Carb cycling?

hoofnerd

Hi all! I'm trying to drop about 35 pounds... So far I'm down 8 pounds, 5 of those came off in the first week.
I'm almost finished with my first month of 1100- 1200 calories a day and " low ish " carb... Basically all my carbs
Are coming from veggies... Other than that its lean meats and healthy fats. No sugar or starch. I am not feeling starved or overly deprived even on this fairly strict plan. i also have a fairly strenuous job in which I'm pretty sure I burn a good amount of calories
daily. So I'm a bit concerned that I am ruining my metabolism... after reading other posts it seems like compared to others my caloric intake is fairly low... And I do not eat back my excersise calories. I'm wondering if I should increase my caloric intake a bit and also have a carb day once a week? I've been reading about this " carb cycling" and how it can rev your metabolism back up and help you lose more weight in the long run... Anyone have any experience with this?

starrylioness

I don't count carbs at all and I've lost over 100 lbs. I just count calories. That's it.

hoofnerd

Let me tell you, I was counting calories without counting carbs and basically eating maybe 50-60% carbs and did not drop an ounce. Not to mention carbs make me crave more carbs like crazy... As soon as I restricted my carbs to about 20% of my daily intake the pounds started to come off... At the same amount of caloric intake as before. And my sugar and carb cravings have diminished. I know they say a calorie is just a calorie... But I tend to disagree... I think insulin plays a role.

starrylioness

Let me tell you, I was counting calories without counting carbs and basically eating maybe 50-60% carbs and did not drop an ounce. Not to mention carbs make me crave more carbs like crazy... As soon as I restricted my carbs to about 20% of my daily intake the pounds started to come off... At the same amount of caloric intake as before. And my sugar and carb cravings have diminished. I know they say a calorie is just a calorie... But I tend to disagree... I think insulin plays a role.

Yeah I know everyone's body is different, that's for sure!

I have PCOS myself and people keep telling me I SHOULD count the carbs but I haven't had to yet at least! Honestly I say just find what works best for you! If you think you should increase your calories and even have a day where you do indulge in some carbs, try it.

ninerbuff

Let me tell you, I was counting calories without counting carbs and basically eating maybe 50-60% carbs and did not drop an ounce. Not to mention carbs make me crave more carbs like crazy... As soon as I restricted my carbs to about 20% of my daily intake the pounds started to come off... At the same amount of caloric intake as before. And my sugar and carb cravings have diminished. I know they say a calorie is just a calorie... But I tend to disagree... I think insulin plays a role.

Reducing carbs to low levels reduces glycogen and water storage, which is why it seems that pounds drop off fast initially.
Unless you're planning to eat low carb the rest of your life, expect a jump in weight once you introduce carbs back into your system.
Weight loss happens from calorie deficit. That's really the truth. If you're losing "a lot" of weight now, it's because of reduced calories vs how much you consumed before.

A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

hoofnerd

I only lost a lot the first week... And I do realize that was water weight... Since then it's been 1 - 1.5 pounds a week.... I think more than anything, when I stop eating carbs and get over the initial " withdrawal " period, I tend to feel really good. More energy , less fatigued and far less cravings.

Lizzy622

I tend to be a carbaholic when I am not watching carefully. I have done carb cycling and it did help me get control on over doing the carbs.

leggup

Carb cycling is unnecessary. Count calories. Weigh your food.

Also, your goal might be too ambitious- under 1,200 calories a day? Have you tried the MFP recommended settings?

PS: your metabolism does not need to be revved. It is not a car.

christran206

What kind of workouts are you doing?

That will have a large effect on what your diet should be. Lifting doesn't require a lot of carbs but if you are doing cardio a lot, then you will and should eat a lot of carbs.

For example, I consume a large amount of carbs on a daily basis. I eat upwards of 2000-2500 calories a day with more than 60% of it being carbs and I still drop 2-2.5lbs a week. Why? Because I ride a road bicycle 150-200 miles a week. My routine requires carbs to keep my energy levels high enough where I can workout at a high level on a daily basis.

hoofnerd

I'm doing some cardio (30 minutes, 3 times a week) and some basic strength training on those days. I basically have a very physical job- I'm a farrier... It's super strenuous ... I work up a sweat and my heart rate gets going... My body is positioned in a squat position while bracing the leg of a 1200 pound animal! I use a lot of arm strength and my back! I'm pretty muscular under this layer of fat, LOL... I am a 36 year old female , 5'3 with a large frame... At 160 pounds I actually carry that weight pretty well. But at 135 I look fantastic. Trying to get there...

thepandapost

I personally cannot drop a pound unless I monitor carbs. My macros trump my calorie count any day of the week.

With that said, I do "lower carb" not a typical low carb diet. Basically I took what my macro calculator gave me (because my weight loss wasn't moving) and changed my ratios so that my carbs would go down by a bit.

However, I am training for a race which means when I need to prepare for a long run, I eat some more carbs. It is not really cycling, but basically I change my daily requirement depending what physical activity I am doing.

hoofnerd

I personally cannot drop a pound unless I monitor carbs. My macros trump my calorie count any day of the week.

With that said, I do "lower carb" not a typical low carb diet. Basically I took what my macro calculator gave me (because my weight loss wasn't moving) and changed my ratios so that my carbs would go down by a bit.

However, I am training for a race which means when I need to prepare for a long run, I eat some more carbs. It is not really cycling, but basically I change my daily requirement depending what physical activity I am doing.