Book ~ "The Every-Other-Day Diet: The Diet That Lets You Eat All You Want (Half the Time) and Keep the Weight Off" (2013) Krista Varady and Bill Gottlieb

From Goodread ~ "The Every-Other-Day Diet is the perfect diet for me."

That's the satisfied declaration of a dieter who lost 41 pounds on the Every-Other-Day Diet (and kept it off!). You too can expect dramatic results with this revolutionary approach to weight loss that is incredibly simple, easy, and effective. Created by Dr. Krista Varady, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, the Every-Other-Day Diet will change the way you think of dieting forever. Among its many benefits:

It's science-tested, science-proven. Dr. Varady has conducted many scientific studies on the Every-Other-Day Diet, involving hundreds of people, with consistently positive results published in top medical journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Obesity. Unlike most other diets, the Every-Other-Day Diet is proven to work.

It's remarkably simple-and effective. On Diet Day, you limit calories. On Feast Day, you eat anything you want and as much as you want. You alternate Diet Day and Feast Day. And you lose weight, steadily and reliably.

There's no constant deprivation. The Every-Other-Day Diet doesn't involve day after day of dietary deprivation because you can still indulge every-other day.

It's easy to keep the weight off. With other diets, you lose weight only to regain it, the frustrating fate of most dieters. But The Every-Other-Day Diet includes the Every-Other-Day Success Plan, an approach to weight maintenance proven to work in a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

This book offers all of the research, strategies, tips, and tools you need to believe in the Every-Other-Day Diet and easily implement it in your life. It also includes more than 80 quick and delicious recipes for Diet Day, as well as a list of tasty prepared foods that make meals as easy as 1-2-3.

The Every-Other-Day Diet is perfect for anyone who wants to shed pounds and feel great, without hunger and defeat.

We all know that the way to lose weight is to eat less and more healthily and exercise more.  Yet I'm always interested in reading the different diet books to see what their approach is.

This one is simple ... you eat 500 calories on "Diet Day" of anything you want and then as much as you want of anything you want the next day ("Feast Day") and keep alternating days (hence the name ... "every other day").  You can have booze but keep in mind that on Diet Day, depending on what you drink, you may not have many calories left for food.

In theory, it makes sense to me.  You are eating about 25% of your usual calories on Diet Day.  Say on  Feast Day you eat what you usually eat which equals 100% of your usual calories.  So between the two days you are eating 125% of your calories rather than 200%.  Then you do it again the next two days and so on.  Even if you overate on Feast Day to 125%, you are still only eating 150% of your calories rather than 200% between the two days.

On Diet Day, you can have whatever you want as long as you don't go over your 500 calories.  The author suggests you skip breakfast and have a 400 calorie lunch or supper and a 100 calorie snack (there are lots of recipes and suggestions included in the book).  Drink lots of water and tea/coffee, chew gum and exercise in the morning.



To back up this theory, she includes her scientific data and true stories of people it's worked for.  There is also a maintenance program along with advice on how/when to exercise and keep your motivation going.

I think Diet Days would be tough ... I don't do hunger well.  I've had to fast and it wasn't fun.  But as the author reminds us, basically you are sucking it up for a day and you can have whatever you want the next.  You aren't depriving yourself of anything because you know you can always have it "tomorrow".

What do you think about a diet where you alternate eating 500 calories one day ("Diet Day") and anything you want the next ("Feast Day")?