What is Calorie Shifting??
Calorie Shifting Explained
Ok friends.. you may have heard of this idea that many people including myself to some degree practice on our journey to great health and fitness. "What is calorie shifting?" I think I heard someone say? Ok let me tell you in the most simply as possible way. In my opinion there are 2 ways you can calorie shift. One way requires a lot of discipline and attention, the other way requires much less attention but self discipline is still very necessary!
Ok so you workout right? You eat healthy right? Well how many calories do you need a day considering the fact that your active and need energy and want to feel alert? If you dont know then you may want to start pondering this a little. We want either to lose weight and or stay toned, so calories are important to understand. Calories are our energy.. we need this! Depending on your gender, size, and current weight, we will all differ in our caloric need. If you need help figuring out how many calories you should ingest a day, check out google "calorie calculator".
Once you know how many calories a day you should be ingesting, and you start paying attention to how many calories are in the meals you are having, you will be able to calorie shift!
So lets say if you need between (Just for an example) 2300 and 2500 calories a day, and you are able to go at least a week staying within this frame, let us have a little fun and shift some calories around. Our bodies have now adjusted to the amount of calories we are taking in and it thinks it can get comfortable with this. So lets have a little fun and splurge and eat a few things we have been wanting, but have been turning down with our self discipline!! Lets eat 3500 calories today!! Now we shouldnt binge untill we vomit in the car on the way home, but we should treat ourselves a little. Understood?? Have that yogurt land, or pancakes or baked ziti!! Fast food is gross and is bad for your health not just your weight so stay away from greesy nonsense. If you want a burger and fries.. treat yourself with a real plate of fries and a nice juicy burger!!
Ok so we had our fun now what?? We feel fat and are wondering if this was a good idea right? Well use those feelings to motivate you the next day, you will need them! Now we want to cut back on the calories we are ingesting. That means we should probably have between 1800 and 2000 becuase thats even less than our body got used to getting before we had our fun. This will really confuse your bodies motabolism. It would of had to speed up and spiked to catch up to our yogurt land binge, and now while it is in top gear, we are cutting back! Now on the third day we go back to our normal 2300 and our motabolism wont know what to do. And since we are still working out (you have been working out right??) Our bodies will actually be needing the same 3000 calories a day that it needed before. Wait did I say 3000? Yes I tricked you.. If your body needs 3000 calories a day becuase you workout but your only giving it between 2300 and 2500.. that means your going to be losing some weight huh? So not only are you burning more calories than your ingesting, your confusing your motabolism now and having it working fast burning fat while your back to being self discipline and eating healthy!!
So let me try and clear it up a little if I've lost you. Calorie shifting is paying attention to your calorie intake and keeping it somewhat the same for a while, then out of nowhere you spike your intake, and then drop your normal intake, and then go back to normal. What should we expect to see from this?? Well first when you enjoy that pizza, you will feel fat :) Then you will feel good about yourself becuase the next day you will want to workout harder and eat super healthy to make up for all those mashed potatos you ate! Then the next day you will feel normal again and be back to your groove. But then on the fourth day, when you wake up.. since our bodies only change while we are asleep, you will notice that those jeans are looser, your muscles look more tone and lean, your shirt looks better than it's ever looked! What is this going on?? You are reeping what you sowed!! Congrats you are now seeing the results of the calorie shift!! Good job!!
I am a huge advocate for confusing the body, and there are many ways to confuse it. We hate hitting a wall and love busting through them.
But wait I said there are 2 ways of calorie shifting right?? Ok let me explain before they kick me out of this coffee bean. One way is to shift your calorie intake on a daily basis but never too drasticly. Just go up, then down, then up, then stop in the middle, then down, then up, you get the point. But the second way.. the way I prefer.. is keep a steady good healthy calorie intake 6 days a week, and then give yourself that cheat day. Sundays work well for me becuase on monday I'm ready to work hard and be discipline again!
So I'll see you at yogurt land this sunday right???