I just saw on this board about the zigzag concept where you eat the same amount two days in a row, then change it up by a good bit. I just don't understand how I'm supposed to lose weight by eating SO MANY calories lol. I know I weigh a bunch right now, but I just don't see that helping me lose any weigh by eating over 2000 calories a day. Can anyone possibly give me some sort of insight?

This is the plan a calculator gave me.


Ex Fat Loss Fat Loss Maintain
Monday 2200 2656 3319
Tuesday 2200 2200 2656
Wednesday 2640 3187 3983
Thursday 2200 2656 3319
Friday 2200 2390 2987
Saturday 2420 2921 3651
Sunday 2200 2656 3319

I've been trying to stick to 1200 a day, maybe that's why my body has locked down on me it seems....

afternoon,
1200 does seem a little low for your weight. that is normally the minimum a woman eats. i eat between 1600-1800.
as for the zigzag that is an individual thing. i tried it. worked ok. my whole problem is if i don't lose one way i blame that way for not working. when it's just me and not being honest with myself.
try it.

Everybody's different..I can lose like crazy at 1700-1800 calories a day and eating more on the weekends...Lately, I've been off the wagon, eating around 2500 or 2600 calories a day and maintaining, haven't gained any weight back..I'm 5'6 and weigh around 221..Try it and if it doesn't work, adjust it!!

I suppose it couldn't hurt to try it. Thanks for the input!

I guess I could try it for a week or two and see how it goes and adjust from there. We're right around the same height but I weigh a tad bit more . But I will get there one day soon. Maybe I should give it a try instead of basically shutting my metabolism down lol

The things you need to remember: if you are heavy, you need more calories or your body WILL go into starvation mode, you won't be able to sustain, and you'll end up not losing. Second, if you start very low, where do you go once you've lost weight? You have to eat more when you are heavier so you'll have some place to go with your calories when you drop 20, 40, 60 pounds.

Calorie cycling/zig zagging is an excellent way to lose weight and it looks like you used freedieting.com to get your calories. They are a very good site. 1200 is TOO low. Try following guidelines you've been given from a variety of sites. I'm guessing with your weight, age, and height, no site will tell you to only do 1200 calories. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, you need to do something you can sustain. This isn't the Biggest Loser, there is no cash prize for losing quickly (and pretty much guaranteeing you'll gain it back). This is for life and you need to be sensible.

I agree with everything Jesse said. 1200 is waaaay too low. I can't imagine you feel great eating so few calories. Calorie cycling helped me lose 30lbs. I even have a cheat day once a week so I don't feel deprived & I always have a day to look forward to if I feel like I really want something I don't need. Sounds like you have a great plan to start with. You'll see the weight fall off quickly if you stick that plan for a while. Good luck!

That does seem like a lot of calories to me. I've done zig zagging, (a lot of people on here call it calorie cycling) and I'll probably start it back up soon. My numbers aren't that high. My low days are usually around 1350 and my high day is around 1750. That's what I've done in the past and it's worked out really well for me.

You don't have to zig zag with such high numbers. And there is nothing wrong with you eating 1200 calories if you find yourself satisfied with that. Every person is different, every metabolism is different. If you eat 1200 and feel good at that then that could be your low day number, and then your higher day numbers could be closer to 1500 or 1600. Of course if you feel like your starving at 1200 then you should by no means be eating that low. I wasn't comfortable that low and that's why I moved my low up to 1350. Every person is different. You find your comfort zone and go with it.