Zig zag and exercise cals

Debx12345
Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
hi, I'm on a major plateau (one year) and have decided to try the zig zag method, which means I don't increase cals totally, but will have some lovely treat days. My question is (may sound daft) but do I eat the cals I have earned through exercise, even on my high cals days ? Also is there any guide for how to break down the ratio of cals per day ? I am currently on 1200 cals , but would need to dip under that if zig zagging, or should I not ? Crikey confusing myself now. lol

Replies

  • mommyhof3
    mommyhof3 Posts: 551 Member
    Try this website it might help you http://www.naturalphysiques.com/tools.php?itemid=64
  • junebug523
    junebug523 Posts: 196 Member
    I've been zig zagging for about two months, and I'm pretty much convinced that this is the main reason the weight has been coming off so nicely over the past several weeks. The key is to stay consistent with logging everything in.

    If you google "zig zagging calories" you should find some helpful ways to break down your daily calories. I don't follow these exactly; I just make sure that over a period of several days, my calories are about where I want them to be. I don't worry too much about exact numbers, I focus more on general trends. Usually on the days I dip down, I make sure I exercise so that I can still get over 1200 calories total. Sometimes I'll go a few hundred over on purpose. It doesn't make a difference in the long run, as long as I compensate for it over the next day or two.

    Also--I don't know how much you are eating every day, but have you considered upping your calories altogether for a while? Last time I tried eating a net of 1200 per day (to try to speed the loss), I plateaued for about 5 weeks. As soon as I started netting an average of 1400-1500 per day, I started losing weight again. I'm not guaranteeing that this will happen for you--but it might be worth a try! I actually eat more now than I did before I started losing weight.
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    I saw this website on an earlier post, and scared me that I would have to up all my cals, but didn't seem it mention exercise cals earned, or have I not looked in the right place.
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    Junebug - thanks for that. Guess I just get scared of increasing cals in case I put weight on and then can't shift it.
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    Junebug - thanks for that. Guess I just get scared of increasing cals in case I put weight on and then can't shift it.
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    Hi, can anyone else let me know if they are doing the zig zag, really want to try something new, but need lots of peoples views, have looked at websites and get general point, but want peoples experience. Some plans do alternate days, some do two days a week high, none mention eating calories earned through exercise.
  • naughtydoguk
    naughtydoguk Posts: 120 Member
    I have hit a couple if plateaus in last 3 months. I always zig zag out of them, I up my calories for a week and then start to then eat for 3 days at my calorie defecit level and then one day at 20% above, this now seems to stop plateaus.

    Check out advance weight loss techniques at www. fat2fitradio.com for a podcast on that subject.
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    Do you still eat cals earned from exercise?
  • Debx12345
    Debx12345 Posts: 210 Member
    Anymore help out there on this ? Do I eat exercise cals ?
  • naughtydoguk
    naughtydoguk Posts: 120 Member
    Depends on my hunger? I will aim for maybe 30-50% of my exercise cals but still think about a defecit.
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