Quote from the book - on Up Days

[MintQ8]

Posted this elsewhere - but think it's useful for people to remember!! It's a quote from Dr Johnson's book.

"What about the Up Days?

This is the part you want to hear: On the up days eat anything you want. Particularly when you start the diet, it's important to feel that you can have anything you want to eat every other day so that you avoid the sense of deprivation that sets in with other diets. Remember, compliance is everything, and most people who tend to be overweight have tried numerous diets, have developed a sense of frustration and failure, and envision the future as an infinite horizon of hunger and deprivation. The up days on this diet are your insurance that no matter what you're feeling today, you can always eat tomorrow. And if you're sticking to 20 percent of normal calorie intake on your down days, you'd have to eat a whoping 180 percent on your up days just to come out even. As a practical matter, this just doesn't happen, at least in the first three months or so.

As time passes, however, people do begin to increase their up-day intake, with a resultant slowing of weight loss. At that point it's a good idea to begin keeping a record of your up-day intake to become more mindful of what you are eating. you still need to be aware of the hungry crocodile within and remain conscious of when you're eating for pleasure rather than because you're hungry.

In our Asthma Study there was some evidence that the subjects were restraining themselves (but to a far less degree) on the up days as well as on the down days. This is a natural consequence of the desire to lose weight and there is no harm in restraining to some degree on the up day. It is critically important, however, that you not feel deprived; otherwise the Alternate-Day Diet would be nothing more than another daily dieting program. The goal is to eat whatever you want until you're satisfied, but not to overeat."

[dasiey]

thanks for reminding me...

[pjsam1156]

Originally Posted by MintQ8

Posted this elsewhere - but think it's useful for people to remember!! It's a quote from Dr Johnson's book.

"What about the Up Days?

This is the part you want to hear: On the up days eat anything you want. Particularly when you start the diet, it's important to feel that you can have anything you want to eat every other day so that you avoid the sense of deprivation that sets in with other diets. Remember, compliance is everything, and most people who tend to be overweight have tried numerous diets, have developed a sense of frustration and failure, and envision the future as an infinite horizon of hunger and deprivation. The up days on this diet are your insurance that no matter what you're feeling today, you can always eat tomorrow. And if you're sticking to 20 percent of normal calorie intake on your down days, you'd have to eat a whoping 180 percent on your up days just to come out even. As a practical matter, this just doesn't happen, at least in the first three months or so.

As time passes, however, people do begin to increase their up-day intake, with a resultant slowing of weight loss. At that point it's a good idea to begin keeping a record of your up-day intake to become more mindful of what you are eating. you still need to be aware of the hungry crocodile within and remain conscious of when you're eating for pleasure rather than because you're hungry.

In our Asthma Study there was some evidence that the subjects were restraining themselves (but to a far less degree) on the up days as well as on the down days. This is a natural consequence of the desire to lose weight and there is no harm in restraining to some degree on the up day. It is critically important, however, that you not feel deprived; otherwise the Alternate-Day Diet would be nothing more than another daily dieting program. The goal is to eat whatever you want until you're satisfied, but not to overeat."

Thanks!

[mayleesa]

thanks!!! you rawk!!!

[MLE]

Awesome! Extremely helpful...and encouraging (especially since I don't have the book).

[KeirasMom]

Awesome reminder. Thanks!

[SoHappy]

I do want to remind folks to not misconstrue Dr. Johnson's words when he says you can eat anything you want to on Up Days. He didn't say you can eat as much as you want of anything on your Up Days. LOL

When you enter your stats into the Calorie Calculator given on the site, the figure given is labeled, and is called your NORMAL calories. And that is your figure given for your Up Days. And then he says you can eat at 20% (or other choices) of your Up Day calories for your Down Days. It's pretty obvious that we are intended to monitor our UDs and use that figure the Calorie Calculator gave us as our UD calorie number.

I think it does seem to be a little bit misleading the way he writes that you can eat anything you want on your UDs, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean that you can eat AS MUCH AS YOU WANT of anything on those days. Just my thoughts.

[MintQ8]

I agree - and that's why I've highlighted the last sentence only and not the part after the colon. However, I take you can eat anything you want - to mean - any food, not as much as you want!

Dr Johnson does also point out, however, that you would need to eat 180% on your UD to stay at your normal calorie allowance per day. So, if your normal calories are 1600 - you would need to eat 500 on your DD and 2700 on your UD to 'maintain'. What I was hoping to achieve in posting this - is that if you need to eat a little more and have hit your UD limit - it's okay.

It is however, also okay to eat less! Which he talks about elsewhere.

[SoHappy]

Yup. We're in complete agreement.

(And I'm one of those who could eat that 180% of UD calories. )

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by MintQ8

I agree - and that's why I've highlighted the last sentence only and not the part after the colon. However, I take you can eat anything you want - to mean - any food, not as much as you want!

Dr Johnson does also point out, however, that you would need to eat 180% on your UD to stay at your normal calorie allowance per day. So, if your normal calories are 1600 - you would need to eat 500 on your DD and 2700 on your UD to 'maintain'. What I was hoping to achieve in posting this - is that if you need to eat a little more and have hit your UD limit - it's okay.

It is however, also okay to eat less! Which he talks about elsewhere.

YES!! And the reason having FDs in maintenance is working so well for me! I eat either a little below or a little above, it seems, and it's working just right to keep me at 133/134!

I'm happy!