGI Fridays. I ate good during the day but then had big suppers with not so good choices. However, I did gain 2 lbs as of Monday and now today I am back down 2 lbs.
During the day it's very easy for me to forget and get too busy to eat. Then come supper I am so hungry i make very poor choices because I'm starving. I'm trying hard to eat breakfast. Today was not a good breakfast day because I found myself consumed with getting support to eat better and therefore my day was all about getting support and not taking time to eat right. I didn't consume many calories today but I skipped breakfast, lunch and had a few snacks and the eggs and toast and fruit for supper. What I ate today was not bad choices but just not enough calories. I don't want my body to think it's starving but I can't seem to be consistent with eating right everyday. So how about the 3 day off and 3 day on diet. What's the pro's and con's.
Sorry so long.


Wed. Jul 12, 10:17pm

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Hmm...

3 days on and 3 days off sounds like losing and regaining the same pounds over and over.

Try not to focus so much on restricting calories and "dieting". Pick one healthy thing to add to your diet this week and try that. Don't worry about the other stuff. For example, if you don't drink enough water, then just do that for a week...focus only on getting in more water each day and then eat what you would normally eat. Or a better goal for you might be making sure you eat breakfast every day....hopefully something with a mix of carbs/protein.

Starving yourself for 3 days and then binging for 3 days is not the way to go. Please join the Team Motivation Station for more help if you need it. :)

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 8:05 AM

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I've done 2 day fasts and kept the weight off. I try to do one day of " resetting" a week. I was at 177, then 175, now 173 over the past 3 weeks. I think it's a good thing if you don't binge and use it as a means to an end of restarting a program. Look at the " Long Weekend Juice Fast" thread for more opinions and plans.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 8:29 AM

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Some dieters give themselves realistic low-calorie goals that they stick to every day, then give themselves one day a week of to eat what they want guilt-free. I don't know if three days off would help or hinder a diet.

Also, you sound like you get busy during the day and that throws you off. Plan ahead! Make sure you know what you are having for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack every day and have it on hand.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 9:20 AM

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Try the book Intuitive Eating

Yes, it is shameless, I know this book has been plugged a million times, but it works!

You are right. All or nothing is not a good way to lose weight or maintain weight loss. With that "feast or famine" mentality, your body will slow your metabolism down during the famine part to conserve calories, and then when food is available, your body and mind will tell you to eat as much as possible (binge) because you don't know when you'll be able to eat again.

A better mentality would be to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. You will keep your metabolism revved up all day. If you eat a hearty breakfast and lunch, you may find you aren't starving in the afternoon and evening, and only need a small dinner. Make healthy choices about 90 percent of the time, and let yourself enjoy treats 10 percent of the time. (every day, not half the time).

The above posts also offer good advice - try making small changes. Give it time to form healthy habits. Plan ahead if you know you have to eat out. Plan ahead if you know you will be busy.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 9:53 AM

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I tried a crazy diet of fasting one day and feasting the next for about a month. I found it pretty easy to do, but I was soooo hungry after a fasting day that the eating backlash just caused me to stay the same after the first week. Now I just do that when I know I have a difficult food situation the following day (party, wedding, daytrip, etc).

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 9:55 AM

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i also have a seemingly insatiable appetite in the evening. i also tend to grab whatever is around or is most convenient to get. i have started buying things to help with these cravings at night, until i can "control" my behavior better. i buy mini garlic-dill gerkins and cornichons and stuffed olives. these salty snacks seem to help me curb my appetite, and i don't overindulge because they are quite salty...i figure these are better choices for me than the other salty snacks i used to grab for-chips or nuts-and also better for me than the sugary snacks that try to lure me in...i don't think there are many carbs in the pickles or olives, and the little bit of fat is not a "bad" fat.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 10:28 AM

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Training yourself to have useful habits.

The other (bigger) problem with binging and then fasting, or any form of doing of all-or-nothing eating, is that during this process you aren't training yourself to eat right for the long haul. In that case, when you are finished the process of losing, then you have the rest of your life to do the process of maintaining a healthy weight, but your brain doesn't know how to do it and assumes it should keep going with old habits. A lot of life is about habit, after all. What are you teaching yourself this year that you'll be used to doing in five years from now.

Friday, July 14, 2006, 7:19 AM

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