Switching up your calories?

[PheonixJo]

Has anyone heard of the theory switching calorie intake each day so you'd have say 1500 one day then 1600 the next etc, confusing your body and result in weight loss? does it work?

[MrNiceGuy]

Regardless of whether you’re attempting to lose weight or simply maintain, calorie intake should always be adjusted to meet activity levels.

For example, as a maintainer, on the days that I exercise I’ll consume sufficient calories to fuel the intensity of my activity (between 2600-2900Kcal). However, on days that I don’t exercise, since my body doesn’t require the additional energy, my calorie intake reduces to around 2250.

By repeatedly adjusting calorie intake according to my level of activity, my weight has remained the same for a number of years.

Since you seek to lose weight, on the days that you don’t exercise, reduce calorie intake closer towards your minimum recommendation (BMR), allowing a reasonable calorie deficit to be maintained from your recommended maximum.

However (assuming that you exercise), on the days that physical activity is undertaken, increase calorie intake by a 150-200Kcal to provide the body with sufficient energy; don’t worry about needing to increase calorie intake on exercise days, since exercise allows for an increase in your recommended maximum (TDEE).

As I’m sure you’re already aware, maximum calorie allowances differ between those who are sedentary and those who are lightly active (exercising 1-3 times per week), but to allow you to fully appreciate the difference between them both, re-assess your figures.

In answer to your question, adjusting daily intake does work during both weight loss and maintenance, but you must always ensure that sufficient calories are consumed on a daily basis to satisfy your minimum recommendation, so that metabolism continues to fire (key to your success).

However, the quality of your diet remains paramount, ensuring that refined carbohydrate is reduced to a minimum (in favour of complex, non-starchy varieties), thus, reducing the amount of insulin needed to break down the sugars.

[Diana]

What mr nice guy refers to is known as calorie cycling, works well, it does and can prevent plateau!

Naturally we nearly all do it ( well I used to)

[nac150 2 stone]

Hi I'm in the second week of upping my calories from the 1400 I kept to on the 12 week NHS plan, following good advice from the forum. I lost weight last week and hope for another loss this week, watch this space.😊

[Hidden]

There is a theory that doing this can fool your body into not realising it is on a diet.

However, the counter theory, which I tend to believe, is that your body actually likes a routine, whether you are trying to lose wieght or not, and appreciates eating meals at about the same time every day, of about the same size each meal time.

I think, as with all this diet stuff, it is about what suits you and what works for you. So you could suck it and see.