zig-zagging calories??

it has worked for me, all i can say is try it and see if it works for you!

what is that?

This is an old concept called Calorie Cycling. I have heard it works but never really done it myself for more than a week. I found it hard to remember if today was a super low day or a high day and it drove me insane. But if you google Calorie Cycling, there is a lot of info out there.

how do you mean? Like eating 1400 one day and 1500 the next? or just eating more when you exercise?

how do you mean? Like eating 1400 one day and 1500 the next? or just eating more when you exercise?

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
the website above ^ will explain it but you have the around about idea.

I had been actually doing it by accident before I heard about it and was losing consistently. Gonna keep it up :flowerforyou:

bump

This is an old concept called Calorie Cycling. I have heard it works but never really done it myself for more than a week. I found it hard to remember if today was a super low day or a high day and it drove me insane. But if you google Calorie Cycling, there is a lot of info out there.

I do not do mine based on days....mine is done by week...Sunday - Saturday.

For example:
Sunday I left 800 calories
Monday I left 700 calories
Tuesday I eat an extra 150 calories
Wednesday I eat an extra 200 calories

So for the remainder of the week, before exercising, I have 1150 extra calories for the remainder of the week.

Some one on here gave the suggestion to set yourself manually at the lowest calorie intake and then input your own exercise and have it be "Monday zig-zag", etc. that takes into account the difference you need to eat that day. Then you can just add the exercise and eat all of those calories. I've just started trying it (trying to get refocused on losing the last few pounds of fat), but doing that has made it super easy.

i zig-zag with exercise days. i work out 3 days a week and eat 2800 calories on those days - the in between i eat 2000 - i'm losing weight when i zig zag. i am also low carb on non-workout days. I read the book by Chris Powell "Chose to Lose" who's the trainer on Extreme Weight Loss tv show - he helped a guy lose 421 pounds. i've been stuck for a long time - now that my calories are up (i was at 1700 and not losing) and i zig-zag it seems to work for me. I'm eating mostly whole foods and even have nuts back in my diet. I'll take it compared to starvation anyday.

I was on a plateau , and started the zig-zaging , I've been on it it for one week and I have lost one lb.
I would recommend it !

See this confuses me.. I did the Calorie Cycling calculator and it says (approximately)
Monday 1300
Tuesday 1200
Wednesday 1500
Thursday 1300
Friday 1200
Saturday 1400
Sunday 1300


I dont understand how that could work.. Granted with working out and having extra calories I would be burning the exact same as eating 1300 everyday... I would have to dramatically cut my calories in order to have a deficit without working out.

I think it's kindof smart in a way.. But I also can see how it would be negative. Humans are creatures of habit and it's actually very natural for us to form set systems and follow similar routines. I think it would throw me off a little bit, at least at first.

Ah but if you think terms of hunter gather your diet would rarely if ever be constant so it fits right in.

I actually work in reverse with it and it's worked great for me. I usually have one day a week where i eat more than i ought to - you know, the trip to the ice cream store with your 7 year old kind of day - for the next 5 days i make up for the overage. The basic concept is that you shouldn't go by calories per day, but rather calories per week. Plan to have one day a week that's short and one day that's long on calories. I also short a little extra each day because you never know when the icecream will call your name! I have found that it works really well and that any temporary gain from a long day or two is quickly reversed ie. last weekend was my son'd birthday - I ate icecream cake, pizza and molson 67 beer all weekend, gained 2 lbs and it was gone within 1 day.Usually I would gain nothing from a high day but 2 days of debauchery got me that time! I've lost 46 lbs this way and certainly plan on continuing for the next 39!

Some one on here gave the suggestion to set yourself manually at the lowest calorie intake and then input your own exercise and have it be "Monday zig-zag", etc. that takes into account the difference you need to eat that day. Then you can just add the exercise and eat all of those calories. I've just started trying it (trying to get refocused on losing the last few pounds of fat), but doing that has made it super easy.

This is what I'm doing also! I have made my own exericse for the days I zig zag!