Calorie Zig-Zag

karirenae

I just started my "diet" again... Im curious if I should start using the zig zag method right away or wait until I hit a plateau? MFP is suggesting 1200 cal a day, which so far ive been good at... but I dont want my body to get used to it right away and not do anything for me...
Also using my elliptical 5 days a week... is that ok? and should I always eat back the exercise calories???? Im also afraid using the elliptical so often will make me plateua too...

weird_me2

I just started my "diet" again... Im curious if I should start using the zig zag method right away or wait until I hit a plateau? MFP is suggesting 1200 cal a day, which so far ive been good at... but I dont want my body to get used to it right away and not do anything for me...
Also using my elliptical 5 days a week... is that ok? and should I always eat back the exercise calories???? Im also afraid using the elliptical so often will make me plateua too...

Eat how you want to eat, but why start so low on the calories? Set your weight loss goal to a reasonable one for the amount you have to lose and eat the calories that MFP gives you (I'd say no more than 1 lb, but maybe 1/2 lb depending on what you have to lose). My calorie goal is set for 1 lb per week. Some days I'm under what MFP gives me, some days I eat everything + some or all of my exercise calories. My calories naturally zig zag following no set pattern but instead are based on my hunger levels.

As for the exercise, the only thing I can say about the elliptical is that it does seem to give falsely high calorie burns and MFP gives WAY high calorie burns. MFP is right on for my walking calories burned, but elliptical is always too high. I can easily do the elliptical at a level that the machine says I'm burning 1200+ calories per hour based on my weight, but I know that my level of work/exertion is less doing that than using the treadmill at an 800 calorie/hour level. I would be conservative on eating those exercise calories back.