How to Shift Calories to Lose Weight

Calorie shifting is one of the newest trends in dieting. This method of losing weight boasts quick weight loss without starving yourself.

When you shift calories to lose weight, you will shift by the day or by the meal. The idea is to keep your metabolism guessing so that it stays revved up and burning calories. When you shift by the day, you would consume a certain amount of calories one day and then shift it to a different total the next.

Your total calories for the week would be the total that you need in order to lose weight. When shifting by the meal, you would alter the calories and the calorie source by meal. For instance, one meal may be 300 calories that are primarily from carbs. The next may be only 200 calories but all from protein.

Another method when shifting by the meal is to shift your calorie intake and food choices for breakfast each day of the week and so on.

The most famous calorie shifting diet is Fat Loss 4 Idiots. Although, you don’t have to pay to try out this latest diet trend, all you need to do is try these steps to shift your calories and lose weight.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. First you need to determine how many calories you need for the week in order to lose weight. This is the base for your total calories when doing the shifting regardless if you shift by meal or by day. You can use an online calorie calculator to determine this (see link below).

2. Next you need to plan out how you will shift calories. If you want to consume a steady amount of calories each day, then try shifting by the meal. If you are shifting by the day, then plan out the week to ensure your total does not exceed your weekly total allowed for weight loss.

3. Now you need to plan out your meals. If you are shifting by the meal, then make sure your fuel source alternates between primarily carbs and protein with each meal during the day as well as changing the source for each meal across days. For example, for breakfast on Monday, consume 150 to 200 calories of mainly protein source. Then for lunch you might consume 400 to 500 calories of primarily carbs (but you can still include some protein). For your last meal, you can combine carbs and protein equally. Then the next day, for breakfast you might consume 400 calories of primarily carbs, lunch of 200 calories from protein, and so on.

4. If doing daily shifting, then determine if you will be shifting on a 2 by 2 days, or a 1 by 1 day. What this means is you would have 2 days of up calories (higher calories consumed) and 2 down days (of lower calories consumed). If doing the 1 by 1, this just means 1 day up, next day down and so on. Once you have determined how you will shift calories for losing weight, then plan out your calories ensuring you don’t go over your total for the week. An example for a 2 up and 2 down might be something like this; Monday and Tuesday consume 1,600 to 1,800 calories. Wednesday and Thursday you might consume only 1,100 to 1,300 calories. You would repeat this pattern for each pair of days. For the 1 up and 1 down, you would alternate calorie consumption every other day.

5. Shift it up by taking a break. Every 11 days you should take a small break (couple of days) from your shifting. At this time, just eat normal and don’t over do it. This is not a free pass to eat all the junk food but just a break in the shifting. Remember, shifting calories to lose weight is all about keeping your body and metabolism guessing. So you want to make sure to take a break to keep it guessing.

6. Start your calorie shifting diet plan again. You may want to try shifting calories by the meal if you were doing a day to day or vice versa. No matter which you choose, remember to always watch your calorie consumption for the week. You will want to recalculate your calorie intake after each break as this will change as you lose weight.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to track your calories so you don't go over the total for the week.
• If you are feeling hungry on your down days, try adding more calories to these days and less on your up days.

Resources

• Here's more on calorie shifting diets.
• Use this weight loss calorie calculator to determine your calorie needs.