Has anyone here done Zigzag dieting?

[worm761]

A friend I haven't seen in while has lost an amazing amount of weight with zigzag dieting. It is sometimes called calorie cycling. She has been doing it for over a year and has lost over 80 pounds without even trying. She said she has tried all the diets out there and stuck to them to a T (she is a bit OCD so she does!) and none have stuck and worked like this. She seems really happy and is very healthy living this way.
I have seen the results so I know that works. I was just wondering how many other people do this. I have never heard of it. I decided to try it. I have about 40 pounds that need to go. Today is my first day though.

 

[Heidict]

I have never heard of it before. How does it work. Do you have any reputable web sites to link to?

 

[worm761]

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
You can put your information in on this site. Then click the blue link that says 7 day calorie cycle (zig zag) and it will show you how many calories to eat each day.
The basic premise is that by not eating the same set amount of calories each day, your body cannot plateau. It won't get used to say 1600 cals every day and try to become more efficient. You would eat 1300 cals for a few days then eat 2000 cals. The idea is that you need X amount of calories in a week. It doesn't matter when you get them but they should add up at the end of the week. So some days are low and some are high. I read a long thread on it on 3 Fat Chicks last night. It seems to work for some of their members. I am not a member there though so thought I would ask here.
It makes sense to me that you could fool your metabolism. The experts say that when exercising you should do 2 mins at X pace then 30 seconds at Y pace to trick your metabolism and help you burn calories better. So why wouldn't eating, basically the same way, do the same thing?
I really like that it doesn't tell me that anything is off limits. Only that you should make healthier choices. Which I do for other reasons.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I used this to break a "plateau" when I was trying to lose the last five of thirty pounds, two years ago. In fact, I used the same calculator as worm761!

Calorie Counting, in general, is a *very* effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Mainly, because you have no choice but to learn what are the calories of all the foods you like/eat and you have to make intelligent choices.

The zigzag is just a way to keep your body from getting used to a reduced calorie count.

My DW lost 45 pounds through calorie counting, using a program called LoseIt! for her iPhone and never needed to zigzag....

 

[Beth921]

I use a loose version of this on my own. I'm down 40 pounds and 3 sizes barely putting in any effort and it's really nice to be able to eat cake at my odd's birthday party (for example) without feeling like I've blown my whole diet. That's just a "high" calorie day for me, then the next day is a "low" calorie day.

 

[Aisling]

No, but I've done yo yo dieting, lots of times.

The zigzag diet sounds like it makes sense, metabolically. Hmmm, off to read about it!

 

[momof1princess]

hmmm...i may just need to give this a try. i've put on about 15 pounds-not a good thing for a gastric bypass patient. got lazy with my calorie counting, exercise and food journal. no excuses.

 

[disneychic2]

This intrigues me. I've never heard of it before. I'll also be reading up on it. I have about 50 pounds to lose, hopefully much of it before vacation in 86 days!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Absolutely makes sense to me. I think it certainly is worth a try.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

People who do this sort of dieting IRL do tend to lose weight and keep it off better than people who just eat a set amount of calories each day.

The problem is, as I understand it, that the results can't be replicated in a lab.

This would seem to indicate that there is a 3rd unidentified factor at work.

The suspicions are that just knowing that although today is a low calorie day, a high calorie day is coming keeps people on plan longer and keeps them dedicated to it, rather than the boring slog where there is never a time to eat "fun" food.

It's roughly akin to not buying yourself a plain coffee each morning at the coffee shop so that you can have a nice dinner out with your sweetie at the end of the month.

At the end of the day, this type of plan does work IRL, so it's a good plan to follow. However, the mechanism described that makes it work may just be all mumbo jumbo. Who knows!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Not on it intentionally but the zig zag diet sounds a whole lot like me fallen' off the wagon & hopping back on FWIW the weight lost stays off, it may creep up a tad but not by much so I guess they are right about it being effective, who knew this was a "thing", I feel better already

 

[divabydisney]

I used to do this on weight watchers too, just adj my points every day. However, the key is to make sure you do it religiously.

