How to zig zag cals properly/caloric cycling properly

iHEARTcardiacnurses

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

This is the site that gave me my zig zag calories.

I'm upping my exercise too which I've never been one for that ...it's time after 95 lbs lost..better late than never!

Dang...I'm super confused...

I used the website and it's giving me a huge calorie allowance...like way more than I eat now...maybe that's why I can't shake the weight?


Maintenance Fat Loss Extreme Fat Loss
Monday 2972 2944 2944
Tuesday 2944 2944 2944
Wednesday 3566 3533 3533
Thursday 2972 2944 2944
Friday 2944 2944 2944
Saturday 3269 3239 3239
Sunday 2972 2944 2944
*Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but 'tricks' your body by constantly changing daily calories. This helps to prevent or break plateaus. Guideline only.

I only eat 2090 calories a day now based on what MFP gave me

SouLThinking

it does seem confusing but basically your fat loss calorie's average at the end of the week as the same as if you eat the same amount everyday. I know that you can do the extreme fat loss if you have more than about 50 lbs to lose. I am trying for the regular fat loss and hoping I can trick these last 8 lbs off of me. LOL.

good luck.

If you add me and message me your information I'd like to plug it into the calculator and see what you see.

God bless

funkycamper

I love this idea of zig-zagging and have been doing it for the last month or so. It's great as I can plan little splurges and it's not cheating as I stay within my weekly calorie limits. However, I am not using the calculator. I simply eat less on days I'm not as hungry and put those calories in the "bank". Then I look at my calendar for the week and figure out when I'm going to spend the calories I've banked. Last week I was putting on a family birthday celebration for three family members and I ate a relatively high calorie meal and two small pieces of cake (different types of cake). On another day that same week, we were going to dinner and a play with friends and I had a nice dinner and a mixed drink. Even though both those days were fairly high calorie, I was still within my calorie limit for the week and still experienced a loss on the scale. I did not gorge nor stuff myself but just ate until I felt pleasantly full.

I much prefer doing it this way instead of following some kind of formula because if I have a day where I'm just not hungry (this often happens on days I do more intense exercising), it's not a big deal if I don't eat all my exercise calories as I know that I'll find a way to eat them later in the week at a time and place where food is part of the festivities. To me this is far easier than having to eat to a certain formula. I believe in following the KISS principle whenever possible.

The MFP phone app really helps with this as it gives you the number of calories you are under/over for the week. I wish the website did that. Anyway, this makes it easy to know where I'm at and how much I can indulge without going over.

korygilliam

Bump (thanks for the info, been wanting to try and realized I was imagining it all wrong)

Peeps--before you post the question, please re-read the entire thread. There are some questions that have been asked about 10 times (probably the reason the poster quit responding, I would imagine that it would be very frustrating)

Also, if you are scared to try it because it sounds like too many calories, ask yourself if taking a chance and eating more food with the possiblity of losing more weight overall is worth the risk of 2 weeks of slow/stalled/dead weight loss? To me, yes! Do it now! I have been on a plateau for almost 3 months and just now stepping up to take the chance that it works. If I would've done this 3 months ago, I may have lossed an additional 9-15 pounds by now.

People are scared of change...so face your fear and try something new if what you are doing doesn't work.

Good luck!

SouLThinking

day 1 of week 2 and I'm telling you I feel better ..it's like my body isn't bored LOL

I won't log it but I was down even a few more ounces this morning. It may be ounces but they add up to lbs..so if I lose ounces daily I'm gonna lose a pound before I know it LOL.

my mini goal is 5 lbs by 11/3 my 38th birthday I'd be 138 lbs and I would have lost 100 lbs. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

The think about this is I'm not eating anythign I wouldn't eat before I started zig zagging. I'm just eating more on some days than others. I'm still keeping my carbs moderate and my calories in check. So this is really something good for me.

Please add me anyone who is trying this. I'd love the support ...and it goes both ways.

God Bless
Nichole

SouLThinking

Today felt very strange..it was my highest cal day of the week. almost 1700. I got pretty close but am so full. I am not used to eating that much food anymore. I"m almost relieved tomorrow is back down to 1457. But, it's also TOM time so I'm already feeling crabby. I'll post again come Sunday's weigh in.

Have a blessed evening all

Nichole

jenluvsushi

Bumpity BUMP!

SouLThinking

5 wks down and 5 lbs gone. Doesn't sound like a lot but it was taking 10 days to lose a pound before and since I'm so close (just 5 more lbs) to my goal I think I can patiently wait it out. The holiday season usually causes me to gain with all the food gatherings but with this system I can change up my high days to coincide with those gatherings. I am not cooking nearly as much food this year though. I don't want all those left overs in my house. Good luck to those who are still trying it.

Nichole

hunny73

bump!

jenncaroon

bump! Thanks!

sheltielover

bump! great info! started today.

natini

Bump for later

nursenelson

bump

FaithHopeBELIEVE

http://www.naturalphysiques.com/64/zig-zag-calculator-for-fat-loss-andor-muscle-gain

http://www.mylifestylediet.com/calorie-calculator.php

i found this site that has a calculator, I prefer to keep it simple and use more even numbers though.

