Calorie Cycling - Opinions? Loss/gain with it? Help I'm plat

_AllieCat_
_AllieCat_ Posts: 515 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Somebody mentioned calorie cycling to me today to help break my 2-week plateau. I have been staying under my numbers, working out every day, and my weight has floated between 190 and 192. I can't seem to drop any weight even though I am on a pound a week calorie limit.

Calorie cycling is mixing up the number of cals you eat every day but within the week they average out to be just under your goal. The theory is it keeps your body guessing and kick-starts your metabolism.

Does anybody have any experience with this method, or any advice for me to help break my plateau?
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Replies

  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    I honestly think if you're eating a healthy amount (not significantly over- or over- shooting your calories) and working out often, you should continue this way for a while longer before looking to change anything up. A two-week plateau is not long at all, and you seem to be doing well.
  • xlolitabandita
    xlolitabandita Posts: 242
    When I stopped losing, I upped my calories from 1200 to 1500 for about a week, and then dropped them back down to 1200 and I started loosing again. This seems to work for me when I can't seem to get more weight off, and I don't gain anything back durring the higher calorie week. Not to mention, it allows me a little more variety so i don't crazy!
  • Spunkki
    Spunkki Posts: 1 Member
    From what I've learned during this past 10 weeks, you MUST have a cheat day every 6-7 days where you eat an additional 500-1000 calories that day in order to throw your metalbolism off. Your body gets used to consuming the same number of calories every single day and then you plateau. Give it a shot! I keep my calories at 1400-1500 calories but look forward to my 'cheat night's'. I have lost 15.6 lbs since January 12, 2012 (in about 10 1/2 weeks). I keep my workouts to 45 min in length, lift weights 2-3 times per week and do Zumba for my cardio. In total I work out 5 days per week. Let me know how it goes.
  • scottc561
    scottc561 Posts: 329 Member
    From what I've learned during this past 10 weeks, you MUST have a cheat day every 6-7 days where you eat an additional 500-1000 calories that day in order to throw your metalbolism off. Your body gets used to consuming the same number of calories every single day and then you plateau. Give it a shot! I keep my calories at 1400-1500 calories but look forward to my 'cheat night's'. I have lost 15.6 lbs since January 12, 2012 (in about 10 1/2 weeks). I keep my workouts to 45 min in length, lift weights 2-3 times per week and do Zumba for my cardio. In total I work out 5 days per week. Let me know how it goes.

    there's actually a group on here that does this, except it's called spike day. It has worked for alot of people, check the group out if you like more info. spike 84
  • carpediem3
    carpediem3 Posts: 320 Member
    I've been plateauing for 3 VERY LONG months, so I'm looking forward to seeing opinions on this....
  • _AllieCat_
    _AllieCat_ Posts: 515 Member
    Thank you very much everyone. The cheat day makes a LOT of sense, and seems easier to handle than calorie cycling. I will give it a try, thank you so much!
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
    I calorie cycle. I've done it formally, but now I just kind of do it more intuitively. Instead of stressing over my calories for any given day, I think about calories as a weekly average. Some days I may net 1800 or 2000 calories and others I net 1100 or 1200. My goal is an average of about 1350-1450 though I'm happy as long as it's between 1300 and 1500. For me, it derails the breaks in motivation I've had with binges in the past and I do seem to get better results than trying to hit a set number every day.
  • mhaynam1970
    mhaynam1970 Posts: 8 Member
    Juggling your calories around does help. I was stuck too. So for a couple days I ate more than for 1 day I ate a little less then went to regular for a couple. It does work. It keeps your body guessing . I was stuck for a week and decided that was enough. Also, to begin with a lot of the weight is water and also if you are working out muscle weighs more than fat. Also the best thing to do is weigh yourself first thing in the morning and don't weigh yourself through out the day. Same time everyday because your body weight changes through out the day as you eat go to the bathroom and drink.Be patient I lost over 15 lbs in a little over a month and if I can do it so can you!!!!:smile:
  • livingonpurpose77
    livingonpurpose77 Posts: 29 Member
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    This is a link that one of my favorite blogs posted. She's a runner, and states this is pretty reliable. It gives you kind of a guide for calorie cycling ones you enter your info.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Calorie cycling wont work if you arent feeding yourself enough calories to start with. How about we start easy and ask how many calories you are eating? Then go to fat2fit.com and use the bmr calc and post those results and then also tell us what you do for exercise and your lifestyle.


