Calories per Week vs. Calories per Day

chefswife1975

So, I've been eating between 1000-1200 calories over the last 3 days or so and I will definitely eat more on the weekend. I have a cheat day every Sunday, as that is the only day off I have with my husband. I also haven't been able to get to the gym because of work, so I haven't been starving or missing the calories all that much. I'm not interested in a starvation diet. I am looking to change my eating habits, which I have done over the last two months with great results, losing about 16 pounds.
My question is this, is it still healthy if you eat an average of 1500 calories per day over a 7 day period, eating more on gym days and less on rest days?

YourFriendBecky

I've heard that you actually lose MORE that way, because the bigger calorie days "reassure" your body and the low-calorie days keep weight loss moving. Plus, it's helpful mentally, I think, to change things up that way. There's even a term for this method... it's called "calorie confusion" (meaning you keep the body guessing).

MacMadame

There is this theory about calorie cycling and it makes sense to me but I don't think anyone has really studied it to see if it really works. OTOH, they have studied people who are strict during the week and then eat more on the weekend (as this is a very typical diet pattern) and they found those people don't do as well as people who are more steady.

I think the key is that you can't really "bank" calories for more than a few days, definitely not a week.

Also, true calorie cycling (confusion/zig zagging/it has many name) works by changing your calories constantly.

So something like this: 1000, 1500, 1200, 900, 1600.

Not 1100, 1100, 1100, 1100, 1100, 2400, 2400.

chefswife1975

I don't really do the 1100 calories M-F, then go gang busters 2400 Sat & Sun, more like 1000 here, 1500 there, throw in 2000, then back down to 1300, then another 1400. More all over the place with a big bang on Sundays. I don't like to deprive myself because it just doesn't work. My husband is a chef so my life revolves around food so cutting out the things that make us who we are isn't really an option. Besides, we still do "research" quite a bit.

Thanks for the info!

BrandyHuff

I usually eat anywhere between 1000-1200 calories M-F. I usually burn around 450 calories and day in exercise and I exercise 5 days a week. On the weekends I eat pretty much whatever I want, just in smaller portions. I know this will not work for everyone, but I have lost 43 pounds in less than 6 months doing this. Basically what I do is bank my exercise calories and save them for the weekend. So for me averaging my calories over the week has worked great.

pettmybunny

When I was working with my nutritionist (registered dietician at the hospital), she said it's better to try and stay with even numbers throughout the day, every day of the week. For example, I'd eat 3 or 4 minimeals every 3 hours at about 250 calories, then I'd have a big dinner with my family of 500 to 700 calories.

Basically, your body learns to expect certain amounts of food at certain times. If you throw it off by having a large calorie meal (or day), your body counts it as excess, and will store it as fat.

But then again, I've read about how keeping your body confused helps too. I dunno, like everything else with health and fitness, there's always going to be a differing opinion, along with the research to back it up. You just have to find what works for you and makes you feel healthy.

Debx12345

On weightwatchers there is a similar plan to the zig zag, it's called the Wendi plan, it's not actually a weightwatchers tool, just something someone had suggested. It was basically that you take your points for the week and spread them out, but having one super high day. So maybe there is something in mixing up your calories per day to confuse the body.