Is Calorie Cycling the Key to Sustainable Weight Loss?
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- čas přidán 16. 10. 2022
- This video is a free preview of my 6.5-hour course called Intermittent Fasting: Fast Weight Loss That Lasts. This link will take you to the full course:
www.udemy.com/course/intermit...
In this video, Dr. O explains how calorie cycling can help to prevent the metabolic adaptation that comes with our weight loss efforts.
Medical and Health Disclaimer:
This Video Presentation is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or symptom. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this informational and educational Video Presentation. Your use and reliance on this Video Presentation is at your sole risk. If you believe you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
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This video is a free preview of my 6.5-hour course called Intermittent Fasting: Fast Weight Loss That Lasts. This link will take you to the full course:
www.udemy.com/course/intermittent-fasting-fast-weight-loss-that-lasts/?referralCode=E9AB633FE56C0548990
I have struggled with metabolic adaptation several times in the last 10-15 years. This is the first time I have had someone put a name too it. I understood that my body was fighting me after the first few weeks on a diet. My weight loos would stop dead. After months of the scale not moving, I would give up, gain back the little weight I had lost, plus more, quickly after. People in my life would say things like " just eat less and move more, it's simple math". I counted every macro, weighed everything that went in my mouth, kept meticulous food journals and definitely "moved more". Even the doctor was no help. She told me I must have been eating more than I thought. I wasn't. I understood that something way more complex was happening in my body, and nobody could seem to help me figure it out.
I started ADF in the middle of January 2024, it's now the end of February and I am down almost 20 lbs! I still have lots more to go, but I am so optimistic now. Thank you very much Dr. O. I'm so happy I found your channel. 💕🙏 God Bless.
I had a similar experience, eating very few calories and killing myself in the gym. It was counterproductive but at the same time, I became addicted to exercise. My endurance felt unlimited, I had so much energy. Then I herniated a disk in my back to such a degree where I was literally disabled for years and put on my first 100lbs. I eventually lost it through eating once per day with keto. Then came the twins and COVID and I put 150lbs back on, still haven’t made it back in the gym because of fear of injury, and lack of time between my business and toddlers. I’m motivated though, losing 100lbs, so I will continue and hope my energy finally comes back or until I finally can get back into the gym. We all have our own complex stories so it’s great listening and talking to others about theirs. You did a great job. We’re all gonna make it, bros.
We definitely have a lot of similarities, Kevin. A wrist injury, and bulging discs in my neck, were what caused me to stop exercising. I have been able to battle back, but I had a few setbacks early on. Like most people, I pushed too hard, too fast. I started over and focused on short 5-10 minute exercise sessions and slowly progressed from there. The tortoise and the hare both finish the race. I am always more focused on the next 24 months than 24 hours. We are all in this together!
I have always struggled with too much body fat. I had a mother who showed her love by trying to feed people. It's complicated. At 18 I became determined to lose weight. I ate little and ran 4 miles every night. I lost weight and yes, muscle too. I also felt I had a hunger rat gnawing away at my insides all the time which was horrible. When I'd lost weight I quickly put it back on again. I've started your ADF method and after the first week so far so good. It is doable and not as painful as I thought it might be. Thanks for your work on these videos they are very insightful.
I resonate with your story, Richard. I have definitely been there. The only other time in my adult life that I was under 240 was when I ate 1,000 calories per day and did 3 hours of cardio every day. I lost a LOT of lean mass during that time.
I wish you the best of luck. I look forward to hearing about your progress. You CAN do this!
Brilliant, outsmarting your metabolism!
At least outsmarting it as much as we can LOL
Very useful explanation of how calorie cycling works. What most struck me was when you said that you at one time were eating just 1000 calories a day and strenuously working out, and still were losing nothing.
I had the same experience--on a diet I would lose a bit for awhile, then after a few weeks would hit a plateau where no amount of calorie cutting would budge things. I tried eating about 600 calories a day at one point (I am a short woman, so this is probably similar to your eating 1000 calories), and working out as much as I could. Of course, I would eventually get discouraged--and hungry--and give up.
But since starting ADF 11 weeks ago I have lost 47 lbs, and only hit a plateau that lasted a couple of weeks. I did OMAD for a couple of days and fasted once two days back to back, and broke through.
I am now pretty confident I will be able to handle plateaus in the future.
Overall my experience now could not be more different from just restricting calories every day.
You are doing so well. And thank you again for being so supportive of others here in the comment section as well.
