Help with Calorie Cycling Please!!!

skinnymama157
skinnymama157 Posts: 32
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone! I was looking on the freedieting website to learn more about calorie cycling. With their calculator, it gives the calories you should eat everyday based on your activity level. Here's the question, do these calorie amounts INCLUDE exercise calories burned or should I add those calories on to this amount as well, since we should be "eating back" the calories we burn???

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Thanks for any tips you can give!!

Replies

  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    Since you had to put in your exercise I'm guessing that includes exercise.
  • lsd007
    lsd007 Posts: 435
    Those numbers already have exercise added in, so if you use them don't eat your exercise calories back. However, that really isn't accurate considering you may be burning more or less than the number it is figuring in depending on the duration and intensity of your workouts. I zig-zagged for about a month with success and just came up with my own numbers, and then ate back my exercise calories. I have friends on here who are using the numbers on that site (while not eating back exercise calories) and are also having success, so it is just a personal opinion which you would rather do!! Good luck!!!
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    I believe most of those websites are not including exercise calories. It doesn't seem to be a very popular idea (as far as I can tell) other than on MFP and a few others. I would say to make those goals NET calorie goals. There's no harm in trying it. If it doesn't work, go back to eating a constant amount or try calorie cycling without exercise calories added back in. Either way, I think a week of doing anything different will come as a shock to your body and help with weight loss.

    Oh, and make sure you actually have noticeable changes in calories everyday when you're cycling. I've seen some calculators that give little 50 calorie shifts, and I honestly don't believe that does much. When I calorie cycled, I cam up with my own plan for an average of about 1400 calories a day: 1250, 1400, 1250, 1600, 1250, 1800, 1500. It worked GREAT!! :)
  • vickychristie
    vickychristie Posts: 32 Member
    hi there, was wondering the same thing as I do a gym class or run most days and im getting like extra 300-500 cals on top of my 1200 allowance - I thout this was too much seems silly to eat all these extra calories.
  • vixi76
    vixi76 Posts: 66 Member
    I've just started the same thing, and I assumed it was without exercise. MFP put me on 1200 calories w/o exercise and I normally was eating about 2000 calories after exercise. That website gave me calories ranging 1216-1563, and they didn't ask how many calories I actually burn. I figured that instead of the 1200 calories my net calories for each day would be whatever the cycling website gave me. So that's what I'm doing, but again I've just started it.
  • lsd007
    lsd007 Posts: 435
    I believe most of those websites are not including exercise calories. It doesn't seem to be a very popular idea (as far as I can tell) other than on MFP and a few others. I would say to make those goals NET calorie goals. There's no harm in trying it. If it doesn't work, go back to eating a constant amount or try calorie cycling without exercise calories added back in. Either way, I think a week of doing anything different will come as a shock to your body and help with weight loss.

    Oh, and make sure you actually have noticeable changes in calories everyday when you're cycling. I've seen some calculators that give little 50 calorie shifts, and I honestly don't believe that does much. When I calorie cycled, I cam up with my own plan for an average of about 1400 calories a day: 1250, 1400, 1250, 1600, 1250, 1800, 1500. It worked GREAT!! :)


    Very similar to the daily calories I used. Also worked great!
  • vickychristie
    vickychristie Posts: 32 Member
    Ive just had a look at freedieting and it says about zig zag plan? might give that ago, anyone had success with it?
  • vickychristie
    vickychristie Posts: 32 Member
    funkyspunky871 is that plan you made inclusive of any exercise? you have lost loads ! bet you are just thrilled. x:happy:
  • jentidd
    jentidd Posts: 80
    This link helped me understand a little better. I just started this week. I also find it helpful to make a report of my net calories. This will show you your net calories and how much you are zig zagging.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/212510-how-to-zig-zag-cals-properly-caloric-cycling-properly
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