i discovered that site when I was looking for answers about cycling... I thought my bike was telling me the wrong answer to how many calories burnt... and according to the site, I was burning way more than my bike was telling me

with that said, I just like to see the highest numbers...  I realize that calorie burning is all estamites (unless you have some crazy medical stuff hooked up to you)

I found the calorie intake to be good advice, (although I haven't been using the advice, I keep it in mind)  Knowledge is power, learn all you can about the body and fat/calorie burning.

I actually used this calculation a few months ago.  I used it for a few weeks, and decided it was too annoying to remember how many calories I had to hit each day. 

Like, in the evenings I had to keep checking, oh, should I eat 60 more cals, or is it too much already today.

 I like just using a target number, and then giving myself a margin of error each day.  Much easier to remember.

thanks for the link.  i just took a look at it and to me, it makes sense.  i'm gonna follow along as best i can for a week and see what happens.

I'm going to reply to all:

Well first like I said I've been wondering exactly how calorie shifting is done because I've been told everything from eat a 500 deficit for a week then eat a 200 deficit for a week, and back to 500. I just wanted to know how it's done for the sake of "tricking" your metabolism. 2nd, I do not plan to follow it down to the calorie. I looked at mine and got a general idea. Such as 'Okay increase by 600 roughly tom, decrease by roughly 600 the next day.' The best/fave thing I learned that I'm eager to try is the concept of eating high protein w/ small complex carbs for 2 days, then one day of high carb, low protein... and keep repeating. And last, FOR ME the calories were completely dif than this website but we are all dif. As for the site, I do not intend to purchase anything from them. And I LOVE this one for the support I get from you guys. But I just feel so much better knowing I've got professionals telling me how to do it instead of 200 dif points of view here wich are usually all good but we all know that dif things work for dif ppl. And if it turns out to be BS I'll the the first one reporting back in a week "what a waste." Good luck. Looking forward to doing this with those who want to join.

PS- THERE ARE MORE EDUCATIONAL LINKS TOO.

 Have you even clicked this link? experts  You can get profesional help for free right here. 

yes I have looked at that but I didn't see a place where I can ask them ques. Am I overlooking something?

Click on their picture and a bio will show up.  There is a link to their e-mail addy in there.

I think that calorie cycling and shifting is useful to try to get over a plateau. However its difficult to keep up over long periods. I certainly would find it annoying to try and keep to a rigid structure. Its best to take the advice and use it to your advantage.

I've found that in some way I do calorie shifting anyway. Some days its not possible to eat my set food (normally weekends because I'm out and about) and therefore I may actually have more calories then I'm supposed to. I haven't hit a plateau in a while since I've eased up on the weekend. I try to eat sensibly and keep the calories in check but its not a big problem if it hits the maintenance level or a little higher.

Normally if I have a big lunch I'll just have snack for dinner. Or if I know that I'm going out for dinner with friends and family, I will eat lightly throughout the day before this. That way I don't go over too much and I can return to my normal routine the next day.

I figure that this is the sort of thing that will happen once I'm off my current diet and therefore I must learn to adjust my lifestyle in this manner. Once I reach my final target I will try to eat at my maintenance level but occasionally letting myself indulge. Go with the flow more. At the end of the day we have to learn to lead a more balanced and healthy lifestyle in order to keep the weight off.

Yeah I pretty much agree. Like who ever eats the exact same amount of calories day after day anyway?.... Lol.

Unfortunately I'm just one of those kind of ppl that need structure because I have a way of rationalizing with myself by saying "yeah Jodi, eat that 14 oz NY strip steak, loaded baked potato, side of buttered vegetables, salad w/ranch, 3 margaritas & a beer, your staggering your calories after all." LMAO! Yep, I really have done that.

Husband is taking me out for Mother's Day I'm already dreading the thought of what I will eat. He he! Don't get me wrong I plan to pick the place and get the menu/nutrtional info online before going. FYI- for those of you just like me, eat an apple on the way. It really does help.

Hey Odie03! Yeah, I've seen it before and I really like it! I used it to calculate out my calorie intact in 10lb increments of weight loss (so each time I lose 10 lbs I have my adjusted calorie intake).  It's working for me so far. I don't follow it to the exact calorie, but it gives me a general guideline to follow. I like it because it allows me to plan my higher calorie days for days I know I would be tempted anyhow. This way I can be on my diet and not feel deprived. Example- yesterday was a 2200 calorie day for me whereas most days of the week I aim for 1800 or so. So I planned out what I was going to eat during the day very carefully and Friday night my BF and I went out and had pizza and beer. I put in all my numbers and I came out to 2200 calories exactly. How awesome is that? Before I would have just figured I had blown it anyway and gone completely overboard. The staggering is good for the metabolism and for my cravings :) keeps me on track.  Thanks for posting the site again.