Take days off on low calorie diet?

amother

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 7:36 am

I started a low calorie diet on Monday and it has been going amazingly well! Not only did I stick to it, but I barely felt hungry, didn't feel tired, didn't feel tempted or like I'm about to lose control.

Question: should I stick with it as long as I can/until I lose all the weight is like to lose, or is it beneficial to take a day off (say, Shabbat?)

rubyred

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 8:13 am

Probably best to stick to it even on Shabbos so you don’t lose momentum! You can make yourself limited allowances on Shabbos such as 1 slice of challah and one 1/2 portion serving of dessert. If you see yourself taking more, then knock dessert off the next week or serve fruit.

amother

Melon

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 8:58 am

I do this too.

I am in a very low calorie diet but do allow myself to eat normally, (not over indulging) at the meals. The rest if the shabbos I barely eat to make up for it. Besides for a bit of salad later in the afternoon and nuts.

I prefer it this way, I really enjoy shabbos meals and would feel deprived of I feel limited.

amother

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 8:59 am

rubyred wrote:

Thanks! Not losing momentum makes sense. That was actually my gut feeling, so thanks for commenting.

I'm planning to eat a little challa, but no dessert since dessert is the thing I lose control over most. Maybe next week I'll try dessert.

amother

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 9:02 am

amother [ Melon ] wrote:

I did a diet like that once where I ate low calorie 5 days a week then what I wanted Fri + Sat and it helped me lose weight. I stuck to it for only 2-3 weeks then got pregnant so stopped but I only had a few lbs to loose.

This time too, there's just a small amount of weight I'd like to lose (talking about 5 lbs) but I haven't been able to lose it for a long time, so I just don't think I should lose this momentum.

amother

Maple

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 9:28 am

Just depends on your personality. Some people can do one day off / six days on. Other people go off the rails if they take one day off, or they binge so hard on their one day that it undoes their progress from the other six.

I have had success in the past losing weight on a five days on / two days off eating plan with 5-6 sessions/week of high intensity exercise, but the two days "off" weren't hugely excessive. I would eat 1600-2000 calories Sunday through Thursday, and then 2500-3500 on Friday and Saturday. It wasn't a rapid weight loss pace, but I wasn't in a rush and was able to lose the 25 lbs I wanted over about 9 months. Your calorie needs may be very different, but I just gave mine to show an example of the difference between on and off days for me.

amother

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 10:04 am

amother [ Maple ] wrote:

Wow 3500 calories! When I was exclusively breastfeeding AND getting about 20,000 steps a day, I was eating about 3000 calories a day and maintaining weight. What exercise program did you do to allow you to eat so much, or were you also breastfeeding?

amother

Stone

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 10:11 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This is what I do too, very smart, because otherwise I fall off the wagon.

amother

Maple

Fri, Jun 11 2021, 10:40 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I did an hour long morning class of HIIT 5-6 days a week, walked at least 1-2 miles a day (sometimes more), and lifted weights 2-3 times a week. It was before I had kids LOL

Also, I'm 5'7", so that helps too. Someone who is 5'0" doing the same would need less calories.

Also, I was content to lose slowly, less than a lb per week. Some weeks it would look like I hadn't lost at all. So I don't know that everyone would find that pace satisfactory.