    Every single plateau i have broken, whether it was with myself or those i have helped has been with more calories.
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
    how long do you cycle for ? 1 week? 2 weeks ?
  • jcoco
    jcoco Posts: 138 Member
    Check out the Spike Diet, there is a group on here & you can also buy the book. It basically has you eating at your BMR 3 days per week & BMR minus 500 calories the other 3 days. Then you pick one day called a "Spike Day" that you eat double your BMR. Trust me, I was very skeptical but I was plateauing for over a month & decided to try it. I broke my plateau the first week & have lost weight every week since. Good luck!
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Calorie cycling has two main benefits
    1) makes the diet a LOT easier psychologically (you don't feel as much like you're dieting)
    2) prevents water retention, so for people who are hung up on their scales, that is nice

    You won't lose weight any faster than the net deficit you carry, but it makes the process easier IMO, and the easier you make things for yourself, the better you will stick with them
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
    From what I've learned during this past 10 weeks, you MUST have a cheat day every 6-7 days where you eat an additional 500-1000 calories that day in order to throw your metalbolism off. Your body gets used to consuming the same number of calories every single day and then you plateau. Give it a shot! I keep my calories at 1400-1500 calories but look forward to my 'cheat night's'. I have lost 15.6 lbs since January 12, 2012 (in about 10 1/2 weeks). I keep my workouts to 45 min in length, lift weights 2-3 times per week and do Zumba for my cardio. In total I work out 5 days per week. Let me know how it goes.

    Do you eat back your exercise calories? Im trying to find the right amount of calories for good weight loss but have a
    hard time eating exercise calories depending on how much I burn.
  • laurcampbell
    laurcampbell Posts: 54 Member
    Check out the Spike Diet, there is a group on here & you can also buy the book. It basically has you eating at your BMR 3 days per week & BMR minus 500 calories the other 3 days. Then you pick one day called a "Spike Day" that you eat double your BMR. Trust me, I was very skeptical but I was plateauing for over a month & decided to try it. I broke my plateau the first week & have lost weight every week since. Good luck!

    you sold me - checking out group now and will try this starting Monday!
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    I give myself a weekly bonus amount of calories that I can either use all at once, spread over a few days or spread throughout the whole week. They're mine to do whatever I want with and they still keep me at a healthy losing rate. It allows me to splurge on days I want like when I have date night or an office party, etc. It's similar to calorie cycling and gives me high/low days.

    I set my daily target at a certain amount and anything over that, I deduct from my weekly calories that I've given myself. When I exercise, I eat back those calories first before dipping into weeklies.

    ^^This is similar to Weight Watcher's plan. I got to goal on WW and never plateaued. When my losses slowed, I was able to switch up the days where I ate the "bulk" of my weeklies and started losing better.
  • mpizzle421
    mpizzle421 Posts: 80 Member
    Supposedly your body does a pretty good job of adapting to a calorie deficit by burning less energy ("lowering your metabolism"). You'll notice great weight loss the first 1-3 weeks, and it slows down considerably after. I've been reading up on this, and a supposedly effective way to do this is to eat at maintenance after 3 days of deficit.


    Mon/Tues/Wed -- 500-750 cal deficit
    Thurs - maintenance
    Fri/Sat/Sun -- 500-750 cal deficit deficit
    Mon - maintenance
    ...

    I would prefer that over the suggestion mentioned above to eat below BMR. That sounds unpleasant and a little gimmicky. What I suggested above can be found in Tom Venuto's burn the fat book.
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
    Calorie cycling wont work if you arent feeding yourself enough calories to start with. How about we start easy and ask how many calories you are eating? Then go to fat2fit.com and use the bmr calc and post those results and then also tell us what you do for exercise and your lifestyle.


    Every single plateau i have broken, whether it was with myself or those i have helped has been with more calories.

    Ok here ya go

    Eating 1700 Calories

    BMR = 1751

    I work from home and am sedentary, I work out 5x a week doing cardio,work out dvd's, walking etc for no less
    then 30 min. I also use hand weights . I DON'T eat back exercise calories either

    Thanks
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    I calorie cycle. I've done it formally, but now I just kind of do it more intuitively. Instead of stressing over my calories for any given day, I think about calories as a weekly average. Some days I may net 1800 or 2000 calories and others I net 1100 or 1200. My goal is an average of about 1350-1450 though I'm happy as long as it's between 1300 and 1500. For me, it derails the breaks in motivation I've had with binges in the past and I do seem to get better results than trying to hit a set number every day.

