A zigzag diet, sometimes referred to as a calorie shift diet, alternates days of high and low calories. The fundamental tenet of this diet is the notion that mindless eating may be prevented if one is aware of his body language. In other words, humans can make their bodies burn calories more effectively by confounding them.
The zigzag diet compels people to alternate between increasing and decreasing their daily caloric intake. By altering the daily caloric intake, the chance of maintaining weight before achieving the desired weight is also lost. We covered all the specifics, advantages, drawbacks, and other aspects of this diet in this article. Hold on to us.
What is the zigzag diet?
The “calorie cycling” or “zigzag” diet is an effective way to lose weight. Finding and sticking to a diet might be one of the most difficult things in life for many individuals.
People who have tried a variety of dieting techniques—many of which are useless and even harmful—and haven’t found the correct approach may feel hopeless, but the zigzag diet may transform their circumstances.
The zigzag diet also goes by the label “calorie cycling diet” because it cycles through daily caloric intake over the course of a week. Avoiding the inevitable plateaus that come with fixed-calorie diets is the cornerstone of this diet.
Some zigzag diets require people to consume various caloric amounts each day, which is challenging and monotonous. Having a balance of “low,” “medium,” and “high” calorie days is the best strategy.
Days with low calories increase fat burning, while days with intermediate calories balance fat loss with muscle growth or weight stabilization. A high-calorie day, however, speeds up the body’s metabolism and fills people up with energy. A straightforward formula can be used to determine the zigzag diet:
- calculating the number of calories needed to maintain a healthy weight.
- Setting weight loss objectives
For instance, cutting 3,500 calories from your weekly diet is needed to lose half a kilogram of body fat. This entails ingesting roughly 500 fewer calories daily when following a conventional diet.
However, in the calorie cycle diet, this number is uneven throughout the week; that is, some days have more calories than others, and people can pick and choose how to alternate their high-calorie days with their low-calorie days.
As an alternative, they can shock their metabolism by including two cheat days per week.
A zigzag diet often consists of low, medium, or high days, each with its own advantages to help people reach their goals. High-calorie days will reduce the sense of lethargy and diminished energy, while moderate-calorie days will be helpful for maintaining and growing muscle and exercising.
Many professionals in the weightlifting and fitness industries vouch for this method of getting fit and losing weight.
This method’s idea is straightforward: the body is prone to homeostasis and remarkably responsive to nutrition. People will first experience weight loss when their body’s caloric intake is rapidly lowered, followed by a stabilization of their current status.
The quantity of calories the body burns is decreased as a result of the hormones the body produces to control metabolism and lipid oxidation. Calorie cycling aids individuals in avoiding this trap and prevents the body from entering a homeostatic state. A doctor should always be consulted before beginning a new diet or weight-loss regimen, though.
What are the zigzag diet’s guiding principles?
The zigzag diet’s guiding ideas are as follows:
- In this diet, fat is not lost unless there is a negative calorie balance.
- Muscle mass cannot be gained on this diet unless there is an increase in calories.
- On this diet, you cannot lose fat and grow muscle unless you alternate periods of negative and positive calorie balance.
- It makes no difference if someone wants to gain total body weight, maintain their current weight, or drop total body weight. For everyone, the zigzag legislation is applicable.
The zigzag diet has five requirements that everyone must adhere to.
The first law
It is recommended to eat at least five meals a day, ideally six or seven. Be aware that on this diet, two or three meals a day are insufficient.
A cyclical diet regulates blood sugar levels; protein is consumed in small amounts throughout the day to support development and recovery; and fat-storing enzymes are created in much smaller quantities.
The body is practically unable to accumulate fat with this method! In this diet, calories are continuously and repeatedly given to the body to drastically reduce the demand for fat storage.
In contrast, when someone eats rarely, their body senses a “famine” state and produces a lot of enzymes to store any calories they take in as fat in anticipation of future “famines.”
The second law
Keep in mind that the first through third rules are crucial! Each meal should contain about 1 part fat, 2 parts protein, and 3 parts carbohydrates in terms of calories.
Of course, this is only a suggestion and not a set rule. It is only crucial to maintain a low-fat consumption (fat should not be completely eliminated as some fat is required to sustain health).
It is important to remember that each gram of fat contains 9 calories, compared to 4 for each gram of protein and carbohydrate.
The third law
In accordance with the third zigzag diet rule, it is preferable for people to deliberately consider the quantity and nature of the food they eat and eat fewer carbohydrates than is typical.
Only when accompanied by physical exercise is excessive carbohydrate consumption permitted, while protein intake should always be kept within reasonable bounds. This straightforward approach makes sure that you never overeat and lose muscle mass.
