help with zigzagging/calorie cycling

jilld76

I want to start zigzagging my calories to help with my weight loss, but I'm struggling with the numbers that I'm getting on the free diets site that I've seen posted.

This is what it's giving me with NO exercise

Fat Loss Fat Loss
Monday 1808
Tuesday 1808
Wednesday 2170
Thursday 1808
Friday 1808
Saturday 1989
Sunday 1808

So, here are my concerns. Right now I have my settings on MFP set to no activity (in the car all day) and to lose 2 pounds a week and I get 1200 calories. Even if I change it to losing just 1 pound a week it only puts me at 1540 for calories, so looking at these numbers it seems extremely high!!

I didn't enter any exercise on the freediets site when I got these numbers because my workout schedule can be erratic, so I'd rather log my workout and eat the exercise calories if I need to, rather than having them included in my numbers automatically.

So for anyone that's done this and been successful, could you tell me if these numbers seem extremely high? And also, do you typically plan a low cal day for the day before your weigh in?

I was thinking that maybe I should just take the total calories that I need to eat in a week, plus some exercise and then just split it up myself over the 7 days to decide how much I would have each day. Just not sure if there are certain principles I need to follow if i set it up myself.

Thanks for the help!

SpaceMarkus

Nope!!! 1200 is the absolute min anyone should eat. Those numbers seem OK to me. Granted, your body shape, age, activity, etc will change all that. But just ballpark they look ok.

thisisabbie

Here's a handy thread, have a read. Fuzzy's always on point!


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/212510-how-to-zig-zag-cals-properly-caloric-cycling-properly

annacataldo

what my friend does (and ive never done this myself or looked in to it), is like monday she sets mfp to loose 2 pounds, tuesday sets it to loose half a pound, wednesday 1.5lbs, thursday 1 pound, friday maintain, saturday 2 lbs, sunday 1.5.... or something along those line anyway.. That way her calorie level will be set, along with her fat content, etc changing, and then makes a note in the note section about her setting for the day and her calorie allotment, so that when she looks back it doesnt look like she went really far under/over and using the note to remind herself of what she was doing that day. She was on a plateau and this got her out of it and shes continued to loose for quite awhile now doing this.

crazywheaten

Totally get your concern--I just started zig-zagging this week and going from 1200 a day to my high this week of 1796--I actually feel physically sick after eating a 1,052 calorie dinner in order to meet those calories!

jilld76

Nope!!! 1200 is the absolute min anyone should eat. Those numbers seem OK to me. Granted, your body shape, age, activity, etc will change all that. But just ballpark they look ok.

Thank you! I still have a lot to lose so I am nervous about jumping up so much higher in calories, but maybe I've been eating too little.

jilld76

Here's a handy thread, have a read. Fuzzy's always on point!


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/212510-how-to-zig-zag-cals-properly-caloric-cycling-properly

Thank you! I just read through the whole thread and I think I've got a good handle on all of it. Can't wait to start!

jilld76

Totally get your concern--I just started zig-zagging this week and going from 1200 a day to my high this week of 1796--I actually feel physically sick after eating a 1,052 calorie dinner in order to meet those calories!

That's exactly what I'm afraid of! But I think in a way it might also help me. I tend to eat higher calories on the weekends and fall off track, whether it's because I have a couple of drinks or some birthday cake or pizza, etc.... So if I have a high calorie day fall on the weekend and do have a treat I don't have to feel like I ruined my whole day because I should easily be able to stay in my range. I don't want it to be a free for all, but I think that flexibility will be good for me, mentally.

jilld76

okay, so I've read a bunch of threads and checked out different sites. I've come up with some numbers and was wondering if anyone would mind taking a look at them and telling me what they think?

Friday - 1800
Saturday - 2000
Sunday - 1600
Monday - 1350
Tuesday - 1800
Wednesday - 1600
Thursday - 1350

Total for the week 11,500

I changed my MFP settings to lose 1 lb per week and it's giving me 1550 as my daily net goal, so I took that number times 7 days to get a rough idea of how many calories I needed to lose 1 lb. and then I took my maintenance number which another site is telling me is 1973 and multiplied that times 7 to get the total calories needed to maintain. And then I picked a total in the middle of that for the week, which is where I got the 11,500

Does this seem reasonable? I'm open to suggestions!

fit4life_73

I think your numbers look reasonable. What is your weigh-in day? Hopefully its the morning after a low calorie day. I looked back through my old weight watchers journals. The weeks I had the most success were when I would stagger my points daily. My friends were envious b/c a couple times a week I would eat out at lunch (Mexican, Thai, Chinese) and still lose weight. Of course not pigging out on bad foods. I was also working out 4 to 5 times a wk. But it all makes sense now.

Good luck!

jilld76

I think your numbers look reasonable. What is your weigh-in day? Hopefully its the morning after a low calorie day. I looked back through my old weight watchers journals. The weeks I had the most success were when I would stagger my points daily. My friends were envious b/c a couple times a week I would eat out at lunch (Mexican, Thai, Chinese) and still lose weight. Of course not pigging out on bad foods. I was also working out 4 to 5 times a wk. But it all makes sense now.

Good luck!

Thank you!

My weigh in day is Friday mornings, so I planned it so that I would have high calories after weigh in day and also over the weekend when we tend to eat out more and are busier.