The only other time in my life that I reached my weight loss goal was when I would eat 1000 calories per day and do 3 hours per day of cardio. But it was a terrible way to do things. I lost a bunch of muscle. I was always tired and miserable. And there was no way that I could sustain. I only wish that I would have found ADF sooner :)
@@GrowGrayMatter Similar with me, Dr. O. I just wish I'd discovered IF years ago, as well. Now after 10 months I hve lost 100 lbs. Mostly ADF with some longer fasts thrown in.
Congratulations on your weight loss. I’m also going to implement this idea. 👍🏾 ❤
Thank you. And I definitely think that calorie cycling is a great strategy. Having days where I get to eat until I am completely satisfied is also the main reason I have been able to stick to the plan for 2 years :)
Here is another video where I explain why I like it so much:
czcams.com/video/6BcgfgVQLw4/video.html
Great video. 👍
Thank you. Let me know if you ever have any questions. I love talking about this stuff :)
Thank you for this you have motivated me to get back into fasting, not to the extreme like I used to. months at a time but I can definitely do rolling 48s I will keep you updated on my progress🙏
I am happy to hear that. I will look forward to the updates. We are all in this together :)
I love your channel. Thanks for not only the encouragement you provide, but your rigorous approach to emerging science. Could you place links to the research articles you cite? Perhaps those are subscription-only articles. Might you post links to abstracts? Thanks a ton!
Thank you for the kind words. I really mean that. I love trying to share a balance of my personal experience and the science that supports it.
Thank you for the reminder. I do plan on going back through every video and adding the links. I always make sure to share the PMID (PubMed Identifier), but it would be much easier if I add the links as well.
As you mentioned, I will have to share a link to the abstracts unless the study/article is freely available. I am not allowed to share any studies that are behind pay walls.
The honest reason I haven't done it yet is a lack of time. I never planned on spending much time on CZcams, and the time I do spend is answering every comment that I can. But I have some extra time coming up between semesters at my teaching position.
If you liked the science in this video, be sure to check out my recent video about my current fasting plan:
czcams.com/video/FTKsq7b7Gvs/video.html
I talk about these studies again, but I also dive into the MATADOR study. It is a really amazing one.
Thanks again for the kind words and support
Congratulations :) I've lost 130 pounds over a two year period. I gained about 40 back during COVID, but it's mostly all gone now because I've mixed a Mediterranean diet with calorie cycling. I have primary hypertension so the Med diet with low sodium is pretty much a necessity. Otherwise, this is good advice. Thanks!
Congratulations to you as well, Jack. 130 pounds of weight loss is life changing. Good for you! I have transitioned to a Mediterranean low-carb diet myself. I didn't focus on diet quality much in the early months, but my diet has steadily improved since then. I get a lot of my fat from avocados, olive oil, and hemp seeds now. I am not afraid of animal fat, but this combination has helped me to lower my total cholesterol by over 100 points (into the normal range).
I am sorry to hear about your hypertension. I used to have hypertension, but I have been able to get off both of my meds and my blood pressure is now normal. It is definitely easier for me since I am not salt sensitive. You have to do a balancing act between staying hydrated (with electrolytes) and keeping your blood pressure in check. But I am happy to hear that you have found a plan that is working so well. Keep it up!
@@GrowGrayMatter Thanks! Silver lining regarding hypertension is that my doctor has lowered my medication from 10mg of Amlodipine to 5mg and my BP looks like I'm going to need to lower it again! So it's not all bad news :)
@@DrJack55 That is great news! I was super happy when I was finally able to get off of my last blood pressure med. Keep it up!
I like the way you speak.
Thank you for the kind words :)
Hi.
I am down 29 lbs. since February using alternate day fasting. I have a lot more to go.
I am finding it much easier to exercise on fasting days because I have more energy and my body isn't busy working on a belly full of food. Your points in your videos about exercise on feast days do make sense though.
Did you exercise before eating on feast days?
Thank you for your videos and expertise.
Hi Davin. First off, CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you are super proud of your progress. Keep it up!
The key is to find what works best for you. I work with students that are training for marathons and triathlons on empty stomachs. We are all too unique for a one-size-fits-all approach.
I have definitely trained fasted. I used to do 60-hour fasts and train twice during that time.
I have one small meal before training on my eating days. I also wait 2 hours after I eat to train, so I don't have a belly full of food. But I know that only some have the luxury of a schedule like that.
If fat loss is your goal, ideal training doesn't need to be the priority. Your exercise is just supporting your diet. If building muscle is your goal, things flip around and your training becomes a bigger piece of the puzzle.
