newbie question

amy4586

I have been reading a lot of posts and occasionally i see some that say they go over their calories to get their metabolism up. Can someone explain this to me? When do you know when to do this, ect...?

purpleipod

I think a lot of people have a spike day where their intake is quite over what's recommended (how much over is suggested I'm still a little unclear on). It mixes things up and keeps your body guessing. Weight loss can slow down if your body gets used to a consistently low amount of calories.

amy4586

ohhhh :-)

SteveHunt113

My wife likes to have a spike day. I like to have a spike meal. I try to keep my calories near what would be considered maintenance. I'm suppose to take in about 2300 calories to maintain my weight. So I'll allow myself no more than 2500 calories. At the end of the week, I'm still under my weekly caloric goal, but I had a day to enjoy a meal (and maybe have desert) and also give my metabolism a little kick.

jmaffett

We call it a "free" day. If you eat the same calories every day your body comes to expect that many calories. If you change things up a bit then it keeps your metabolism "guessing", plus you can fill those cravings one day each week.

Here is info on the plan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_for_Life

amy4586

Thanks for the info!