How to zig zag cals properly/caloric cycling properly

bex879165

I'm still not following entirely!! I'm quite new to this. My goal is set to lose 2lb a week at the moment and it's 1200 cals. If I drop it to losing 1lb a week I get 1700 cals. My weight is currently 200lb. I'm exercising 4/5 days a week and burning between 300 and 400 cals each time. Can someone explain a bit simpler for me please??

sparrow22

I'm saving it for later

2youngatheart

Thanks so much!....I needed this...I have stalled out.

dyiaane

Very interesting. I might try this...

psb13

thanks for the info. saving for later

sd101483

Bump for later!

crisanderson27

Marking for future reference =D.

I'm still not quite sure why one site or another will have nearly 700 calories worth of difference when it comes to what maintenance is (which directly affects loss and extreme loss)...but what I've decided to do is aim somewhere between the two lowest (MFP is ALWAYS the lowest).

I think maybe this will be the ticket for breaking through this plateau I seem to be on. The last 10lbs is rough. Yesterday I ate 2000+ calories (I changed the weight loss setting to 1lb/wk, which made for 1850 calories, plus 200 or so exercise calories), and today I'm 3lbs heavier than I was last Monday lol. I understand my body has to adjust though, since for 2+ weeks I've been existing on 1530 calories thinking that I could use the 2lbs/wk setting on MFP.

Anyhow...thanks for the post...spells it all out pretty black and white!

Cris

Tarah40

Bump for later

stuffinmuffin

Bump!

jessicazanebell

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

jessicazanebell

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

jessicazanebell

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

jessicazanebell

So I have had some requests to post this and I hope that it will benefit you all. To get started out right you need to be set at a 1lb/week fat loss for this to work right. Why 1lb/wk loss? Simple wiggle room, you are going to shed more so do not stress about it, its not the end of the world as you know it. (for those whom have lots to shed 60+ pounds of more we can push it a little further same practice but slightly different application) So here are the basics using me as an example: I am set at a 1lb/week loss and for me that is 1940 cals/day, this gives me a 500 cal deficit to start with before workouts. So remember that mfp set me up with that deficit to start with for the beginners whom do not quite have a handle on that.

Here is the cal breakdown for maintenance/loss/max:

2440 maintenance/1940 loss/max deficit of 800 is 1640 cals.

So on days 1 and 2 I go max deficit of 1640 cals I do this through food and exercise as I like to eat I usually do it by not eating back 300 of my workout cals (for those with a lot to shed you can do that for 500 cals)

On day 3 I go to maintenance level of 2440 cals. I do this to prevent starvation mode from taking effect and it keeps my metabolic rate at its peak and the exercise helps me to do that as well as crank it up a few notches.

And repeat, of course the closer I get the lower the amount I can push it so once I am say 5 pounds away I will more than likely have to go to 0.5 lb/week loss for my wiggle room. You will have to play with the deficit to get it set right for you, we all respond somewhat differently but as a general rule a long lasting deficit will drop metabolic rate on you which is why I used to encourage a cheat day or cheat meal every few weeks. I am doing this method to speed up my fat loss somewhat. By zig zagging my cals my body can not lower my metabolic rate on me. Now also keep in mind that as you shed fat the numbers will change so reset it every 2nd week or when results start to slow down. I dropped 27 pounds so far and I train/eat with purpose so should you, train for fat loss using the most time effective workouts like High intensity interval training and metabolic resistance training, we do not need to spend 6 days a week in the gym to shed fat quickly and easily.

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

jessicazanebell

So I have had some requests to post this and I hope that it will benefit you all. To get started out right you need to be set at a 1lb/week fat loss for this to work right. Why 1lb/wk loss? Simple wiggle room, you are going to shed more so do not stress about it, its not the end of the world as you know it. (for those whom have lots to shed 60+ pounds of more we can push it a little further same practice but slightly different application) So here are the basics using me as an example: I am set at a 1lb/week loss and for me that is 1940 cals/day, this gives me a 500 cal deficit to start with before workouts. So remember that mfp set me up with that deficit to start with for the beginners whom do not quite have a handle on that.

Here is the cal breakdown for maintenance/loss/max:

2440 maintenance/1940 loss/max deficit of 800 is 1640 cals.

So on days 1 and 2 I go max deficit of 1640 cals I do this through food and exercise as I like to eat I usually do it by not eating back 300 of my workout cals (for those with a lot to shed you can do that for 500 cals)

On day 3 I go to maintenance level of 2440 cals. I do this to prevent starvation mode from taking effect and it keeps my metabolic rate at its peak and the exercise helps me to do that as well as crank it up a few notches.

And repeat, of course the closer I get the lower the amount I can push it so once I am say 5 pounds away I will more than likely have to go to 0.5 lb/week loss for my wiggle room. You will have to play with the deficit to get it set right for you, we all respond somewhat differently but as a general rule a long lasting deficit will drop metabolic rate on you which is why I used to encourage a cheat day or cheat meal every few weeks. I am doing this method to speed up my fat loss somewhat. By zig zagging my cals my body can not lower my metabolic rate on me. Now also keep in mind that as you shed fat the numbers will change so reset it every 2nd week or when results start to slow down. I dropped 27 pounds so far and I train/eat with purpose so should you, train for fat loss using the most time effective workouts like High intensity interval training and metabolic resistance training, we do not need to spend 6 days a week in the gym to shed fat quickly and easily.

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

crisanderson27

has anyone gained weight in the beginning by zig zagging calories? My max weight loss is 1200 cals (max deficit 600cal) im afraid upping my cals to 1800 a couple days a week will make me gain weight

Wow that's a lot of posts =D.

I've read that you can gain weight the first week as your metabolism stabilizes...but after that it's all down hill. Others never gain weight at all.

craft338

i really want to try zig zagging, but i'm REALLY scared to eat 1660 and 2460 calories when i'm used to having 1350ish!

crisanderson27

i really want to try zig zagging, but i'm REALLY scared to eat 1660 and 2460 calories when i'm used to having 1350ish!

Look at it like this hun...what's 2 weeks worth of 'possible' gain (a few lbs?)...versus the chance of losing as much as all these people who've done it say they've lost?

kir911

I am new to MFP how do I save a post that I like for later so I can reference it? I like this cal zig zag reference alot

crisanderson27

I am new to MFP how do I save a post that I like for later so I can reference it? I like this cal zig zag reference alot

You just did, by posting to it. Now when you click 'my topics' above, it'll be in the list =D.

YoAdrian2011

Bump!