The main reason that I like training on my eating days is that I recover a lot better when I have 2-3 big meals after I train. But I am at the point where I am more worried about building muscle than losing fat.
I don't know if I made this more or less confusing :). But I hope that it helps.
Here is a good article I like on the topic as well:
science.drinklmnt.com/fasting/should-you-train-fasted/
I would love to hear your thoughts.
yup, I'm Irish (in Ireland) so my ancestors did survive a famine. I carry the gene for surviving a famine. No wonder my metabolism has adapted to ''rations''.
My grandparents came here (US) from Ireland, so I have some of those thrifty genes as well :). Our metabolism really does think it is doing us a favor by holding on to every ounce of fat that it can. I sure wish it was easier to convince it that we are safe and sound now :)
I would like an example of what you ate when you first started. Drinks and food
You bet. I have received that question quite a bit recently, so I am putting together a few things so that I can get that recorded very soon.
My diet is pretty simple. I follow a few basic rules that keep me on track:
1. I am low-carb, but I don't have to stay super low-carb. I generally eat 40-60 grams of carbs per day.
2. Protein at every meal. I am for a minimum of 40 grams per meal. It keeps me full, burns extra calories, and (most importantly) helps me preserve lean mass while I am losing fat.
3. Fiber at every meal. I aim for 10-15 grams at every meal. It also keeps me full, helps keep my cholesterol low, and keeps me regular.
Those are the 3 keys for me. Meat and veggies make up most of my meals.
I hope that this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am here to help.
You are describing Eat-Stop-Eat by Brad Pilon.
That is definitely one of the ways to use calorie cycling. I personally do a 36:12 ADF schedule. I don't hear much about Eat-Stop-Eat anymore since most people like to use programs that are more aggressive (like OMAD or ADF), but I still think it is one of the best programs for keeping the weight off once you have reached your goal.
Great video. Question that’s a little off topic. I’ve been alternate day fasting and have lost 10 pounds. When should I remeasure myself and adjust calories?
First off, that is awesome to hear! Keep it up!
I think it really depends on how close you are to your goal weight. When I first started, I didn't reassess for 10 weeks (after losing 50 pounds). But now that I am super close to my goal weight, I reassess every 2 weeks.
There really isn't a right or wrong answer as long as you don't wait too long. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Reassess if your progress slows.
Keep me posted!
@@GrowGrayMatter THANK YOU!
@@Thrillmania of course. I’m glad your making great progress. My weigh in is Thursday. I’m on pace to reach the goal weight that I set for myself when I started fasting in March, 2020 :)
Makes sense. I've seen a lot of reporting on the participants of The Biggest Loser tv program. They all wrecked their metabolism. I wonder if one can recover their metabolism after prolonged consistent dieting or even prolonged fasting?
I will share some information about this in the future. I am putting together data from long-term weight loss studies to see what seems to work, as well as what doesn't.
There are really 2 main levers that someone can pull if they want to health their metabolism from years of aggressive dieting. The first is to increase lean mass by adding muscle. This is the best way that can increase our basal metabolic rate. Number two is to increase general physical activity. The biggest change to our metabolism (during weight loss) is a decrease in Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). Here is a video I did on that topic.
czcams.com/video/6lmnWMXPhVo/video.html
I will share a lot more about this in the future. I am recording an entire course on how to use general physical activity to lose weight and keep it off.
I hope that this helps
Hey,
I wanted to ask since I can’t seem to find a direct answer for this:
When it’s time for my feast day on the alternate day fasting plan, what amount of calories should I eat if I am also doing weight training on those eating days? How would I calculate that?
Let’s say:
I am a 5 foot, 10 inch male, 25 years old, and weigh 219 pounds. My maintenance calories is about 2700 with my amount of activity/life style from walking at my job.
If I want to lose 2 pounds a week, my daily deficit necessary to hit that goal would be about an average of 1700 calories a day.
On alternate day fasting, given your recommendation of eating 30% above my maintenance calorie amount for that weight, it brings me to 3500 ish for feast days.
Would I keep that number the same or would I increase that number to something different if I also weight train those days?
I will be doing weight training (Dumbbell exercises: 3 times a week: upper, lower, and full body).
I’ve looked everywhere for the answer to this question and can’t seem to find an answer in the context of an alternate day fasting protocol.
I know this is long so if you don’t get to it, it’s no biggie. Either way, thank you so much and thank you for being an educator. You’re amazing!
