Chris Powell 7 day carb cycle

envbj77

Hello

Is anyone following Chris' plan? I'm in the process of reading his book and looking for thoughts for anyone who is following his plan. I lost great on low carb many years ago, but this plan looks decent with the allowance of fruits/veggies and a controlled off day.

Lizzy622

I got the app. I think it is similar to the book but you are suppose to buy products which I simply refuse to do. I just use my own smoothies and follow the 2 low 1 high 2 low 1 high and free day pattern. I have found that I do need more carbs if I am working out harder. It seems to be working even though I am not really following it to the letter.

envbj77

Thanks. The book from what I read isn't pushing any products. He does recommend a protein shake if your not able to cook or have access to protein foods.

eahill4

I typically stay on low carb. I allow myself a free day (usually Tuesday) then I taper back the next day and following five days low carb. It works for me. Most of all, you have to find what works for you and can be maintained as a lifestyle.

silken555

I did it on my own initially and it worked for a while, but it was not sustainable. The non-carb days were very difficult to fulfill while trying to keep to my calorie goals.

In the end, I just decided on moderation. I've lost twice as much doing that as I did on the carb-cycling.

I went and calculated my TDEE and in the 4 weeks I've been eating according to my TDEE, I've dropped between 1.5-2lbs a week. I actually need to recalculate now seeing as my numbers have changed.

What it WAS good for was learning to control my intake.

lilRicki

I keep my carbs under 100g 5 days a week...and carb load on saturdays. I did the under 30g and cycled, but I was to hangry all the time. This is more sustainable for me. Plus I've upped my daily cardio.

envbj77

Thank you all for the replies..

mboski2

i am just starting. I am doing the low, high, low, high, low, high, reward day. I just started on Tuesday. I wish i could find what number of carbs we are to stay at though. I know he said 1500 cal on high carb day and 1200 cal on low carb day but how does that translate in to how many carbs to eat those days?

Cathy360

Before starting your carb cycling. Track your food for a week counting your carbs then try cutting her carbs in half for the low carbs days to begin with. .I just read the Chris Powell Book and am starting my low cabs at 30 net carbs a day.(but I am not use to eating a lot of carbs) as I have followed a low carb diet in the recent past. Good luck!!

envbj77

Ive searched everywhere and cannot find a number for carbs. I know on low carb days I get one serving of carbs so the number will be pretty low. It will probably vary on high days depending on the carbs chosen.

hannah_d1989

Hi guys, curious about this!
Do you get your carbs from bread, rice etc, or do you prefer to go for the carbs from veges, nuts etc?
I am currently eating 20-30 grams of carbs per day... wondering whether having a few high carb days might be good to switch things up! did anyone find they actually got more results from alternating the carbs, instead of only low carb?
Sorry not trying to take over th OP's thread haha just interested

kelleybean1

bump

mboski2

i personally was keeping to whole grain muffins/oatmeal/ sweet potatoe for meals and using plenty of fresh fruits for snacks throughout the day. the one thing thats hard to remember is on your high carb day you have to really limit your fat.....no nuts, no butter on that potatoe etc. Then on the low carb days you get to eat those fats (peanuts etc) to keep you feeling full. Of course plenty of veggies on all days. I am amazed at how many carbs you eat on low days just with your veggies. I am keeping mine around 50 carbs on low days and 150 on high days. I read that on another site from a group doing his program.

envbj77

I do find it odd that there really is no set number of carbs that we shouldn't exceed on either day. I'm going to keep researching before starting on Monday.

ptlaxmom

Remember the carb serving is approx. 100 calories which would be approx. 25g carb.
4g carb to 1 calorie.
Don't worry about the number, follow the smart food choices and servings. You are still losing due to calorie deficit. Don"t over think it.

http://chrispowell.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ChrisPowell_SmartFoodsList.pdf

Protein Hand 1 palm
men 5oz
women 30z

Carbs 1 fist
Men 1 1/2 c
women 1 c

Veggies
2 fists
men 3 cups
women 2 cups

Fats
1 thumb
men 2TBSP
Women 1TBS

gurlforgod73

Can anyone tell me how many carbs i should be eating on a high carb day and how many on a low carb day. I am doing the chris powell turbo 7 day carb cycle. I am a 5'4 160 lb female. Im so confused. thanks.

