The theory of shifting calories to lose weight can be applied many ways. The basic theory involves rotating high- and low-calorie intakes. In theory, the practice prevents your body's metabolism from adapting to a restricted amount of calories. Such diets can work because people don't typically eat enough on high-calorie days to make up for calorie-restricted days. Also, many people can stick to these diets because calorie restriction phases are short, and treats are allowed on high-calorie days.
Know Daily Calorie Needs
To utilize the theory, a person needs to find the number of daily calories needed to maintain his current weight. Most people can multiply weight by 13 to get this baseline estimate. A person who is obese and sedentary multiplies by 10. A very active person multiplies by 15, according to EatRight.org. Some people prefer to meet with a dietitian to gain a "baseline" calorie need.
Choose Healthy Foods
All calorie-shifting plans utilize healthy food choices. People can generally follow the USDA Food Pyramid. The pyramid recommends getting about half of daily calories from fruits and vegetables, a quarter from whole grains and a quarter from lean proteins such as eggs, low-fat dairy, chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef and beans. Dieters also utilize healthy fats such as olive oil instead of butter and other animal fats.
Alternating Day Diet
One popular calorie-shifting plan is called the alternating day diet. A person eats 25 percent of her baseline calories on day one. She then eats as much healthy food as she needs to feel full on day two. There is no need to weigh or measure foods or to count points. The calorie-restricted day is about 500 calories for most people. This can be two pieces of fruit, a few vegetables, and a dollop of low-cal dip or hummus. On both days, she needs to drink lots of water. With this day-on-day-off approach, a person likely will not eat enough calories during the second day to make up for the fasting day and thus lose weight, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Alternating Week Diet
Dieters may choose to alternate weeks of calorie shifting. A dieter will consume his baseline number of calories each day for one week. During the following week, he takes two days "off" to eat whatever he desires. In the subsequent week, he has two days "on," which are calorie-restricted days. He continues to alternate his "on" and "off" weeks.
Two-Week Plan
The two-week calorie shifting rotation is popular as well. A participant will diet for 11 days, then have three days off. He can eat four daily meals, each spaced at least 2.5 to 3 hours apart. His meals need to have differing amounts of calories, but can be eaten in any order. One sample menu looks like this: Two eggs with two slices of Canadian bacon; one can of tuna with one tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise; a large green salad with 3 oz chicken breast; and one to two hard-boiled eggs. Rotation dieters also drink at least 10 8 oz glasses of water daily.
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