calorie cycling for maintenance

55in13
55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
In another discussion, it occurred to me that I am doing this. Not for any purposeful metabolic related purposes, just because it is easier to do than coming up with the magic formula for a maintenance diet. So I try to be reasonable but eat what I want a day or two and then throw in a day that is pretty much straight out of my weight loss phase playbook. This is easy to do on workdays.

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Me too - although I did the same when I was losing weight as well.
    I follow the 5:2 fasting style of eating, two very low calorie days a week, five days eating normally.
    For the last few weeks I've been experimenting with 6:1 and like it so far.

    Even within the five (or now 6) normal eating days I'm not overly fixated about hitting my daily net goal and am quite happy to average it out over a few days. This way my diet fits my lifestyle rather than trying to make my lifestyle fit my diet.

    As you say, if you see your weight drift up beyond the range chosen for maintenance then it's time to do something about it.
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    I have done this as well through my maintenance and it has worked out great for me!
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    No particular regime, but listen to what my body wants and feed accordingly. Just reign it in when I'm tending towards greedy overfeeding.
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    I eat freely on two days, then eat at goal the rest of the week. Lately I find that I don't go over as much as I used to, but I had gone over as much as 400 calories on each of those two days, many times.

    How are you deciding/calculating how much calories you need to eat now? I used to diet by eating at BMR (I know, that's low), and now I'm at a loss of how much to eat to stop losing and start having the energy to build muscle.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    How are you deciding/calculating how much calories you need to eat now? I used to diet by eating at BMR (I know, that's low), and now I'm at a loss of how much to eat to stop losing and start having the energy to build muscle.

    I've dieted down in steps with pauses rather all in one go. The first time I simply slowly added calories week by week until I found the point I maintained.
    Last two times I've simply calculated how much weight I was losing (I only lost 0.5lb a week) and just added 1750 calories spread over the week.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    I eat freely on two days, then eat at goal the rest of the week. Lately I find that I don't go over as much as I used to, but I had gone over as much as 400 calories on each of those two days, many times.

    How are you deciding/calculating how much calories you need to eat now? I used to diet by eating at BMR (I know, that's low), and now I'm at a loss of how much to eat to stop losing and start having the energy to build muscle.
    You can calculate back up from your current diet based on how much you are losing. If losing a half pound a week, add 500 calories each day. But watch the scale and expect to have to adjust. That is where the calorie cycling comes in. If you notice you are starting to pick up weight, then add in a day or two per week at what you were last using during loss.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    I do this. Works great. I am TDEE +200 or so on my lift days (usually Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun) then TDEE -800 on non lift days. I'm in a cut right now. When I was maintaining, I just did what you did and let my body tell me when it needed a little more or less.

    Tom
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    This really works for me, when I am logging consistently. I can go "overboard" some days (within reason) balanced out with with a day or two of "weight loss phase" eating. Every time I panic and think I must have gained due to a bad day or two, turns out I'm still hanging in at my goal weight.
  • Wantingslim
    Wantingslim Posts: 37
    Looking for 5:2 friends

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