Breaking a Plateau/Stall with "ZigZag or Calorie Shifting"

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kristinak48
kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello MFP Family!!

I have lost 38 lbs and have been gaining/losing the same couple of pounds now for about 4 weeks or so. I am wondering if anyone has any tips. I am trying the "zig zag/calorie shifting" this week to see if that helps. I've read that your body can adjust to that amount of calories and it takes some sort of change to help it start losing again. I am still staying to about 1600/day on average or 11200 for my weekly goal. Has anyone tried calorie shifting and had success? Or what did you do to break a plateau? I know I should try to drink more water as I usually only get about 6-7 glasses a day and I try to exercise 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes or more, but sometimes it's more like 2-3 times a week, depending on my schedule. I'm trying to get into the routine of morning exercise, but it isn't easy!! :smile: Any helpful and considerate tips are appreciated!!

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Diet break usually works for me.
  • deonbui
    deonbui Posts: 28 Member
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    Move less, eat less. Simple as that
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I've tried the zig-zag thing to break stalls. I never had much luck with it, though.

    The most common problems we see come from underestimating calories eaten and overestimating calories burned.

    Opening your diary might help to get you more specific advice if you're comfortable doing so.

    You're logging everything you eat? Including condiments, cooking oils, veggies, cheat days, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by several hundred calories when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is going to be the most accurate.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

    And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.

    And there's something to be said for the fact that some people just burn fewer calories than the generic equations predict. If you're an outlier due to size, age, or medical conditions, then you may be better off consulting with your doctor or getting a referral to a registered dietitian.

    tl;dr version:
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  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Have you changed your daily goal since you've lost the 38lbs?
  • jaymie_x0
    jaymie_x0 Posts: 265 Member
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    You need to adjust your calories, you probably need slightly more
  • angelatoth
    angelatoth Posts: 3 Member
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    Cycling. Use a macronutrient calculator. You need to lift weights and limit cardio to 20 min of H.I.I.T or 30 min of Steady State or Steady State fasted. Your diet needs to be clean. 80% diet, 20% training.
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
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    jaymie_x0 wrote: »
    You need to adjust your calories,
    likely
    jaymie_x0 wrote: »
    you probably need slightly more
    not likely

  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    angelatoth wrote: »
    Cycling. Use a macronutrient calculator. You need to lift weights and limit cardio to 20 min of H.I.I.T or 30 min of Steady State or Steady State fasted. Your diet needs to be clean. 80% diet, 20% training.

    What? No.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    I used to believe that it worked. I used to believe that you had to mix it up to keep your metabolism guessing or it would adjust down to the calories you were giving it.

    I learned it just doesn't work like that. I'd look to lock down your logging and make sure you aren't making any logging errors there. I would also maybe look at just eating at maintenance for a little bit and give your brain a break from dieting. Sometimes that is the best thing we can do. I haven't experienced plateaus or stalls during the time I was in the weight loss phase, but I imagine it is really frustrating.

    The only thing to maybe do your zig zag eating is if it helps you maintain a weekly deficit....kind of like the way people do 5/2 dieting. The deficit will get you there though.

    Yes I've read that as long as the weekly deficit is the same then you will lose, which is how I adjusted it for the zig zag, still eating the same weekly calories but just different on different days.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    ASKyle wrote: »
    Have you changed your daily goal since you've lost the 38lbs?

    MFP has decreased my goal by almost 200 cals since I've been losing. Slowly adjusting as I progress.

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