Chris Powell: Carb Cycling

yes, I have lost body fat by carb cycling, but like Acg67 mentioned, losing weight and/or body fat is all about being at a caloric deficit.

I'm of the opinion that carb cycling isn't going to offer any advantages over a more linear method for anyone who isn't already lean. You additionally stand the potential risk of overcomplicating your food intake when something much simpler could get you equal results.

Miss60, I understood. I bought South Beach Diet book to learn more about it - before I ever tried the diet. I read it, underlined what I liked, tried what I wanted. Kept it because it had value to me.

Carb cycling worked for me, but no better or worse than anything else. I sort of feel like changing things up makes losing body fat more interesting, so go for it!

On the other hand, I am definitely one of those people who get sleepy after carbs and a bit too wired on the low carb days. pay attention to your sleep, and if you are having trouble sleeping on low carb days and nap all day on your carb re-feeds, stop immediately. Not sleeping well will hold you back.

I now eat most of my carbs for dinner as much as possible, and I sleep like a log again. Plus thanks to carb cycling I've learned to avoid carby lunches especially if my work day is going to be have boring bits where I still have to pay attention.

You didn't burn 13lbs of fat in one week, sorry to break it to you. That would be at least 45,500 calories worth of energy going SOMEWHERE since matter and energy can't be created or destroyed. Were you able to cook an egg on yourself that week?


Also, metabolism is not like that. It's a term used to group together a whole bunch of discreet processes that are sometimes synergistic and sometimes not. You can't "kick start metabolism". Metabolism isn't like the setting on your thermostat. "Metabolic rate" is simply a measure of how much energy is going through the entire system. It takes a salesperson to somehow turn that rate into an entity that can be "kicked".


One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds...

You didn't burn 13lbs of fat in one week, sorry to break it to you. That would be at least 45,500 calories worth of energy going SOMEWHERE since matter and energy can't be created or destroyed. Were you able to cook an egg on yourself that week?


Also, metabolism is not like that. It's a term used to group together a whole bunch of discreet processes that are sometimes synergistic and sometimes not. You can't "kick start metabolism". Metabolism isn't like the setting on your thermostat. "Metabolic rate" is simply a measure of how much energy is going through the entire system. It takes a salesperson to somehow turn that rate into an entity that can be "kicked".


One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds...

No disrespect. But, I never said it was all fat. I know it was mostly water. Second, I would tend to trust a medical professional and fitness specialist over someone on the forums when it comes to metabolism. These forums are to share and encourage others. It is not to criticize others.

Yeah, the thing is, you can find a "medical professional" who will say something stupid in any random doctors office.

You can do a lot better thinking for yourself and accessing the same material the medical professional will (hopefully) use to form an opinion.

So... Since your "metabolism" doesn't burn water, why does losing water matter at all? The idea is too lose body fat to be leaner, not (very temporarily) just lower the numbers. And the CONSENSUS in the scientific community (researchers who tell the doctors what is what) is that the ONLY way to lose body fat is to run a calorie deficit (or surgery).


Nothing against carb cycling as a strategy for running a calorie deficit, but nothing about it is more or less efficient than other methods that create the same deficit.

bump

Again, your opinion which I respect

I think you meant to say "dismiss", but I get you.

Again, your opinion which I respect

I think you meant to say "dismiss", but I get you.

No, I am not dismissing you. We just have a difference of opinion. Both of us have our opinions and that is fair. I don't totally agree with you and you don't totally agree with me. If I dismissed your opinion, then that would mean I rejected and dis-repected it. I didn't reject it because I respected your opinion. that is called a difference of opinion.

Bottom line is you will keep believing what you you believe and I will keep believing what I believe. Neither one of our opinions is what this forum is about. This forum thread is about a question misssixty60 asked and I responded to it with my experience on the diet. She did not ask if we agreed or disagreed with each other.

This will be the last time I will respond to you about this topic in this thread because it has nothing to do with what the thread topic is about. If you wish to discuss this with me further, feel free to send me a private message. I am turning the thread back over to misssixty60 so she can get the answers she has requested which is "but I was wondering if anyone here has ever actually done this method of diet?"

Yeah, see, that's not the bottom line for me. I frequently update and change my mind based on things I learn here. I was hoping for some evidence, like maybe one of theses medical professionals gave you some info beyond "because I said so". Something I can figuratively sink my teeth into, research, and confirm or reject. It's called "exchanging ideas", or "discussion".

OP is interested in learning too or would not ask the question.

"Agree to disagree" is what you do once it proves fruitless to discuss further. I'm still looking for answers, so is the OP (ostensibly). Your responses appears to be designed to end said discussion for some reason.

Carb cycling is no different than a normal caloric deficit.

I carb cycle myself, but for FAT loss it is no different.

The only difference is you hold less water (reducing the WEIGHT (not fat) on the scale).

I'm of the opinion that carb cycling isn't going to offer any advantages over a more linear method for anyone who isn't already lean. You additionally stand the potential risk of overcomplicating your food intake when something much simpler could get you equal results.

I echo this. Any DIET works if one follows it, but as I mention again and again, they all have one thing in common..............calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I've only been doing it for a few days and lost 6 lbs. I find it relatively easy to stick to and have much more energy (and evenly through the day) than on other diets. In the end, though if you want to know if it works or not you gotta try it yourself for awhile.

As for those (who judging from their pics aren't actually trying to lose much weight, but instead build muscle and get ripped) saying that carb cycling is no different than any other diet (or all diets are the same for that matter) I disagree. When it comes to WEIGHTLOSS, yes, following almost any diet will cause a person to lose weight (and the first few lbs will probably be water weight). This is namely because they had poor eating habits/choices beforehand and their losing glycogen stores and water. With almost any diet plan, a caloric deficit is the reason for weightloss, BUT different diet plans achieve this through different means, e.g., counting calories, increased cardio, smaller portions, adding muscle, changing food habits (both foods you eat and/or when/how often you eat them), different macro nutrient ratios, etc.

Because of these different methods of achieving a caloric deficit, it is sometimes easier for someone to follow one type of diet opposed to another. And a person's ability to stick to a diet is what determines its effectiveness. So a diet that works well for one person, may not work as well for another. Also a person's circumstances or goals (budget, busy work schedule, wanting to add muscle, etc) may change and a different diet from the one they've been would be more suitable.

Personally, I'm liking the Chris Powell carb cycling, because calories aren't the focus (yes they fundamentally play a role, but they aren't what you measure and think about on the diet). It's focus is developing healthier eating habits (lots of veg; lean protein) and portion sizes. It also has my macronutrients in much better proportions which is probably while I feel more energized and less rundown. Yes this all leads to a calorie deficit, but it doesn't make it the same as other diets.

.........it's like saying to start a fire, there's no difference between a lighter, a match, a magnifying glass, and two stick of woods, because all you need to start a fire is heat. You're technically correct, but you're also being an obtuse *kitten* about it.

Oh... it works! What I would keep in mind is that when you drop the carbs, you should be increasing fat so that you can maintain calories. Otherwise you're cycling calories as well which is a different thing altogether. Here's an interesting resource which details the basic carb cycling process:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm