Zig Zag or Calorie Cycling
leanjogreen18
Posts: 2,492 Member
Anyone else doing this?
I just started zig zagging my calories. It's only been a little over a week and I've lost 6lbs. 3 days a week I have 1200, one day 1100, one day 1300, one day 999 and my wonderful Wednesdays I have 1500. I do not add calories back in for exercise yet as I have about 80lbs to loose and I'm only walking right now to ease the knees into "working out".
I just started zig zagging my calories. It's only been a little over a week and I've lost 6lbs. 3 days a week I have 1200, one day 1100, one day 1300, one day 999 and my wonderful Wednesdays I have 1500. I do not add calories back in for exercise yet as I have about 80lbs to loose and I'm only walking right now to ease the knees into "working out".
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Replies
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Anyone else doing this?
Not me - i just get into a simple calorie deficit when i need to lose weight.
I just wanted to say - don't be discouraged if you only lose 1-2 lbs. next week. Fast weight loss is common when starting out, due to water weight loss.
Also, follow a good strength training program so you don't lose muscle.
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Thanks for the tip on strength training I will add some in very soon. Yeah I figured 6 lbs was a bit much for only 1 1/2 week but at least its going in the right direction:).
Thankfully mfp premium will store each of my calorie goals for each day even though they are different so it's been pretty simple for me so far:).0 -
I did that for a while, i lostb10 pounds in a month! But it was just to time consuming. Good job for keeping up with it. Yout doing great!1
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Thank you dani!
So far the zig zagging isn't anymore time consuming for me at least with the premium mfp I'm able to store how many calories I want for each day once. Then my calorie count will change with each day automatically. So only need to log my food and mfp does the rest. I'm only 1 1/2 week in so we will see how it goes:).1 -
I do it every now and then, but I would bite someone's head off if I limited myself to this few calories, and without exercise calories no less.0
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I find zig zagging easy. I'm actually trying to keep a more consistent deficit now and find it harder. There are just some days I prefer to eat more/at/above maintenance.0
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Hahaha right now I'm only walking a mile so it's only 200 calories I could be eating. Honestly I'm kinda scared how full I am at 1200 calories. I don't know if it's because I'm eating 3 meals and 2 snacks or if I'm just eating healthier but for example today was 1300 day for me and I had to force the last 200 calories down to get to 1300.amusedmonkey wrote: »I do it every now and then, but I would bite someone's head off if I limited myself to this few calories, and without exercise calories no less.
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arditarose wrote: »I find zig zagging easy. I'm actually trying to keep a more consistent deficit now and find it harder. There are just some days I prefer to eat more/at/above maintenance.
It scarey easy for me right now. I hope it stays that way0 -
Anyone else doing this?
I just started zig zagging my calories. It's only been a little over a week and I've lost 6lbs. 3 days a week I have 1200, one day 1100, one day 1300, one day 999 and my wonderful Wednesdays I have 1500. I do not add calories back in for exercise yet as I have about 80lbs to loose and I'm only walking right now to ease the knees into "working out".
So....what is the purpose for zig zagging your calories?
The reason you lost 6 pounds in a week is because (1) you are eating at a calorie deficit and (2) weight generally comes off pretty quick at first, which is mostly water.
You did not post your stats, so I presume you are obese if you have 80 pounds to lose. You can eat a whole lot more and still lose weight. When you lose quickly, you chance losing muscle mass and ending up with sagging skin.
If zig-zagging calories is your way of eating, that's fine, but there is no magic in it. I suggest you up that calorie goal so you're not losing so quickly. Good luck!0 -
Anyone else doing this?
I just started zig zagging my calories. It's only been a little over a week and I've lost 6lbs. 3 days a week I have 1200, one day 1100, one day 1300, one day 999 and my wonderful Wednesdays I have 1500. I do not add calories back in for exercise yet as I have about 80lbs to loose and I'm only walking right now to ease the knees into "working out".
So....what is the purpose for zig zagging your calories?
The reason you lost 6 pounds in a week is because (1) you are eating at a calorie deficit and (2) weight generally comes off pretty quick at first, which is mostly water.
