Zig Zag Calories

Healthydiner65

Tue 11/27/12 08:48 AM

I just found the web site for Fit tracker on shape fit.com and was calculating my BMR and RMR. The site has tons of info but it stated that there is a program called Calorie Zig Zag which tricks your body into losing weight. Since I ate more Sunday but lost weight I thought I'd give it a try. What do you think and be nice on my thread please?
Monday 1334 calories
Tuesday 1067
Wednesday 1600
Thursday 1334
Friday 1200
Sat 1467
Sunday 1334

I am 60 years young and need to lose about 30 more pounds. I workout at the gym and usually burn around 300 calories 3 times a week. Thanks!
Edited by IWTBFCIN3 on Tue 11/27/12 08:54 AM

spursfan01

There is no "magic" way to lose weight. Calculate your TDEE, then eat in a consistent Caloric Deficit.

Chief_Rocka

There's no way to "trick your body" into losing more weight than it otherwise would. That being said, if you prefer a non-linear calorie intake, it's fine to do so, calculate your deficit weekly.

Healthydiner65

Thank-you!

6mimi

I have not tried it myself, but I know so someone who is a certified personal trainer. In her text book it recommends zig zagging calories.

CoachB6

The premise of this is it "fools" your body so that it doesn't know what it will get that day. People on weight watchers do this too......

Healthydiner65

During Thanksgiving I stuck to my calories and even went to the gym Thanksgiving morning and I gained .2 but the next day I ate a whole lot and went over my calories and lost .8. Very Confusing!

6mimi

It seems like it would not hurt to try it. Sometimes we need to change up our exercise routines so it makes sense to change up our calories a bit too.

Cupcakehippiemommy

Idk if tricks the body but it has worked for me. I eat the same amount of food and my macros stay the same however I burn more cals on some days than others giving me the zig zag deficit everyday so I don't get confused

Chief_Rocka

The premise of this is it "fools" your body so that it doesn't know what it will get that day. People on weight watchers do this too......

This would imply that your body develops daily caloric "expectations" based on previous intake and will tap into stored enegry if said expectations aren't met. This isn't how weight loss works, the body taps into stored energy when output doesn't match input, plain and simple.

ToughTulip

There's no way to "trick your body" into losing more weight than it otherwise would. That being said, if you prefer a non-linear calorie intake, it's fine to do so, calculate your deficit weekly.

Exactly.
No need to over complicate things

BurtHuttz

This would imply that your body develops daily caloric "expectations" based on previous intake and will tap into stored enegry if said expectations aren't met. This isn't how weight loss works, the body taps into stored energy when output doesn't match input, plain and simple.

I do think that metabolism is related to caloric intake, such that consumption of too-low calories over a long time gradually harms your metabolism, leading you to feel colder, tired more easily, etc, and similarly reducing the efficacy of your former caloric deficit.

I could definitely see a scenario wherein zig-zagging calories has an impact on your metabolism.

alaskaang

I've found that I do it naturally. My calorie intake is definitely not consistent from day to day so I look at the weekly average. One other thing that I've noticed in regards to timing and weight fluctuations is that how much I eat today will have more impact on the day after tomorrow than tomorrow.

CynthiasChoice

I think there is a lot that we don't know about how the body works and how it utilizes and stores calories. There's so much yet to learn, and 30 years from now, we just might look back on what we did today as a bit moronic! Just think about how far nutritional science has come since 1982! It makes sense to remain humble about what we "know," and to stay open to new ideas.

There are a lot of personal testimonies that should lead us to believe that studying a zig-zag method would be a good idea. For instance, many people find that they get stuck at a certain weight for weeks, even though consistently running a 500 cal deficit. If they try eating at a few hundred calorie surplus for several days, then return to their diet, they begin dropping weight again. A smart scientist wouldn't ignore all these personal testimonies.

If I were to experiment with it myself, I'd probably shoot for two low days and one high day per week, and meet my weekly goal.
Good luck to you if you do try it, and let us know how it works!

jesspi68

During Thanksgiving I stuck to my calories and even went to the gym Thanksgiving morning and I gained .2 but the next day I ate a whole lot and went over my calories and lost .8. Very Confusing!

You weight will fluctuate daily, it's best to only record once weekly (or monthly etc.) and at the same time of day to get a more accurate picture of what you are actually losing. Things like water intake, sodium intake and whether or not you have used the bathroom can change your weight daily.

Chief_Rocka

This would imply that your body develops daily caloric "expectations" based on previous intake and will tap into stored enegry if said expectations aren't met. This isn't how weight loss works, the body taps into stored energy when output doesn't match input, plain and simple.

I do think that metabolism is related to caloric intake, such that consumption of too-low calories over a long time gradually harms your metabolism, leading you to feel colder, tired more easily, etc, and similarly reducing the efficacy of your former caloric deficit.

I could definitely see a scenario wherein zig-zagging calories has an impact on your metabolism.

True, but this would still be a result of a high deficit over time, daily fluctuations wouldn't impact this.

Chief_Rocka

I think there is a lot that we don't know about how the body works and how it utilizes and stores calories. There's so much yet to learn, and 30 years from now, we just might look back on what we did today as a bit moronic! Just think about how far nutritional science has come since 1982! It makes sense to remain humble about what we "know," and to stay open to new ideas.

There are a lot of personal testimonies that should lead us to believe that studying a zig-zag method would be a good idea. For instance, many people find that they get stuck at a certain weight for weeks, even though consistently running a 500 cal deficit. If they try eating at a few hundred calorie surplus for several days, then return to their diet, they begin dropping weight again. A smart scientist wouldn't ignore all these personal testimonies.

If I were to experiment with it myself, I'd probably shoot for two low days and one high day per week, and meet my weekly goal.
Good luck to you if you do try it, and let us know how it works!

I'm in favor of diet breaks as you describe them, and there is actually solid scientific evidence to support them. But calorie zig-zagging is something a little different.

alpine1994

I've found that I do it naturally. My calorie intake is definitely not consistent from day to day so I look at the weekly average. One other thing that I've noticed in regards to timing and weight fluctuations is that how much I eat today will have more impact on the day after tomorrow than tomorrow.

This is me too. I tend to be under my cals during the week and over on the weekend (so the deficiency works out for the week). I also have noticed the second-day results.