Zig zag diet

Kr5698
Kr5698 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone tried the zig zag calorie plan? I have heard a few things about it and just wanted some input!

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Kr5698
    Kr5698 Posts: 4 Member
    That makes sense, I think I'm going to give it a try and see how it works out. Thank you!
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    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.
  • MeechyLA
    MeechyLA Posts: 159 Member
    Hey! I wasn't familiar with it either, found this diagram in an article. Is this what you're referring to?
    tjgcxl72zcy0.jpg

    It seems complicated. The plan that worked for me was to have a baseline clean diet that I followed everyday and then manage "fun" foods with portion control and moderation.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    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
    Kr5698 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you everyone for the advice!
  • mummytee87
    mummytee87 Posts: 14 Member
    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 :)
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    OP hasn't logged on for a couple of years. I don't think you're going to get a response from her.
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 961 Member
    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.
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 961 Member
    ZoneFive wrote: »
    OP hasn't logged on for a couple of years. I don't think you're going to get a response from her.

    Oh wow, this happened on the app I used to use also.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited March 2021
    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!
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 961 Member
    mummytee87 wrote: »
    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 :)

    I can tell you that I used calorie cycling and it is very effective if used correctly. See above for my story.

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