MD (medium day) Management

[sorenkkg]

Hi folks!

Background:
I wind up with a few MDs per month. I use them to switch from one rotation to another rotation pattern, and usually do DD/MD/UD, so that I can have an UD on a given date.

My MD is an average of my UD and DD calories-- if you were doing 2000 and 500, your MD would be 1250 (for example). On my tracker, it comes to about 63% of my UD calories, percent-wise.

The Issue:
I think I hate MDs I find them SO much harder than DDs or UDs...
--You can't eat what you want, b/c you have to watch calories
--You should eat something, b/c you're hungry from the DD
--I wind up really down in the dumps and often wind up going over my planned calories for the MD, which ticks me off further...like after all this effort, I go and blow it (for the day. I know tomorrow is another day with Juddd).

So, what's a JB to do?

I thought I'd get the JB gang's collective wisdom together on this

Here's my few ideas (some I do, some I realize I *should* do) to start us off:

1) plan. Like a DD or a super fun UD, plan what to eat in advance so I get my calories AND I enjoy the food choices

2) have caffeine! I don't usually do this except on DDs, but maybe it would help with the hunger and the emotional aspect, like on a DD!

3) maybe plan for 2 meals instead of 3? For example:
B: fat and caffeine (my deconstructed BPTea)
then I have more available for lunch and dinner?

What else can we do to make a MD successful?

[ouizoid]

when I have an MD, I have a DD til dinner--then I have a calorie heavy dinner--it gives me something to look forward to, and the DD early in the day gives me more control! The fact is, more often then not, every day starts out like a DD for me. Just seems to give me more control over what I eat in the big picture.

[Carly]

I too dislike MD. I think of it like a DD, but I can eat just a little more like maybe an egg for breakfast or a bigger bedtime snack. I'm not good with MDs so I will read with interest. I've only done about 5 since I started.

[SICCHI]

I have been having a MD Friday's (so i keep my dd/ud the same) and I have this exact same problem! I think I am going to have to just start alternating days and cut them out.
I think they are so hard because it's practically a double DD. My body is starving by noon on a MD. Yesterday I got home at 3pm after having eaten half my allocated cal, and went for a walk to try and curb my hunger.
When I returned, I ate a huge apple. Then had a HUGE cheese and salad sandwich. Then gave up! My body was STARVING!!! Then the night ate a shitload of beer and pizza!

I wonder this as an idea for MD..... instead of following a DD with MD, maybe I might try having an UD, only eating the later part of the MD, then having the DD after sleeping on a nice full stomach. It would be nice to hear the long-time-judders thoughts on this

[cici52]

I may be the oddball here but am really hungry early in the day and eat a generous breakfast and my midday meal has the bulk of calories before 2pm. Then am not hungry really until evening and only need a little soup or oatmeal to make it easy to sleep. This works for UD or MD. I would just save 250-300 for around 7-8pm and eat the other 900 early.

I have wondered if the eating every hour method used on DDs would work well for MDs. Just bigger portions.

[KeirasMom]

I've only done a couple of MDs, but when I've done them, I've just stuck to my DD foods for breakfast/lunch (or skip breakfast, have a DD lunch), then a reasonable dinner.

[sorenkkg]

I"m hearing the overall common theme is treat it like a DD, but with more.

Which might lend some happiness, rather than how I think of it, which is an UD with less

I think this is a can-do approach. I too can make it till about noon, even the day after a DD, without food.

So if I can do a BPT on a MD, then do a light lunch and an enjoyable dinner, I think that would work better than trying to space the calories out and feeling deprived all day.

Well done buddds

[TryingJudd]

Yep - what you just said! I had a MD today and fasted til lunch to extend my DD then ate lightly during the day then had a wonderful pasta dinner. All for <1200 cals. I had several MDs in September and had my best losing month ever so I don't think it hurts me.

[sorenkkg]

Originally Posted by TryingJudd

Yep - what you just said! I had a MD today and fasted til lunch to extend my DD then ate lightly during the day then had a wonderful pasta dinner. All for <1200 cals. I had several MDs in September and had my best losing month ever so I don't think it hurts me.

Awesome

I'm going to go with the acres of wisdom here and try this on my next MD.

I've mastered DD and UD, so I feel that if I can master MDs, I will totally *own* this plan!

[shirlc]

Glad you started this thread, Soren. This sounds like a very good way to do MDs, which I had not thought of.

[Whitlin']

I've always thought of a MD as a small treat. With my schedule there is one per week always and it's 1,250 calories so that seems like a nice no-hassle day. Probably less stress than either restricting to DD or making sure the UD calorie count is right.

As I read through the thread, first I was thinking my tip would be to keep your calorie count in mind. And then when you said "plan, plan, plan", yep that's a definite, but it is for a successful ANY day for me. Every day is "calorie count and plan" for me and I'm okay with that.

Like Trying Judd, MDs have never seemed to interrupt my losses.

I hope you can see your next MD as a small treat! Best wishes, Soren.

[sorenkkg]

Thanks Whittlin!

