I've been following this thread--it looks very interesting. I am considering doing this. I've been exercising regularly but my eating has been dismal.

One thing I'm worried about is if I only consume 500 calories (which is what the website recommends) on my down day and work out I may have a total wipe out. I try to work out an hour a day 6 days a week. Do you guys work out? How are your down days? Are you able to perform? How do you feel? Or do you just take down days off from exercise?

Thanks! Keep up the great work.

These are great questions Sydney. I have had 2 down days so far, and both days I've gotten in 20 to 30 minute workouts, plus done my normal daily activities like work, clean, and support my 4th graders in after stuff. I have to say, that so far I have felt BETTER, more energized and almost invincible on my down days. I've yet to figure out if it's because of the excessive amount of water I drink, or if there's some other physiological or psychological answer...whatever it is, I LOVE it!

Greetings, Sydney,

I normally work out 6 days a week, for an hour at-a-time. Since starting this diet though, I've been only working out on the up days, for the exact reason you stated above.

I keep up with my crunches and back strengthening stuff on the down days, but no cardio/fat-burning.

I'll be weighing in after a full week of Johnsoning this Tues morning, (France time), and if all goes well, I am planning to be tickled pink.

Do feel free to join the JUDDD group here, (if you haven't already), as that's where many of us are hanging out and keeping track of our respective progressings.

btw: I like your avatar.

M.

Hey Sydney,

I workout 7 days/week, 4 hour long cardio sessions, 3 45-minute sessions, and on the 45 minute days I add weight training (3x per week). I workout on my down days (obviously) but I have learned to save 100 calories for after my workouts if they are late in the evening so I can have a 100 calorie bag of popcorn or whatever, otherwise I am too hungry. That said, because I am a man and I workout a lot, my calorie allowance is higher -- 850 on my down days. I don't know how/if I would still work out if I could only eat 500 for the day. That's brutal.

Have you had your RMR tested? You can get a BodyGem test done at any Bally's Fitness. I think it's $40. You mulitply the number you get by 1.2 and then add in exercise calories for the week and then take an 7 day average to get your numbers. You may be pleasantly surprised that you can have more calories than the calculators say. Or, you may be disappointed to find you need fewer.

Dave

Valarie, sounds like you're doing very well with the diet, but afraid of the ultimate outcome. If you're like me, you've probably been on one or two (or 20!) diets in your life, and failed a few times.

I guess my thoughts are: If we're going to do this right, this has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. I actually enjoy not having to worry about food on certain days, so I think this is truly something I can stick with. I also enjoy the relative freedom of the up days. Plus, having this online support has been a godsend for me, anyway!

If you're not that hungry on your up days, don't eat much! But, if you are hungry and craving something, have it! That's the beauty of this very forgiving way of eating.

I hope you stick with it and keep us posted on your progress. We're here for you, girl! {{{{hugs}}}}

AngieV.

Angie - I am not disappointed by the diet at all. I agree with you in the way it makes me feel. It is incredibly easy and I have had success with it. I wore a size 4 before I had kids (set of 5 year old twins) Since then, I have slowly put on weight and am at the point of needing to lose it.

I think I posed that question because it is so relatively easy. That it why i wanted everyone's input about how they think they are doing. I am really excited about it and definitely plan on sticking it to it.

Didn't mean to make you worry about me but thanks a bunch for doing just that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will enjoy my dinner of grilled chicken and a baked potatoe with my family. I am from Louisiana so dinner might include some King Cake in celebration of Mardi Gras!!! I know some of you have no idea of what I am talking about!!!!!!

I know just what you're talking about!! My husband and I have some friends who are from a small town near NO. Their whole town was wiped out by Katrina. They live in Texas, so their family (who still lived in that small town) came and stayed with them for several months. Mandy used to make King Cake every year around this time and take it to the office where she and my husband worked.

We don't live near them now, but miss game nights with them...

Enjoy your King Cake!

Dave, that's excellent! Great job! Hooray! Congratulations!

MeeeEEEEE Too!

I would love to hear the weight loss over time results of anyone that has done this diet for any length of time.
I'm doing it now but working out a lot as well so it's hard for me to tell, it's only been a few days here.

Noel,

Welcome! There's a post on page 6 from dana j who said she's been doing this for over three years, and has kept the weight off. Also, have you checked out Dr. Johnson's web page? There isn't a whole lot of info. on it, but it does have a nice calculator so you can figure out your down day calories.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

Hey Dave, if you're still checking in I have a couple of questions for you:

Can the granules be mixed with a shake, or will it make the shake too thick to drink?

Can you buy the granules at a GNC or Whole Foods Market, or do they have to be ordered online?

Thanks for your reply!

AngieV.

Go to

http://www.slimstyles.com/contactus.htm

and click "where to buy" to find a store near you.

Dave

Hi, Noel! You are welcome to post here and ask for support any time. I am afraid that, with the exception of Dana, we are all quite new to this plan. However, I can definitely see myself doing this forever--I have a new outlook on food/eating/dieting. Every OTHER day is delightful.

Good luck with your diet experience--let us know how it's going for you.