The fourth law
Participants in the zigzag diet must be aware of their objectives. Do they want to gain muscle in addition to losing fat? Then, “zigzag” their calorie intake in accordance with this.
We said in the first rule that fat-storing enzymes are not regarded as dangerous and can thus be occasionally deleted.
The fifth law
It becomes impossible for the body to obtain nearly all of the nutrients required to maintain health and activity when calorie intake is decreased.
In order to make the most progress toward their fitness, health, and weight loss goals, each person’s diet must be rich in vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients.
It also makes no difference if the food was made at home, purchased from a store, or eaten at a restaurant.
advantages of a zigzag diet
The zigzag diet provides a number of benefits. These advantages consist of:
- Stop stabilizing your weight before you achieve your target weight.
- Muscle Development
- lower fat
- By adjusting calories, metabolic monotony can be avoided.
- the capacity to make adjustments using computations, depending on the available data and the person’s level of activity.
- respect for each person’s uniqueness
The drawbacks of the zigzag diet
It’s not for everyone to use a fat loss regimen. Over the past few years, literally hundreds of weight-loss techniques have been promoted or developed.
The community’s “weight loss” mentality is clearly demonstrated by this significant statistic, and it goes without saying that a large number of individuals are also aware of the dangers of obesity.
The majority of weight loss techniques currently in use fit into one of the following categories:
- Medicines used in medical treatment
- Psychology-based tactics
- Supplements
- Short-term and long-term diets
- surgical methods
- sports tactics
- Calorie limitation
- Meditation
The truth is that none of these techniques have consistently worked. Because it is not practical financially, none of the major weight reduction companies have ever attempted to customize their fat loss approach.
Contrary to what weight loss marketers may claim, however, tailoring each person’s meal plan is essential for long-term fat loss success. Consideration should be given to an integrated strategy where each component is specially tailored to the condition of the individual in question.
- genetic (hereditary) factors
- different biochemistry
- current state of health
- living conditions
- current physical makeup
- individual lifestyle factors
- medical file
- distinct metabolism
- monetary situation
- Eating tastes
- particular psychology
These factors are constantly shifting, yet they have a big impact on how long and how well fat loss attempts last. The zigzag diet is a secure and efficient technique to lose weight because, by carefully taking into account these variables, it enables a person to consume healthy foods and regulate his body’s calorie intake without the need for psychological pressure.
However, the initial consequences of this diet may include some negative ones. The following negative impacts of changing your diet
- Headache
- feeling peckish
- excessive bloating or gas
- stomach pain
- Changes in mood (irritability)
- constipation or diarrhea
- Tiredness
- Lightheadedness
Who makes good zigzag diet candidates?
For people whose weight is fixed and who are unable to lose weight, the zigzag diet may be an effective technique. It can also be viewed as a sound recommendation for those who are interested in calorie control.
The number of calories each individual consumes before beginning a diet is their calorie foundation. He might be an endurance athlete who consumes 3,500 calories per day while attempting to lose weight, or he might be someone who only consumes 1,200 calories per day while trying to lose weight.
Whatever diet strategy is used, each person’s body will determine whether it was a good idea or not!
Who shouldn’t adhere to a zigzag diet plan?
People with specific illnesses like diabetes, kidney issues, or some types of cancer shouldn’t follow the zigzag diet. Additionally, women who are nursing or pregnant should avoid following this diet.
What should I eat on a zigzag diet?
The zigzag diet’s core idea is to gradually replace proteins and carbohydrates. For instance, before things finally level out, people might initially experience a sharp increase in protein and a severe fall in carbohydrates, then an increase in carbohydrates and a decrease in protein.
This system is essentially focused on balancing. As a result, it’s crucial to include foods high in protein in this diet, such as fatty fish, beans, eggs, red meat, and white meat.
Foods to avoid on the zigzag diet
Foods high in sugar and fat, such as butter, ice cream, cakes, cookies, chocolate, and sugar-free soft drinks, are viewed negatively in this diet. Fast food, fizzy beverages, and saturated fats are also off-limits.
The zigzag diet’s permitted calorie intake
As already stated,
- 9 calories make up 1 gram of fat.
- 4 calories make up 1 gram of protein.
- 4 calories are contained in 1 gram of carbs.
Since fat is a highly concentrated source of calories, it is obvious that the zigzag diet should minimize fat intake to lower body fat levels. It is also obvious that consuming less fat and more protein will result in an increase in muscle mass because.
- Muscle cannot be created from fat.
- Muscle can only be created from protein.
It is advised to follow the zigzag diet by consuming 1,800 calories three to four days a week and 1,500 calories on the other days. People should, of course, pay attention to how their bodies react to this problem.
