calorie average

[lumpyandbumpy]

just felt the need to post this to give another perspective on JUDDD and the calorie shift/swing throughout the week. When i started Juddd, i threw myself into the up days like there was no tomorrow, mianly because i had social events which involved meals out and drinks so as you can imagine, I really went to town on the calories! i've looked at my pattern over the past few weeks (im on my 3rd week of juddd now) and i can see why i wasnt initially losing weight straight away.

apart from the fact i'd crossed over from a vlcd and was expecting a gain, my calories balanced back at an average of 1800 per day during the first 2 weeks which is fine for maintenance but not for a loss at my weight. this was due to the fact that my 2 ups on the weekend were huge and therefore had an knock-on effect on the rest of the week so for example during week 1 i had consumed around 10000 cals on my first 2 ups alone (!) then i was tipping the top of my downs with 500 cals each day plus i was having my full 2000 on the ups. week 2 was very similar, takeaways and the usual naughty stuff at the wkends really tipping me over!

however, this week, so far my average calories per day balance back at just over 1250 per day and this will continue for today and tomorrows average as long as i stick to my planned menus. so in essence, if you are following a standard calorie controlled diet and you restrict to in between 1200-1500 per day, theres no reason why u shouldnt lose. this seems to be the case for me as this week im on course for a loss. maybe its the fact my body has readjusted to juddd after the initial 2 weeks period but i feel its more to do with the calorie average so if anyone is panicking because they've gone over massively on one Up, then take a step back on calculate your weekly average. i realise that the swing is key to weight loss but sometimes it may help to have an ID to cut back on a really massive weekend or Up day and bring the calorie average down. ive been reading a bit more into calorie shifting on a site which does mention Juddding so i can see it from a different angle now and what i need to do to balance calories back.

hope this helps others to take a step back when they've overindulged and understand the calorie swing and shift a bit better! you can pull it back over the week and now im finally finding a happy medium with my calories and on my juddding journey!

 

[Greeneyes11]

I've had the opposite happen. My first 2 weeks had the biggest loss despite coming straight from a VLCD and pigging out the first 2 weeks. Since I've been watching my calories more I have lost less.

 

[hannata]

If you follow what you are given on the juddd website you will lose weight. The up day is a maintenance figure, so even if you ate that EVERY DAY you wouldn't gain. So by adding in a few 500 calorie days throughout the week you will lose..

You don't need to do any complicated sums, you just need to follow the numbers from the site.


Also its worth noting that a human body is not a mathematical equation but a complex biological system.

 

[lumpyandbumpy]

i think everyone's bodies adapt differently to juddd and calorie shifting. im not trying to say that my way is the best way i just wanted to put another slant on it because im finding that im losing weight this week and looking at my overall intake, its much lower and balanced this week compared with the last 2 weeks. so for others who are in a similar bind, who have stalled or maybe gained i just wanted to put my experience forward on calorie shifting in case others hit a groove and want to try something different to see if it works for them.

my 2nd week i managed to maintain so really if i were to have the higher amount of cals on all the ups and go over in excess on the weekend, it would prob balance back, but it doesnt seem to be the case for my losses sadly!

 

[bajoleth]

I too find that I lose more if I eat freely on my UP days, although I have yet to have an up day of 5000 cals that must of been one hell of a day lumpy lol x. I average at 2300 on my week UPs and 3000 on my weekend ups, always under 500 for my DD s. Obviously it works differently for different people but the principle behind the diet is NOT calorie counting just limiting yourself several days a week eating normally for the rest of the week. But of course your perspective is most welcome and interesting, I don't think in general people eat as many cals as you did in week one , it was a bit of an ask to lose after eating 10000 in one weekend xx Although calories have an impact in that you can't eat limitless amounts they shouldn't be the focus of an UP day the plan means that UP days should be normal days not dieting days, however if someones normal day consists of 3000 plus then it would be more sensible to lower those amounts x

