Many fat-loss programs require you to eliminate carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are good for you. They provide energy for your workouts and ample fuel for the day. To prevent fatigue, carbs can also replenish glycogen and glucose stores.
Although carbs aren’t essential for the body, they can make eating (and general dieting) easier and more enjoyable. However, eating carbs at the wrong time can cause them to become fat. This is an easy way to reap the delicious benefits of carb cycling without causing fat gain. This approach can also be used to lose weight.
What is Carb Cycling?
Carb cycling is a way to increase the amount of carbs you consume. Some days you eat more carbohydrates, while others you eat fewer. You want to reap the benefits and low carbohydrate on certain days while still enjoying the best of both worlds.
How to Cycle Carbs
It is easy to cycle carbs by eating low carb for three days and then two days of higher carb. Low carb days can help you lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity. High carb days are good for muscle growth, recovery, glycogen replenishment, and help with muscle growth. Fibrous vegetables should not be included in your daily carbohydrate count. These vegetables are low in calories, carbs, and a good source for fiber. They won’t impact your carb cycling. You can only count starchy complex carbohydrates (like sweet potatoes).
Keep a nutritional journal to track your progress. You can use this journal to track your progress and to assess how your body has responded to different strategies.
What Carbs should I eat while carb cycling?
Start with 1 to 1.5 grams of carbs for every pound of your body weight. Start with 1.5 grams of carbs and increase or decrease as you go.
You may need to adjust your intake as some people are more sensitive than others. Your activity level, training intensity and age will all affect how much carbs you need. However, a daily limit of 200g is a good starting point.
Sample Carb Cycling Plan
Here’s an example showing how to do the 5-day carb cycling method with 200 grams of carbs. This is the highest carb intake on a high-day.
* Day 1:50 grams
* Day 2:00 g
* Day 3:50
* Day 4:25 grams
* Day 5:200 grams
Each day you’ll lose 50g of carbs, and then your intake will increase by 75g the following two days. To make up the calories lost, some people will increase their intake of healthy fats during low carb days or rest days. This is fine, but can cause weight gain because fat is a macronutrient that is high in calories.
You won’t burn as much fat if your fat intake isn’t increased, especially if cardio workouts are being done, training hard and cutting calories.
How does carb cycling burn fat?
Carb cycling is a great way to lose weight. You’ll lose weight by eating low carb meals. You’ll lose fat by reducing your carbohydrate intake. Lower body fat [2]
Your body will burn more calories on high carb days. You also experience an increase in leptin which is a hormone that prevents you from feeling hungry. These effects keep low-carb days and binging from slowing down your metabolism. You can still lose weight. [3]
Achieving a Plateau
You will eventually reach a plateau in your fat-burning efforts and need to adjust things. You can have three to four high-carb days or a cheat day when that happens. This will increase your metabolism and allow you to begin the fat-burning process again.
You can also reverse your weight loss by consuming zero carbs for three consecutive days. You should only eat fibrous vegetables during this time, and no carbs should be consumed during the three zero-carb day.
You should not stay below 50 grams of carbs for more than 3 days. Your thinking will become cloudy if you go below 50 carbs. The brain requires a certain amount to function properly.
Carb cycling: What kind of carbs should you eat?
Use carbs that are clean and not from junk food. The best time to eat carbs is early in the morning and at your post-workout meal. You can gradually reduce the amount as the day progresses. Do not worry about the glycemic impact of the food, focus on consuming the maximum amount of carbs for the day.
Clean Carbs Sources
These are the best sources for clean carbs that you can include in your diet and carb cycle.
* Baked potatoes
* Sweet potatoes
* Rice
* Oatmeal
* Cream of Wheat
* Grits
* Squash
* Apples
* Peas
* Corn
* Bananas
* Rice cakes
* Beans
* Quinoa
* Berries
Simple Carbs
Simple carbs should only be consumed at post-workout meals. You should consume 50g of dextrose and a whey protein drink immediately following training. These carbs should be added to your daily carb total. They are still carbohydrates, even though they are utilized more efficiently by the body after a workout. [1]
Junk Carbs
Sugar-laden junk food is always bad, and should be avoided in any diet. It can be difficult to give up junk food completely, but the more you eat less, the more body fat you will lose.
Reduce the amount of junk food you eat until you completely eliminate it from your diet. It’s likely that you won’t miss junk food as much once you stop eating it.
Get your head in the game
It is common to hear, “everything in moderation” even when it comes to dieting. It is believed that if you are too strict you will feel deprived and not be able to stick to the diet.
However, carb cycling is like any other diet. If you have a goal to lose fat and grow muscle, moderation can be a hindrance to your success.
Term like “refeed”, “cheat meal,” or “cheat day” are all common (even in this article). These ideas can be useful, but you should wait until your body is close to reaching your desired fat percentage before thinking about them.
If you are serious about losing weight or winning a contest, you will need to make sacrifices and abandon unhealthy eating habits. You can flip the switch to eat clean and not even consider giving up.
There are no substitutes for the right measures. It is crucial to get your carb count right. However, a key part of diet success and motivation is staying focused on your goals. The amount of weight you lose by carb cycling will depend on how strict you follow the plan and how well you avoid junk carbs.
You will most likely cheat again if you make mistakes and cheat once. You will succeed if you remain determined in your quest to lose weight.
HIIT cardio, in addition to carb cycling can give you an edge when dieting. A high-protein diet throughout the day will ensure you keep the muscle mass you have gained from your training.
All the pieces are connected and you will be rewarded with improved health and a muscular body.
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