I've read about how many of you guys cycle your calories and I've been doing some reading. My mom's personal trainer told me that I should do 3 weeks of my calorie restriction and then 2 - 3 days off where I eat 1600 - 2000 calories.

I'd love to hear what works for you guys.

I know a lot of chicks use this method with lots of success, but I don't think they go 3 weeks at a time. One of the ladies on the forum who has lost a lot of weight mentioned freedieting.com, and if you use the calorie calculator, it will tell you high, med, and low calories for you. then at the bottom, you can create a zig zag plan, that is what I am planning for this week. Good luck to you! let us know how it works!

I did search out a calculator that could tell me how I should be cycling but the amount of calories it gave me were well above what I'm already eating. I was thinking I would just take their guideline and eat accordingly based on the calories I'm already consuming and see what happened.

3 weeks seemed long to me too, but I think he was talking more about tricking your bodies metabolism than calorie cycling.

Edit: I went to the link you provided and I like their plan much more! Thanks, I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

I've been doing calorie cycling for about 4 months I think. I love it, it gives me tons of flexibility. I use freedieting and yes, it's way more cals than I was eating before, but before at the lower levels I kept stalling. Now when I stay on plan (this being the key component) I don't stall.

Ncuneo, do you follow what the calculator on freedieting gives you if you have it zig-zag for you? Or something different.
BTW- I am a firm believer in too little calories, stalls you out!

So glad to see this thread! I am just starting calorie cycling (zigzagging) and I am wondering how much of a range I should give myself each day. For example, my plan from freedieting.com said that yesterday I should've had 1421 cals, and I ended up having 1474. Is that too far off the mark? Do you all stick much closer?

Interesting what you guys say about the too few calories. The website recommends I eat before 1400-1900 calories a day but I've been focusing my diet on a 1200-1600 calorie range and losing weight.

Do you guys thing I should up it to what's been suggested? Or stay where I am?

I've had the same problem with being as low as 900 calories some days. When I changed my diet to mostly fruits and veggies it became HARD for me to eat my target calories because what I mainly consumed [and was filling me for the entire day] was just too low in calories. To be honest, I pretty much had to cut lettuce salads from my diet to UP my calorie intake.

I went out and bought a food scale and now it's easier for me to meet my 1200 [or whatever] calorie goal, I pretty much keep avocados on hand to up my calorie intake if I need it, and now I'm eating some more granola too.

In can tell you that the range she gave you would not work for me. Unless I have at least a day or 2 of less than 1400 the scale doesn't budge, or not more than 1/4 pound a week which is too slow to keep me motivated and once mistake and everything's gained back.

Avocado is delicious on a sandwich with cheese and tomato and mayo.

Avocado was an acquired taste for me, mostly because I have some texture issues too (biting into a chunk of avocado is still too mushy for me to enjoy) but I love it as a spread or in guacamole. You could try mushing one up into a paste and using as a substitute for mayo on a sandwich and you may be pleasantly surprised.