 

[lumpyandbumpy]

I too find that I lose more if I eat freely on my UP days, although I have yet to have an up day of 5000 cals that must of been one hell of a day lumpy lol x. I average at 2300 on my week UPs and 3000 on my weekend ups, always under 500 for my DD s. Obviously it works differently for different people but the principle behind the diet is NOT calorie counting just limiting yourself several days a week eating normally for the rest of the week. But of course your perspective is most welcome and interesting, I don't think in general people eat as many cals as you did in week one , it was a bit of an ask to lose after eating 10000 in one weekend xx Although calories have an impact in that you can't eat limitless amounts they shouldn't be the focus of an UP day the plan means that UP days should be normal days not dieting days, however if someones normal day consists of 3000 plus then it would be more sensible to lower those amounts x

yes my initial Ups were crazy! obviously as i came from a vlcd i cant be 100% sure that this is the science that is working for me as my body may have been taking a little longer than other to adjust. But... what i have found interesting in my pattern is that i gain at least 2-3lbs on heavy ups, i.e. naughty weekends, and i tend to stay the same after a balanced down day consisting of 1800-2000 cals, then the down day will produce a loss of 1lb every time which has helped balanced back this week.

i also managed to have a really low down day this week which resulted in a 3lbs loss, first time thats happened for me so again could be that the body is out of adjustment mode and getting into the juddd groove now! i'll be tracking my patterns over the coming weeks to see what is working and what seems to hinder so that i can have a set pattern which i know will work long term. as long as im on target for a christmas goal i'll be very happy to continue juddding, not every diet lets you have cheesecake almost every other day! mmmm x

 

[littlemumma]

Iv got to say in my short experience i am in the same boat as u lumpy, most up days im averaging at about 17-1800 cals and that generally results in a 1-2lb gain, on the odd instance iv had 2200 iv gained 4-5lbs and struggle to shift that during the week unless i have a reall DD like 250cals or ID of about 1200 instead of an UP....
Maybe its coz weve had soooooo long on little calories due to vlcd??? Who knows but for time being im sticking to about 400cals on a DD and 1800 on an UP (1200 on ID) which averages at a little under 1200 per day and will see how i get on with that......
I calorie counted on diet before and kept to 1200 a day and lost between 1-2lbs a week which is whats happening to me doing juddd....

 

[bajoleth]

Yep its def an individual thing and daily weighing can be useful as long as its the official weekly weight that is noted of course , as if you have a stall then you can work out where you need to tinker, as long as you don't go down too low on your UP days and you are losing weight then you do whatever works for you x

 

[Greeneyes11]

Well I have tons of junk food for the next couple of days at Alton Towers, so high caloried I am not even going to try and track the calories, so my next WI after that will be interesting, to see if I have gained or lost. This one will be 9 days though as weighing in early this week, and having 2 lots of 2 UP days together, due to Alton Towers and Christening/Paralympics day in London.....

 

[littlemumma]

Absolutely jo!!!
But i do love this diet!! The strict days r fine and the eating days are amaziiiiiing

 

[MissHapp]

I have to say, I am not yet persuaded by the 'calorie swing' argument - I appreciate that people's experiences suggest that this may be a factor and am totally open and willing to being corrected if anyone can refer me to anything specific about the calorie swing. Our body metabolises in a complex way and when we lose the fat is not simply down to 'eat x, weigh y'. No one knows for sure exactly under what conditions our body releases fat stores - the only known fact is that calorie restriction works - and whatever anyone says, this diet is essentially based on calorie restriction. I have read and read and read around this subject and Dr Johnson and everyone else involved in IF/ADF say it all boils down to calorie restriction - but restricting in a way which is psychologically manageable. I would post a number of links but am reluctant to do so as I for myself in bother with admin! Oops.