 

[hambirg]

Bodybuilders have been doing this type of thing for a long time, usually in the form of carb cycling and cheat meals. And as to the PP that mentioned the psychology behind the cheat meal thing. . .that's true. It's much easier to eat clean when you know on the weekend you are getting that pizza. . .or fried mushrooms, in my case.

To the PP that talked about a similar thing with exercising. . .that's HIIT (high intensity interval training). It works too. I do a little different variation of it. On some cardio days (maybe 2 days a week) I do 5 mins at a level 2 effort and then every 2 minutes I increase the effort by 1 until I reach a level 7. It's not my favorite thing. . .but it's efficient and it does work.

I do kind of the same with weight training. . .6 weeks heavy weight, low reps. . .6 weeks low weight high reps. . .which I HATE!!!! But I have too. . .my body gets used to the heavy lifting and I need to shock it a bit to see results.

 

[Planogirl]

The premise behind the 17 day diet is that it also avoids plateaus by changing things up. It just does it every 17 days instead.

Interesting... I'm not much good at counting calories though.

 

[Poohforyou]

This follows the same principal as a lot of workout programs. You just want to keep your body constantly confused which keeps your metabolism revved up.

For me though it's a struggle to just keep my body confused without throwing my mind into the mix .

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Bodybuilders have been doing this type of thing for a long time, usually in the form of carb cycling and cheat meals. And as to the PP that mentioned the psychology behind the cheat meal thing. . .that's true. It's much easier to eat clean when you know on the weekend you are getting that pizza. . .or fried mushrooms, in my case.

To the PP that talked about a similar thing with exercising. . .that's HIIT (high intensity interval training). It works too. I do a little different variation of it. On some cardio days (maybe 2 days a week) I do 5 mins at a level 2 effort and then every 2 minutes I increase the effort by 1 until I reach a level 7. It's not my favorite thing. . .but it's efficient and it does work.

I do kind of the same with weight training. . .6 weeks heavy weight, low reps. . .6 weeks low weight high reps. . .which I HATE!!!! But I have too. . .my body gets used to the heavy lifting and I need to shock it a bit to see results.

Yep! And here comes the boring science part. Muscles are different from metabolism! Guess what? Swapping out forms of exercise is not just psychological when it comes to workouts; although that probably plays a huge role in what makes interval training work. As you work the same exact muscle groups in the same exact way every day, those particular muscles do get used to a particular exercise: they become stronger and more efficient, so you've got to either increase intensity to burn the same number of calories OR you've got to change up exercises; this also helps build muscles, as swapping up muscles used gives one set of muscles time to repair and build while the other one works.

However, metabolism seems to play by an entirely different set of equally confusing rules.

Go figure. All I know is that the whole "metabolism slows down when you're in your 40's and all your fat goes to your belly" is totally true.

(Note: I am not a dietician, nor do I play one on TV. I was a WW leader and a devotee for years and years and fell in with an online group of women who are obsessed with reading about and discussing nutritional studies as they relate to weight loss and health.)

 

[princesspiglet]

I followed this when I needed to lose about 20 pounds and it was quite easy to do. Now that I am at my goal weight I still continue to follow it, but not to the text. If I happen to have a high- calorie day then the next is a low-calorie day. I don't feel as guilty about eating a candy bar when I know I will make up for it the next day.

I have managed to keep off those 20 pounds- and lose another 5- for the past 3 years with minimal effort. I walk or ride my bike 30-45 mins everyday and just eat as healthy as I can.

 

[worm761]

Thanks. It is nice to know that it has worked for other people too. Today is day two for me! Hopefully this will work.

 

[momof1princess]

Thanks. It is nice to know that it has worked for other people too. Today is day two for me! Hopefully this will work.

good luck! keep us updated!