Has anybody tried "calorie shifting" before? Ive alo heard it called "calorie cycling" or "zig-zag" dieting. I eat about 1300 CLEAN calories a day. I lose .2 pounds a week, if anything at all and I was wondering if anyone who has tried this has had any success and... what it is you did exactly. I'm a student and I eat about 5-7 times a day of small, healthy things (usually high in protien/fiber). My eating habits are very healthy but I've still got a small way to go and would really appreciate any anti-plateau suggestions. Thanks!
I tried it before when I was doing WW, basically I'd zig-zag the number of points allowed. It worked for me.
Now I'm counting calories and I'm losing an avg of 1 lb per week. I haven't tried doing that with calories. I'm so focused on eating more healthfully and not going over my calories for the day that I don't really think about much else.
But I'm assuming that if it worked when I did it with the WW points, then it'll probably work well with calories too.
I never do it intentionally--but when I look back and notice that I've been consistently on, or under, my calorie range every day that week--I plateau. If I have one day (I call it a "hiccup day") where I went crazy and ate anywhere from 1800-2500 calories, I lose the most. (and that one day is typically a tuesday-friday--Weigh In is Monday)
When I was doing WW, I tried the "Wendie Plan"-- but it seemed that the intentional shifting didn't do much more for me than hitting my points range every day did.
However--when I was dieting the first time (in my Teens) I lost the weight REALLY quickly just hitting my points target every day... So my body has changed a lot in 5 years!
I've learned that the best way to find out what works is to just try it for 2 weeks... and I know that's super scary (especially if you're just starting or SO close to goal you can almost touch it!)--but doing that has taught me SO much about how my body works.
I am on a plateau right now and might give it a try if it keeps up. The scale today indicated I lost .5 lb but I have hit that number and not maintained it before.
For now I am working on mixing up my workouts. I have also read that you shoudl consider changing around some of your nutrient %.
UPDATE: The day I posted this question began as a good/normal day. I stayed on plan until about supper time and I had 5 slices of homemade pizza. I was thinking about zig-zagging eventually but not THAT day. I initially thought I would plan ahead and spread the calories around in one day but the pizza had other plans for me. After SUCH a long time of solid plateau, yesterday I weighed in at 121.2 (a pound lost!) and today I double checked just to be sure and it was 121.4
I'm thinking I might let myself have one bigger meal a week at this pont and see if I have any more progress. I really think 'they' might be on to something with this zig zag theory
wow that is Killer!!! Maybe I will try that. Im only at the start of weight loss but couldnt hurt. I am aiming for about 1400-1500 a day but maybe a 1800 day wouldnt hurt. I started this diet about 4 days ago and I have gone from 267
2 to 263...kind of unbelivable, could be water weight haha
Last edited by ThatsSpify; 03-29-2008 at 03:07 PM.
I don't intentionally zig-zag but it seems to work out that way. I try for an average of 1500 per day every week. That means that some days are 1200 and others are 1800. It just seems to make things more manageable for me.
I don't intentionally zig zag either, but if I've been really good calorie-wise, once a week or so I get these strong urges to eat a big meal. When I do that the scale goes down by a pound or two after 2 days. I think it's some kind of regulatory thing that when my metabolism slows down, I need some extra food once in a while to boost it.
Like others, I don't intentionally zig-zag, it just works out that way. I find it easier not to be so strict with myself every day. I average 1900 calories a day. Some days I only eat 1400-1500 and others I may eat 2200-2400. I am averaging almost 2 lbs. of weightloss a week so far.
This time around I'm zig-zagging and it seems to be working out pretty well. I've lost 8 lbs. in 6 wks.
I eat b/twn 1350-1700 cals M-Sat. Maybe two days around 1450, one day at 1700, two days around 1500/1550, one day at 1350. But on Sundays, I allow myself to eat whatever I want up to 2000-2200 cals. That's the number that is supposedly my maintenance number. I w/out 5-6 days/wk doing HIIT, wts, stability ball, yoga and pilates. It averages out to about 1 hr/day. Sundays are a rest day for me.
Here's a link I found on another post. It gives you total cals you s/be eating (no, nothing is exact but it seems to be a fairly good guideline) per day based on wt/ht/age/sex/exercise. It also gives a link for a weeks worth of zig-zagging your cals.
Zigzagging works!
Even on Biggest Loser they have them eat extra right after their weighins. It helps trick the body so it doesn't think it's starving.
Like many others here, I haven't done it intentionally, but have been doing it trying to listen to my body's hunger level. While I have lost an average of 2.25 lbs per week, there was more in the beginning, and now it's evened out to about 2 lbs. per week.
I've learned not to 'undereat'. My absolute minimum intake for a day is 1200 calories, no matter how I feel. I've learned that if I don't take in that amount, the next day I am ravenous and having to fight cravings for less healthy foods.
Do zigzag calories cure plateaus?