The 'swing' aspect probably keeps our bodies guessing a bit and so more relaxed about giving up those stores but Dr Johnson says the primary reason for the alternate day thing are the psychological benefits. For those who notice that they lose more when they eat more, it is interesting to note that their concept of 'more' is probably around maintenance calories, so not in any way shape or form, over-eating. It makes total sense that if you eat significantly - and I mean significantly - more on your UDs than your maintenance figure, then you will not achieve a calorie deficit over time, which is ultimately what is needed for weight loss.

I added up my UD guide and my DD guide and then divided that by 7 - for me that gives me a figure of 1350 daily which is bang on the nose for weight loss. I then use MFP to see if I make that average over a week. So, I actually agree with you all but in slightly different ways! I think the calorie average is actually crucial but I also think what makes it sustainable is the fact that it is alternate days. But I do have to say that I don't think there is anything scientifically proven in the 'calorie swing' that means we lose weight - it *is* calorie restriction. Just google it.

 

[littlemumma]

Very well put - makes so much sense!!! Xx

 

[yoga84]

I have to say, I am not yet persuaded by the 'calorie swing' argument - I appreciate that people's experiences suggest that this may be a factor and am totally open and willing to being corrected if anyone can refer me to anything specific about the calorie swing. Our body metabolises in a complex way and when we lose the fat is not simply down to 'eat x, weigh y'. No one knows for sure exactly under what conditions our body releases fat stores - the only known fact is that calorie restriction works - and whatever anyone says, this diet is essentially based on calorie restriction. I have read and read and read around this subject and Dr Johnson and everyone else involved in IF/ADF say it all boils down to calorie restriction - but restricting in a way which is psychologically manageable. I would post a number of links but am reluctant to do so as I for myself in bother with admin! Oops.

The 'swing' aspect probably keeps our bodies guessing a bit and so more relaxed about giving up those stores but Dr Johnson says the primary reason for the alternate day thing are the psychological benefits. For those who notice that they lose more when they eat more, it is interesting to note that their concept of 'more' is probably around maintenance calories, so not in any way shape or form, over-eating. It makes total sense that if you eat significantly - and I mean significantly - more on your UDs than your maintenance figure, then you will not achieve a calorie deficit over time, which is ultimately what is needed for weight loss.

I added up my UD guide and my DD guide and then divided that by 7 - for me that gives me a figure of 1350 daily which is bang on the nose for weight loss. I then use MFP to see if I make that average over a week. So, I actually agree with you all but in slightly different ways! I think the calorie average is actually crucial but I also think what makes it sustainable is the fact that it is alternate days. But I do have to say that I don't think there is anything scientifically proven in the 'calorie swing' that means we lose weight - it *is* calorie restriction. Just google it.

Brilliant And exactly what I've found. My first two weeks on JUDDDD I tracked calories on MFP and averaged around 1200/day over the week and i lost both weeks! The two weeks after my average calories were at around 1800 (due to massive UD weekends!) calories and I sts both weeks!

This week I'm back to tracking (while still eating well on UDs) I think the swing is all about maintaining metabolic rate not actually about weight loss - for that you need to eat less overall!

Now I'm not knocking JUDDDD as you all know I love it and compared to CD it's a miracle and refreshing way to eat and lose weight but in the end to lose weight you have to eat less!

:-D xx

 

[littlemisspiggy16]

Yeah, I think I'm the same - my weightloss seems to depend on overall calories (although it has only been a month so can't say for sure!). However, I love this diet from a psychological point of view - sooooo nice to be able to go for a meal out without feeling guilty or have a few drinks. I don't find it difficult dieting for a day at a time, the thing I hate the most about other diets is how restrictive it is on my social life!

 

[yoga84]

Yeah, I think I'm the same - my weightloss seems to depend on overall calories (although it has only been a month so can't say for sure!). However, I love this diet from a psychological point of view - sooooo nice to be able to go for a meal out without feeling guilty or have a few drinks. I don't find it difficult dieting for a day at a time, the thing I hate the most about other diets is how restrictive it is on my social life!