Thank you for the kind words. It is always my pleasure to help :)
I think 3400-3500 calories would be a great place for you to start for several reasons:
1. You don't have as much weight to lose as many people who use ADF. You will want to be extra sure that you aren't eating too little on your eating days. The eating days are where we recover from our last fast and prepare for the next one. This gets even more important as we get lean.
2. This calorie intake would put you very close to the rate of weight loss that you are aiming for.
3. Part of the reason I recommend eating at 25-30% above maintenance is that I expect people to be exercising on their eating days. This is already built into the formula. This should be more than enough to fuel a good lifting session. One study even found that overfeeding doesn't work well unless you stay active on feeding days. Your body tries to circulate excess fuel, but it puts it right back into storage if you don't use it.
Make sure you have seen me entire fat-loss sweet spot series:
czcams.com/play/PL7zPcraYKbGD171OjtsEoE3OF3U97m4L1.html
ADF is amazing, but it is an aggressive approach as you get lean. I want to make sure you are doing everything you can to preserve (or even build) lean mass along the way. That is where the real magic happens :)
Let me know how it goes
Hi i had a q what about the zig zag calorie like instead of alternate day fasting doing and alternating between high cal days and low cal days for eg mon i eat 1200 cals tue i eat 1500 cals wed i eat 1300 cals thurs i eat 1700 cals????
My Gma would ask me when I was younger, “Do you want to eat to live or live to eat?” I told her I wanted to do both! 😂
LOL. Your grandma sounds like a very wise person :). I have another similar line that I like to use. I don't know where I first heard it, but it's, "Don't eat what you like. Eat what likes you." :)
Dr. Frank. I have a goal of at least 80lb weight loss. Starting OMAD plan today. Low carb diet. Plan to stay below 50 carbs per day. I plan to transition into eating every other day within 2 weeks. In your weight loss plan I assume you still ate a low carb diet in days you ate. Is that correct?
Here is a video about what I ate during my ADF plan:
czcams.com/video/R8YZKroAGMo/video.html
I was definitely low carb the entire time, and most of the time I have been keto.
I hope that it goes great for you. Reach out if you have any other questions. You CAN do this!
What’s your thoughts on being on a calorie restriction for say 2 weeks then eating at maintenance for a week and then repeating that cycle
This is a good question. I actually quoted a diet break study in this video that had a format like this. I do think that there are advantages (psychological break from dieting, learning how to maintain a new weight, hunger control) but that needs to be weighed against the fact that it will take longer to reach your goal weight.
It really comes down to what works best for you. Some people do great with diet breaks. Other people fall off the rails and do better if they just stick to the plan and "get it over with."
Do you generally do well with diet breaks?
I talked about my experience with taking a break form fasting here:
czcams.com/video/mQHl_Uo16Sg/video.html
Hey so when it comes to zig zag for an example: Monday high calorie day, Tuesday low low calorie day, then the next day another high calorie? Or low calorie?
This is a good question. It really depends on your schedule, your goals, etc. Here are few things to consider:
1. Most refeed studies actually have subject eat at maintenance for 2 days in a row. So you could make the argument that it is best to have 2 high calories days in a row somewhere in your week. This is what I did most of the time when I was following my own version of ADF (Alternate Day Fasting) Here is how I mapped out my plan:
czcams.com/video/OPdKtS5Cqr8/video.html
I would typically fast M,W,F. I would eat Tu,Th,Sa,Su so I would get that 2 day "diet break" each week.
Now I follow a 5:2 fasting schedule, so I fast M,W and then eat to maintenance the rest of the week. So now I get a 4 day refeed each week. The results have been great so far.
2. As you will see in the video link I shared, I built my high and low calorie days around my workouts. I would eat high on my training days and eat low (or fast) on my rest days. This is what fit my needs the best.
In the end, consider all of this and play with different plans until you find the one that works the best for you. I would love to hear what you end up doing.
Won't work for me, because I won't be fasting.
Greatings from Mexico, I do KETO, ADF and OMAD. Doing this for almost 2 months now. I only loose 2 kg, between 900 -1100 calories a meal. What should I do.
44 years
1.57 cm
75 kg
Thanks for reaching out. Greeting from South Dakota in the United States :)
I will share a list of plateau busters that I recommend, but the first thing to do is to look at what you are eating and how many calories you are burning in a day. This can help you determine if there are simple changes that can get weight loss moving for you.
