does this math add up?

focuseddiva

Okay, over the course of the last 8 days, I've eaten an avg of 1550 cals. Ive exercised an avg of 300 cals. These are averages over the past 8 days. A few days I was eating 2200, and a few days it was 1150 ... that's how it averaged out to 1500 calories. Also, same with the exercise ... i did nothing on 3 days and exercised vigorously on a few and moderatley on others. So it avereaged out to 300 calories burned each of the last 8 days.

If this works out in terms of averaging the numbers, eating 1500 cals (my BMR is 1500) and burning 300 -- in addition to walking around doing daily activitie s-- I should see a loss with these numbers. I am 5'8, 41, female, 175 lbs.

However.

I just met with my personal trainer. She said that swinging from 1200 calories eaten one day to 2200 the next, then back to 1200 or so for a few days, then 1800 calories ... is too wild of a swing. That I am scrwing my metabolism by doing this and just causing a massive slowdown.

I have read so many posts where it's calories in and calories out. Doesn't matter what time you eat. 3 meals or 6 small meals. It's all about the calories. Well, I'm wondering if that is true now.

Any thoughts? Are using averages okay or do these larger swings in calories eaten throughout scrw up the whole process?

acogg

Your trainer is very wrong. I have been very successful with zigzagging my calories. Other people do a 5:2 diet with great success. Your body doesn't know how long each day is or how many days in a week, it just processes whatever you put in it. I think you have a better understanding of how the body works than your trainer.

Rerun201

What does your scale say?

Mr_Knight

I just met with my personal trainer. She said that swinging from 1200 calories eaten one day to 2200 the next, then back to 1200 or so for a few days, then 1800 calories ... is too wild of a swing. That I am scrwing my metabolism by doing this and just causing a massive slowdown.

Your trainer is wrong. The human body is specifically built for large caloric swings.

jch625

I agree with your trainer. Calories in, calories out is an overly simplified explanation. The human body is complex. If it works for you than it works, no one can predict that because everyone's body is different, but it's most likely better to stay a little more consistent.

jch625

The human body may be meant to have large caloric swings, but it's also built to store fat! I don't think that's what we want here.

WalkingAlong

I'd ask your trainer why she thinks the body is sensitive to the calorie total in a day but not an hour or a minute or a year or a 72-hour slice?