mcsassy

I've been reading the book also.. I don't think anyone should be doing 30g carbs/net carbs etc... I read online elsewhere that a low carb day is around 75g. I find that it's hard to get to 1000 calories without at least 70 carbs. My carb intake is usually between 80 and 92 to make sure I reach 1,200 calories. Chris recommends reduced activity on those low carb days. I only do upper or lower body resistance. No cardio. and I tend to fall asleep early. On High carb days I tend to aim for 125-150 carbs and 1,500 calories. He recommends low fat on those days. If you want to see faster results, increase your LC dayt to 4-5 days a week. So far, on HC I'm drinking Melaleuca Attain shakes and GC control shakes which are perfectly balanced with the proper percentage of carbs, fat and protein.. Especially on a busier day. I hope this info helps.. Chris isn't recommending extremes in his book so I'm certain 30g is far too low.

mbarnson

I think it's helpful to refer to his guidelines in the book. We're building a sustainable eating lifestyle, not a strict plan! Going by the "hand portions" works surprisingly well. On the low-carb days, you eat at a deficit; on the high-carb days, you eat at your future self's "maintenance" level.

But let's pick apart the book a bit. From Choose More, Lose More For Life.

On the high-carb days, men should aim for "around 2000 calories" and women "around 1500 calories". On low-carb days, men aim for "around 1500 calories", and women "around 1200 calories". But he immediately stresses to not get hung up on that number! And this past season of the show backs it up: between a very short lady who had such a low BMR that she could only lose weight by exercising and not diet alone, and a man who lost enormous amounts of muscle as well as fat and had to radically change his workouts to a body-building style and eat FAR more protein than is "normal" for Extreme Weight Loss, it's important to stay flexible in the plan to manage your unique body and your unique challenges.

The important part, though, is in his "Cycling Specifications" section. The rules to follow, which really help most people with fat loss:
"Carb cycling doesn't ask anything of you that you can't handle, but you do need to follow a few rules. Any day you're carb cycling:
"* Eat five meals
"* Eat within thirty minutes of waking and every three hours thereafter.
"* Include both protein and carbs in your breakfast.
"* Choose the right food combinations and portion sizes for *you*, given in Chapter 6, "Feed Your Fire: The Recipes".
"* Drink a gallon of water daily."

Then in Chapter 6:

"For weight loss, not only is it essential to eat the right foods, it's essential that you eat the *right amount* of food. It boils down to calories. Uggh. Calculating calories is no fun, and it's easy to get it wrong, but you need to watch 'em: They measure how much fuel you're putting into your body. Even a little bit of extra fuel can quickly accumulate in your body, so it's important to make sure portions are right *for you*."

He has a handy table that I'm going to convert to a histogram because text formats poorly in the forums!
* Protein: "1 palm", men's portion 5 ounces, women's portion 3 ounces.
* Carbs: "1 fist", men's portion 1.5 cups, women's portion 1 cup.
* Veggies: "2 fists", men's portion 3 cups, women's portion 2 cups.
* Fats: "1 thumb", men's portion 2tbsp, women's portion 1 tbsp.

The important thing is that those are AVERAGES, and probably won't work for perfectly you. If you're taller or shorter than average, your hands are proportionally larger or smaller than those estimates, so you compensate automatically. For an idea of the averages Chris worked with for the portion sizes, an average male in the USA is 69.3 inches tall, and an average woman is 63.8 inches tall. An average-height man at a healthy weight at age 30 with a sedentary lifestyle burns around 2000 calories per day.

But if you're taller, shorter, older, or younger than that average, your calorie burn varies proportionally. Activity levels play a large role as well; if you're getting in your 9-minute missions in the morning, and your Shredders in the afternoon, you can afford a little more slack in your diet if you need it!

And this is why at six feet tall and in training for various endurance events, I don't do just 1500 calories per day on my low-carb days. My maintenance level is more like 2200 instead of 2000, and my total energy expenditure closer to 3,000 calories per day. So I aim for closer to 1600-1800 on the low-carb days, and 2100-2200 on the high-carb days. I lost a solid 2 pounds a week for 12 weeks on my first cycle of the Turbo plan as a result: down from 32% body fat to 25%. Could have been faster if I'd have done better about my workouts and if I'd ensured that I ate enough and avoided hunger-induced binges because I was trying to over-do it!

EDIT: When I did the math after my first twelve weeks of very careful record-keeping, factoring in the average of all my workouts and foods, my fat loss was incredibly close to the estimate for my intake and exercise. I've become a believer in the TDEE calculations, and I know that if I'm honest about how much exercise I do they are almost exactly correct for me. Which also means I can trust that as long as I stay honest, my results should continue to match predictions in an almost creepy-scary-accurate fashion...

Road2One8

Are you suppose to eat the last meal of the day as a low carb meal?