Carb Cycling??

amberka

So I'm fairly new to the idea of adjusting macro-nutrient ratios to maximize fat loss... Lately I've been considering carb cycling to help speed up fat loss/prevent plateaus. I'm just wondering if anyone has any testimonies about this method (women in particular). Pros/Cons? Is it worth it? If it helped you, how drastic was the difference as compared to your typical diet and routine without carb cycling?

Thanks for any help and tips!

P.S.: I'm looking to lose around 15-20 pounds with a SW of 140ish.

vikramtag

I'm sharing my personal experience on this. I carb cycled for a month. 3 low carb days followed by 1 high carb day. Results as per scale were great . Lost 3-4 lbs a week,but it made me weaker and tired during my workouts. I lift 5x and cardio 3x but thats just me. I would say its beneficial. Do your own trial and error and see what suits you . Cheers !!!

SadFaerie

Have you tried low carb diets before? Mind you, they're not for everybody. Some people feel terrible.

I'm carb cycling for 3 weeks now. Even though I'm used to keto diets and I'm one of those people who perform in keto better than outside, first week I felt like crap. My calorie goal was 1100 and 0 up to 20g of net carbs. Physically everything was great, working out was not a problem, two 2h intense full body workouts followed by 45m cardio, I felt pretty pumped. But I had terrible mood swings, anxiety, literally cried out of the blue into my tuna salad, was really irritated, got into some nasty fights with some of my friends... I made it to day 4 on my last foot. Then started 24h carb load, two days on 2200 cals / day, low fat, high carbs. And it was even worse, introducing carbs this fast and in this amount made me sick to my stomach. Luckily, it was a rest day, cause I spent it dying on a couch. But day 6 -- moderate carbs / 1400 cals I woke up feeling like a newborn. Workout (power) was absolutely amazing, and later I ran 10km instead of scheduled 5, cause I had so much energy I didn't feel like stopping. Since week 2 I think I'm adapted, no mood swings, no feeling tired.

Hard to talk about results yet, my day 1 weight was 111lb, day 8 -- 112.6lb, day 15 - 110.5lb
I lost 2cm in my lower belly area (between waist and hips, my stubborn fat storage shed) and 1cm in each thigh. Gained 0,5cm in my bicep, rest remained same. I do, however, look leaner. Still three weeks to go, but I think it's worth it.

amberka

Have you tried low carb diets before? Mind you, they're not for everybody. Some people feel terrible.

I'm carb cycling for 3 weeks now. Even though I'm used to keto diets and I'm one of those people who perform in keto better than outside, first week I felt like crap. My calorie goal was 1100 and 0 up to 20g of net carbs. Physically everything was great, working out was not a problem, two 2h intense full body workouts followed by 45m cardio, I felt pretty pumped. But I had terrible mood swings, anxiety, literally cried out of the blue into my tuna salad, was really irritated, got into some nasty fights with some of my friends... I made it to day 4 on my last foot. Then started 24h carb load, two days on 2200 cals / day, low fat, high carbs. And it was even worse, introducing carbs this fast and in this amount made me sick to my stomach. Luckily, it was a rest day, cause I spent it dying on a couch. But day 6 -- moderate carbs / 1400 cals I woke up feeling like a newborn. Workout (power) was absolutely amazing, and later I ran 10km instead of scheduled 5, cause I had so much energy I didn't feel like stopping. Since week 2 I think I'm adapted, no mood swings, no feeling tired.

Hard to talk about results yet, my day 1 weight was 111lb, day 8 -- 112.6lb, day 15 - 110.5lb
I lost 2cm in my lower belly area (between waist and hips, my stubborn fat storage shed) and 1cm in each thigh. Gained 0,5cm in my bicep, rest remained same. I do, however, look leaner. Still three weeks to go, but I think it's worth it.

Thanks for the informative post! And I have tried a semi-low carb diet (the first cycle of 17 day diet if you're familiar), and it wasn't too bad after my cravings for starchy foods died down. It definitely helped me trim some water weight. This time I'm looking to incorporate strength training and cardio, so I figured car cycling would be one way of making sure I still have energy/minimize cravings.

amberka

I'm sharing my personal experience on this. I carb cycled for a month. 3 low carb days followed by 1 high carb day. Results as per scale were great . Lost 3-4 lbs a week,but it made me weaker and tired during my workouts. I lift 5x and cardio 3x but thats just me. I would say its beneficial. Do your own trial and error and see what suits you . Cheers !!!

Thanks for the input!