Getting Started

There are two phases: weight loss and maintainance. To lose weight, calorie intake on the “down” day is limited to 20% to 35% of daily calorie requirement, although it is strongly recommended that calories be below 25% when starting a weight loss diet. To maintain weight loss and for optimal health, down day intake is kept at 50% to 60% of calorie needs.

Use the following tool to calculate the down day calorie requirements. There is a strong tendency for overweight individuals to overestimate the "Activity" level, thereby allowing themselves high calorie allowance on the down day. To avoid this problem, for the first two weeks, you should consume no more than 500 calories on the down day regardless of your activity level.

Calorie Calculator Gender Male Female Input Height cm in Input Weight kg lb Input Age yrs mos Activity Little or no exercise Light exercise 1-3 days/week Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week Hard exercise 6-7 days a week Restriction 20% - Wt Loss Mode 25% - Wt Loss Mode 30% - Wt Loss Mode 35% - Wt Loss Mode 40% - Wt Loss/Maintenance Mode45% - Wt Loss/Maintenance Mode50% - Maintenance Mode55% - Maintenance Mode60% - Maintenance Mode Normal Calories* =   kcal/d Down Day Calories =   kcal/d

*This calculator provides an estimate of your calorie requirement so that you can determine your down day calories. The "Normal Calories" shown may be more or less than you actually feel like eating on the up day. The important principle is to adhere to the down day calorie limit as closely as possible. You do not have to eat all the calories shown as "Normal Calories".

 

 

Hunger Management

 

The key to success on the down day is learning what works for you. Remember that you can eat tomorrow. The book will detail useful techniques for down day hunger management.

 

 

Diet Stress

 

Other diets require daily reduction in calorie intake or limit the type of food eaten. This requires intricate meal plans and menus, cooking separate meals, and often more expensive foods. This wastes a lot of time and creates great stress. With the Johnson UpDayDownDay Diet™, you are allowed to eat whatever you want on the up day and your choices are greatly simplified on the down day, markedly reducing stress.

 

 

Energy level/mood

 

We have observed a consistent, measurable dramatic increase in energy level which is noticeable within 7-10 days which peaks around three weeks on the diet. This is consistent with animal  studies in calorie restriction. This is a desirable and reinforcing sensation which encourages you to keep going.

 

The Up Day

On the up day, you can eat anything you want and as much as you want, but do not intentionally over eat.

When starting out, it is important to not concern yourself with up day calorie intake because of the phenomena of diet stress and diet fatigue. Focus on staying under 20-25% on the down day.

Based on animal research, the type of food eaten on the up day is unimportant compared to adhering to the down day calorie limit.  This will activate genes (SIRT1) which set in motion the beneficial processes which produce optimal health.

The Down Day

It is important to commit in advance to a certain number of calories on the down day. We strongly suggest 20 – 25% for the first two weeks, but find that 30 - 35% is more tolerable for some people for a prolonged period of dieting. The lower the calories on the down day, the better, but the most important thing is to find a caloric intake you can comply with on ongoing basis.

We strongly suggest using only commercially prepared shakes in the first two weeks. Later, prepared foods with the calorie content marked on them can be eaten.. This is critically important to help guard against the universal tendency to underestimate how much we are eating.

Body Weight

How much you lose depends on several factors, the average in our study was 2.5 pounds per week, more the first week or two.

You should weigh yourself only on the morning after a down day and not more often than once a week or fluctuations will lead to frustration.

Down Day Recipes

It is important to choose a shake which is personally tolerable and satisfying. There are a number on the market including Atkins Advantage, Slim Fast Optima, MetRx. For weight loss diet, it is highly advisable that for the first two weeks, you consume only shakes on the down day.

Delicious, easy, very low calorie recipes are available in the soon to be published book, The Johnson UpDayDownDay Diet™.  

What People On The Diet Have To Say

“I will never diet any other way. I lost 30 pounds three years ago which I have kept off without the awful feeling of being on the diet.” – Heidi P.

“There was never a time in my entire life when I wasn’t wheezing from asthma until after being on the diet for two weeks.” – Theresa G.

“I couldn’t walk 50 feet without resting. After three weeks on the diet, I spent all day walking around the shopping mall.” – Ellen M.

“My rheumatoid arthritis got better 31 days after starting the diet.” – Judy L.