    This! Very well said.

    I know there are plans out there that will map out which days to go higher and which days to go lower and the exact amount of cals you should eat on those days. I'm sure that's helpful to people but things like that seem so diet-y rather than an actual lifestyle change. I have my typical high days but I don't set a specific target to hit.
  • mgraue82
    mgraue82 Posts: 168 Member
    BUMP
  • hjohns65
    hjohns65 Posts: 66 Member
    I've been plateauing for 3 VERY LONG months, so I'm looking forward to seeing opinions on this....

    i have pretty much been stuck too except since november basically! be interesting to see responses
  • striperhunter
    striperhunter Posts: 1
    I haven't plateau yet but know it's going to come on later from past experiences. I had lost 12 lbs in 3wks eating 1300 calories a day, cardio in the morning and very light weights and more cardio at night. Then on my 4th week when I found out that I had past my fitness test, I didn't exercise, ate whatever I wanted and thought I had gain back some weight, according to my scale when I weighted myself. Then on this week (my 5th) I started getting back on track to doing cardio only once a day and weight training. I weighed myself this morning and was at 181.6. So when you plateau, definetly switch it up as soon as possible, that way your body gets confused and has to readjust. Whether it be your eating habits or your exercises.
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
    Bump
  • momwithacamera
    momwithacamera Posts: 151 Member
    I got stuck for 4 months from October through January, at the time I was eating back my exercise calories and getting a total of 1600 per day. I decided to cycle my calories and drop them. I now eat 1100 two days and then 1600 the 3rd day. Once a week, I have a free day where I eat whatever, usually it ends up around 1800 or so. When I started doing this, I have lost every week again since beginning of February! And I feel great, and my Body Media has not shown a decline in my metabolism either. I also am doing Jillian's Body Revolution every day, I was doing Jillian workouts every day during the plateau though, too.

    I don't know exactly what to tell you, but I can at least share my experience. I tried eating more calories to break the plateau, but it did not work for me. Every person is such an individual, I would just encourage you to play around with different things until you find something that works well for you!
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
    I got stuck for 4 months from October through January, at the time I was eating back my exercise calories and getting a total of 1600 per day. I decided to cycle my calories and drop them. I now eat 1100 two days and then 1600 the 3rd day. Once a week, I have a free day where I eat whatever, usually it ends up around 1800 or so. When I started doing this, I have lost every week again since beginning of February! And I feel great, and my Body Media has not shown a decline in my metabolism either. I also am doing Jillian's Body Revolution every day, I was doing Jillian workouts every day during the plateau though, too.

    I don't know exactly what to tell you, but I can at least share my experience. I tried eating more calories to break the plateau, but it did not work for me. Every person is such an individual, I would just encourage you to play around with different things until you find something that works well for you!


    ANd how many calories you eat the other days?? You said 2 days 1100 - in a row im assuming then 1600 the 3rd day. What about the other days?
  • justinamay0535
    justinamay0535 Posts: 132 Member
    I tried this as well for 4 weeks and didnt lose a pound. I actually gained 2-4 depending on the day. I went back to the calories that MFP suggested and I have started losing again. I agree that you have to play around with what works for your body because not everyone will see the same results. Good luck!
  • pafoofnic
    pafoofnic Posts: 7
    Call me silly... but I clicked on your post because I thought calorie cycling may have to do with bicycling. After all, Lance Armstrong and those guys burn about 5000 calories a day bicycling. Maybe if I work on it I can but a few hundred, eh?
  • SamHughes15
    SamHughes15 Posts: 149 Member
    bump
  • SamHughes15
    SamHughes15 Posts: 149 Member
    bump

    need to change my plan as been stuck for no joke, since about october! so...

    bump
    bump
    bump
    bump!
  • dancingj2
    dancingj2 Posts: 4,572 Member
    Like pafoofnic I though this had to do with biking so I clicked on it.

    I do find when my weight loss stalls shaking things up a bit can help. Go way over or way under for one day in the week. Really over exercise for a day or tow or just take a week off. The change seems to resent something and get the weight loss bakc in gear.

    But when you are down to those last few pounds it seems very hard to convince my body to let go of them.

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