Beth is right - every other day is delightful. This is the first time in a very long time that I do not even think about food. It is great to not feel bound to the next meal!!

Since I have kind of changed the way I am doing things, I have changed by weigh in to Saturday morning. By then, I hope to have posted a five pound total weight loss! That will be great, but even if it is not that much, I still love the new eating plan. I have not been able to sit still all day. It is 7:30 CST and I know in an hour or so, I will have wished I would have relaxed a little more - especially when I wake up at 5:30 tomorrow am.

Good night all!

I agree, Valarie. There's a different mind set coming into play for me, and it seems to have come about spontaneously as a side effect of this diet. I didn't consciously *try* to change my attitude about food or anything. But now, food is just . . . well, food. I certainly still enjoy it, but seems to have lost a lot of the emotion I have associated with it. And, since I eat only on alternate days, I also have had to develop other ways of dealing with day-to-day stress besides eating.

Also, it is very freeing not to have to immerse myself in endless counting of calories, adjusting of recipes, shopping for special ingredients, spending an enormous amount of time trying to make diet foods palatable and just thinking about food in general.

On down days, I obviously don't have to think much about meals; on up days, I just eat whatever tasty dish I have prepared for the family and enjoy it without guilt. I find I don't have the seemingly bottomless pit for an appetite, either. I am often surprised by how little food actually DOES fill me up, and how little of a treat actually DOES make me feel satisfied. Whether this is a psychological or a physical side effect, I do not know; perhaps a little of both?

Anybody else have any thoughts on that?

Doing this diet 6 days I have lost 3 pounds- woo hoo! That brings my total weight loss since dieting and working out ( prior ) to 46 pounds....that rocks! Since I've been on a continuous diet plan prior to this I'm doubting that it's an initial water weight loss- I was sooooo hungry last night but I've come to look at that as how I feel when my body is burning fat- I try not to eat after 6:30 or so anyway. I'm not eating crazy on the up days..just eating moderately but what I want and I crave healthier foods these days anyway. I also work out .

A completely agree Beth. I sometimes think, how could this have happened so quickly? That has never happened on WW. On that Plan, I was constantly thinking how many points this and what do I have left over and what am I feeding the kids that I can eat too. This is so great. On Down days, it is a non-issue. On UP days, I cook traditional week-day meals (spaghetti, baked chicken,etc) It is great to know that I can sit with my family and eat with them and it is not against the law!

Our time around the dinner table is important to me and my husband. We do the High/Lo interview and my kids tell us the best and worst part of their days. I grew up around a dinner table and I think it is important. Those Down days around the table are a little more scarce. I need to come up with a solution to that. The shake doesn't sound quite as appealing with warm creamy mac and cheese on everyone else's plate. I'll get there!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day. Here's to being Down all day!!

Beth- on one of my up days I bought this HEAVENLY piece of cake at Whole Foods...I think when I ate it my eyes rolled up into my head..lol..but it was nice to have a splurge and not feel like a criminal and know that I'm on a program that compensates for that. Another up day was at my mothers for dinner...chicken fettuccini..(sp) followed with a berry pie...I had a moderate dinner portion and I had the pie with whipped cream on it..so for the 6 days on the diet and the loss of 3 pounds that included the above foods....I'm thinking I like this! I hope the loss continues- this works for me!

I feel the same way y'all do about not having to worry about food on down days, and not having to worry about what I do eat on up days.

I felt the same way with WW. I was always thinking about my next meal, and how to make the points s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the whole day. Plus, I was hungrier on that plan than I am on down days! Go figure...

Thanks for the info, Dave!

RIGHT ON NOEL, and welcome!

Now that's the kind of story I want to hear, (and taste ; ).

Can't wait to weigh-in tomorrow.

: )

Fantastic, Noel!! So happy for you!

That's very cool--thank you for sharing that!

I miss being out of the loop. My home computer is down so I can only check this out on break at work now.

Man, that stinks Monna. Well, we're definitely still here for ya on your breaks too!

Thanks Jenn, that means alot. Anyone else I tell about this diet thinks I'm crazy. Hey, we are trend setters.

Wow Monna! I just read your profile. Four teenagers??? God bless you, girl. I have 1 teen and one who turns 13 in April, plus a 7 year old.

And being a single mom can't be easy. My sister does it, but she only has one. Just know we're here for support, and if you need to vent!

Take care!

We're not crazy...just tired of programs that either don't work or are hard to stick to. Here's to the trend working for us!

Thanks Angie.
I have one that just turned 20 so I guess she doesn't count, but she still lives at home and has teen moments. I also have a boy about to be 17, a 15 year old girl, and a 13 year old boy.
It is very hard some days and I get NO HELP from the dad. (you said I could vent ;*)
I guess one of the reasons I want to loose some of this weight is because I don't want to be by myself forever and am thinking of dating again. I may have a winning personality, but you have to get their attention first.
Jenn, you said it. I've tried so many diets and got no place with them. I have spent so much time working hard to shed some pounds only to be disapointed after months of effort and gave up. This time I think I can live with this.