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I am not the only one in my family who struggles with weight issues. My dad is overweight; my Mom complains that she has gained more than 25 pounds in the two years since her back surgery, and my older sister’s weight yo-yo’s up and down. But when my sister arrived at our house for the holidays, she looked great. She had obviously lost a lot of weight since the end of August, when I had last seen her.
“Yep,” my sister confirmed, “I’ve lost 27 pounds since then. I have a system that works.”
Hey, I am looking for anything that works so of course I wanted to know more.
“Well,” she told me, “I only diet every other day. That way I don’t really feel like I am depriving myself.” She went on to explain that half the days she is very strict and the other half she eats whatever she wants, as much as she wants, but she does exercise on these days. I didn’t get all the details, but when she says really strict, I am picturing salads and water. But she was adamant that she had absolutely NO RESTRICTIONS on the non-diet days, most of which include a visit to some fast food joint.
My sister said she used to eat everyday with no restrictions - that’s why she put on weight in the first place. With her every other day diet she figures she is cutting out over a third of her normal caloric intake, but she can still have fries and shakes and cheeseburgers and all the other stuff she loves. Plus she can have some flexibility with her diet schedule so that she can allow herself to indulge for big events.
As my sister puts it, “It is easy to eat healthy for a day, if I know I can pig out tomorrow. And it is a lot easier to run for 40 minutes on the treadmill, if I know I can eat whatever I want when I get off.”
I am still planning to stick to my “get fit slowly” routine of employing small changes to my everyday life, but I do find my sister’s diet very intriguing, particularly because it is a dieting concept that I have never heard of before. And obviously, it is working for her.
J.D.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Josh Baltzell // Jan 3, 2008 at 11:19 am
That is actually a pretty interesting idea. I am dieting right now with the motivation of being in competition with a friend to see how much weight we can lose. But I am starting to feel like I am on a diet and not just eating better.
I have a few rules I am using right now, but no particular diet.
1: I treat all carbs like they are cake. I would never eat 2 slices of cake with lunch, but for some reason I was okay with eating 4 breadsticks.
2: I eat fruits and vegetables as often as I possibly can and I make frequent stops to buy new produce. I figure that even if something is really sweet and sugary it is better than a bag of chips.
2 typome // Jan 3, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I’m not too sure if I agree with that type of diet. I see why she lost weight; like you mentioned, she was eating bad all the days, so if she were to alternate with good days, then she’ll definitely lose the weight. But at some point, the bad foods will dominate the good foods, since one fast food meal can easily add tons of bad stuff that perhaps the good days can’t have enough time to clear out.
I think people struggle with dieting because the foods they do eat, like the packaged salads and the lean cuisines, are probably not that great to begin with. But if you picture cultures from back in the day, cooking up meals based on vegetables and grains, like the Mediterranean for instance, they actually enjoy their food. I think cooking your own meals, finding quality fruits and vegetables at farmers market will make “dieting” enjoyable. I’d rather eat real food around a table than a lean cuisine on my office cubicle, and it won’t make me feel like I’m dieting. I’ve lost weight this way and I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself (nor do I eat at fast food joints).
Eating meat, dairy, carbs and even dessert shouldn’t be a sin either, but it should definitely be seen as a treat that’s had once in a while, not every day, and in the portions our bodies are meant to take.
3 maya // Jan 3, 2008 at 1:23 pm
that’s funny because i would totally eat 2 slices of cake with lunch!
4 Brigid // Jan 3, 2008 at 1:49 pm
This is an awesome approach to losing weight. Unfortunately, when most people decide to go on a “diet” they have this notion that it won’t work unless the program is followed to the letter. When they stray off course, they give up. It’s kind of an “All or Nothing” approach that usually makes one wind up with nothing.
In the same vein, I was able to complete three marathons by doing run-walk intervals (the last one was two minutes running/one minute walking). You don’t have to run the whole way. In fact, the walk breaks keep your legs fresher. I’ve tried the run-walk breaks for races as short as 5Ks and the time has only varied by about 30 seconds.
