Zig-Zag Your Way To Easy Weight Loss

Easy Weight Loss?

First, weight loss is not easy but there are simple effective strategies some of which are easy to implement. That is what we mean by easy weight loss.

Have you struggled with weight loss?  If so, you’re not alone. Join the growing crowd of others who have struggled to lose weight and keep it off.

First, let’s clarify between “quick” and “easy” when it comes to weight loss. Quick weight loss is possible but not sustainable and not generally healthy. But, some weight loss methods are easier than others leading to sustainable results. Today we share one of them.

New Strategy

What you need is a new strategy – a better plan or program. Many people lose weight fairly easily, at least initially, sometimes achieving dramatic results.  But, then they put the weight back on for a couple of reasons.

Restricting calories for a prolonged period is challenging and eventually many individuals  “cave in” and resume their previous eating habits.

Secondly, if you are restricting calories every day for some time the body will adjust its calorie burning downward. It senses it is being “starved” and will conserve the expenditure of calories. This downregulation of metabolism makes losing each subsequent pound even more challenging.

Zig-Zag Your Calories

Here’s a weight loss tip. Fluctuate your calorie intake. Yes, fluctuate your caloric intake. Doing so may lead to easier weight loss.

To achieve weight loss one must create a calorie deficit best accomplished through a combination of increasing calorie expenditure through exercise, and by decreasing calories consumed.  To lose a pound of fat per week one needs to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories a week or 500 calories a day.

The challenge is that if the body sees a 500 calorie deficit every day it adjusts by slowing metabolism as we alluded to above.  So, how can we prevent that slowing in metabolism? 

One method that works for some is to fluctuate calorie intake from day to day, yet maintain a calorie deficit for the week.  This keeps your body somewhat confused as to how to adjust your metabolism. In essence, zig-zagging your calories tricks your body and helps prevent a slowing in metabolism.

Some think that adjusting calories up and down is consistent with our evolutionary background and might explain why zig-zagging calories work for many individuals.  Our Paleo ancestors did not have the luxury we have today with food readily available at all times. Think about it. We have 24/7/365 access to food. Many prior civilizations did not. 

Our paleo brethren naturally fluctuated their caloric intake. It was built into their lifestyle.  They would have feasted and gorged for a few days after killing an animal, but then there were times when they did not have much and went without much food for a day or two. 

Our bodies appeared to be wired to tolerate a certain amount of day-to-day variation in caloric consumption before making any changes in their metabolic rates. Take advantage of that wiring of our metabolism.

So how do you zig-zag your way to easy weight loss?

First, you need to determine your body’s daily caloric needs which will fluctuate depending on your activity level.   Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and daily caloric needs by visiting  www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/.  Then you need to decide how much weight loss you would like to achieve each week.  One to two pounds is recommended. 

Losing more than 2 pounds a week is an invitation for trouble because you start losing muscle mass and muscle mass is needed as it keeps metabolism going.  The more muscle you have the higher will be your metabolic rate.

So if your daily caloric need is 2,500 and you want to lose one pound a week you need to create a daily calorie deficit that averages 500 calories.  So you will want to consume an average of 2,000 calories a day or 14,000 for the week.

• On day 1     you might consume 2,000 calories
• On day 2     you might consume 1,600 calories
• On day 3     you might consume 2,300 calories
• On day 4     you might consume 1,900 calories
• On day 5     you might consume 2,800 calories (on special occasions)
• On day 6     you might consume 2,000 calories
• On day 7     you might consume 1,400 calories

With the above example, you’ve consumed a total of 14,000 calories for the week.  Your weekly caloric need was 17,500 calories.  So you have lost one pound and were even able to consume more than 2,500 calories one day during the week (more than your daily caloric need). Weight loss won’t be quick or fast with the Zig-Zag approach, but it will be steady and ongoing.

By easy weight loss, we mean there are simple and easy-to-implement strategies, and zig-zagging your calories is one of them.

Zig-Zag eating may not work for everyone, but certainly worth considering if you have struggled with weight loss in the past.  So lose weight just like you would walk down a fire escape – zig-zag your way to safety to achieve an ideal weight.

See related articles.

“7 Easy Ways to Lose Weight”

“Fat Burning Exercises: High Intensity Interval Training”

“Weight Loss Help: Dealing with Emotional Eating”