[shirlc]

Love your new avi, Soren!

[gotsomeold]

Hey Soren! I love the new avi too!

I tried MDs, treated them like DD with a somewhat bigger dinner and always stalled for a week afterward. For the last 30 pounds or so, if I need to change rotation (does not happen often since DH joined the JUDDD party) I just eat two UDs in a row. For some reason that did not stall me.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by gotsomeold

Hey Soren! I love the new avi too!

I tried MDs, treated them like DD with a somewhat bigger dinner and always stalled for a week afterward. For the last 30 pounds or so, if I need to change rotation (does not happen often since DH joined the JUDDD party) I just eat two UDs in a row. For some reason that did not stall me.

I think if I need to change rotations in the future I will just do 2 UDs at this point I may even be adventurous enough to try 2 DD if need be. The MD just vexes me for some strange reason- my brain and my body!

[Joyjoy]

Hey Soren, your face is changing shape!!!! Gorgeous before and after.

[Kissa]

Looking lovely indeed Soren.

I am planning a MD tomorrow. I often do 2 UDs in a row but this time I have chosen the tougher route, don't know why really, just feel I want to see the lower end of my Maintenance numbers this week.

What I am about to do is have one of your deconstructed Bullet Proof coffees in a moment, first time for me. Using salted butter, cos I love it. Thanks for that idea.

[sorenkkg]

thanks guys, trying to grow my bangs out. I'm frustrated already but will give it a go.

Interesting about the 2 UDs, I'll keep that in mind.

Cindy - I'm doing a DD today, just had black tea and 10g butter this morning; now it's 3pm here, and I went for 5g more rather than 100g baby carrots.
Salted butter of course

S.

[wiiiifit]

Thanks for this thread and your mid day tips. I haven't great MD in the past, when I let up on the DD mindset it seems to go straight from DD to UUAD. I am joining a TOPS group with a Monday weigh in. I have always done MWF DD and Sunday was always supposed to be a mid, but usually turned into an up day. My thinking was that by joining the group with a Monday evening weigh in, it will keep me more accountable on Sundays because I will want to show a loss for the week if it is at all possible. I think keeping a mindset of a DD with an extra dinner time treat might work.

[Kissa]

That sounds like a really good plan Wiifit. I hear good things about TOPS, we don't have it over here.

[SICCHI]

I am doing a MD today to change rotation for mine and fiances birthday later this week (lucky we are 2 days apart so I can DD in the middle ) but am considering changing to a low UD because I stall weekly and I think the MD every Friday is doing this (just going on the fact that alot of you JUDDBUDDS stall after MD's). As I said in my last post, MD's are so hard for me. I am starving after my DD. At my weight my DD are 350 cal and UD 1700 so my MD is around 1000 which makes me ! I already had nearly half my cal this morn. Am going to make a pact with my self today to have an UD without treats ( Like lots of fruit and fibre full natural foods or nuts and not bread and cupcakes ) to get my cals up. See if this helps.....

Soren, you can see the change in your face, lookin great!

[SICCHI]

Originally Posted by wiiiifit

Thanks for this thread and your mid day tips. I haven't great MD in the past, when I let up on the DD mindset it seems to go straight from DD to UUAD. .

Soooooooo know what you mean!!!

[sorenkkg]

Thanks Sicchi!

Wiiiifit, I know what you mean too! What's a TOPS group?

[wiiiifit]

TOPS is a nonprofit weight loss support group. It is a little like a lower budget Weight Watchers. There is a meeting, a weigh-in, and while officially they recommend the diabetic exchange program; from what I have seen everybody does their own eating plan. They don't push the exchange program; so there is no expensive food program to purchase and constantly change or update like WW. The fee to join is an annual $28 and my group has $1 per week dues. This mostly goes to contests and awards for the biggest loser of the week, month, quarter, etc.

[stephdray]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

thanks guys, trying to grow my bangs out. I'm frustrated already but will give it a go.

Interesting about the 2 UDs, I'll keep that in mind.

Cindy - I'm doing a DD today, just had black tea and 10g butter this morning; now it's 3pm here, and I went for 5g more rather than 100g baby carrots.
Salted butter of course

S.

I did a MD on the trip up to my home town that I just took this weekend so that I could make my Up Day fall on the same day as my grandmother's 90th birthday. I didn't want to think about dieting when with family.

I actually think it helped quite a bit.

I looked at it as a second DD but more plentiful. I was hungry but it was totally doable.

[b_lou_who]

Medium days work for me to maintain, but they don't do a thing for losses for this old bod.

[Kissa]

Mine went well today.

[sorenkkg]

How'd you work it Cindy? Did you treat it like a DD with a bit more, or an UD with a bit less?

[Kissa]

To be honest I just counted the cals fairly loosely, lol.

I had to wait 2 hours in a coffee shop while a new windscreen was fitted to our car... so ended up have 2 soya coffees and a toasted cheese and mushroom sandwich there. then this evening I had abig salad, with real dressing and some smoked mackerel. And 2 small glasses of red wine.

Probably a bit high at around 1,100.