zigzag calorie help

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megz4987
megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have skimmed through posts about this and tried to really pay attention to the indepth replies on how but I just don't get it... so in simple terms... how??

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  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
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    Some days you eat more, some days you eat less... confuse the body so it doesn't know which day you eat what number of calories.

    Hope that was simple enough :wink:
  • FaithandFitness
    FaithandFitness Posts: 653 Member
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    I used a website to help me figure out what I should be doing calorie wise . . .I started Sunday so I can't give you any sucess or failure feedback. Here is the link to the site I used: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    Good Luck!
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
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    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm


    This web site is great! Take a look at it....it can help you out! I have been zig zagging for a month now and my weight is coming off! Good luck!
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
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    If I understand this correctly the way it works is you have and alotment of calories for the whole week lets say its 1300 calories a day (this is an assumption I eat way more some eat less) okay so 7 days in a week you get 9100 calories a week. Now that know this you can "zig zag" them. meaning hmm maybe you eat 1100 calories on Monday, 1400 calories on tuesday, 1200 calories on wednesday, 1000 calories on Thursday, 1300 calories on Friday, 1600 calories on Saturday, That leaves you with 1500 calories on Sunday to equal your 9100 Calories!
  • holly0623
    holly0623 Posts: 66
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    Basically you're keeping your body and metabolism always guessing. If you eat the same amount calories your body gets used to it and then you might stop losing weight. On a zig zag plan, you eat a different amount of calories everyday. Some days are really high, others are kinda low, some right in the middle. When you have a high calorie day your body knows that you are not starving it and it will let you lose weight. You are still eating the same amount of calories in a week. If you google it it will come up with a website that gives you a weekly plan for your calories. Good luck (:
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
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    that site is fantastic! Thanks! Hopefully it kicks me out of this rut!
  • ch178
    ch178 Posts: 364 Member
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    I've been thinking about trying this too
  • dcornwe
    dcornwe Posts: 73
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    You read my mind!!!
  • suzitkd
    suzitkd Posts: 110
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    Woah! Just went and looked at that freedieting site, and it recommends three calories levels - extreme fat loss, fat loss and maintenance - but recommends that you don't do extreme fat loss - it says "Always try to aim for the "Fat Loss" daily calorie level. The "Extreme Fat Loss" level is effectively a rock bottom calorie level. Do not attempt to immediately drop your calories to this level hoping for the quick fix - this may ultimately backfire. The Extreme Fat Loss level is listed to show the lowest calorie amount that could be considered. It should be seen as the exception rather than the rule. "

    But the calories it's giving me for 'fat loss' are 700 more per day than MFP?!!! SERIOUSLY?? I'm now a mixture between worried and confused! I am losing weight - MFP gives me 1200 calories per day, but I normally add around 400 calories to that with exercise and usually aim at around 1500 total calories eaten in a day... help!?
  • dcornwe
    dcornwe Posts: 73
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    Yeah I liked the calorie counter web site, but it kinds freaks me out that it says I should be eating 300 more cals a day. But Im currently stuck and I keep hearing eat more lose more so im gonna try it.
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
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    Well suzitkd and dcornwe in my case that calorie counter tells me I have to eat about 200 or so calories less than what Im eating right now to loose however Im still loosing! LOL!!! Everybody is different. We all burn at different rates that is just a generalization you have to find out what works for you. If you are loosing without a porblem with what you are doing right now and eating enough and healthy then keep it up why change what works. If you are having problems then play with your calories tweek them a bit or maybe its a whole different thing and not just the calories.
  • Tomhusker
    Tomhusker Posts: 346 Member
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    I didn't know it, but I have been doing this from the beginning. I just didn't know there was a name for it.
  • chryciw
    chryciw Posts: 124 Member
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    But the calories it's giving me for 'fat loss' are 700 more per day than MFP?!!! SERIOUSLY?? I'm now a mixture between worried and confused! I am losing weight - MFP gives me 1200 calories per day, but I normally add around 400 calories to that with exercise and usually aim at around 1500 total calories eaten in a day... help!?

    The calories on the freedieting.com website already has your exercise built in. So the calories it gives you are total calories, not net like on MFP. So I do my heaviest workouts on the days that I get to eat the most, so I'm not starving on those days. I also changed them around as far as which days I eat so many calories (for instance, we almost always have pizza on Fridays, so I put that as one of my higher calorie days.) I've lost 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks...
  • chridow
    chridow Posts: 178
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    BUMP

    I was wondering about zigzagging too, and this site is uber helpful
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
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    I tried it for a short time and it was causing me to gain so i stopped zig zagging

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