calorie cycling

keziak1
keziak1 Posts: 204 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do any of you have the strategy of mixing up your daily calories, low one day, more the next, etc? I've read that this is effective because it keeps your body guessing.

Replies

  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    I do this. I wouldn't call it a strategy though, more like an accident. I think if that works for you and your low days aren't too low then why not? Though I doubt it has any benefit to "keep the body guessing" or anything like that, but again, whatever is easier for you is going to work better.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    From what I've read is that it helps with reducing hormonal responses related to stress. For example, prolonged caloric deficits of certain amounts will stress the body (though the amount of the deficit varies from person to person). As a result, certain hormones will be released in response to that stress (cortisol probably being the more popular of the suspected culprits, though insulin and leptin may also be involved, among others) which can impede or mask weight loss through excess water retention. So, when you cycle and have those big calorie days, your body gets the message of no longer being stressed or in deprivation, they go back to "normal" and weight loss continues at an unimpeded weight.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    Does absolutely nothing. Your body is not on some daily clock that you take advantage of to "hack" your metabolism. It's over a period of days or weeks that your average was below maintenance for weight loss or average was above maintenance for weight gain. Now, from an adherence standpoint, if you find this works best for YOU, then by all means have at it, but again...does not to your body's physiology to make it lose more or gain more (whatever your goal is). See link for more of a detailed scientific explanation.

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLYdkxp9hJ4i58l583rJV7r2LMAiYFJ9gm
  • GingerPeachLass
    GingerPeachLass Posts: 20 Member
    I wish we could "LIKE" some of these post!

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