Here is a video about my favorite free tracking tool:
czcams.com/video/Mm3ccs86W1c/video.html
And a site where you can determine how many calories you burn in a day:
czcams.com/video/_N8J8yHAcwc/video.html
This will give you an idea if changes need to be made to your diet (not eating enough protein, etc) or if increasing movement throughout the day is the right thing to do.
Here is a list of the things that I call Plateau Busters. Each of these could play a role in your weight loss stalling at any time, but especially in the last 20 pounds;
1. Make sleep a priority. I have several videos about sleep, including this one:
czcams.com/video/uw_CHTiN1LU/video.html
2. Increase exercise. This would be especially true with strength training.
3. Increase your NEAT(Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). The best way to do this is to keep a step count.
This video explains why:
czcams.com/video/6lmnWMXPhVo/video.html
4. Focus on stress reduction. The stress hormone Cortisol is the enemy of fat loss.
5. Eat big early. This is mainly important if you do intermittent fasting. You want to avoid eating large meals before bed so you can get back to burning fat early in your fasting window.
6. Focus on food quality. Bumping up protein works for lots of people, and adding fiber can help as well
7. Start tracking your calories (if you are not). Most people can lose a lot of weight without tracking, but you really have to dial things in at the end. I have no affiliation with this product, but MacroFactor is something you could look into. It tracks food, but it will actually coach you about how many calories you should eat to keep to your weight loss targets. It is a real game-changer for some people:
macrofactorapp.com/
8. Try a clean fast. This is another one that only matters if you are fasting. I tell people to avoid artificial sweeteners and other things during their fasts is their weight loss stalls out.
9. Get your hormones and metabolic rate checked. If steps 1-8 are all good, then it is time to take a look under the hood and see what is going in. It could be a thyroid issue, or a slow metabolic rate from years of aggressive dieting. My favorite tool is REE (Resting Energy Expenditure) testing. Hopefully you can find a place in you area that does the test.
My current video series (last 7 videos) will also be a big help. It is all about losing fat without losing lean mass. This becomes a huge deal when you get close to your goal.
I know there is a lot here. Sorry for the rant. But I would love to hear which of these could be your major roadblock(s). I will offer any tips that I can once I know more :)
@@GrowGrayMatter Thank you for those suggestions!
Always my pleasure@@elizabethkoenig5185
A little confused Is alternate day fasting every 24 hours or 36 hours?
Great question, Will. Alternate Day Fasting is generally considered 36 hours. If you stop eating after supper tonight, it will be around 7 PM. So there is 5 hours. Then you fast all day tomorrow for 24 hours. Then you go to bed, and don't eat until 7 AM on Wednesday. That is 7 more.
There are some programs (like Eat Stop Eat) that advocate for 24-hour fasts. There is nothing wrong with that at all. But if you can hold on for just a bit longer and get to sleep, you can extend that to a 36-hour fast pretty easily.
They both can work great. You just need to find what works best for you.
Let me know if you have more questions. It is always my pleasure to help.
@@GrowGrayMatter thanks I really appreciate it!!!
@@Thrillmania You bet. Happy fasting! :)
Lightbulb l just went off !! I assumed 24 but 36 is great
@@GrowGrayMatter My ADF fasting is actually around 40-42 hours, because I typically have a shorter eating window.
I'm doing 16:8 fasting without diet. I lost 23 lbs in 5 months. I eat anything.
That is awesome to hear. Fasting can have a tremendous impact on blood glucose, insulin levels and insulin sensitivity regardless of the number of calories consumed. Great work!
What are you a Dr in?
My degrees are in Chiropractic and Human Biology. I have not been in practice for 16 years after I was disabled. I teach now.
Thanks for the honesty
You seem well researched and thorough I bought your course today and am an instant fan
Oh and subbed
Please keep going on CZcams !
@@anamosa1574 I am so happy to hear that. I try to back up everything that I say with science. I have looked at well over 300 studies over the past year. I basically journaled my weight loss experience as well, so I have a massive combination of science and personal experience to support every topic that I speak on.
Progress will be slow at times on CZcams since my family is my top priority, but I plan on being around to help for a long time :).
Let me know if there are any topics that you would like to see me cover. I am working on physical activity/exercise topics right now, and next, I plan on working on a course about creating a weight loss environment where it is easier to lose weight and form healthier habits.
Thank you for your amazing support :)
"Your bodies..." should be "Your body's...".
Thank you. Good thing I teach biology rather than language arts :). The worst thing about my video editing software is that I can't link it to my Grammarly. I need all the help that I can get :)