You did not post your stats, so I presume you are obese if you have 80 pounds to lose. You can eat a whole lot more and still lose weight. When you lose quickly, you chance losing muscle mass and ending up with sagging skin.
If zig-zagging calories is your way of eating, that's fine, but there is no magic in it. I suggest you up that calorie goal so you're not losing so quickly. Good luck!
The purpose is to trick the body into not hitting a plateau. I'm a yo yo dieter so I'm a self professed expert at loosing weight I've done it so many times. My problem is keeping it off. So I'm thinking this will be my life long eating pattern with the exception of upping the calories a little to maintain as I get to goal weight which is just a healthy bmi.
You presume correctly I'm obese.
I used a calorie calculator to figure the count so I'm thinking for my age and activity level it won't come off fast. The 6 lbs noted is mostly water weight. I expect it to slow to 1 lb a week here very soon if it hasn't already.
I'm not expecting magic that happened when I juiced fasted and lost a pound a day for 60 days with no skin sagging and zero hunger but I did loose muscle mass. As magic often is it was only an illusion as I gained it all back not watching every morsel that went into my mouth.
Thanks for the tips I do appreciate it0 -
Anyone else doing this?
I just started zig zagging my calories. It's only been a little over a week and I've lost 6lbs. 3 days a week I have 1200, one day 1100, one day 1300, one day 999 and my wonderful Wednesdays I have 1500. I do not add calories back in for exercise yet as I have about 80lbs to loose and I'm only walking right now to ease the knees into "working out".
So....what is the purpose for zig zagging your calories?
The reason you lost 6 pounds in a week is because (1) you are eating at a calorie deficit and (2) weight generally comes off pretty quick at first, which is mostly water.
You did not post your stats, so I presume you are obese if you have 80 pounds to lose. You can eat a whole lot more and still lose weight. When you lose quickly, you chance losing muscle mass and ending up with sagging skin.
If zig-zagging calories is your way of eating, that's fine, but there is no magic in it. I suggest you up that calorie goal so you're not losing so quickly. Good luck!
The purpose is to trick the body into not hitting a plateau. I'm a yo yo dieter so I'm a self professed expert at loosing weight I've done it so many times. My problem is keeping it off. So I'm thinking this will be my life long eating pattern with the exception of upping the calories a little to maintain as I get to goal weight which is just a healthy bmi.
You presume correctly I'm obese.
I used a calorie calculator to figure the count so I'm thinking for my age and activity level it won't come off fast. The 6 lbs noted is mostly water weight. I expect it to slow to 1 lb a week here very soon if it hasn't already.
I'm not expecting magic that happened when I juiced fasted and lost a pound a day for 60 days with no skin sagging and zero hunger but I did loose muscle mass. As magic often is it was only an illusion as I gained it all back not watching every morsel that went into my mouth.
Thanks for the tips I do appreciate it
Zigzagging does not trick the body into anything. Most people use it just to give themselves more leeway on certain days like weekends and such by sacrificing a few days where they are less likely to need more food. When it comes to weight loss and maintenance it's all the same. If you feel good on this plan and it makes dieting easier for you then carry one! If you are doing it purely to "trick your body" and believe an even deficit would be easier, then no need to go that route.
The best diet is 1. sustainable long term and 2. the easiest diet for you2 -
Amused- here is one link I read that states zig zagging may trick the body. It's not medical research by any means but it's worth a try for me.
[url="http://http://www.livestrong.com/article/488503-zigzag-calorie-diet/0 -
There is no body tricking or magic in zigzagging. It's a dietary trick that some people like cos it works for them. Health & fitness industry have packaged it into another sell points. But it relies on the one true dieting truism
Calorie defecit across time results in weight loss.
Many people consider their calories across the week and eat more one day, cos of hunger or social reasons, and less others for the same reason,
If a forced zigzag works for you then great, but there's no magic in it. It's rather laughable to think the body is tricked in that way3 -
http://cagefitness.com/calorie-cycling-what-is-calorie-cycling-and-does-it-work
http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/lose-weight-with-calorie-cycling/
Another site discussing zig zag. It's super popular with body builders. I did some reading before I started my journey to loose and this time maintain and zig zagging sounded interesting with a ton of anecdotal evidence, that's basically why I started this topic to see if others have tried and how it worked for them.0 -
There is no body tricking or magic in zigzagging. It's a dietary trick that some people like cos it works for them. Health & fitness industry have packaged it into another sell points. But it relies on the one true dieting truism
Calorie defecit across time results in weight loss.
