Anyone tried calorie cycling/zig zag eating?

nanavickig
nanavickig Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, has anyone tried calorie cycling/zig zag eating? I have been reading about it and it sounds great! I am going to have my MFP target calories 1 day (1300 net), +100 (1400 net) another day, -100(1200 net) another, +200 (1500 net) another, -200 (1100 net) another, +300 (1600 net) another and -300 (1000 net) another (I will eat back my exercise calories). The weekly total should be the same as normal, and i will fit these days how it suits me best eg. +200 on thurs (curry night), +300 saturday night (drinks/treats day), - 100, -200 and -300 days will be run days when i burn more calories and usually struggle to eat enough and also eat late after running so have less time for snacking. Apparently doing this helps stop metabolism slowing down as the higher calorie days trick it into staying high. Quite excited to try this out, could make it even easier to stick to!!! :-D

Replies

  • CHRISTTY33
    CHRISTTY33 Posts: 57
    you know i heard alot about it too and I think there is some truth to it, i do not see how it can hurt a diet. Please let me know how it works I am curious.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Hi, has anyone tried calorie cycling/zig zag eating? I have been reading about it and it sounds great! I am going to have my MFP target calories 1 day (1300 net), +100 (1400 net) another day, -100(1200 net) another, +200 (1500 net) another, -200 (1100 net) another, +300 (1600 net) another and -300 (1000 net) another (I will eat back my exercise calories). The weekly total should be the same as normal, and i will fit these days how it suits me best eg. +200 on thurs (curry night), +300 saturday night (drinks/treats day), - 100, -200 and -300 days will be run days when i burn more calories and usually struggle to eat enough and also eat late after running so have less time for snacking. Apparently doing this helps stop metabolism slowing down as the higher calorie days trick it into staying high. Quite excited to try this out, could make it even easier to stick to!!! :-D

    I don't believe there's any metabolic advantages to doing this.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I was not convinced of this strategy until the holidays, where I most certainly (unintentionally) zig-zagged on my calories. I lost that week and significantly. I haven't tried to replicate it (generally having one goal makes it easier for me), and I'm not sure that it "tricks" the metabolism.

    But I would be very interested in hearing the scientific reasoning for this phenomena.
  • nanavickig
    nanavickig Posts: 30 Member
    Will do!! The thing I like most about it, is you can change it to suit, making it easy to do forever really, not like a diet, more like a lifestyle, definitely easy to do when maintaining, with some quite high calorie days every week for those nights out and treats!!
  • mistakenidentity
    mistakenidentity Posts: 28 Member
    Sounds like a good plan. Keeps you from getting bored...or so I would think. Please let me know how it works for you!
  • nanavickig
    nanavickig Posts: 30 Member
    here's the science etc. http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/
  • Staceying
    Staceying Posts: 1
    I think it is a great idea. It helps keep your metabolism from being "stuck". I am not an expert. I previously worked in a weight loss clinic & frequently recommended to my patients.
  • bjmcq
    bjmcq Posts: 305 Member
    Yes, weight lifters who train to convert fat to muscle use it a lot....you must destabilize the metabolism so it soes not try to save all your calories as fat....If you need more info, let me know....
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    here's the science etc. http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/

    Very neat! Thank you! Nice and easy to understand explanation!
  • CAH1968
    CAH1968 Posts: 14 Member
    I have done this! Did not know the actual name. It does work for me. I think it is all about confusing your body into not staying comfortable in a zone. There have been many times where I would eat just below my daily goal, and then on a holiday weekend or if we went out to dinner, I would eat more than I had in a long time and was shocked to have lost weight! IT seems to work better than just staying at the same goal every day, week in and week out. Once a month maybe a good way to switch things up and eat more one day. (I am talking A LOT more!) Plus it helps to know that you can enjoy a party or a nice meal out once in a while. BUT be sure to get right back on track with eating healthy and exercise!
  • siehatsdrauf
    siehatsdrauf Posts: 320 Member
    Sounds like fun! Keep us updated please :)
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
    I don't know how it would work on a regular basis, but I have heard that if you eat an excess of calories every once in a while, like once or twice a month, it can actually stimulate your metabolism. I don't know if zigzagging would work or not. Think of it this way, if you at or below your calorie goal all week and gave yourself one day a week to "binge," even if you made up all the calories you had eliminated during the week, you'd prob still end up losing weight because MOST days your body is used to a normal calorie intake of around a set amount.
  • DIYmomma
    DIYmomma Posts: 74 Member
    great link thanks :) I might just try this!
  • Mamajeans1973
    Mamajeans1973 Posts: 25
    if under eating can cause our bodies to go into starvation mode to survive than it makes since to me that if we feed ourselves with a zig zag calorie plan it serves to suggest the opposite happens i hope so for you! please let me know how it goes for you!
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
    I do all the time, but at a much more drastic variance. For example, this week I'm at an average of 1530 calories, but I've had days as low as 713 and as high as 2161. I find it easy to eat a very restricted amount of calories on certain days and allow much more on others as fits our social calendar. Maintaining a set amount day in and day out just doesn't work for me.
  • SGT_Reg
    SGT_Reg Posts: 186 Member
    I cycle my carbs and fat, making carbs heaviest on workout days.

    Like sidesteel said though, it has nothing to do with boosting your metabolism.

    If this method helps you stick to your deficit and macros, then that is a great bonus, right?

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