Does anyone cycle/shift calories?
 

Hey, guys!

Sitting here with about 30 lbs. to lose, at the most I have ever weighed(other than when I was 9 months pregnant). It's all come on in the last 2 years. I've always had to watch my weight and gained easily, but always knew what to do to take it off(only once was it more than 10 lbs). Now it's not budging.

I was on 1500 calories/day, which my doctor said was too high and that I should drop to 1200(which seems low to me). Anyway, I've been trying to do this on and off since the spring but now I am determined to get this weight off no matter how long it takes! In addition to calorie counting, I am trying to up my time at the gym(was averaging 3X week, aiming for 5-6, Elliptical/Zumba/sculpting classes).

I am wondering if anyone here has tried any form of calorie cycling, where you do some high days and some low days but average out for the week to be at your goal amount. If so, did it work for you, and do you have any tips?

Thanks in advance - I think this is a great site and am finding so much support here.

I guess I kind of do it. I have a range of calories and one day I'll be at the lower end and one day I'll be at the higher end.
I think it's good to shake things up every once in a while. It will help you bust through a plateau, break the monotany of 1200, or 1500 or whatever calories every single day, and it can make you try different things and step out of your comfort zone.
When I was on Weight Watchers I would eat one day where I ate all my points, all my activity points AND all of my weekly points in one day. It was a ridiculously high calorie day (I generally went out to eat for fajitas with my husband that day) but the rest of the days I stuck to plan and I lost very well this way. If I skipped the big meal in favor of buckling down, I lost less. If I tried to just divide my weekly points to have an equal amount every day, I didn't lose as much. So having one very high calorie day a week worked well for me.
But it can be tough to reign yourself in, so you have to know yourself pretty well to do that.