Zig zag diet

Here's the description:

https://www.bodybuilding.com/

Basically calorie cycling. The first part of the article is good information about using weight training to support muscle retention while in a deficit. I think the "rules" are a little restrictive - it's not necessary to eat a bunch of smaller meals a day if you prefer fewer and larger, for instance, but eating less during the week and eating more over the weekend is a perfectly good strategy for controlling calorie intake. It's not magic, but if it fits your lifestyle it's certainly worth a try.

Noel_57 wrote: »

bdiddy72 wrote: »

I have heard of it, its a great way of tricking your body into dropping fat, essentially you calculate your calories per week and then have some higher days and some lower days etc., but all in all your eating the same amount of calories per week. Very similar to carb cycling and if your in a calorie deficit, any diet will work. Good luck.

Absurd. The body cannot be tricked into anything. A person drops fat by eating less calories than they need. Zigzagging or rotating your calories does nothing but create a caloric deficit and there is no magic about it.

Agreed. It does make for the ability to fit more "fun" food in on one or two days though, which makes dieting seem easier (to me). I generally have 2 low days (non training days) a week with the calories I cut out added to one day on the weekend.

Kr5698 wrote: »

Thank you everyone for the advice!

Hi! I know this thread is a few years old now but I'm curious how you got on with zigzagging?

Thanks

Kr5698 wrote: »

Has anyone tried the zig zag calorie plan? I have heard a few things about it and just wanted some input!

That's just another name for calorie cycling. The reason it works is because weight gain/loss is more over a week then a day. It's a great tool if you go over one day, you can make it up the next. Or even better, save up drinking calories for the weekend. For example, shave off 100 calories each day and then on Friday you have 500 extra calories to enjoy.

The other method that is truly zig-zag.

Don't use MFP as designed where you attempt to keep the deficit the same daily by eating more when you do more (exercise).

Figure out a good TDEE figure with exercise and daily activity in it - eat that same amount daily - but your daily burn actually changes each day.
Therefore your deficit changes each day, from perhaps big deficit to no deficit.

Interesting that hasn't really been popular in years, but it's out there on the edge.
Along with slightly bigger deficit than reasonable all week long - pig out on 1 weekend day or both, don't recall which it was.
Now that's just called a binge!