It is typical to feel good on days with lots of calories and hungry on days with few calories. It’s also crucial to make sure the diet has enough protein. For instance, this diet adheres to the following eating regimen:
- Monday: 1800 calories
- Tuesday: 2000 calories
- Wednesday: 1800 calories
- Thursday: 1600 calories
- Friday: 2000 calories
- Saturday: 1800 calories
- Sunday: 2000 calories
It is important to note that with the zigzag diet, you should always aim to increase muscle and decrease fat rather than attempt to gain or lose weight. The following guidelines must be followed in order to increase muscle mass:
- The daily calorie intake should be increased by 2 calories for every half kilogram of body weight.
- Protein and a few complex carbohydrates should make up the majority of the extra calories; fat calories should not be included.
- The extra calories should be distributed equally over the day’s five meals. For instance, a 75-kg person should raise his daily calorie intake by 300, which translates to more than 5 meals and an additional 60 calories at every meal.
- To guarantee that extra fat is eliminated, calorie intake should be lowered by 2 calories per pound of body weight on two days of the week.
It’s crucial to follow these guidelines in order to lose weight:
- Every half kilogram of body weight should result in a 2 calorie reduction in the daily recommended calorie intake.
- Protein should not make up the majority of the reduced calories; fat should!
- The individual’s five meals should have this calorie reduction.
- Never miss a meal.
- To make sure you are getting enough calories to gain lean muscle, increase your calorie intake by 2 calories per pound of body weight on two days of the week.
- It is necessary to alter the nutritional ratio so that fat is reduced and protein is increased.
- To ensure they only eat enough calories to get to the next meal (neither more nor less), people should carefully check their calorie intake based on the meals at each meal.
The result of this rigidity will be increased muscle tissue after around six months.
What works for one individual may not work for another when it comes to dieting. Because it teaches a person to eat wholesome foods with the proper number of calories each day and manage his weight, the zigzag diet eventually becomes a safe and successful method of weight loss.
It is important to distinguish the zigzag diet from other well-known diets. The zigzag diet is worthwhile and works well to break the weight obsession. For example, “Stay on track and don’t fall victim to the terrible comfort of diets, as they often lead you back into old habits.”
An illustration of a zigzag diet
The zigzag diet is a novel and intriguing diet that can assist you in rationally losing the most amount of fat. You can follow this diet to reduce fat, gain muscle, or maintain your present weight. The fundamental concept is similar to diet-muscle confusion!
This diet fosters a healthy relationship with the idea that food serves as the body’s fuel and does not view it as a potentially harmful substance. An illustration of a zigzag diet is as follows:
Consider a person who determined he needed to eat 1800 calories each day to lose one kilogram of weight per week. This translates to 12600 calories per week (7 days x 1800 = 12600 calories).
Theoretically, this individual may distribute these calories however they like throughout the week and still lose weight because weight reduction is virtually entirely dependent on calorie shortfall.
The best strategy for this is to tailor it to fit his lifestyle. For instance, if he works from Saturday to Friday and has a set schedule but tends to give up on the diet on the weekends, he can eat more calories on the weekends to trick his body’s metabolism and enjoy the weekend.
This implies that either the skewer or the kebab will burn! So, if you have 12600 calories each week, you can divide them as follows:
- Saturday: 1500
- Sunday: 1500
- Monday: 1500
- Tuesday: 1500
- Wednesday: 1500
- Thursday: 2550
- Friday: 2550
His “weekend” could be the days when he consumes the most calories. Actually, anyone may change this approach to suit their needs, and they can even carry on with it using a low and high diet every alternate day or simply one high-calorie day each week.
Even if that means consuming 3,000 calories one day and 0 calories the next, it’s crucial that the calories at the end of the week equal the weekly amount for weight loss (or weight maintenance). This indicates a fantastic, adaptable, and successful diet!
In other words, a diet for burning fat must contain 2,000 calories, of which 1,000 must come from protein, 600 from carbohydrates, and 400 from fat. 250 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbohydrates, and 45 grams of fat are the results. Or, this might make sense on a 1200-calorie diet:
Low-calorie days: 1200 calories
- 150 grams of protein
- 90 grams of carbohydrates
- 27 grams of fat
High-calorie days: 1500 calories
- 112 grams of protein
- 187 grams of carbohydrates
- 33 grams of fat
Calorie cycling, often known as the zigzag diet, disrupts weight homeostasis. In general, dieting might be challenging, but success with a helpful strategy provides a pleasant feeling. Unprincipled diets typically only lead to permanent weight reduction and physical harm.
Always strive to select a diet that is more in tune with your physical needs and does not cut out any staples from your daily diet. We hope you found this information informative.