Thoughts on zig-zagging?

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kbairdphillips
kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone have any thoughts on zig-zagging your diet? I was doing some reading up on it this morning and was a little curious to see if doing that consistently works to help your body not plateau.

I was trying to make myself feel better about going over my calories yesterday by about 500 (which seems to happen about once a week or every two weeks since Thanksgiving) and found a thread about looking and meeting weekly goals instead of trying to meet them every day. I did the math and realized that my weekly calorie goal is (1,510x7) 10,570 and last week I was under that by 100 calories (not even including exercise calories), so I "technically" did not mess it up for the week. So, is that zig-zagging? If I give into my cravings once a week or every two weeks and stay under my weekly calorie goal, should I expect to still see results and more importantly when I hit my goals can will I be able to maintain?

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  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    bump -- I'm curious about this.
  • togden
    togden Posts: 324 Member
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    BUMP - Would like to see an answer for this one!
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I don't really have the answer to your question about whether you will lose this way.

    As far as cravings go.......you really just have to give them up. It is those things that got be to be heavy to begin with. After getting over them and not eating or craving them anymore, I am so much better without them! You just have to trust me on that one. I have not walked foot into a fast food joint in almost 5 months and I seriously do not miss it. My kids have not either, and I know they are eating healthier now because of it! I feel so much better as a parent knowing that they are not eating that stuff.

    Try to replace your craving with something else. Go exercise, keep busy, call a friend, but don't think about the craving. It will pass, and eventually after doing this a few times, you will not even get the craving.
  • joygwen
    joygwen Posts: 30 Member
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    I guess I haven't heard of zig-zagging. But, I think if you completely deny yourself you'll just end up binging so giving yourself one day a week, or however you do it is not a bad thing. I think you can and should eat what you want in moderation.
  • peanut352
    peanut352 Posts: 75 Member
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    I have lost 53 pounds in 6 months, and just in the past few weeks I have these 2lbs playing with me! It's driving me nuts! I just decided yesterday to start the zig zagging of calories, and I really think it's going to work. I'm also changing up my excercise routine to include two or three short workouts a day, rather than doing it all in the morning as I always did before.
    So I dont have a proven answer for you right now, but I'll let you know how it goes, over the next week or so.

    Curious to hear others who have tried this already....
  • JeanK56
    JeanK56 Posts: 76
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    BUMP - Would like to see an answer for this one!


    What does "bump" mean when posted?

    I too am interested in what others would have to say about this. I should look at what my weekly counts look like, not just daily.
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
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    here is the article I found this morning about zig-zagging or calorie cycling.

    http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    I guess I haven't heard of zig-zagging. But, I think if you completely deny yourself you'll just end up binging so giving yourself one day a week, or however you do it is not a bad thing. I think you can and should eat what you want in moderation.

    I totally agree. Yes, in an ideal world you would never eat "junk" eat exactly the same amount of calories that you burn, would exercise x amount of minutes each and every day but lets face it most people would prefer to enjoy the crud occasionally and if you are learning that to do this you need to tighten the reins at other times then I think you will have a healthy balance.

    There are folk out there with the "my body is a temple" philosophy, eat only clean organic foods and if that works for them then great but my body is a peoples temple and I get the good, the bad and the ugly passing thru it which to me is more real and more sustainable. And before anyone says it, this is not what got me in the state i am now, a huge decline in health, medications (ongoing) and stupidly forgetting to cut portion sizes when mobility decreased is what got me here.

    As for the original question......I differ my calories greatly, it hasnt stopped my plateaus but having what I fancy within my calories has stopped me craving or bingeing. If you think its working for you and think your cheat day occasionally will help you stay on the straight and narrow keep on doing it. Don't give in to random cravings, save it for planned cheat days, thats learning the control that you need to keep this weight off once you're at goal.

    And well done on the 55lb lost so far, you are obviously doing it right for you!
  • togden
    togden Posts: 324 Member
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    BUMP - Would like to see an answer for this one!


    What does "bump" mean when posted?

    I too am interested in what others would have to say about this. I should look at what my weekly counts look like, not just daily.

    Because there are so many post being read and answered over and over sometimes things get pushed to the back very quickly and so if you "bump" something it sends it back to the begining of the post list and more likely to be seen by viewers rather than it being on page 10 or or something
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
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    I guess I haven't heard of zig-zagging. But, I think if you completely deny yourself you'll just end up binging so giving yourself one day a week, or however you do it is not a bad thing. I think you can and should eat what you want in moderation.