One very good program, Bill Philips Body-For-Life incorporates a “Free day” into the week. You follow a plan for the week and pick one pig out day (usually Saturday). I got to the point where I stopped pigging out because it just made me sick. I have little desire (other than a taste) for my old favorites like alfredo sauces and deep-fried everything.
5 J.D. // Jan 3, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I’m going to have to read Body for Life. Everyone keeps recommending it. I’ve picked it up and have it on my bookshelf, but haven’t actually started reading yet. I’ll loan it to Mac when I’m finished.
When Mac told me about his sister’s diet the other day, it sounded intriguing. I love the concept of alternating exercise and diet days. I’m not ready to try this, but I’m certainly going to keep it in the back of my mind…
6 Brigid // Jan 3, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Look at it this way - you can either eat good every other day or you can never eat good at all. Any little change you make is a positive one and it leads to more positive changes as time goes on. At least that’s been my experience:-)
7 TosaJen // Jan 3, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Interesting idea. If you start eating very well (or in a very restricted way — not sure what your sister is eating on her “diet” days) 1/2 the time, that will definitely reduce calories.
Question is, how does it work long term? How long has she maintained the weight loss, or is she still losing weight (aka the “honeymoon”)?
Also, we all have different personality quirks and I know that I’d have a hard time maintaining that schedule given the right amount of stress and crisis. Every day would turn into “no exercise and eat whatever I want” day. ::) I do better trying my best every day and cutting myself slack as necessary.
8 James // Jan 3, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Not completely related, but I thought you guys might find this list of negative calorie foods helpful. http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/negative-calorie-foods-15-foods-that-actually-burn-more-calories-than-they-contain/
9 beth // Jan 4, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Very interesting idea.
But this is what *I* need in my quest for better living:
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1049
10 Warren // Jan 4, 2008 at 12:58 pm
This worked for me. In 2002 I decided that the bathroom scale with springs did not make sense! How did it accurately determine weight? After all did not springs become weaker with use!
So I made a plan. Buy a new scale, like those in hospitals and doctors offices. Where would I find such a scale? Answer - Internet search….
The purchase was made from A-I Scale Sales & Service, 2330 NW Raleigh Street, Portland OR 97210… voice 503-248-0711. A perfect used, reconditioned scale…. Price was right!
Where to put the scale was a easy question to answer… In the entry hallway where I have to past it daily!
Sounds like I’m on my way to a healthy lifestyle…But not true, you probably guessed correctly … I just walked right by this new ‘hall decoration’ daily… thinking, perhaps tomorrow I’ll begin my adventure on the pathway to health…
Never happened for years!
Still guessing, how I finally took control of my life if you’ve arrived at the word “STROKE” … You may be well on your way to a healthy life…
After, recovering from that life altering event… Not a easy journey! However, necessary, if one intends to continue living a creative life…
So, why did I get to the point of a “STROKE”?
ALL THINGS SEAMED MORE IMPORTANT THAN TAKING TIME TO BE HEALTHY…
A mistake!
Think Again!
Nothing is more important than your health…
Now, I’m 38# lighter, down from 196 to 158…
Easy? No & YES!
We all control our weigh …
How?
QUIT SIMPLY, BY THE CHOICES WE MAKE EACH DAY - MOMENT BY MOMENT JUST USE YOUR MIND TO CONTROL YOUR WEIGH…
if i can do it …. so can you…
11 Chrissie // Jan 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I realize this reply is late, but that’s OK!
The immediate glaring problem that I’m finding with your sister’s approach to weight loss is that there’s no way that it will be sustainable. Sure it’s great to “diet” every other day and it’s certainly going to work since you’re cutting your caloric intake overall, but I imagine that she’ll go back to her normal eating habits once she’s attained her goal weight. That means that the weight will just come right back on. The difference between her approach and yours is simply life style changes.
Getting rid of weight forever is a matter of developing new habits and keeping them for the duration, that’s why diets fail. They’re temporary and fail to instill actual changes in a person in regards to how they treat food and how they treat activity (ie: her statement about getting on the treadmill knowing that means she can pig out later).
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