Anyone tried zig zagging their calories?

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Replies

  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Unless you're already very lean, it won't make a whit of difference as far as fat burning is concerned. Eating more on training days and less on off days may help with performance, but that's strictly personal preference.
    Ron i agree with you to a degree, but there are some hormonal benefits to eating higher calories, around workout days not just performance. I know you like a good debate, but im too tired to start pulling study's out to prove it. So will leave it at that :smile:

    Agreed, but for the vast majority of people on this site, the differences are negligible. Once you get lean, then this stuff becomes more of an issue. Typically, when someone uses the term "zig-zagging" as opposed to "calorie/carb cycling", it's a pretty good bet that they don't need to worry about it.
    I see your point, but for many here, who have been eating very low calories for an extended period of time. They could very well benefit hormonally from days of increased calorie intake, opposed to a static low number. Even zig zaging can bring you up to maintenance or above for a few days a week. This is why i think some people stuck at a plateau have good results, when zig zaging. However if someone has not stalled, and is losing weight on a regular basis, i see no need to try and fix what's not broke.

    I'm pretty much on the same page. I'm just of the mind that there's no need to overcomplicate things unnecessarily (and if you look at the OP's first post, I'm sure you would agree that her plan is far more complicated than it needs to be). For every person here that has broken plateaus from cycling, you'll probably find 10 that are trying to fix something that isn't broken.


    But so long as the weekly deficit is the same, it isn't going to hurt.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Unless you're already very lean, it won't make a whit of difference as far as fat burning is concerned. Eating more on training days and less on off days may help with performance, but that's strictly personal preference.
    Ron i agree with you to a degree, but there are some hormonal benefits to eating higher calories, around workout days not just performance. I know you like a good debate, but im too tired to start pulling study's out to prove it. So will leave it at that :smile:

    Agreed, but for the vast majority of people on this site, the differences are negligible. Once you get lean, then this stuff becomes more of an issue. Typically, when someone uses the term "zig-zagging" as opposed to "calorie/carb cycling", it's a pretty good bet that they don't need to worry about it.
    I see your point, but for many here, who have been eating very low calories for an extended period of time. They could very well benefit hormonally from days of increased calorie intake, opposed to a static low number. Even zig zaging can bring you up to maintenance or above for a few days a week. This is why i think some people stuck at a plateau have good results, when zig zaging. However if someone has not stalled, and is losing weight on a regular basis, i see no need to try and fix what's not broke.

    I'm pretty much on the same page. I'm just of the mind that there's no need to overcomplicate things unnecessarily (and if you look at the OP's first post, I'm sure you would agree that her plan is far more complicated than it needs to be). For every person here that has broken plateaus from cycling, you'll probably find 10 that are trying to fix something that isn't broken.


    But so long as the weekly deficit is the same, it isn't going to hurt.

    True that.
    cycling should become a factor once you get down in the lower body fat.
    On the hormonal side of things OP could strategically use a cheat day or even a week at maintenance.
    oh!
    stay off the scale!
  • sniperzzzz
    sniperzzzz Posts: 282 Member
    Unless you're already very lean, it won't make a whit of difference as far as fat burning is concerned. Eating more on training days and less on off days may help with performance, but that's strictly personal preference.
    Ron i agree with you to a degree, but there are some hormonal benefits to eating higher calories, around workout days not just performance. I know you like a good debate, but im too tired to start pulling study's out to prove it. So will leave it at that :smile:

    Agreed, but for the vast majority of people on this site, the differences are negligible. Once you get lean, then this stuff becomes more of an issue. Typically, when someone uses the term "zig-zagging" as opposed to "calorie/carb cycling", it's a pretty good bet that they don't need to worry about it.
    I see your point, but for many here, who have been eating very low calories for an extended period of time. They could very well benefit hormonally from days of increased calorie intake, opposed to a static low number. Even zig zaging can bring you up to maintenance or above for a few days a week. This is why i think some people stuck at a plateau have good results, when zig zaging. However if someone has not stalled, and is losing weight on a regular basis, i see no need to try and fix what's not broke.

