HK3's Journal, 04 January 2022

I realize I’m lucky….very much so. I can gain 6 pounds in 5 days and lose those 6 pounds in the next 9. How many of you struggle to lose a pound per week? Would the same 6 pounds take you until Valentines Day to lose? Think before you cheat is all I’m saying. 

For the record I consumed an average of just over 2000 calories per day last week. My maintenance intake should be in the 2400-2500 range. I would consider my activity level to be somewhat low to moderate in this time as well…30 minute workouts on Jan 1 and 2, just push ups and sit-ups yesterday, I’ll do the same today and add a stretching session in the living room since the garage is 15 degrees. 

I made it thru my anniversary and Xmas (at two houses) without going off my meal plan. I cooked for everyone else but ate my Tupperware full of chicken and rice. Jan 2nd was my wife's bday. She asked if I would have bbq, cake and ice cream with her and the kids... And I did since she asked. Long story short Im up 7lbs off one day. It makes a difference. One hundred percent. If you're trying to lose weight it will set you back.. In maintenance maybe not so much or not so noticable with daily fluctuations. 

Spot on…I’m in maintenance so I ate way beyond my needs and it was relatively simple to come back down. Someone who is 20, 30, 50+ pounds from their goal has a much higher likelihood of adverse effects and setbacks from cheat meals/days. Agree 100%. 

I literally just a whole large pizza the other day… for me when I binge ( bulk):) it’s not fat but just water… now if you binge for weeks on that’s a different story … but hey that’s why we all on our personal journeys with our own goals and life situations 

Lol…pro tip…replace the word binge with bulk. I see you lost the weight already, mighty…nice! 

Personally I think re-feed days are necessary for a healthy body and sanity… especially in a severe deficit 

I agree to an extent…refeed with maintenance calories not to binge status. I find that days I refeed now with 3000+ calories makes me crave more food the next day too. 

Yup… hence why the dreaded rollercoaster  

Our bodies are still hardwired for the caveman ages … our mind doesn’t know we don’t need to go weeks between meals and still wants to store as much fat as possible… even in deficient that’s why we cant lose weight at a constant deficit for forever… 

Funny, cause when I did my "junk" food experiment I was eating a whole pizza per day. 2400 calorie Hot N Ready most of the time. I lost 45 pounds and got into awesome shape. CICO. 

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=141807961 <--this is the link to my 10 month experiment. I monitored my expenditure and intake to the best of my ability. Went from 216-220 to 175-180. The key it not to binge... 

I think his point is not to put yourself in the position to binge. Not everyone can control themself. We all see it on here everyday. There is always someone posting about how one Oreo led to an entire pack. You can control yourself.  

One of my friends went on a pizza diet and lost a lot of weight on it, so I asked her how is that possible. She told me she would by a couple large pies from the local pizzeria and individually freeze the slices. She said she didn't buy the pizza from big franchises, because there's more calories in those. Then she would eat 1 slice for each meal, which is 237 cal., 10.60 g. protein, 26 carbs. and 10 g. fat per slice. She would eat 1 slice per meal and an occasional garden salad and no snacks. It's not the ideal diet, but it worked for her.  

Most people are great at CI and terrible at CO. That’s a huge issue. Also, it’s interesting to see arguments for a calorie is a calorie but then see explanations about the thermal effect of different foods. Not every nutrient you put in your body behaves the same when metabolized. Why wouldn’t you just eat sticks of butter while in a deficit? Very few dieters have self control to freeze individual slices of pizza…so my opinion is stay away from pizza altogether until you’ve hit your goal. Then go for it. 

Your opinion would be ok for people that are close to goal. As in less than 30 pounds over weight. Try telling a 300 pound person to abstain for the years it will take to get into shape. Some can do it, a very small percentage. Most will lose quickly, binge gain it back and repeat until they give up. Again, you're a novice. Most trainers that know that it's all about CICO would put their clients on a more flexible plan that can be sustained for life. 

And no, I'm not saying a coach would say eat pizza all day, don't come to me with the straw man again. But a liveable 80/20 is the sweet spot. 

Excellent comment Diablo, You got to make the life style change for the long term. These diets suck as once you're off it, gain will come quickly and one will be over the initial weight loss and gain and extra few or more pounds. Moderation is the rider and keeping track is the horse that'll get you where you want to be. 

https://youtu.be/t1VVT_patGM 

Portion control, moderation— healthier eating most of the time and less healthier choices once in a while. Exercise in the form of cardio, strength training, and FUN physical activities that include other people, your kids, family. No guilt, no recriminations. Remove the term diet from your vocabulary. Lifestyle change. I have mentored many people over the course of 40 years and this has worked for them all. Even the woman who lost 175 pounds in a year has not gained it back and it has been 8 years. The woman who lost 250 in 2 years has not gained it back. This is a way of eating that can be done for a lifetime because it encourages people to learn to eat and exercise in the real world