Plateau for 6 months! Carb cycling?

Hi everyone! I have been low carbing for 21 months and am down 120 pounds. I have plateaued for over 6 months now...keep gaining and losing the same 10 pounds. I'm going to try carb cycling to jumpstart my metabolism. Anyone have experience with it?:happy:

Replies

  • JessyLovesJCS
    JessyLovesJCS Posts: 169 Member
    (No experience, but thinking of doing for myself...Commenting so I can find it later and see what others say. :) )
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    I do carb cycling (for religious reasons, LOL) and I just have to say, the way to 'jump start' metabolism is with exercise, not carbs. The reason for carb cycling is to give your body access to more glycogen to store for the very purpose of . . . exercise!! :)

    So, if you have gotten very into exercise, then this is a great idea. If not, not. That's my opinion.

    In my experience, the more likely reason for plateauing, is probably a result of not counting calories. Us low carbers can do well without counting calories for losing large amounts of weight, but once there is a plateau, it means that it's time to start counting calories, because it's so easy to eat more low-carb calories than what you burn. (I know what I'm saying is not PC in the low carb world, but it was mine and my DH's experience - that calories do matter.)

    So think about counting calories more carefully before adding unnecessary carbs to your life. Seems to me that low carbing has been good for you since you lost so much. And the benefits of low carbing are awesome, while carb cycling can mess with ketosis (if you're doing ketosis) and blood sugar.

    Which reminds me that if you binge on carbs, then you really must go for a walk afterwards to try to burn some of the carbs off, because your body is just not used to it. I walk after every carb load, and it really helps me with digestion and blood sugar. (Carbs are super hard on the digestion, you might have forgotten that aspect;).
  • judychicken
    judychicken Posts: 937 Member
    Hi,I'm doing Chris Powell's Carb Cycle Solution diet and I love it Choose More,Lose More for Life is his book.The other book is Choose to Lose. I have both of them.We also have a group here too.
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    On the topic of jump starting metabolism, which is a controversial topic, lol, let me just give you a tip that changed my life, and it's regarding exercise. If you want to mess with (in a good way) your hormones and thus your metabolism, the way to do it is to exercise intensely for short amounts of time. What I do, for example, is that about once an hour (on a good day), I do a few minutes of calisthenics (pushups, sit-ups, jump rope) or pump iron (with a set of dumbells) or take a walk. I may workout for 2 minutes or 14, but not longer than 20 minutes at a time, just enough to 'jump start' my hormones. And I have observed that since I've been doing this silly exercise routine that seems very impulsive at times, I feel great! Try it and see if working out and calorie counting might do the trick for you. That's my two cents! Wishing you a happy new year and a step off that plateau!
  • nicoleeoff
    nicoleeoff Posts: 17 Member
    I carb cycle, and it works! Just follow Chris Powell's plan, and you should have no trouble. It may take a little while to get that metabolism amped up again, but just stick with it!