Many people consider their calories across the week and eat more one day, cos of hunger or social reasons, and less others for the same reason,
If a forced zigzag works for you then great, but there's no magic in it. It's rather laughable to think the body is tricked in that way
Well I do like to make people laugh so there's that:).
There anecdotal evidence out there that shows it does trick the body and prevents homeostasis. We will see how it works for me.0 -
Good luck...I think you're right to hold on to something you feel fits your life in order to achieve your goals
As far as the nature of diets...it's simple to take something minor like TEF and extrapolate it. Or to use words like homeostasis which have meaning but then apply them to the ever adapting biological process, which is underscored by the principle of calories in vs calories out and find a selling point,
That's ignoring the core issue with anecdotal evidence, particularly in the field of weight loss when there is such a lot of money invested in differentiation and fads. Anecdotally I could say I met a man who married a mermaid....does not prove that mermaids exist, just that I've said it or cherry picked my information, if 4 other people met someone who married a mermaid does that then become data? Without objective validation?
I'm not disparaging your comments in any way I just find this interesting theoretically
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Thanks Sue.
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I find an irregular calorie deficit far easier in adherence terms compared to every day deficit.
A mixture of maintenance days, small deficit days and the occasional large deficit day.
Fits in with my social life better and I find it supports a heavy exercise routine better - less fatigue, better recovery, higher performance.
I am ridiculously determined short term but easily bored so everyday calorie deficit and feeling restricted long term is a recipe for failure for me. I lost the majority of my weight with the 5:2 eating pattern a few years ago. No magic, just a better way for me to adhere to a deficit over time.
I don't subscribe to the theory of "tricking your body" as metabolic adaptions take much longer than day to day.
What bodybuilders do to manipulate their body down to ultra low body fat levels isn't really relevant to the general population.
Keep your weekly calorie allowance at a sensible level as it's a marathon not a sprint, when the initial euphoria and rapid weight loss at the beginning fades it's got to be sustainable. Don't be afraid of taking full diet breaks (eating at maintenance levels) either - great practice for maintenance and refreshing yourself mentally and physically.4 -
Thank you sijomial.
A sustained calorie deficit for a long period would trigger a metabolic adaption. I have 80 lbs to go so I'm in it for the long haul maybe the rest of my life. I'm hoping zig zagging will prevent that. We will see.0 -
There is no body tricking or magic in zigzagging. It's a dietary trick that some people like cos it works for them. Health & fitness industry have packaged it into another sell points. But it relies on the one true dieting truism
Calorie defecit across time results in weight loss.
Many people consider their calories across the week and eat more one day, cos of hunger or social reasons, and less others for the same reason,
If a forced zigzag works for you then great, but there's no magic in it. It's rather laughable to think the body is tricked in that way
Well I do like to make people laugh so there's that:).
There anecdotal evidence out there that shows it does trick the body and prevents homeostasis. We will see how it works for me.
I hope it doesn't prevent homeostasis.
You'd be dead.
Homeostasis is just a fancy word for a variety of systemic feedback loops that exist that maintain equilibrium of essential functions - this includes things like:
- blood oxygen/CO2 levels
- pH
- glucose levels
- hormone levels
- hematocrit
to name but a few.
Weight homeostasis (the feedback loop) is not a bad thing - the body up regulates protein and hormone production, NEAT when calories are available (and fat stores) and down regulates these when calories are not.
In the absence of homeostasis functions we would significantly lose muscle whenever we lost weight. Thankful there are protein uptake and reuse mechanisms at work that help out.
"Preventing homeostasis" is like saying "preventing directions" when someone is lost. It's nonsense.
If zigzagging works for you, that's great. It may have some role in satiety control but it is overall the calorie deficit at work for weight loss.
