Calorie-shifting Diet For Weight Loss

For many dieters, a key complaint is plateauing while on a diet. The body becomes accustomed to its new caloric intake and activity level, and it adjusts to keep pounds in place. To combat this, one strategy that can be adopted is the calorie-shifting diet. The main principle of the calorie-shifting diet is to vary your food consumption levels to keep your body's metabolism from becoming set in its ways.

Styles

There are two main styles used for a calorie-shifting diet. The first style works strictly by varying the number of calories consumed, notes iFitandHealthy.com. After establishing a baseline for your calorie-consumption levels, you begin to alternate your daily levels to throw your body off and keep your metabolism guessing. In the second style, you vary the kinds of caloric sources -- fats, proteins, carbohydrates -- to keep your body in a constant state of adjustment.

Forbidden Foods

One strength of the calorie-shifting styles of dieting, according to DietsInReview.com is that neither style includes any forbidden foods. Fast food and junk foods are discouraged, but followers of the calorie-shifting diet are free to design their own menus and daily meals. This can make it easier to stick with the diet since you don't have to eliminate your favorite foods.

Exercise

A weakness of the calorie-shifting diet is that all the emphasis is on what you eat instead of what you do. Without a strong exercise component, DietsInReview.com notes that it may be difficult to maintain the results of the diet.

Benefits

The calorie-shifting diet does have benefits for busy individuals and those who have struggled with other diets that cut out too many foods. It's a flexible plan and allows for variety in meals to keep the diet from getting boring.

Considerations

Promoters of the calorie-shifting diet claim it can help you lose 10 lbs. in two weeks. According to "Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Medical Care," caloric restriction may account for this rather than any shifting going on. Additionally, DietsInReview.com notes that claims of such rapid weight loss may be exaggerating the effects of the diet. For most diet plans, you should only expect to lose about 2 lbs. a week.