If you have cycled calories successfully (calorie confusion)

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  • ascotton80
    ascotton80 Posts: 56 Member
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    Well, I'm on week #2 of my own personal calorie staggering experiment. Each week, my avg net calories per day is about 1200 (1197 or 1196, but close enough). Last week I lost 3 pounds. This week so far, I have lost 2 pounds. So, it appears to finally be breaking my plateau and seems to be working. I will continue my experiment. I wish I'd had more replies on this subject from folks who are doing it or have done it.... but I am making it up as I go along. I have days as high as 1900-2000 calories and days that go really low to balance them out. The remaining days are 1200. The net for the week is the equivalent of having eaten 1200 a day for the week, but with the high days thrown in to boost the metabolism into not thinking it's a famine and the low days to really burn off once the body is convinced to give up the calories. Any other experiences to report, and please don't be scared off by the one rude guy we had on here earlier. We shouldn't let the few ignorant rude folks we may encounter from time to time ruin this for all of us.

    When you are talking about a couple of pounds, it's just as likely to have something to do with water retention, amount of waste in your body, etc as actual fat/weight loss. The best you can measure with a scale is long term trends.
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    I cycle calories, but not in the way you're talking about. I do leangains, which includes intermittent fasting, calorie cycling and carb cycling.

    The basic protocol is:
    1. Fast 16 hours per day (I usually break my fast at noon and start my fast at 8PM)
    2. Eat higher calories and high carb/low fat on workout days (When bulking I eat TDEE + 30% on workout days with 75/25 split between carbs and fat after taking my daily protein intake into account and when cutting I do the same except I eat TDEE)
    3. Eat lower calories and low carb on rest days (When bulking I eat TDEE on rest days with a 25/75 split between carbs and fat after taking my daily protein intake into account and when cutting I do the same except I eat TDEE - 30%)

    My stats: Male, 29, 6' tall, 188lbs (goal 175lbs), TDEE ~3000 calories, currently cutting
    Workout days: 3000 calories 180g protein, 64g fat, 420g carbs
    Rest days: 2100 calories 180g protein, 116g fat, 86g carbs
  • mlandrethsf
    mlandrethsf Posts: 30 Member
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    What are you trying to confuse, your calories, metabolism or general knowledge of basic weight loss principals?
    Are you actually trying to be helpful or just insulting, condescending & rude? If the latter, why? Did someone do something mean to you and now you feel a need to try & crap on someone else so you feel better? I posted the articles & studies on what it is & why it's done. Did you read them? Please go elsewhere unless you would actually like to help me. All *help* is welcome... All crap can go out with the weekly trash.

    Way to jump to conclusions. First you are not on a plateau, it's been 2.5 weeks you said. Secondly, you posted a single study, which isn't even really about calorie cycling as you laid it out, and it involved overweight subjects with type 2 diabetes. And had you actually read the study you would have read this;

    "Thus,totaled over the 20 weeks, the assigned mean caloric intake for the two VLCD groups was identical but 18,000-28,000
    kcal lower than the SBT group"

    So the groups that ate less, lost more, shocking results!

    Ace...you're not being nice or helpful. This is a supportive community brother! :)
  • vanillacupcakeface
    vanillacupcakeface Posts: 3
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    I have been doing cycling but more on accident - as in I maintain 1400 daily net but then about 2 times a week I hit around 2000 or more. As long as I don't let that number go off the charts (as it has some weeks to 3000) then it won't interrupt my weekly calorie count too much. It seems to work actually. I wish I'd known more about this before when I was dealing with plateaus.

    I am surprised more people aren't discussing this, it's been quite a hot topic on the net lately and though you can naysay all you want, it pretty much inarguably works if you try it.

    also like me - it basically just amounts to having a cheat day or two, and by cheat day I still mean careful eating but a few extra snacks or a high calorie meal when out, etc.
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    Thanks for all the new and far more interesting and supportive replies. As long as we just ignore the ignorant, they will lose interest and go away. You guys rock!

