Calorie Cycling???

I don't calorie cycle intentionally but you end up eating more some days than others. If I eat a high calorie day I will eat lower the next day. There's no metabolic advantage to doing this. It's just a way of flexibly counting calories. Unless you eat the same thing every day, you'll ultimately end up having fluctuations in calories.

I just make sure my 7 day average evens out to what it should be. The app will show you this. I don't do it intentionally either. It's just that tonight (bbq for the finals game) will be a higher night so I ate less yesterday.

What is the purpose or advantages?

Merkavar wrote: »

What is the purpose or advantages?

It depends on your beliefs when it comes to calories.. If you feel like your metabolism would slow down after eating roughly the same amount of calories everyday for a prolonged period of time then maybe calorie cycling for you.. If your appetite is higher on days you exercise, in my opinion it would make sense to eat more on those days as your body requires more fuel.

Just another way to skin a cat I'd say. In my personal opinion I don't think it has any disadvantages!

I have been doing a form of 5:2, 16:8 intermittent fasting, and calorie cycling, but in the simplest form, I am basically calorie cycling. I have 2 very low calorie days, 3 medium calorie days, and 2 high calorie days. I needed a way to be able to eat more calories on Fridays and Saturdays because I typically go out to eat at least one of those days and I also tend to drink a lot of wine on both of those nights. I have been losing weight since 2012. I started at 211 lbs and consistently lost weight up until last year. I had gotten to 145 lbs, but then I went on Welbutrin and gained about 12 lbs, putting me at 157 lbs. I went off the Welbutrin but could not, for the life of me, lose the weight I had put on. I tried for MONTHS. I workout 5-6 days a week, strength training and HIIT, I watch what I eat (more whole foods, less processed) and nothing was working. And it was basically because I was SO good about my diet during the week but then I would screw up on Fri/Sat and wipe out my deficit. I had to find something that would work for me.
That is when I found 5:2, where you eat 500 calories only, two days a week, and then the rest of the week, you eat at maintenance. I like this because I find it much easier to only have to restrict calories twice a week instead of all 7 days. However, I know I go over maintenance on Fri/Sat, so the exact way this plan works was not going to work for me.
So, I altered it and on Sun/Tues/Thurs I actually eat about 1600 calories (but I don't always count/keep track). Mon/Weds I eat 500 (I DO count cals those days). Fri/Sat, I don't even count my calories, but I had figured it out where I could eat 2500-3000 both days and STILL be in enough deficit to cut out 3500 cal a week which is 1 lb. So, I am essentially calorie cycling in order to save more calories for Fri/Sat.
And guess what?......IT IS WORKING!!! I was in a plateau forever before I gained weight last year and then have not been able to get that weight off for months, and once I started doing this, I have steadily been losing 1 lb a week, so I am only about 4 lbs away from where I was previously. And then I have about 12 more lbs to go from there.

Not every plan is going to fit everyone and some people would not be able to do what I am doing, but this is working for me. If you do not go a crazy (in my case with wine) on the weekends, then you could do more then 500 on your low days. I suggest about 1200 on low days.....1500-1600 on medium days...and around maintenance or slightly lower on high days. Depending on your stats and goals, of course.

erickirb wrote: »

sgjohnson92 wrote: »

I'm one of the intentional calorie cyclers! I tried eating 1800 calories a day (give or take 5%) but found on the days I went to the gym my appetite was much higher than my rest days. So what I decided to do was eat 2100cals on gym days and 1500 on rest day.. Been working well for me so far and as others have mentioned, the weekly calories are identical.

Is this not what MFP does anyway... you get a base amount of calories and on days you workout you eat more than rest days?

If so, OP just follow MFP's guidelines and eat your exercise calories back and you are calorie cycling

I don't use the exercise calories on MFP after numerous debates I've read about them being inaccurate.. Also if you ate back the exercise calories you'd just be countering against the exercise done rather than staying around your average weekly calories for weight loss..

For example, if you required 1500 to lose weight and logged 250 exercise calories; with your activity level set to 1.2.. You'd be consuming 1750 on the days you exercised and 1500 on rest days. Is this in comparison to eating 1750 on days you went to done exercise and 1250 on your rest days. In the first example, your average would be 1625 and the latter - 1500.

And as we all know those 125 calories a day over a week can add up!