    I'm pretty much on the same page. I'm just of the mind that there's no need to overcomplicate things unnecessarily (and if you look at the OP's first post, I'm sure you would agree that her plan is far more complicated than it needs to be). For every person here that has broken plateaus from cycling, you'll probably find 10 that are trying to fix something that isn't broken.


    But so long as the weekly deficit is the same, it isn't going to hurt.
    On the hormonal side of things OP could strategically use a cheat day or even a week at maintenance.
    stay off the scale!
    Thats another option :)
  • sophielilirose
    sophielilirose Posts: 41
    I don't really know much about zig zagging but I have found that I dont have to stick so avidly to 1200 cals a day, sometimes I go up to about 1600 (my BMR) and sometimes I stay around 1200, and when I do this the weight seems to come off a lot quicker than if I stick to 1200 a day - think my body may just need a few extra calories, which is good for me haha!:tongue:
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I don't really know much about zig zagging but I have found that I dont have to stick so avidly to 1200 cals a day, sometimes I go up to about 1600 (my BMR) and sometimes I stay around 1200, and when I do this the weight seems to come off a lot quicker than if I stick to 1200 a day - think my body may just need a few extra calories, which is good for me haha!:tongue:

    If you have a solid goal to lose weight then yes, 1200 will do the trick for a while.
    However if you are interested in keeping as much lean mass as possible while only losing fat...
    Sticking with 1200 cals after you hit 22%BF or lower would be folly.
    You would probably start plateauing and weight loss will stall with energy and hormonal issues.

    How tall are you currently?
  • SukiRob
    SukiRob Posts: 18 Member
    I eat between my BMR and TDEE - I find this works best for me than keeping my calories static (some days I want more food than others) I have lost 20lbs doing this. It's really a case of trying a few things and sticking to the one that works for you.
  • AsaraFuriosa
    AsaraFuriosa Posts: 293 Member
    I've been calorie cycling ( zig zagging) since April! Love it!! I agree that it will keep you from a platue! I can honestly say I've never in 73.3lbs lost so far. The only issue I've ever experienced is that some of my low days are to low. I'm a huge believer in changing up EVERYTHING. That's the key to not platueing!! I change my calorie intake everyday, my raw fruits and veggies every couple weeks, I change my workouts every 3 months. I'm telling you, it's the way to go and I'm proof!
  • love2cycle
    love2cycle Posts: 448 Member
    I don't get the term "zig zagging" I guess. My caloric intake is different every day, because of the time and type of exercise I do, which means I am eating back the calories burned. Some days, I eat about 2200, others days about 1600, etc.
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    i zig zagged for a huge chunk of my weight loss...ive lost 190 pounds n it also helped me break a 7 month plateau - worked a treat for me :)
  • mikem45
    mikem45 Posts: 35
    I realised I forgot to mention in my previous post we are all different everybody will react in a different way what works for me may not work for you so by knowing this try different things and learn what works for you. This is definitely a journey of self discovery and in the end no one can know your body better than yourself!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Zig zagging works, but it is mainly water weight that you lose when you drop lots of pounds at once, but then again sometimes you may be losing weight, but not notice it because you're retaining water. I do it every now and then. Just keep in mind that drastic diet changes can do funny things to your bowels. I've done the zig zagging where you eat different calories each day and I've also done two weeks of the same calories then change it for another two weeks. If you're concerned with seeing scale weight constantly moving downwards, it'll help. Another con is when you drop your calories and lose a bunch of water, you may also notice losing reps at the gym on your lifts (if you lift). Sometimes your body purges more water than you really want it to when your carb intake goes down drastically and it can sap your energy. Stay hydrated, especially if you like to drink coffee or alcohol. Being dehydrated will really sap your energy.
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    Honestly being an avid athlete and workout person, I feel that zigzagging your calorie intake will have your body so confused it will not know what to do. Yes it might help you lose weight but it will also mess up your metabolism and how you eat your meals making you maybe eat meals/food that you do not need or want to eat!! This is my opinion so you can take it or just ignore it lol

    Good luck and here for support

    Completely untrue. It is recommended by sports physicians, so I'm not sure what kind of an athlete you are.