    I am waiting to see if it works long term. I know someone up there said if it's only a couple of pounds, it's only water or waste... but my issue was, from Sept 4th till October 1st, I did not lose anything and actually gained weight. Prior to that, I'd been losing at a steady 2 pounds a week. After 1 week of cycling, I lost 3 pounds and during week 2, I lost 2 more. So, that's 5 pounds in 2 weeks after a month of nothing. I'm inclined not to throw this theory out. But, I'm open to hearing other suggestions, input and points of view... right now, for me, it is just an experiment of one while I struggle with what seemed to be a month-long plateau for me.
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
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    The concept of calorie cycling actually happens to me on a regular basis. Some days I'll be at 1,200, some days 1,500. I don't really plan it, its just by chance.
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    The concept of calorie cycling actually happens to me on a regular basis. Some days I'll be at 1,200, some days 1,500. I don't really plan it, its just by chance.

    I was/am religious about logging my food. I eat a piece of dried ginger, I log 1 piece of dried ginger for afternoon snack. You get the idea. If I was going over, I'd workout out to bring myself down into compliance. If I was under, I'd eat more. One of my MFP buddies on here said I was his most reliable logging pal cuz I'd be right around that 1200 each day.

    Now, I'm working it to make the cycles. But, I'm hoping it's worth the effort. <g>
  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
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    Are you actually trying to be helpful or just insulting, condescending & rude? If the latter, why? Did someone do something mean to you and now you feel a need to try & crap on someone else so you feel better? I posted the articles & studies on what it is & why it's done. Did you read them? Please go elsewhere unless you would actually like to help me. All *help* is welcome... All crap can go out with the weekly trash.

    Here
    >> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/by_user/8103392

    Trolls the boards, puts in his 2 cents to ever so slightly belittle the OP, offers nothing in the form of any kind of support. All feeds into his superiority.

    You should tell the OP that the study she posted doesn't count because it's not from 2012

    Dummdittlydum... cherry pick*

    I rest my case.


    Katastic---- You love Bacon--- I LOVE YOU!!! I don't know how you posted the link to all of that 12pack ab guys posts but that was the funniest 5 min. read of my day!
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    Are you actually trying to be helpful or just insulting, condescending & rude? If the latter, why? Did someone do something mean to you and now you feel a need to try & crap on someone else so you feel better? I posted the articles & studies on what it is & why it's done. Did you read them? Please go elsewhere unless you would actually like to help me. All *help* is welcome... All crap can go out with the weekly trash.

    Here
    >> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/by_user/8103392

    Trolls the boards, puts in his 2 cents to ever so slightly belittle the OP, offers nothing in the form of any kind of support. All feeds into his superiority.

    You should tell the OP that the study she posted doesn't count because it's not from 2012

    Dummdittlydum... cherry pick*

    I rest my case.


    Katastic---- You love Bacon--- I LOVE YOU!!! I don't know how you posted the link to all of that 12pack ab guys posts but that was the funniest 5 min. read of my day!

    Ditto!!
  • Prettylittlelotus
    Prettylittlelotus Posts: 239 Member
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    Are you actually trying to be helpful or just insulting, condescending & rude? If the latter, why? Did someone do something mean to you and now you feel a need to try & crap on someone else so you feel better? I posted the articles & studies on what it is & why it's done. Did you read them? Please go elsewhere unless you would actually like to help me. All *help* is welcome... All crap can go out with the weekly trash.

    Here
    >> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/by_user/8103392

    Trolls the boards, puts in his 2 cents to ever so slightly belittle the OP, offers nothing in the form of any kind of support. All feeds into his superiority.

    You should tell the OP that the study she posted doesn't count because it's not from 2012

    Dummdittlydum... cherry pick*

    I rest my case.


    Katastic---- You love Bacon--- I LOVE YOU!!! I don't know how you posted the link to all of that 12pack ab guys posts but that was the funniest 5 min. read of my day!

    Ditto!!

    It's kind of nice hearing all the crickets!
  • Mels707
    Mels707 Posts: 101
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    Well I suppose I calorie cycle, although not formally.

    I do Eat Stop Eat (ESE), which is a form of intermittent fasting, once a week. Basically I don't eat until dinner time on Friday, so I only eat around 800-1000 cals that day. Then on days I exercise I eat around 2000-2200, and on other days I eat 1500.

    I've been losing steadily since June. I'm not sure if its because of the calorie cycling, since I'm also eating at a deficit and exercising consistently.

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