Carb Cycling? looking for opinions on this concept.

rupert2011
rupert2011 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any experiece with carb cycling (Chris Powell) I have read a little about it but I'd like to hear from those who have more knowledge than me. Thank you in advance.

Replies

  • Fitnin6280
    Fitnin6280 Posts: 618 Member
    I am not an expert on the subject, but I did low carb for a while, and it was really difficult to cut back on the carbs. It was like going through withdrawals. I would think yo yoing carbs would be really hard!

    Not sure I would even do the low carb thing again...
  • The_WoIverine
    The_WoIverine Posts: 367 Member
    Still learning about it, but I'd like to see if what people have to say
  • Als2985
    Als2985 Posts: 7 Member
    So, there are four different types of carb cycling. You can still eat carbs..healthy carbs...

    Fruits, vegetables, and Whole grains....I am now doing the classic cycle of Chris Powell Carb Cycle..

    Interchange (Mon-Tue-Wed-Thur-Fri) between high (1,500) and low (1,250) carb days! Then, Saturday, is a guilt free day.

    Hope this helps--I've lost a pound so far.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Low carbs is a sure fire way for me to lose, but I dream of orange juice when I do it.
  • jsmallwood2003
    jsmallwood2003 Posts: 1 Member
    I did carb cycling for two months and if anything, it helped keep the flame burning with very little stagnation at 2+lbs a week of weight loss. Things that were difficult for me was I was trying to stay away from simple sugars and on high carb days I had a hard time getting enough carbs. Low carb days weren't that hard at all. Also, you have to have time to plan out your meals, it's almost impossible to do on the fly. I tend to be a creature of habit so this wasn't hard for me, just getting the high amount of carbs for me on certain days were difficult. After the two months I hit my goal weight, felt good in the weight room but decided not to keep up with it. Unfortunately this summer I've done too much grazing so I'm back to needing to drop a few pounds but I won't be going back to carb cycling. This time I'm just setting my weight loss for 2lbs a week, lifting 5-6 days a week and having one day where I eat maintenance calories. I tend to be low carb since I'm now gluten free but nowhere near ketosis and lose 2-3 pounds a week (if I get to 3 I up my calories a bit). Just seems like too much work when I can get the same results with a maintenance day. Hope this helps.
  • cieralea7
    cieralea7 Posts: 15 Member
    I did it with the Vemma BodE program based on Chris Powells philosophy and I ad a very good experience with it. I did 2 days low carb one day high carb and one "cheat" day. I lost weight very quickly and found myself to have an abundance of energy. My biggest downfall was the amount of meal prep and planning it took since each day came with it's own restrictions. Low carb was hard for me since I am not a huge fan of veggies but I got creative and made my plan my own. I would not recommend it for someone with blood sugar problems as it wil be difficult to monitor. If anyways has any specific questions please feel free to message me and I will be happy to help! :)
  • rupert2011
    rupert2011 Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you all for your messages and thoughts, I'm using MFP and staying at ~ 1,300 calories per day and losing 1 to 1.5 lbs a week. I'm working hard to make a "life style" change not a diet so I'm just not sure it's the road for me. I'm really working on making good choices. Anyway thanks again.
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    I think carb cycling would suit someone doing intense cardio or workouts, allowing them to eat low carb on their rest days, and eat carbs normally during their workout days. Definitely seems more geared for those with a high level of activity.
  • tanyae
    tanyae Posts: 1 Member
    I did carb cycling for a few weeks with minor changes but I only followed about 70% of the exercise routine. Day 1, 3, 5 were my weight training days so I ate carbs, day 2, 4, 6 were my cardio days so I stayed away from carbs, and day 7 was my cheat day. Shaun Hadsel was very specific about what exercises to do and when. See his explanation of carb cycling here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blcxu7OiWXQ
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I used the Bod.E app (free) to do the carb cycling. I did not buy the shakes or products but made my own. It does work but can get cumbersome if you have a family. I am planning to get back on it when the kids go off to college in a couple of weeks. ETA I made sure my free day was Saturday
  • halaghh
    halaghh Posts: 20 Member
    I've been doing the carb cycling program along the vemma bode products for two weeks now and I'm down 11.4 lbs. I usually have a difficult time making it through even a couple of days on a diet, but I love this one. It's very structured but it works. I was initially nervous about trying this because most of the positive reviews I saw were coming from people selling the product and that always makes me skeptical. I'm not sure I'll continue ordering the products after the first couple months. I'll probably stick to the shakes, but I don't know if I will continue buying the burn energy drink. It's disgusting and I've been having bad insomnia since I started drinking it.

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