I agree completely.. I love guilt free JUDDDDing

 

[MissHapp]

Brilliant And exactly what I've found. My first two weeks on JUDDDD I tracked calories on MFP and averaged around 1200/day over the week and i lost both weeks! The two weeks after my average calories were at around 1800 (due to massive UD weekends!) calories and I sts both weeks!

This week I'm back to tracking (while still eating well on UDs) I think the swing is all about maintaining metabolic rate not actually about weight loss - for that you need to eat less overall!

Now I'm not knocking JUDDDD as you all know I love it and compared to CD it's a miracle and refreshing way to eat and lose weight but in the end to lose weight you have to eat less!

:-D xx

Yes, and by restricting the time period in which you eat, you are in fact reducing your calories! I totally get that Dr Johnson says that it's important not to diet on an UD - by eating maintenance calories, people are clearly not dieting on those days. But the reality is that for many people who are having to think about weight loss, they have done some over-eating previously and so have to learn what maintenance calories/eating really looks like. To help with that, it might be useful to track eating very occasionally on an UD. This can be useful on both counts, I think - firstly to make sure that you are not significantly over-eating but also to make sure that you are not under-eating and therefore not getting the nutrients your body needs.

I have tracked an UD a couple of times just to make sure I'm hitting the right kind of calorie figure. For the vast majority of my UDs, I just eat without guilt or worry. I also think there's less of a need to worry religiously about UD calories due to the fact that the DD figures are so low - unlike with daily calorie restriction, where a few a calories too many can knock your weight loss on the head for a week, just one DD is already putting in 1500 cals 'in the bank' so to speak!

Anyways, I'll stop rambling...

 

[bajoleth]

At the end of the day why this works isn't really important to me, all I really care about is that it does, the more people that have joined this board over the last few weeks has made me realise that everyone has their own ideas on how it works, what to eat and what not to eat, how much or how little. All thats important is that if you can embrace the principle and enjoy your Ups without the guilt and learn to love your DD and you lose weight and more noticeably inches along the way then Judd is the diet for you if not put it down to experience and try another. It all seems to be about seeing what works for you as an individual. I now realise that what works for me may not necessarily work for someone else, I think my experience with Judd being so life changing for me ​may cloud my judgement when it comes to giving advice to others, Although we can all be here to support each other along the way I think Juddd is one diet where there are no set patterns, what works for one may not work for others, and I think we each have to find our own patterns and figures to be successful xx

 

[MissHapp]

I don't think your judgement is clouded at all, Jo - you are speaking from your own experiences which is very powerful and relevant for everyone to hear them. I think your point about being different for different people is bang on the money. Essentially, UDs are as you say, about not restricting and this diet is so forgiving that if you get a handle on what 2000 calories looks/feels like, you can just 'go with the flow'.

Some people can eat normally, around 2000 cals and not feel restricted, yet for others if you say 'unrestricted' they would eat 4000+ calories without thinking about it and then wonder why they weren't losing weight. I'm like you though, in that I hope that everyone can and should enjoy the guilt free days of food! Perhaps some just need a bit of help in understanding what 2000 calories is. Hey, that's occurred to me as another huge plus of this diet - whilst losing weight, we are simultaneously learning what maintenance eating is - never had that before!

ADF really is the DB.

 

[Greeneyes11]

I weighed myself this morning after only 5 days, 3 UP days and 2 DD and I have lost 0.8lb, so really pleased with that....

 

[MissHapp]

I weighed myself this morning after only 5 days, 3 UP days and 2 DD and I have lost 0.8lb, so really pleased with that....

Well done! I've noticed that I lose after an UD sometimes...it really is unlike any diet I have ever known!

Can I just say, how bloomin' marvellous everyone is on here? It's so great to have a real discussion without any hint of rancour... It's very refreshing.