    I totally agree. Yes, in an ideal world you would never eat "junk" eat exactly the same amount of calories that you burn, would exercise x amount of minutes each and every day but lets face it most people would prefer to enjoy the crud occasionally and if you are learning that to do this you need to tighten the reins at other times then I think you will have a healthy balance.

    There are folk out there with the "my body is a temple" philosophy, eat only clean organic foods and if that works for them then great but my body is a peoples temple and I get the good, the bad and the ugly passing thru it which to me is more real and more sustainable. And before anyone says it, this is not what got me in the state i am now, a huge decline in health, medications (ongoing) and stupidly forgetting to cut portion sizes when mobility decreased is what got me here.

    As for the original question......I differ my calories greatly, it hasnt stopped my plateaus but having what I fancy within my calories has stopped me craving or bingeing. If you think its working for you and think your cheat day occasionally will help you stay on the straight and narrow keep on doing it. Don't give in to random cravings, save it for planned cheat days, thats learning the control that you need to keep this weight off once you're at goal.

    And well done on the 55lb lost so far, you are obviously doing it right for you!


    Thank you!!!

    I guess my fear is losing the weight and then gaining it all back. I've been on so many diets before where I deprive myself and then end up binging, giving the diet up and gaining it all back.
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
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    1
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    After having plateaued for a month with no pounds or inches lost I decided to try calorie shifting/zig-zagging so rather than eating 1400-1500 cal a day I ate between 1300 and 1800 a day (never going over my exercise calories) for a few weeks. Not just eating empty calories, just increasing the healthy food I was already eating. And it broke me through my plateau and I lost pounds both weeks. (sadly, I injured my ankle at the end of the second week so I've been back on my non-workout calories the last week and a half) Though, I did still show a loss at my last weigh in as well.

    So, to me, it works. :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Occasionally eating above your calorie goal is not "zig zagging". It's just "life".

    Like most diet fads, I am extremely skeptical about these kinds of strategies. There is this idea (wishful thinking?) that the body's metabolism is easily manipulated and can be trained to perform tricks on command. That is not the case. Even the assumed "afterburn" after exercise is much less than most people think.

    Often when people turn to different "diet strategies", it's because they have reached a plateau or are dissatisfied with their rate of weight loss. Research is not always perfect on this subject, but one of the biggest reasons why people slow down in their weight loss (assuming they still have a lot to lose) is that, over time, we become more lax about monitoring food intake. Often the very act of trying one of these "plans" causes one to temporarily become more diligent about their eating--they are remotivated by the new plan. If the improved adherence leads to results, the results are mistakenly attributed to the "diet plan", rather than the fact that they were just being more careful about intake. It's kind of like a golfer switching putters. The real "cause and effect" is not always apparent.

    Depending on the "plan", it may not be any big deal. Some "diet plans" are just standard consensus eating guidelines wrapped up with a catchy new name. Others are not so benign.

    I doubt that frequent "zig zagging" of calories is going to have much of an effect, independent of the coincidental effect described above.

    However, there are some reputable folks (to me anyhow) who think that periodic "breaks" from dieting might have some benefit under certain circumstances. Dieting itself places somewhat of a stress on the body. The combination of a lot of intense exercise and low calorie intake might lead to an chronic elevation of stress hormones, which can interfere with fat loss. In those instances it is thought that taking a "break" and eating at maintenance level for 10-12 days can "reset" the hormonal response to a lowered calorie intake. To me, that makes a lot more sense than "zig zagging".
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
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    The combination of a lot of intense exercise and low calorie intake might lead to an chronic elevation of stress hormones, which can interfere with fat loss. In those instances it is thought that taking a "break" and eating at maintenance level for 10-12 days can "reset" the hormonal response to a lowered calorie intake. To me, that makes a lot more sense than "zig zagging".

    That's great advice, Thanks!
  • pinkysaysboo
    pinkysaysboo Posts: 2
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    i haven't really heard of zig zaging really, but i have heard that it is good to change your calorie intake back to a normal zone every 2 to 4 weeks for a week or so, if you are dieting for a long period of time. so if you are doing 1500 as your goal for a while, you would go up to like 2000 for a week every month. i wouldn't recommend filling your extra 500 calories with unhealthy food, but just the act of eating more for a week is supposed to boost your metabolism because all of a sudden there is more calories to process.
    i have also heard that it is good to indulge yourself at least once a week, in moderation, to a food that you are craving, or that you shouldn't be eating on a regular basis. a small indulgence when you need it is far more rewarding than denying yourself for a long period of time and then totally blowing it in a week moment.

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