Calorie Cycling

[lost180]

It's been suggested to me here that I should start employing a method called calorie cycling to help further my progress along. From what I've read calorie cycling is when you eat the same amount of calories that you would in a week but you mix up how many calories you eat in a day. So one day you'd eat 2300 then 1800 and one 1600. That's just a basic example. In my searches to learn more about it I came across this link that allows you to input your weight and activity level and it gives you your daily calorie needs for maintenance, fat loss, and extreme fat loss. Or it can just give you your BMR. If you look down to the very bottom of the box where it says 7 day calorie cycle you can click it and it cycles your calories for you based on the numbers and activity level you put in for yourself.

www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

[Brian Ayers, CSCS]

Thanks for starting this topic and posting that link. Calorie cycling is a great method for dropping weight without your metabolism lowering from extended periods of calorie deprivation. Generally your proteins would stay the same on the low days and you would primarily decrease the amount of carbs, and to a lesser degree fats.

That's a cool link. I like the daily calorie break down portion where you can enter your calories for the day and the % of carbs fats and ptns. I put together a similar spread sheet in excel, but I will definetly post this link on ttfitness.com.

[lost180]

I read on one site that calorie cycling isn't something you're supposed to do long term. I believe one site said to do it for a few weeks at a time and them go back to your normal routine. What's your opinion?