Can be easier for some from mental point of view as it allows more "cheats" and calories in. That and added benefit of fasting, etc
Essentiallly a more extreme version of zigzag caloric cycling. Although still requires good strategy, plans that just dictate "eat what you want" are a bit pointless IMO because as you say it's all about the calories in and out end of the day.
When you have someone with my apetite, I can easily put away a scary amount of calories in one day, particulary post fasting day which would just bring me to maintenance calories anyway
That's how I started. After a fasting day, I'd eat a big bowl of cereals after getting up especially early, then a few biscuits, big lunch, more snacks, big dinner etc. I still don't limit myself in any way now, but my appetite has dropped. I simply can't eat as big a bowl of cereal, I feel absolutely stuffed. Even if I do manage to squeeze in a few biscuits after, it's less than before etc. It didn't happen straight away, but after sticking to it for a few weeks, my appetite simply shrank. I don't want to eat as much as I did, even on the non-diet days. Took a few weeks for that to kick in I believe.
It works for me because I simply eat as I wish 5 days a week, no mental struggle, no calorie counting, no worries whatsoever about my weight etc. Go out for dinner, have a huge rack of ribs followed by a massive desert, no worries (obviously don't do that more often than before but I don't feel I'm missing out). I obviously don't make a deliberate effort to eat even more, because I'd had some diet days before, but I don't deny myself anything that I'd have normally eaten before I started.
On diet days I'll drink water (maybe a splash of juice in a pint of water once or twice during the day). Eat between 300-450 calories I guess, but know that if I need to, I can open up a can of tuna and have a basic salad, though I've never actually needed to.
I was never a monster eater in general, but I guess I could eat 15-20 biscuits of various kinds, in amongst a large bowl of cereals, many coffees, 4 pieces of cheese on toast for lunch, then a large dinner, so certainly not light in calories. Now I simply don't feel like the biscuits on the same level, and usually after 2-3 I stop, rather than 5-6
. 3 bits of toast will do the trick, sometimes 2 if I still feel quite full from breakfast, and often less at dinner.
Now I'd still happily eat a 750g steak, but unlike before, I think I'd probably not feel like I could comfortably get at least halfway through a second.
Just seems an odd route to go?
