Does Calorie Shifting Work?

Diets come and go all the time so when a new concept raises its head, people take notice but they also wonder if it works. One such diet has to do with shifting calories and for many people, it has been show to make a significant difference in the quest to lose weight. Obviously, dropping unwanted pounds not only makes a person feel and look better but it also comes with a wide range of health benefits.

The concept behind the calorie shifting diet is to trick the body so the metabolism can become more active and effective. What happens is that when people go on a diet, they immediately cut way back on calories. While there will be initial drop in weight, the person will quickly hit a point where the body’s metabolism slows down, which results in no further loss. The reason is that if a person is not eating enough food, the body thinks it is starving so the metabolism will slow down as a protective measure.

With the calorie shifting diet, the goal is to make the body feel as if it is never in starvation mode. A diet such as this is simple to follow and because it is based on calories, people have more flexibility to the foods they eat. Even so, it is highly recommended that the calories come from healthy foods, which will make the person feel full longer and produce a healthier body. In other words, on a day when 1,200 calories would be consumed, six small meals of the right foods could be created opposed to having one large meal that consisted of a piece of chocolate cake.

For the calorie shifting diet, the individual would begin on a Monday, eating 1,200 calories that day and on Tuesday. Then by Wednesday, the intake of calories would go up to 1,500. On Thursday and Friday, the person eats only 1,000 calories. Then for the weekend, the base should be balanced off around 1,400 calories. Shifting calories in this way confuses the body so the metabolism never has time to make a serious downward adjustment.

Although there are restrictions do limit the number of calories a person can consume in a day, there is plenty of food so there is never a risk of not getting enough to eat. The keys to success in keeping hunger from being a problem while on the calorie shifting diet, involves two things. First, it is important to eat four to six small meals a day. Second, foods high in fiber will create a more filling sensation, which eliminates the feeling of needing to eat too much.

Finally, with the calorie shifting diet, a person can cheat a little bit, just without going overboard. On the days when higher calorie content is allowed, it would be perfectly fine to dedicate 300 calories to something special. For instance, if someone has a sweet tooth, making dieting painful, then on three days, he or she could have a cup of ice cream, a small slice of cake, or a couple of cookies. In fact, cheating a little is encouraged so people do not feel deprived, allowing them to remain faithful to the process more.