Calorie Cycling?

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andreacord
andreacord Posts: 928
in Food and Nutrition
Hey Everyone,

I'm wondering if calorie cycling or upping my calories would do me any good. weight loss is slow lately and I work out hard everyday but only eat 1200. Any suggestions?

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  • Tiana405
    Tiana405 Posts: 270 Member
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    I, too, only eat 1200 calories a day, period. Regardless if I work out or not. I work out hard 5-7 days a week and have plateaued. As of today, I'm going to start eating back some of my calories... people swear by it and it makes sense. Maybe you should try it, too! : )
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,011 Member
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    If you are working out hard everyday and only eating 1200 calories then I would recommend you eat about 1/2 of your exercise calories. calorie cycling might also help
  • fifrocks
    fifrocks Posts: 14
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    I read in the blogs not that long ago a guy who was doing that. He called it calorie spiking. He would eat more than he needed for the day, all healthy food, and he found it helped him lose weight. It is definitely worth a try. I find that when i only eat 1200 calories i'm too tired to do my workout.
  • Kezadabomb
    Kezadabomb Posts: 1
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    What is calorie cycling?!?!?!
  • sammyjj53
    sammyjj53 Posts: 54 Member
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    I would like to know what calorie cycling is too.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    Calorie cycling or zig-zag dieting requires you to "cycle" your daily calories throughout the week. The idea is, by not eating the exact same amount of calories every day, it can "trick" your body into jump-starting your metabolism.

    For example, if you usually eat exactly 1200 calories every day, you could eat:

    Monday: 1250 calories
    Tuesday: 1650 calories
    Wednesday: 1180 calories
    Thursday: 1400 calories
    Friday: 1500 calories
    Saturday: 1190 calories
    Sunday: 1200 calories.

    I've basically been calorie cycling, but not following any specific guidelines, just making sure I exercise and burn more calories than I eat.

    Click on this link though for a more thorough example, specific to your height and weight goals:
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    Giving yourself a "cheat day" once a week has also been known to help give your metabolism a kick in the right direction. Are you giving yourself a decent deficit though?
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
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    I upped my daily calorie goal too as I have been on a plateau for awhile now. Not sure how it will all work out in the end.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    With my relatively small female clients I almost always have them cycling carbohydrates, which by default, cycles calories. Free meals and refeeds are a regular part of my dieting strategy for this group.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I read in the blogs not that long ago a guy who was doing that. He called it calorie spiking. He would eat more than he needed for the day, all healthy food, and he found it helped him lose weight. It is definitely worth a try. I find that when i only eat 1200 calories i'm too tired to do my workout.

    Everyone seems to have a different name for it. My main recommendation would be though, if you're going to increase your calories, make sure that you make HEALTHY food choices. I began cycling a month ago, in combination with including more whole/organic foods in my diet, and the last 5 lbs seemed to melt off!

    Also, eating such a low amount of calories on a heavy workout day probably isn't the best idea. I've tried going to classes before and couldn't finish because I hadn't eaten enough that day and was about to pass out. In the future, a wise idea would be to not include your after-gym protein snack into your food diary.

    Just a suggestion

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