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I hope that you break past your current set point soon, Buttoni.

Thanks for the idea about the stir-fried cabbage dishes for down day. I need to expand my down day menu options.

I've finished my first week of JUDDD and am down 3 pounds.

I've been reading Dr. Johnson's book, "The Alternate Day Diet," and a few things stand out for me.

The books says,

Quote:

After just three or four days, you’ll notice that you don’t feel as hungry, your down days will become easier—in fact, you’ll actually begin to look forward to how you feel, because you’ll be experiencing an improvement in energy and mood. Alternate-Day dieters often describe this as feeling “wired,” “euphoric,” “like being in love,” or “like the Energizer Bunny.”

I've noticed this on my last two down days. I feel some hunger at around 6 PM because I didn't save enough food for late. But, by 8 PM I'm very energetic and end up having trouble sleeping. The book recommends saving 100-200 calories for bedtime to help with sleep when you're too energetic. I'm going to try this today.

Also from the book:

Quote:

Those that are lowest in carbohydrates and sugar are preferable because a higher sugar content will stimulate insulin, which turns off SIRT1.

Another good reason to stay low carb, especially on the down days. There's also the health benefits of staying away from wheat and sugar, plus the decreased cravings that carbohydrates cause.

Finally (for now),

Quote:

Additionally, the alternate-day eating pattern appears to create an unconscious habit that suppresses thoughts of hunger and food. The universal experience of those on the diet is that they are much less aware of hunger or thoughts about food, so, in effect, their perceived hunger is greatly reduced. In other words, just as practice builds muscle memory when you’re learning to play a sport, our minds learn to not think about what we have made a decision not to think about.

I haven't been very hungry on my down days, so far. However, I'm not anywhere near the point of not thinking about food. I've spend so much time over the decades thinking of food--with both happy memories and thoughts of what I should or shouldn't eat--that it's going to be hard to reset my "muscle memory" to be less aware of food. I'd love to be that way, however.