Calorie Cycling or No?

[bruinsgirl33]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I'm female and what's considered "petite" (5'2"). I've got 20 pounds to lose (I'm 150 and want to hit 130.) I've been struggling to consistently be committed to weight loss because of both laziness and major life events the last few years. I've got my Fitbit Alta HR and use MyFitnessPal to count calories. Currently I have both Fitbit and MFP set to lose 2lbs a week, and on MFP I'm set to Lightly Active on my activity level. I burn 2600 calories most days of the week between my job and workouts and usually average about 12k-14k steps a day.

As for how many calories I eat a day, I am doing calorie cycling. On the days I do strength training I have MFP set to 1600 calories, on my non-strength training (but full cardio) days I'm 1450 on 2 days and 1600 on one. Friday is my high-carb day (I still work out though) and is at 2000 calories, while Saturdays and Sundays are my full days off from working out and are set at 1300. 

I know I don't eat enough protein or fiber to the point where calorie cycling is probably not a good idea for me, and I'm struggling to lose weight. I've got sensitive taste buds and am in general a super picky eater. (Trying to work on the latter, though!) My issue is, I'm also scared that if I cut back on calories (say from 1600 to 1300 on my strength training days) that I'll lose too much weight per week.

Should I still stick to my calorie cycling but maybe don't set my strength-training and high-carb day calories to be as high as they are, or should I ditch the calorie cycling altogether? I've been, for the most part, fully committed to actually losing weight the last three weeks. I had initially started out at 153 and am down to the 150 I now find myself at. Any advice would be great. Thanks, guys!

[emili]

@bruinsgirl33 hey there! weight loss happens when one is in a caloric deficit. So whether you are cycling calories or not, if at the end of the week you are in an overall deficit you will lose weight, if you are not, you won't. if you set your calories to a specific deficit every day, you can still do whatever workout you want to. Lifting doesn't instantly mean you have to increase your calories.. you can increase your protein if you are trying to bulk up and you don't have to carb up to do cardio. Finding rich in nutrition food to eat each and every day while staying within your calorie goal is going to make the change in your numbers and also your overall fitness. When you get to where you want to be and you want to start experimenting, go for it, but I am not sure it is effective for weight loss..

[bruinsgirl33]

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@emili wrote:

@bruinsgirl33 hey there! weight loss happens when one is in a caloric deficit. So whether you are cycling calories or not, if at the end of the week you are in an overall deficit you will lose weight, if you are not, you won't. if you set your calories to a specific deficit every day, you can still do whatever workout you want to. Lifting doesn't instantly mean you have to increase your calories.. you can increase your protein if you are trying to bulk up and you don't have to carb up to do cardio. Finding rich in nutrition food to eat each and every day while staying within your calorie goal is going to make the change in your numbers and also your overall fitness. When you get to where you want to be and you want to start experimenting, go for it, but I am not sure it is effective for weight loss..

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Okay, so what you are saying is that I CAN cut back calories and as long as I eat healthy I should be able to lose weight safely?

[emili · Accepted solution]

I'm saying you should create a sustainable deficit. Whether you do it through diet alone or in combination with activity, it should be sustainable and reasonable. Most tend to figure out what their bmr rate is. Then figure out how much less than that is reasonable and sustainable. Most go with 500 calories. Doesn't mean that is for you too. You may need 300 to feel satisfied. You can eat 300 less and work off the other 200. I would do a little research and then experiment to see what works for you

[bruinsgirl33]

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@emili wrote:

I'm saying you should create a sustainable deficit. Whether you do it through diet alone or in combination with activity, it should be sustainable and reasonable. Most tend to figure out what their bmr rate is. Then figure out how much less than that is reasonable and sustainable. Most go with 500 calories. Doesn't mean that is for you too. You may need 300 to feel satisfied. You can eat 300 less and work off the other 200. I would do a little research and then experiment to see what works for you

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Okay. I did do my BMR and it's a little less than 1500 (which includes exercise). My calorie requirements are just under 2300 as well. I'll stick with what I'm doing for another couple weeks, try to eat more protein while doing so, and see where that gets me. Thank you!

[Dominique]

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@bruinsgirl33 wrote:

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I'm female and what's considered "petite" (5'2"). I've got 20 pounds to lose (I'm 150 and want to hit 130.) I've been struggling to consistently be committed to weight loss because of both laziness and major life events the last few years. I've got my Fitbit Alta HR and use MyFitnessPal to count calories. Currently I have both Fitbit and MFP set to lose 2lbs a week, and on MFP I'm set to Lightly Active on my activity level. I burn 2600 calories most days of the week between my job and workouts and usually average about 12k-14k steps a day.

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Commenting on the above: your Alta HR says you burn 2600 calories. Based on your personal info (female, petite) and your average step count, I would say 2600 sounds high. You may want to base your expectations (in terms of weight loss) on a slightly more conservative number.

As to your question about calory cycling: it doesn’t really matter how you distribute your calories over the week. What matters is the total deficit at the weekly level. Some people like their calories to match their activity, others prefer to have them match their social lives (e.g. eat more during weekends, even if they’re less active then).

[bikerhiker]

Weight loss is about a lifestyle change.

To answer your question whether you should cut calorie cycling or not is to ask yourself this question.  How are you going to defend your new 130lb weight if you achieve it?