zig zag calories

kirstyfromscotland
kirstyfromscotland Posts: 555 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Does any1 zig zag calories i googled it and found this site http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
but im not sure about the calories its saying per day for my weight as its less than mfp says.
Ex Fat Loss
Monday 1107
Tuesday 1096
Wednesday 1328
Thursday 1107
Friday 1096
Saturday 1218
Sunday 1107

Replies

  • radgurl08
    radgurl08 Posts: 14
    That caloric intake level just looks dangerous... Your body even when you are not exercising should be burning much more than that.... 1500 is low as it is, but I wouldn't push for more of that unless you are trying to hurt your body...
  • johncowart
    johncowart Posts: 40 Member
    women never go below 1200 for long periods of time and men shouldn't go below 1600 for long periods of time. I don't trust the mfp calorie counter because I don't track my calorie burns. Thats to much work. Especially since my workout regiment is pretty consistent my calorie burns stay close to the same week to week. I calorie and carb cycle. I do about 3 days low then 1 day at my maintenance calories level with about a 10%-20% increase in carbs over protein/fat.
    John
  • WhisperALullaby
    WhisperALullaby Posts: 67 Member
    I believe if you zig zag you're still supposed to average out what the recommended caloric intake is. So for an example my calories are supposed to be around 1200. One day I'd be 1300, another 1100, but it'd round out to 1200. You still need to get that baseline amount.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I think when you zig zag you need a bit more of a difference in calories, for example 1200, 1500, 1250, i dont think it really works if the calorie difference is only 100/200.
  • mytime60
    mytime60 Posts: 176 Member
    I tried it for awhile. I used this site: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    The only thing I noticed was they assume a much higher exercise calorie burn than what I was doing. When I figured out that and lowered the numbers by what I was actually burning it worked well.

    I quit doing it because I wasn't tracking my exercise on MFP then and it was too easy to put it off. So I'm back to MFP where if I know I need a higher calorie day; I have to work for it! I really wish they would work zig zag into their site.
  • junipuni
    junipuni Posts: 264 Member
    I am doing this except I didn't choose the extreme suggestion. The thing is with the extreme I think the calories are too low and because they are that low (probably based on your size and height) there really isn't zig zagging going on.

    I did the other option and am finding it to help. I have it set up so the higher days fall on days that I typically eat more anyway (friday/saturday) and the lower days fall when I am exercising so I have some exercise calories to eat back if I still feel hungry.
  • kirstyfromscotland
    kirstyfromscotland Posts: 555 Member
    That caloric intake level just looks dangerous... Your body even when you are not exercising should be burning much more than that.... 1500 is low as it is, but I wouldn't push for more of that unless you are trying to hurt your body...
    mfp has set me 1200 as my calories, how can this b if its 2 low? :frown:
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    I thought zigzaging was going up not down. like 1200 one day and then 1700 calories on the next and so on...
  • kirstyfromscotland
    kirstyfromscotland Posts: 555 Member
    I tried it for awhile. I used this site: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    The only thing I noticed was they assume a much higher exercise calorie burn than what I was doing. When I figured out that and lowered the numbers by what I was actually burning it worked well.

    I quit doing it because I wasn't tracking my exercise on MFP then and it was too easy to put it off. So I'm back to MFP where if I know I need a higher calorie day; I have to work for it! I really wish they would work zig zag into their site.
    thats the site i used and got the info on cals i should eat when zig zaging. :bigsmile:
  • kirstyfromscotland
    kirstyfromscotland Posts: 555 Member
    I am doing this except I didn't choose the extreme suggestion. The thing is with the extreme I think the calories are too low and because they are that low (probably based on your size and height) there really isn't zig zagging going on.

    I did the other option and am finding it to help. I have it set up so the higher days fall on days that I typically eat more anyway (friday/saturday) and the lower days fall when I am exercising so I have some exercise calories to eat back if I still feel hungry.
    i picked the extreme version because some days the cale were quite high and i am a bit scared of eating over 1200 now as thats what mfp has set me but ill try it and c what happens, every1 seems 2 b saying its 2 low. so ill give the 1 a go that is higher!
  • kirstyfromscotland
    kirstyfromscotland Posts: 555 Member
    thanx guys 4 all the advice and comments, i will do the fat burn instead of extreme fat burn. :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
    I thought zigzaging was going up not down. like 1200 one day and then 1700 calories on the next and so on...

    It's actually both up and down so that your weekly deficit still equals the weekly deficit if you were eating the same calories every day. The high calorie days are balanced with the low calorie days.


    My daily total targets are 1285, 1200, 1542, 1285, 1200, 1413, 1285. As you can see, there are really only a couple of days with higher calories and they aren't overly high, so you're not going to binge out or anything. I've been losing steadily and I don't feel deprived. I also eat back my exercise calories, so my total calories consumed are typically much higher than these amounts.
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
    thanx guys 4 all the advice and comments, i will do the fat burn instead of extreme fat burn. :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:

    Yes! you will get results with the regular weight loss targets. I've been losing steadily following this. Good luck!
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