"Stomach Confusion"

improvstitute

So I keep hearing about "muscle confusion" via P90X. If you aren't familiar with the concept, it is basically working your muscles is various ways so there is no routine. No routine means you are constantly building muscle (if I am wrong about that, please feel free to correct me as I do not use P90X). Anyways...I was also thinking that routines also happen our diets, especially when we are trying to lose weight. It happens in the foods we eat, the quantities, the times of day, the number of times, etc. I have experienced times when I have gone over on calories b/c I caved and ate a burger and fries only to find out that it kind of jump starts my metabolism and I lose weight. I have heard others talk about this as well. I know our bodies tend to shut down our metabolism when we eat too little. That is one of the reasons eating breakfast is so important - it tells your body that you no longer need to store food (fat) for later. That is also the theory behind eating 5-6 small meals a day.

So, I am going to start referring to this as "stomach confusion" and I am wondering if mixing up all of the diet variables I mentioned before can help prevent plateaus in weight loss. Anybody have any thing to back this up [or not]?

givprayz

They call it various names: zig-zagging, calorie cycling, etc. It seems to work pretty well and is part of the theory behind a "free day" once a week.

jodie_t

Yes it is a technique used by some people. There is the zig-zag calorie plan which sounds like the sort of thing you're thinking about, here's a calculator that helps you total the amount of cals to have every day.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

SaraTonin

No, yo-yo-ing your eating slows down your metabolism. If you're not eating enough calories at ALL, it slows down your metabolism because your body thinks you are starving. This is the "burger and fries" phenomenon you're talking about. It is NOT the effect of yo-yo dieting.

Yo-yoing your body is essentially telling your body that it's not always going to have food all the time, which makes it store fat for the times when you aren't eating.

Ideally you should eat enough calories to keep your metabolism burning fast, which is the reasoning behind eating 5-6 small meals a day and exercising. By building muscle, you turn your body into a fuel-burning powerhouse and raise your basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn just by being alive).

I don't recommend confusing your stomach.

anubis609

Muscle confusion keeps the body guessing as to what it's supposed be doing next, therefore it maximizes metabolism activity to constantly stay active. You're correct that there is no set "routine" as far as doing X amount of reps for X amount of sets, of the same exercise for hours on end, and instead conglomerates the routines into small intense bursts of different exercises in a short period of time. It's like a shock to the system and keeps the body at an all time alert state of activity. The body gets as bored as we do with "the usual" thing we do for weight loss.

Your theory behind "stomach" or diet confusion works in the same principle, that if you vary caloric intake with different foods, it keeps it guessing as to what's being put into it and how it should be processing those nutrients. Though, constant burgers and fries are loaded with sodium and fat, it does jump start metabolism in a way that lets the body know that it's not going to feel deprived from the nutrients it may be craving for, i.e. protein and [preferably healthy] fat. The burger and fries may just be what your palate is hungry for, but the body may just want carbs, sodium, protein, and a little fat, all of which can be substituted with healthier choices such as lean meat, vegetables, whole grain/wheat carbs, and some peanuts or something to that nature.

There are plenty of ways to prevent plateaus, and the thought is to keep the body guessing as to how many calories it needs a day so that there is no "routine" of the same kind of foods you're constantly eating. So, if it works for you, then by all means go with your theory. I'm an advocate of experimenting with anything that you feel works for you. There is no "good" or "bad" in my book, just results favorable or unfavorable to your expectations.

hlchilders

I just call it my free day. I eat a strict diet 6 days and then eat anything I want on the 7th. I find that it keeps the plateaus away and it also keeps me motivated. There is a world of difference between saying "I can never have that huge slice of cake again" and saying, " I can have that huge slice of cake on Saturday".

pyro13g

Muscle Confusion is BS. You want your muscles to get good at lifting a weight with high intensity the same way all the time. Then you add more weight and try to trigger hypertrophy in them. Repeat.

Why would a person ever stray from the best exercise for a muscle? Use the best tool(exercise) for the muscle.

Calorie cycling can prevent, put off, or break a plateau.

lisapisa1

hahaha I wish eating a fatty burger once a week would jump start my metabolism. that would be awesome.

anyway, i just thought i'd share this blog posting from a blog i read regularily (carrots n'cake) where it discusses needed to add variety to your meals. it doesn't suggest doing off healthy eating, just adding more variety.

http://carrotsncake.com/2011/02/simple-swaps-to-shake-up-your-meals.html

MsPitt

I think it depends on the extremes.