    Yes, it works. It revs up your metabolism. I've been doing it for 2 1/2 weeks and broke my plateau.
  • PosyPods
    PosyPods Posts: 25
    I lost 60lbs (from 190lbs to 130lbs; I lost 20lbs before that by eating 1200 cal. every day) while zig-zagging. It certainly did not hinder my weight loss, but I would not do it again. For me, personally, it made me obsess too much over the numbers, because I had to be really disciplined to hit each day's goal. Instead, I prefer to now just set my caloric goal (in my case, 1500 calories a day), and then naturally zig-zag based on how hungry/active I am. However, I like to plan things ahead of time and generally like to eat the same foods everyday, so it's just easier for me this way.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Unless you're already very lean, it won't make a whit of difference as far as fat burning is concerned. Eating more on training days and less on off days may help with performance, but that's strictly personal preference.
    Ron i agree with you to a degree, but there are some hormonal benefits to eating higher calories, around workout days not just performance. I know you like a good debate, but im too tired to start pulling study's out to prove it. So will leave it at that :smile:

    Agreed, but for the vast majority of people on this site, the differences are negligible. Once you get lean, then this stuff becomes more of an issue. Typically, when someone uses the term "zig-zagging" as opposed to "calorie/carb cycling", it's a pretty good bet that they don't need to worry about it.
    I'm gonna agree with both of you guys and stand comfortably in the middle. I think there are pros and cons to both, but they are very slight and only make any noticable difference if you're really in tune with your body's performance in the gym and/or very lean and trying to squeeze out every bit you can get. I can think of a couple of bodybuilders off the top of my head that would argue with each other over this and it would be hard to say which one is right based on their individual results. In the end, it really comes down to personal preference.
  • tobnrn
    tobnrn Posts: 477 Member
    Unless you're already very lean, it won't make a whit of difference as far as fat burning is concerned. Eating more on training days and less on off days may help with performance, but that's strictly personal preference.
    Ron i agree with you to a degree, but there are some hormonal benefits to eating higher calories, around workout days not just performance. I know you like a good debate, but im too tired to start pulling study's out to prove it. So will leave it at that :smile:

    Agreed, but for the vast majority of people on this site, the differences are negligible. Once you get lean, then this stuff becomes more of an issue. Typically, when someone uses the term "zig-zagging" as opposed to "calorie/carb cycling", it's a pretty good bet that they don't need to worry about it.
    I see your point, but for many here, who have been eating very low calories for an extended period of time. They could very well benefit hormonally from days of increased calorie intake, opposed to a static low number. Even zig zaging can bring you up to maintenance or above for a few days a week. This is why i think some people stuck at a plateau have good results, when zig zaging. However if someone has not stalled, and is losing weight on a regular basis, i see no need to try and fix what's not broke.

    I'm pretty much on the same page. I'm just of the mind that there's no need to overcomplicate things unnecessarily (and if you look at the OP's first post, I'm sure you would agree that her plan is far more complicated than it needs to be). For every person here that has broken plateaus from cycling, you'll probably find 10 that are trying to fix something that isn't broken.


    But so long as the weekly deficit is the same, it isn't going to hurt.
    On the hormonal side of things OP could strategically use a cheat day or even a week at maintenance.
    stay off the scale!
    Thats another option :)

    Lots of good sound stuff from some knowledgeable people right there.

    ETA: Always love reading what you have to say. Always matches my research

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