Is there a need for caloric cycling aka zig-zagging during m

funghoney
funghoney Posts: 28
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
* Is there a need for caloric cycling aka zig-zagging during maintenance?
* And what should my maintenance intake be if I am home bound?

I'm a very small build female.
I've reached my target weight 1.5 months ago and have since then successfully gradually increased my caloric intake to around 1318 kcal a day on average for the last 4 weeks as I consider myself belonging to the sedentary category.

HOWEVER
I will be staying home day and night just to study in the next month or so.
I don't want to gain weight because of the lack of absolutely any exertion and the anticipated junk food I will be consuming (although I definitely will keep tracking my calories).
My BMR works out to be around 1097.

-> Roughly how many calories should I be aiming for on a daily basis?
-> And should I keep cycling my caloric intake from day to day to keep my body confused so as to maintain my current shape?

NB I won't have time for any exercise at all, and believe me, I am not even going to walk out of home, so forget about any exertion apart from bathroom breaks in my extremely small flat!

Replies

  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    bump
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    bump
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    bump
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    if your BMR is 1097 and you are mostly sedentary, then your maintenance level would be roughly 1426 (1097 x 1.3). MFP should have calculated this for you.
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    The thing is by sedentary -> it is someone with minimal activity, but still more extertion than being home bound.
    I want to know by how much should I multiply by if I just sit without walking all day.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    The thing is by sedentary -> it is someone with minimal activity, but still more extertion than being home bound.
    I want to know by how much should I multiply by if I just sit without walking all day.

    But that's what sedentary is....basically sitting most of the day with minimal other activity that might include dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom and such. Not much else.

    Just choose the sedentary setting on MFP and eat to that. If you start gaining during this month, back off some calories.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    I don't think you would need to zig-zag you calories for any reason other than personal preference. The answers above sound correct also. :flowerforyou:
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    The thing is by sedentary -> it is someone with minimal activity, but still more extertion than being home bound.
    I want to know by how much should I multiply by if I just sit without walking all day.

    But that's what sedentary is....basically sitting most of the day with minimal other activity that might include dressing, bathing, going to the bathroom and such. Not much else.

    Just choose the sedentary setting on MFP and eat to that. If you start gaining during this month, back off some calories.

    Thanks for the response!

    I've always assumed judging by MFP's description 'e.g. bank teller, desk job' that 'sedentary' applies to those who travel just to and fro from office and doing desk work but at least they still walk a tiny bit while travelling and having lunch etc.
    But I will be basically home bound.
    Oh and I don't think I will be getting dressed if I'm not going out lol, so unfortunately that's less calories spent!

    I don't want to gain at all, hence the question. I want to prevent the gain altogether rather than thinking about loosing the weight I've gained in the coming month.
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    if your BMR is 1097 and you are mostly sedentary, then your maintenance level would be roughly 1426 (1097 x 1.3). MFP should have calculated this for you.

    Thanks for the response!
    But even on a normal working day when I walk around, I am maintaining on 1097x1.2 only, let alone being home bound in the next month. So I guess x1.3 for the next month when I am only stuck in my study will be the recipe for disaster for my petite body!
  • funghoney
    funghoney Posts: 28
    I don't think you would need to zig-zag you calories for any reason other than personal preference. The answers above sound correct also. :flowerforyou:
    Thanks for the response!
    Any other opinions on caloric cycling for maintainence?
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    I just think that you're over-stressed about this. If you find that you feel a bit bloated during this month, then cut down on your eating. If not, you're probably OK. There is no magic formula to tell you exactly what you should be doing. If you have lost weight you have, hopefully, begun to know your body and how it responds and you can simply adjust to that.

    To be honest, I don't get your plan for the month. I mean, I'm guessing that you're finishing up a dissertation or some other similar big project. But your plan to be totally sedentary while doing this makes no sense to me. For myself, I can think more clearly, work more efficiently, and be more productive if I move regularly throughout the day. It gets the blood flowing and gives your brain and eyes a needed break. You can think about a problem while exercising and then take it back to the writing table. I think you'll get a lot more done, feel physically/mentally/emotionally better during the process, and have a better result if you take short exercise breaks every hour or two.

    Example: Work for an hour, do 3 minutes of stretching, work for an hour, do 3 minutes of squats, work for an hour, do 3 minutes of push-ups, etc., throughout the day. Even if you work 16 hours/day, this only comes to about 48 minutes/day of exercising but you will feel better and perform better on your project if you do something like this. Quite frankly, I'd also plan a couple of longer 20-minute exercise breaks to take at least two good walks each day. Your body and brain will thank you for it. You will actually get more productive work done. I'm sure of it.

    Also, why do you plan on eating more junk? Our brain is one of the biggest consumers of calories and needs nutrition to work at an optimal level. While I'm not against an occasional treat, you should be planning on eating even healthier than normal if you really want to crank out consistent good work during this time.

    Re zig-zagging. I do it every week and plan on keeping it up during maintenance. I like the flexibility. If it works better for you, do it. If not, don't.

    Again, I just think you're over-thinking this.
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