Bad yo-yoing: 600cal on Monday, 3000cal on Tuesday, etc.

Reasonable zig-zaging: 1300 on Monday, 1800 on Tuesday, etc.

sweetheart03622

I think it all depends on the individual. For me, netting an even 1300/day wasn't working for me whereas some people can net the same amount for months on end and see great results. What I've found that works for me is eating around my maintenance level calories on the weekends. I net at 1300 during the week and somewhere between 1800-2100 (2100 is my maintenance) on the weekends. I lose slower, but it's consistent.

MsPitt

I net at 1300 during the week and somewhere between 1800-2100 (2100 is my maintenance) on the weekends. I lose slower, but it's consistent.

That sounds like a reasonable swing! I'm glad you're having success with it!

ArchyJill

Muscle Confusion is BS. You want your muscles to get good at lifting a weight with high intensity the same way all the time. Then you add more weight and try to trigger hypertrophy in them. Repeat.

Why would a person ever stray from the best exercise for a muscle? Use the best tool(exercise) for the muscle.

Calorie cycling can prevent, put off, or break a plateau.

I'm gonna have to disagree about your take on muscle confusion. If you do the same thing day in day out you will risk injury from repetitive use. Mixing things up developes the WHOLE muscle rather than just the part of the muscle needed for something like curls or whatever.

pyro13g

Muscle Confusion is BS. You want your muscles to get good at lifting a weight with high intensity the same way all the time. Then you add more weight and try to trigger hypertrophy in them. Repeat.

Why would a person ever stray from the best exercise for a muscle? Use the best tool(exercise) for the muscle.

Calorie cycling can prevent, put off, or break a plateau.

I'm gonna have to disagree about your take on muscle confusion. If you do the same thing day in day out you will risk injury from repetitive use. Mixing things up developes the WHOLE muscle rather than just the part of the muscle needed for something like curls or whatever.

There's no risk in day in day out repetition causing injury. Have your legs, arms, neck, back, etc all gone to hell from the repetitive daily use in life? Nope. Are you bashing out cardio every day and falling apart? Nope. And, strength training is not everyday anyways. There is no point in doing sub optimal exercises or working small muscles when you talk about maximizing muscle growth. All those little ones get plenty of work while the big muscle is worked. Building up small muscles also puts you at risk for impingement issues. Want a bigger bicep, chest or anything else? Then target it with the best exercise, blast it to failure in a single set, and give it plenty of rest before the next workout.

shreddingit

I did my fitness routine the same day in and day out and I believe I got great results, I think some people just dont push hard or let themselves get bored so they feel they have to mix it up if there stuck, just a thought.

in the food department you need to eat as healthy as you can and mix it up not have the same things all the time at the same time...cheating doesnt start up anything its just to keep some people sane...another thought...

givprayz

Muscle Confusion is BS. You want your muscles to get good at lifting a weight with high intensity the same way all the time. Then you add more weight and try to trigger hypertrophy in them. Repeat.

Why would a person ever stray from the best exercise for a muscle? Use the best tool(exercise) for the muscle.

Calorie cycling can prevent, put off, or break a plateau.

I'm gonna have to disagree about your take on muscle confusion. If you do the same thing day in day out you will risk injury from repetitive use. Mixing things up developes the WHOLE muscle rather than just the part of the muscle needed for something like curls or whatever.

There's no risk in day in day out repetition causing injury. Have your legs, arms, neck, back, etc all gone to hell from the repetitive daily use in life? Nope. Are you bashing out cardio every day and falling apart? Nope. And, strength training is not everyday anyways. There is no point in doing sub optimal exercises or working small muscles when you talk about maximizing muscle growth. All those little ones get plenty of work while the big muscle is worked. Building up small muscles also puts you at risk for impingement issues. Want a bigger bicep, chest or anything else? Then target it with the best exercise, blast it to failure in a single set, and give it plenty of rest before the next workout.

You are both right, but about different things. Repetitive exercise works beautifully to build muscles, which is strength training. Muscle confusion works great for aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which is fat burning and endurance building. It depends on your focus. I want strong, toned muscles, but even more I want to lose weight and improve endurance, so for now I do aerobics with a strength component, and my program is based on muscle confusion, doing different routines each time, in a 60 day cycle. Both are important, but very different in focus and execution.