Calorie Cycling Calculator
Generate your personalised weekly calorie cycling schedule — high, medium, and low day calorie targets — based on your TDEE, weekly deficit goal, and number of training days. Supports kg and lbs.
Calorie Cycling Calculator
High · Medium · Low day targets
Calorie cycling maintains your weekly calorie total and deficit, but distributes more calories on training days and fewer on rest days. This approach keeps energy available for performance while preserving the overall deficit for fat loss. The weekly total is identical to simply eating the same deficit every day — only the timing changes.
Sample 7-Day Calorie Cycling Schedule
| Day Type | Calorie Multiplier | Example (2500 kcal TDEE, 500 def) | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Day (hard training) | TDEE × 1.10 | 2,750 kcal | Heavy strength sessions |
| Medium Day (light training) | TDEE × 0.95 | 2,375 kcal | Cardio / active recovery |
| Low Day (rest) | TDEE × 0.72 | 1,800 kcal | Rest days |
How Calorie Cycling Works and Why It's Effective
Calorie cycling (zigzag dieting) exploits the body's hormonal response to calorie intake. The hormone leptin — which regulates metabolism and hunger — drops when calories stay low for multiple consecutive days. By periodically increasing calories on training days, leptin and thyroid hormones are maintained at higher levels, potentially reducing metabolic adaptation. On a practical level, having higher calories on training days provides glycogen for harder workouts, better recovery, and greater muscle protein synthesis stimulation. On rest days, the lower calorie intake creates the deficit. The net weekly calories are the same as a flat-rate deficit — it's purely a redistribution strategy. Most people find it psychologically easier to accept low-calorie rest days knowing tomorrow is a higher-calorie training day.