Stick to it - don't look for pseudo-science to justify it.2 -
Thank you sijomial.
A sustained calorie deficit for a long period would trigger a metabolic adaption. I have 80 lbs to go so I'm in it for the long haul maybe the rest of my life. I'm hoping zig zagging will prevent that. We will see.
Well, for anecdotal evidence, I have lost 90 something pounds so far and I have yet to trigger that metabolic adaptation. Granted I did have maintenance breaks.
In most cases, what happens is that people lose weight fast in the beginning and because they have a lot to lose any errors in logging don't have that much of an effect. As they become smaller, their body becomes smaller and burns fewer calories (which is completely normal because it needs to fuel a smaller frame now). Things that used to works stop working because any errors they made in the past were gobbled up by their relatively big deficit, but now that they are smaller these errors could wipe out the entire deficit.
Then there is the case of people mistaking temporary water weight gain for actual gain and panicking.
My advice: don't worry too much about the process itself, focus more on sustainability. How do you see yourself eating/moving for the rest of your life? Say 5 years from now, what do you imagine yourself doing? Keep that picture in mind, keep it reasonable, and start slowly working on building those habits.2 -
Thanks for the information. I was referring to preventing status quo or plateaus.
I'm just looking for some weight loss support from some folks that use the zig zag plan for tips and encouragement. It seems like a plan I can sustain over the long haul and some initial research shows promise. I've searched for zig zag and it seems this is not the place for support for this particular plan as there are not many posts on it.
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Thanks for the information. I was referring to preventing status quo or plateaus.
I'm just looking for some weight loss support from some folks that use the zig zag plan for tips and encouragement. It seems like a plan I can sustain over the long haul and some initial research shows promise. I've searched for zig zag and it seems this is not the place for support for this particular plan as there are not many posts on it.
Are you missing the fact that most of us do this naturally by judging calorie intake over time rather than set a prescribed and articpficially enforced limit each day
Or is it just that you want people who are following a prescriptive calorie intake...look for intermittent fasters that might be a starting point2 -
Apparently I am missing some facts, however intermittent fasting is quite different.0
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There is a bit of a "group think" here for sure but when you actually dig deeper most people do recognise that one size certainly doesn't fit all and adherence to a calorie goal over time is very personal.Thanks for the information. I was referring to preventing status quo or plateaus.
I'm just looking for some weight loss support from some folks that use the zig zag plan for tips and encouragement. It seems like a plan I can sustain over the long haul and some initial research shows promise. I've searched for zig zag and it seems this is not the place for support for this particular plan as there are not many posts on it.
But I do think the idea of daily zig-zagging having a metabolic advantage seems a bit "woo" to me, adaptions take time. Lyle McDonald is a good read on the subject.
You could argue that the MFP method of adding exercise calories separately is a bit of a calorie zig-zag I suppose?
Personally I think it's good to experiment though and would encourage you to do so. I've done same every day calories, 5:2, 6:1, 16:8, using exercise to create a deficit.... I've learned something from all of it.
I'm not even logging now so guess I've learned that as well?
The one I wish I'd known about was eating at goal weight maintenance calories as it seems a very elegant solution.
Give it a go, if it doesn't work long term you can always try another way to achieve a sustainable deficit. Good luck.
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Apparently I am missing some facts, however intermittent fasting is quite different.
By nomenclature yes but in practice they eat low some days and at maintenance on others (or some do the daily fasting thing)
I just assumed there would be similarities and shared learnings you were looking for0 -
Thank you sijomial.
I too wish I'd known about maintenance calories as well. Thanks for the encouragement!!0 -
Go ahead and do what works for you.
Personally I have to lift weights and exercise to improve my shape. A diet of this nature would not be useful to maintain a good amount of LBM.0 -
Do what works for you.
It will not trick your body and prevent a plateau however.
Good luck.0 -
jessiethe3rd wrote: »Go ahead and do what works for you.
Personally I have to lift weights and exercise to improve my shape. A diet of this nature would not be useful to maintain a good amount of LBM.
This is a super popular plan body builders use and some swear by. I'm hoping it works for me.
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