On those sites are these net calories or total calories?

net calories.

Oh my so its NET calories? I've been going by my food intake. Ugh. I just can never wrap my head around this.

amys31

so confusing with the net calories...I cant fathom eating them all back...just my opinion:)

amys31

so confusing with the net calories...I cant fathom eating them all back...just my opinion:)

Also...how do you get a deficit if your eating back your exercise calories?

SouLThinking

The deficit is already worked into the Fat Loss level and of course the Extreme Fat loss level.

Want me to make it very easy for all of you! I just figured this out myself.

What is your goal weight?

What is your height?

Go plug that into the calculator...

Use those amounts. why?? because it's already a deficit because your heavier than this and also it's gets your body ready to eat those amounts for a life time because that's the amount you'll need to eat when you maintain. Now if you have a lot to lose you can adjust these totals some also. Because if your used to eating a lot more than this it's harder to drastically cut down. For example
I want to weight 135. I'm 5'4" ..Maintenance calories for me at this weight are 1759. So for now I'm zig zagging around that total.

It works. I look back at my food diary months ago and I actually was zig zagging already but not in any set form, I now like knowing in advance when my high days are so I can plan outings and stuff accordingly. Also with the holidays approaching I will switch some days around..as long as my weekly average is at 1700 or so I'll do fine.

Good luck,

jrditt

So excellent. I've been stuck so I am ready to try this.

servilia

so confusing with the net calories...I cant fathom eating them all back...just my opinion:)

Also...how do you get a deficit if your eating back your exercise calories?

When you set up your MFP goals, you presumably told MFP how much you want to lose per week right - so it used that info to distract cals from your normal requirements. Any exercise you do adds onto the already existing deficit. For example, let's say X is the number of cals you burn on a day to day basis just by living. You tell MFP you want to lose 2 lbs a week. MFP will set your cal goal at X-500.
Let's say you exercise and burn 100 cals.
Now you're at a 600 call deficit: X-500-100. So if you eat back those 100 cals, you STILL have the 500 cal deficit that MFP set up for you.
Not saying you must eat them back, but that is the reasoning behind NET cals.

amys31

Thank you, got it makes sense now!!:-)

mrrad

This is very interesting, may give it a go.....thanks everyone

servilia

so confusing with the net calories...I cant fathom eating them all back...just my opinion:)

Also...how do you get a deficit if your eating back your exercise calories?

When you set up your MFP goals, you presumably told MFP how much you want to lose per week right - so it used that info to distract cals from your normal requirements. Any exercise you do adds onto the already existing deficit. For example, let's say X is the number of cals you burn on a day to day basis just by living. You tell MFP you want to lose 2 lbs a week. MFP will set your cal goal at X-500.
Let's say you exercise and burn 100 cals.
Now you're at a 600 call deficit: X-500-100. So if you eat back those 100 cals, you STILL have the 500 cal deficit that MFP set up for you.
Not saying you must eat them back, but that is the reasoning behind NET cals.

Quoting myself here to correct something - it won't let me edit..
The 500 cal deficit is if you set it up to lose 1 lb per week, not 2lbs as I wrote above. For two pounds it would be 1000 cals per day deficit.

HonkyTonks

I would be more inclined to do this if I knew that the calores in and calories out for me were 100% accurate. Plus no idea what my BMR is exactly, it's all just estimating!

recesq

This is a really good post. Thanks for sharing and helping.

Juliette320

Okay, um what is a maintenance day? Like do you eat you cals back? On any of the days? Because I am eating 1200 cals sometimes going slightly over was scared to up my calories bc I did loose a couple of pounds and quite alot of inches in the beginning and when combined with exercise I was doing really good. But now I'm like at a plateau so 1250 for two days and ? How much for another day. And so on and so forth or what? Please and thank you for your response

minna13

keeping for later! thanks

Malissas

Thanks for this. I'm going to give it a go.
So weird how scary it is to have to eat so much more food. Although I'm sure there is a 'magic number' of cals that also have to be burnt as well?

keepitoff99

bump

thankyou4thevenom

I love calorie cycling but the mention of starvation mode in the first post really doesn't make any sense.

Starvation mode (as in the sense of your metabolism rate dropping) does not set in unless you're eating less than 50% of your maintenance calories for at least a month. So this kind of calorie cycling should never do that.

servilia

Okay, um what is a maintenance day? Like do you eat you cals back? On any of the days? Because I am eating 1200 cals sometimes going slightly over was scared to up my calories bc I did loose a couple of pounds and quite alot of inches in the beginning and when combined with exercise I was doing really good. But now I'm like at a plateau so 1250 for two days and ? How much for another day. And so on and so forth or what? Please and thank you for your response

A maintenance day is when you eat enough to leave you with no deficit at all. So eat all the calories you need for that day, including exercise calories. For me this is at least 1800.