carb cycling....anyone doing this?

greeneyedKat

I was wondering if anyone was carb cycling ?...eating high carb( good carbs) and low fat on one day and then low carb and high fat( healthy fats like avacados, coconut oil, etc), the next....and alternating this. I would like to try this. Would I do my heavy weight lifting on the carb days ? Would appreciate any responses from people doing this

casey882

i no nothing about this but i will watch to see what is said

greeneyedKat

Guess not too many doing this....but I did meet one on here and gained a new friend. She is doing really well carb cycling. I cant wait to start doing it!

ubermensch13

Question: What is the point? why do something like this when eating carbs in moderation isn't a bad thing? Is this a dietary thing? I'm always skeptical when it comes to diet changes that don't seem sustainable over a long period of time.

greeneyedKat

The idea behind it is, you start out on the high carb, low fat day and it's supposed to give your metabolism a boost and the next day you cut carbs( not totally) and eat more healthy fats. Then alternate high carb, low fat and low carb, high fat days until you get to Sunday. And that is your cheat day. You basically eat what you want on that day. It is supposed to help you from craving carbs and ultimately help your weight loss

Dahllywood

You going to do that the rest of your life? Doubt it.

This is a lifestyle change. Just eat right and exercise. Don't worry about the small stuff.

glitteredgrave

I know somebody who loads herself up on carbs one day a week as a way to "trick" her metabolism into losing more. Not sure if it's the same thing, lol. I personally have no idea what it's supposed to do but I've heard of people doing it.

greeneyedKat

Thanks for the responses. I was just thinking of trying it. Feel like I need to do something different to lose weight

MidgeN27

You do strength training on low carb days and cardio on high carb days. Good luck! I just started this! I'm very excited to see how it goes.

rachaelfisher1

I carb cycle. Monday-Friday is low carb, high protein. I do the opposite on weekends.

RobynLB

Sounds overly complicated but harmless.

Chadomaniac

carb cycle when i clean bulk example : day 1: high carbs 350g , day 2: medium 250g , day 3: med 250g, day 4: low 70g, day5 high: 350g, day 6 low med 250g , day 7 NO carbs 20g max

its also good to cut stubborn bodyfat when u hit the 10-12% mark (for men) ... keeps the metabolism racing

babeinthemoon

I was wondering if anyone was carb cycling ?...eating high carb( good carbs) and low fat on one day and then low carb and high fat( healthy fats like avacados, coconut oil, etc), the next....and alternating this. I would like to try this. Would I do my heavy weight lifting on the carb days ? Would appreciate any responses from people doing this

I carb cycle. I follow "Choose to Lose" by Chris Powell. What he suggests in the book is actually a combination of calorie and carb cycling. Quite frankly I think it is genius! For me, it is the first "diet" that has worked for me. I have tried calorie counting, ww, southbeach, and just walking more. Nothing had given me a weigh drop of more than a couple pounds, that I would gain back easily every monthly cycle. CTL was the first "diet" that actually had me post a modest 1 pound loss over my period. I was thrilled beyond belief.

With that being said, the "diet" actually is giving me a framework for the types of foods I can eat in appropriate quantities. This was extremely helpful for me, as this August I was hit with an emotional bombshell that would have normally killed any other diet I was on. During the week I alternate days that I can have cheese or rice (low carb & high carb), and on Sunday I have my "funday" that is higher calories, and anything I want.. as long as most of my meals have healthy choices.

I've lost almost 46 pounds since June 10th... and am now for the first time ever, sticking with an exercise program too! I can run 25 minutes (C25k)... which simply blows my mind... but I digress.

Do I think I can do this for the rest of my life? Yes, actually if I have to. But... with how the plan is set up, once I get to "maintenance" I will still eat 5x a day, and still stick with healthy foods and healthy portions, but I can have cheese & rice together every day if I want. How is this not a win?

As with everything, carb cycling is not for everyone. My diabetic husband probably shouldn't be on the plan... but then again, he doesn't have much to lose, so I don't force him to eat like me. ;-)

Check out my blog if you are interested in more details about my journey: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/babeinthemoon

babeinthemoon

Question: What is the point? why do something like this when eating carbs in moderation isn't a bad thing? Is this a dietary thing? I'm always skeptical when it comes to diet changes that don't seem sustainable over a long period of time.

I hear you. I thought for sure that I wouldn't like this "diet" plan. But, what I have found is that I don't miss the starchy carbs on low carb days at all... in fact, I find myself loading up with veggies... and I often have no problem hitting 100g of carbs on low carb days. On High Carb days I'm actually eating fruit several times a day. I never ever use to eat fruit. It just didn't happen.

When left to my own devices, I would eat probably 70% carbs, 15% protein & 15% fat.... and way more calories than necessary. With carb cycling, I'm actually forcing myself to think about what I'm putting into my mouth, which means I'm eating way more veggies, fruit & protein then ever before. I am still enjoying my "starchy" carbs on high carb & fundays too.

Another way to think of it though, is my body is still getting balanced macros every 24 hours or so... if you look at a 24 hour period that starts at 2pm instead of midnight.