Fast Shot: Calorie Cycling With Intermittent Fasting

Welcome to my first FAST SHOT! I appreciate all of your support and encouragement for my weekly broadcast–Donna’s IF Journal (videos at Youtube, podcast on iTunes, and blog post/video/outline at the blog).
And I am definitely continuing that….teachers must teach! I love teaching long, in-depth lessons about IF and all things pertaining to it! So join my FB group or subscribe to the blog, my Youtube channel, or podcast site to get those full-length ones each week!
However, I am starting something new a couple of times a week in Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Group (and will eventually get these up at my Youtube channel and the DonnaReish blog!).
Today’s FAST Shot topic is Calorie Cycling—you can follow the abridged outline below if you would like!

1. How I discovered it

a. Hubby losing 8 pounds a month consistently for 9 months.
b. He was calorie cycling–eating lower some days and then having bigger days for special occasions.
c. Realized I had tried it before–but couldn’t achieve it because of hormones out of balance, cravings, etc. NOW we can stick with harder things because IF helps our body work FOR us rather than AGAINST us!

2. Official definition

a. Carb cycling or carb shifting

b. First step is figure your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)—based on what you eventually want to weigh

i. Must be based on final goal.

ii. Good macro/TDEE calculator–IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)

c. Alternating between low calorie, medium calorie, and high calorie days

3. Why it’s better than calorie counting

a. It gives you an emotional/mental edge because you know you can celebrate with family, have social events, etc., on another day

b. Balances your calories

c. Doesn’t wreak havoc on your metabolism since you are low, medium, high

d. Uses your TDEE for your NEW weight—so it isn’t so low to hurt your metabolism

4. Why it might work well with IF

a. Gives another boundary besides just the eating window/Appetite Correction

b. Good for people who are close to their goal and need to do another boundary to get there, but they don’t want to restrict so much

c. Can be correlated with social events and parties

d. Gives another restriction without eliminating a total food type

5. The low math method

a. Knowing your TDEE is really important

b. Lets you see the effect of HIIT and strength training, what your body really needs

c. Helps us see that we don’t need as much food as we have been having

d. Helpful for those who want another boundary or need something more measurable with IF

e. Able to be done by those who formerly “failed” at counting because IF balances hormones and gives us so much more control

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