Zig Zagging?

1234567kate9
1234567kate9 Posts: 87
in Food and Nutrition
I've read a little about calorie "zig-zagging" and I was wondering if there was a way to control my calorie goal day by day on MFP. It gives me a constant calore goal, but I'm trying to figure out how I'll be able to include the changing values each day if I do calorie zig-zagging, if that makes any sense. Thanks for the help!

Replies

  • aubreykkkk
    aubreykkkk Posts: 147 Member
    Just keep the mfp goal at the highest calorie number and just make sure you're following a zig-zag pattern. It's just easier to do it in your head or make a food note for it then changing it everyday :)
  • 1234567kate9
    1234567kate9 Posts: 87
    Just keep the mfp goal at the highest calorie number and just make sure you're following a zig-zag pattern. It's just easier to do it in your head or make a food note for it then changing it everyday :)

    but is it possible to change it every day?
  • 1234567kate9
    1234567kate9 Posts: 87
    anyone??
  • RuthieCass
    RuthieCass Posts: 247 Member
    You could just set your goal to your lowest calorie day. Then add a custom cardio exercise that "burns" the difference.
  • aubreykkkk
    aubreykkkk Posts: 147 Member
    you can change it everyday but then it would also change the goal from the days before
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    You cannot set the calorie goal to rotate amounts. I don't know of any site able to do that. That is something you will need to watch out for on your own!
  • handeye
    handeye Posts: 52 Member
    i started doing it while i was trying to figure out what worked best for my body, without realizing it was called "zig-zagging".

    what you do is stay within your weekly calorie goal, but change your diet every 3 or 4 days. so for example, my daily calorie goal is 1200 (i'm short). for days 1-3 i'll eat around 1000 calories, and on day 4 i'll eat 2000 (1200 of my daily goal plus 600 aka 200 from each day of the calories i didn't eat on days 1-3). this way you are still keeping to your weekly goal, just spreading the calories out differently. i like it because every 3 or 4 days i feel like i have a "cheat day" because i feel like i have more calories to play around with and i have room to eat some of my "bad foods" (like a slice of deep dish pizza) that i don't normally have room for. this staves off cravings, plus i'm usually so satisfied and full after my large calorie days it's easy for me to want to eat healthy the next day and keep my calories low. for me it also keeps my metabolism moving. when i was doing a steady 1200/day week i started to plateau.

    anyways give it a shot! i love it.
  • handeye
    handeye Posts: 52 Member
    oh sorry, i just re read your question and saw you are asking how to do it on mfp, not in real life! can't help you there!
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    i started doing it while i was trying to figure out what worked best for my body, without realizing it was called "zig-zagging".

    what you do is stay within your weekly calorie goal, but change your diet every 3 or 4 days. so for example, my daily calorie goal is 1200 (i'm short). for days 1-3 i'll eat around 1000 calories, and on day 4 i'll eat 2000 (1200 of my daily goal plus 600 aka 200 from each day of the calories i didn't eat on days 1-3). this way you are still keeping to your weekly goal, just spreading the calories out differently. i like it because every 3 or 4 days i feel like i have a "cheat day" because i feel like i have more calories to play around with and i have room to eat some of my "bad foods" (like a slice of deep dish pizza) that i don't normally have room for. this staves off cravings, plus i'm usually so satisfied and full after my large calorie days it's easy for me to want to eat healthy the next day and keep my calories low. for me it also keeps my metabolism moving. when i was doing a steady 1200/day week i started to plateau.

    anyways give it a shot! i love it.

    FYI, even when zig zagging, you should NEVER go below 1200 calories/day. 1000 calories is not enough.
  • MissCheese
    MissCheese Posts: 195 Member
    I have been as low as 800 calories on some of my low zig zag days, hasn't done me any harm and have lost 1.5 lbs per week pretty much consistently.

    If you make sure that your weekly average is correct then do not worry about how low you may go on maybe one day a week.

    I'm not advocating eating nothing but as long as you are eating 8,400 net calories per week you will be fine.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    I have been as low as 800 calories on some of my low zig zag days, hasn't done me any harm and have lost 1.5 lbs per week pretty much consistently.

    If you make sure that your weekly average is correct then do not worry about how low you may go on maybe one day a week.

    I'm not advocating eating nothing but as long as you are eating 8,400 net calories per week you will be fine.

    Eating 800 calories DOES do your body harm, even if you haven't seen it.. YET.
    Eating anything less than 1200 calories will starve your body and will be detrimental to yourself. 800 calories is no where near enough - whether you are "making up" for it on other days makes no difference. It will negatively effect your health, and is NOT GOOD to do - EVER.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    sorry, let me correct what I said.
    You should only ever go below 1200 calories per day in special circumstances of extreme obesity - under medical supervision.
    See this article under "special cases": http://www.livestrong.com/article/446177-what-is-a-safe-amount-of-calories-per-day/

    In any other situation, going as low as 800 calories is bad for your health - and is bordering on anorexia.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
    You could just set your goal to your lowest calorie day. Then add a custom cardio exercise that "burns" the difference.

    This would be how I would handle it, then it would not interfere with the historical data.
  • WillUAre
    WillUAre Posts: 81 Member
    i started doing it while i was trying to figure out what worked best for my body, without realizing it was called "zig-zagging".

    what you do is stay within your weekly calorie goal, but change your diet every 3 or 4 days. so for example, my daily calorie goal is 1200 (i'm short). for days 1-3 i'll eat around 1000 calories, and on day 4 i'll eat 2000 (1200 of my daily goal plus 600 aka 200 from each day of the calories i didn't eat on days 1-3). this way you are still keeping to your weekly goal, just spreading the calories out differently. i like it because every 3 or 4 days i feel like i have a "cheat day" because i feel like i have more calories to play around with and i have room to eat some of my "bad foods" (like a slice of deep dish pizza) that i don't normally have room for. this staves off cravings, plus i'm usually so satisfied and full after my large calorie days it's easy for me to want to eat healthy the next day and keep my calories low. for me it also keeps my metabolism moving. when i was doing a steady 1200/day week i started to plateau.

    anyways give it a shot! i love it.

    Thank you for putting it in numbers to see. Very helpful.
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    Just keep the mfp goal at the highest calorie number and just make sure you're following a zig-zag pattern. It's just easier to do it in your head or make a food note for it then changing it everyday :)

    I calorie cycle and this is what I do.

Categories