congrats everyone! Good luck at TOPS jilly

I'm finding myself online with less frequency now that I've started school again, but luckily, I've kept with the losing even through the transition!

I went from a week and a half of weighing 136-134 to dropping down to 132.5 this morning out of nowhere! Haha, completely bypassing the 133's is fine by me!

I now have people whom I barely know noticing my weight loss! The cashier at the convenience store near my college said I was looking great! lol Talk about weird!

Hello everyone, this is my first post and I figured it should be here because this thread is what has inspired me. I had never heard of calorie cycling, but it seems to make sense to me... More sense than what I am doing anyway... (Recording my food during the day and then splurging in the evening... then I 'start over' the next day. Last night I stayed up and read this whole thread made a plan and this morning dove in. I would like my weekly average to be 1400 calories so I have decided to try to follow this plan:
Sun: 1100
Mon: 1700
Tues: 1100
Wed: 2000
Thur: 1000
Fri: 1700 (Weigh in in AM)
Sat: 1200

All of your posts have really inspired me. So thanks.
I planned out my food for the day: B- 2 egg beaters, 1 dannon light 'n fit yogurt, 1 slice of toast- 160 calories, L- 1 lean cuisine of 300 calories or less, SNACK- 100 calorie pack & a yogurt (145), D- Lean cuisine of 300 calories or less, DESSERT- 2 pieces of Dove Dark chocolate- 90 calories. That puts me at almost 1000 calories for the day. If anyone has any advice or suggestions I would love to hear it.

Bethany

bethany-sounds like you have a good plan...zig-zag really helps cause it but your body in shock..I kinda got off track from it and have pretty much been eating the same every day...so you posting just reminded me to get back to it...hope everything goes good for you...post as often as you like on here and I will post back..

I don't know what happened to everyone one here..they just all quit posting

Does anyone else feel like a big pig on your high days...like over 1600? I tried to have higher days this week, but I ended up going no higher than 1600, and my low days were 1200-1300. Is that a big enough of a difference to trick the body?

Supersized--I do sometimes feel like a pig on my high days, and sometimes I AM a pig on those days because I get the extra calories from processed/prepared foods instead of good, whole, nutritious foods. When I get on the scale at the end of the week, though (assuming I've actually stuck to my plan), I see the loss and know that I wasn't being a pig--just keeping my body on its toes

dgpebbles--I can't speak for anyone else, but I know why I haven't been around this thread much lately, and that is that I haven't been a very good girl It's been a hectic time, and every time I think I'm back on track, something comes along and sends me flying again. I'm constantly just trying to get back on track and seem to be unable to actually STAY there

Jill- sorry to hear that your struggling to get back on track...once you stop it's hard to start again...you can do it ..you've done a great job so far...just look you've already lost 38lbs...don't stop now...

Haven't been around much here either but good news to share which is that I hit my goal. Me and my bf set an initial 10% weight loss goal,him starting at 200 and me at 160 and I just hit 144 and he hit 180 on the same day. What an encouragement, keep on working at it.

Congrats Kris on hitting your goal!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!

Hello everyone!
I am new here and I have not had the time to read the whole thread but will soon. I just start zig-zagging my calories and I am excited to see if it will work. I am 5' 7" and 190 pounds and I am reaching for an average of 1560 a week which is maintaince at my goal wieght of 135, however, I may never hit 135, but at this point I'll take ANY wieght loss!!!! As soon as I am over this cold I will go back to doing yoga every day....for which I am I big fan.

I do have one question though....if you go over calories one day, do you cut some calories out on another day to make up? or do you just call an oopps, and let it go?

thanks everyone!

That's the whole idea of zig-zagging...that your diet isn't made in a day just as it's not broken in a day. We try to look at calories over a week with incorporating *planning* higher calorie days more than just "oopsing" it. If I do end up going say 100 calories over because I was starving and needed more calories that day I do try to make up for it on another day as long as I can do it without going too low for that day. (Is this making sense) I also go for a deficit rather than just a calorie goal so if you are able to then try to work off the extra calories in that same day. I'm not sure I even understand what I just said so I hope I haven't confused you further. Bottom line, eat less, move more and you'll start to see results!

*ahem*....I am sorry, I read your post a couple times and I think you are saying that the idea is a deficit over the course of a week and not in one day. To exercise more so that if I do go over it is not as "harmful"? I guess when you say you go for a "deficit" I don't understand....

Thanks Jill I have nothing to add to that. You rock!

yes..that makes perfect sense! Thank you! I was kind of confused there but that cleared it right up! As soon as this cold passes I will be back to yoga and I cannot wait! This looks so simply why didn't catch on to this before!! ARG!!! I mean, no special foods...no forbiddin foods..no "no-no's" great! Thank you everyone! I figured my food calories as

1200 monday
1300 tuesday
1700 weds
1200 thurs
1400 fri
1700 sat
2000 sun
for an average of 1500

I kept round numbers for the ease of remembering. my bmr is 1900..

this is cool..I am excited...

Yeah, I hate "no-no's" just my personality...I want to eat anything I'm told not to. Some foods are just wiser choices. Let us know how you're doing.

Hi- Im trying to explore this zig-zag concept...pardon me if I ask something thats been covered already, I tried to skim all the pages here

I get the whole concept of the plan and have mapped out my weekly numbers and use fitday to track it all...I am currently trying to drop like 8 pounds and would like to utilize this as a maintennance thing as well once I get there, so I have 2 questions:

1. I work out three/four times per week, cardio 3X and toning 1-2X. Does it matter if I work out on the higher or lower days?
2. Is there a fast and steady rule about patterning your low/high days or can that be flexible? Im familiar with the old WW Wendy plan where its Low,High,Low,Very High, Very Low, high, Medium High...does this have to be the layout or can you "wing it"?

Thanks!