Calorie cycling

z149189

For those who have tried calorie cycling, what kind of results did you get? Do you have any tips?

casi_ann

What is calorie cycling?

Samstudent88

yes what is this cycling of calories you speak of?

z149189

It's the practice of going back and forth between periods of eating higher calories and then having periods of eatling fewer calories. For example, for a few days you eat might a few hundred calories above you goal and then you would have a few days of eating below your goal (although not dangerously below). Some people swear by it.

EyeLikeTacos

http://www.ehow.com/way_5476876_calorie-cycling-diet.html


Strategy
To begin a calorie cycling regimen, you need to determine your daily caloric needs for weight loss. This is based upon your age, weight, sex and height.

For men, use the following formula to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR):

66 + 12.7 * Height (in inches) + 6.23 * Weight (in pounds) -- 6.76 * age

For women, complete this formula:

655 + 4.7 * Height (in inches) + 4.35 * Weight (in pounds) - 4.7 * age

Multiply the total by the corresponding number below according to activity level.

Sedentary: 1.2
Somewhat active: 1.375
Active: 1.55
Very Active: 1.725

For example, the formula result for a 6-foot tall, somewhat active 35-year-old man weighing 150 lb. is 2,600.

You must be willing to do a little planning with your diet. Calorie cycling revolves around the kinds of calories you eat as well as the amount of calories you eat. Once you determine your daily caloric needs, you mix those numbers up a bit. The idea is to never eat the same amount of calories 2 days in a row.

Principles
There are different versions of this diet in that some instruct you to eat your daily caloric amount 2 days in a row, then eat a few hundred calories more the next day. Then 2 days "on" and the next day "off." Other diets recommend longer days "on." Elisabeth Wilson, author of "Boost Your Energy: Feel Great, Do More, and Lose the Lethargy," claims that you should eat your determined amount of calories per day for 4 or 5 days in a row and the next day eat a few hundred calories more. Then return to your determined number for 4 or 5 days and eat more calories the next day, repeating the cycle.

Another version of this diet recommends that you consume the same amount of calories 2 days in a row. Jeremy Likness, author of "Lose Fat, Not Faith: A Transformation Guide," explains, "Instead of consuming 1500 calories per day, you consume 1000 calories one day and 2000 calories the next day." On such regimens, the body never has an opportunity to adapt to any particular amount of calories.

Results
Wilson writes that calorie cycling "works on the principle that by mixing up your calorie count, your metabolic rate stays on its toes, too, so to speak. Your metabolic rate doesn't drop as you lose weight; in fact, it revs up." Likness agrees, adding "Although you do not burn fat and build muscle at the exact same time, zigzagging allows you to burn fat and build muscle in mini-cycles. At the end, you will drop weight, build muscle, and, because your body never adapted, still have a strong metabolism."



Read more: Calorie Cycling Diet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5476876_calorie-cycling-diet.html#ixzz22XTww4J3

gaylynn35

I just looked it up and it looks to me like it could work. Say your calorie goal is 1200 per day, if you eat 1400 one day and 1000 the next day it would even out. If you do this you have to make sure you stay within the limits each day. :bigsmile:

Personally I wouldn't do it myself, but to each his own.

akagudelo

I have been calorie cycling and carb cycling simultaneously....and i must say it has worked wonders for me.
I started about 6 weeks ago, and have dropped 15lbs.(I cant say ive followed my diet to the tee either, ive had some slip ups,,,so had i dieted perfectly i know i couldve have lost at least 20lbs.)

My diet is as follows: Monday and Thursday / Low Carb-Moderate Cal
Tuesday and Sunday / Low Carb - Low Cal
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday / Moderate Carbs / Moderate Cal

On the Moderate Calorie Days i have between 1,300 and 1,600 Calories
On the Low Calorie Days i have about 1,000 to 1,200 Calories

My food journal is public feel free to check it out....i would highly recommend calorie cycling

cgafriday

Thanks for the great break down but I've always been puzzled by my "activity level". Does this mean how active I am at my job (i.e. sit at a desk all day) or does this refer to how much I exercise? I have a desk job so I sit quite a bit but I work out at least 5 days a week - 3 of them at least 2 hours of cardio & strength training combined and 2 more cardio days at least an hour each day.

According to the calculation for my BMR - I should be eating anywhere from 1484.10 (sedentary) to 1916.96 (very active). I've been struggling for the past 7 months and now I'm questioning if I'm doing something terribly wrong like eating too little or eating too much....

akagudelo

Activity level does refer to how much excercise you are dong. So since your are very active you should be eating around 1916 calories. However, you have to keep in mind that this calculation is for weight maintenance and not weight loss. In order for you to lose weight you have to create a deficit of calories through excercise and diet.

Every pound of body weight (on average 75% fat and 25% lean tissue) is equal to approximately 3,500 calories. So if your goal is to lose weight you have to creat a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit of 3,500 / week would have you losing 1lb per week, while a 7,000 calorie deficit wyould have you losing about 2lbs per week.

You can use the formula below to calculate your Daily Caloric Needs. (in your case Very Active)

Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So now that you have your daily caloric need calculated, a useful guideline for weight loss would be to lower your daily caloric intake by no less than 500 and no more than 1,000 below your maintenance level. (Women never go below 1,200 and men 1,800 this is veryyy low calorie)

IMO the best way to go would be to cut 500 calories daily from your diet (1,460 cal/day) and continue with your current excercise routine. Lets say you average about 500 calories a day burned just through excercise...this would mean you are creating a deficity of 1,000 calories a day with excercise and diet combined (7,000/week) and you will be losing approximately 2lbs per week!

Hope this helped...and good luck

sanaa4560

hi i also m calorie cycling i didnt weighed maslf though but m in it from past one week ..and i used a calculator on a webste to guess about my calories ...wanna drop 4kgs

FoodandFitness

It all depends on your preference. A simple calorie deficit will result in weight loss.

If you prefer to eat more on weekends (you like to party, etc.) then you can "cycle" by creating a larger deficit during the weekday.

In my very lean clients (single digit body fat%), I may incorporate one "refeed" day periodically for higher calories and carbohydrates to re-establish good leptin levels and also for a mental break from a prolonged calorie cut.

But the main point I'm trying to make is that whether you cycle, or you eat the same deficit every day, your body weight results will be the same. It just depends on how much micromanaging you want to do in your diet.

sanaa4560

Well if da result is same dan y do ppl claim to loose more weight with calorie cycling ?

crisanderson27

I calorie cycle with a purpose, as part of my intermittent fasting routine. On lift days (3x a week...non consecutive days), I eat at or above maintenance, on off days, I eat at about a 20-30% deficit.

It works.

1DayAt_aTime

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brendas026

works for me!

miracle4me

I have been calorie cycling and carb cycling simultaneously....and i must say it has worked wonders for me.
I started about 6 weeks ago, and have dropped 15lbs.(I cant say ive followed my diet to the tee either, ive had some slip ups,,,so had i dieted perfectly i know i couldve have lost at least 20lbs.)

My diet is as follows: Monday and Thursday / Low Carb-Moderate Cal
Tuesday and Sunday / Low Carb - Low Cal
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday / Moderate Carbs / Moderate Cal

On the Moderate Calorie Days i have between 1,300 and 1,600 Calories
On the Low Calorie Days i have about 1,000 to 1,200 Calories

My food journal is public feel free to check it out....i would highly recommend calorie cycling

This ^^^
I am going to do this it is worth a try. Thank You for posting this

tammys_changing

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