Cycling carbs for FAST WEIGHT LOSS? Need input!

ezwryder

The funny thing is, there is also a study I read about not long ago that says just the opposite.

And that is why I just eat what I want when I want. I got tired of trying to keep up with it all!

There ya go. That works for me too. I'm thankful it does, and I don't question it. Or think about it.

rml_16

You are of course assuming that the OP is actually lifting weights here.

Carb Nite was originally designed for non-lifters.

In THAT case, then let me tell you this: I lost more weight in a shorter period of time than you did and I wasn't carb cycling AND I'm a woman AND I started out weighing far less than your start weight.

Congrats. If I were competing with you in that regard I'd probably have to cut out a glute. My goal was not to make the number on the scale smaller, but the number that came out of the bod pod BF% test smaller while preserving strength and muscle mass.

Understandable, but the OP asked about fast weight loss. And I have very muscular legs, thank you. Dancing, yoga, running and walking steep hills on a regular basis tends to do that. :-)

Mscastillo85

lmbo

i always zig-zag, I actually never realized I have always done it until I started to log my food on here (I have been slacking)
I can say, for me, it works. I told a co worker about that, he now does it and sees it working for him.

I just imagine you running through a carb minefield, zigzagging, trying to dodge crouton bullets.

You can do it! Keep moving!

Mscastillo85

i always zig-zag, I actually never realized I have always done it until I started to log my food on here (I have been slacking)
I can say, for me, it works. I told a co worker about that, he now does it and sees it working for him.

I just imagine you running through a carb minefield, zigzagging, trying to dodge crouton bullets.

You can do it! Keep moving!

LMBO!

MikeyD1280

i always zig-zag, I actually never realized I have always done it until I started to log my food on here (I have been slacking)
I can say, for me, it works. I told a co worker about that, he now does it and sees it working for him.

I just imagine you running through a carb minefield, zigzagging, trying to dodge crouton bullets.

You can do it! Keep moving!

hahahahaha.... you cracked me up.. . now picture me in rambo attire...

Mscastillo85

Since OP doesn't have a lot of weight to lose, I'd think she'd be more interested in fat loss and muscle preservation, for which carb cycling has proven to be very effective.

I'm definitely interested in a lean, tone look. I'm 5'0 small frame At my heaviest I was 145lbs Now just to give you an idea how big that is for my size, I have 2 kids and didn't even weigh that much @ my 9month pregnant with both. I don't care about the scale because I like a little meat on my bones but I want a flat stomach, tone arms & legs etc. I appreciate any all informative info. that can get me to my goal sooner. Thanks everyone

rml_16

Since OP doesn't have a lot of weight to lose, I'd think she'd be more interested in fat loss and muscle preservation, for which carb cycling has proven to be very effective.

I'm definitely interested in a lean, tone look. I'm 5'0 small frame At my heaviest I was 145lbs Now just to give you an idea how big that is for my size, I have 2 kids and didn't even weigh that much @ my 9month pregnant with both. I don't care about the scale because I like a little meat on my bones but I want a flat stomach, tone arms & legs etc. I appreciate any all informative info. that can get me to my goal sooner. Thanks everyone

To get that look, you have to decrease body fat. There is no other way. Depending on your definition of "meat on the bones," you may not be able to have the physique you want AND the "meat on the bones."

Sarauk2sf

FWIW - I am not aware of any studies that show any appreciable difference between carb cycling and not. That being said, many people will carb cycle to provide energy for their workouts (as opposed to using it for fat loss per se).

There is some evidence, compelling but not conclusive, to suggest that there may be some benefit to having more carbs at night - which is not carb cycling. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137

I'm aware of that one, drives the "no carbs at night" folks nuts.

The funny thing is, there is also a study I read about not long ago that says just the opposite.

And that is why I just eat what I want when I want. I got tired of trying to keep up with it all!

Not a bad approach at all to have - I do it too. Why make it more complicated than it needs to be!

Although, I would be interested in seeing the study you are referring to for my own edification.

I would point you to it, but I read about it in a fitness magazine probably a year or more ago and can't remember details anymore.

I'm pretty sure it was probably the same magazine that said you should eat them at night, which makes me even more determined to just find what works for me and leave it at that. It's so exhausting! lol

As I say, I am not disagreeing with your approach at all, but if you look at the link I provided, it is actually to a peer reviewed study not some random fitness magazine.

RNTanya

There is a lot about the metabolism that we dont understand yet. It's not as simple as calories in/calories out. When I vary my carb/calorie intake I drop a few pounds fast (and yes I know some is just H2O but it stays off) When I just do 1200 calories a day, it takes longer. You can go back and forth all day with the literature but my personal experience is what it is.

rml_16

FWIW - I am not aware of any studies that show any appreciable difference between carb cycling and not. That being said, many people will carb cycle to provide energy for their workouts (as opposed to using it for fat loss per se).

There is some evidence, compelling but not conclusive, to suggest that there may be some benefit to having more carbs at night - which is not carb cycling. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137

I'm aware of that one, drives the "no carbs at night" folks nuts.

The funny thing is, there is also a study I read about not long ago that says just the opposite.

And that is why I just eat what I want when I want. I got tired of trying to keep up with it all!

Not a bad approach at all to have - I do it too. Why make it more complicated than it needs to be!

Although, I would be interested in seeing the study you are referring to for my own edification.

I would point you to it, but I read about it in a fitness magazine probably a year or more ago and can't remember details anymore.

I'm pretty sure it was probably the same magazine that said you should eat them at night, which makes me even more determined to just find what works for me and leave it at that. It's so exhausting! lol

As I say, I am not disagreeing with your approach at all, but if you look at the link I provided, it is actually to a peer reviewed study not some random fitness magazine.

I read several, which is why I don't remember which, but they're respected magazines that report on peer-reviewed studies. They don't just make things up. I know there's a study somewhere. I just don't know where to look for it.

etoiles_argentees

There's no evidence that it would yield any greater weight loss than a linear caloric deficit/macronutrient intake.

And we have a winner!

Exactly. End.

JasonDetwiler

There's no evidence that it would yield any greater weight loss than a linear caloric deficit/macronutrient intake.

And we have a winner!

Exactly. End.

At some point, hopefully in the near future, the term "weight loss" has to go away. The OP said "fast weight loss," but she says she wants to preserve muscle mass and have "that firm look," or something like that. If she, at her very small size, only focuses on weight loss, she's going to atrophy. Manipulating nutrient timing can, does, and will help her achieve her goal, as she stated, not in her subject line, but upon further investigation, of reducing her body fat while preserving or building muscle. Body builders use it, power lifters use it, figure competitors use it, I use it, Shelby Starnes uses it for himself and his clients, John Kiefer uses it for himself and his clients, Julia Ladewski uses it for herself and her clients, Brian Carroll uses it, and on and on and on.

Long story short -

Scale weight => calorie is a calorie
Maintain or increase muscle mass and/or strength while cutting body fat => Carb cycling/backloading/manipulation is an industry proven method to help you achieve that goal.

Seems several posters on these boards see "lose weight" and can't wait to jump in with "a calorie is a calorie." Upon further investigation of what people really want to achieve, "lose weight" isn't 'really' the ultimate goal. When people don't have an abundance of body fat to lose, there's more to the way the body responds to different stimuli that can promote their progress toward the goal.

Wwonderful

What is Carb cycling?

painauxraisin

Eating your sardwich on a bike.