Chrs Powell : Carb Cycling

I read the book and tried it for a few weeks. I didn't try it long enough to tell you if it works, but I can tell you the structure of it.

1. Eat within 30 minutes of waking and every 3 hours (I can't do this so this is why I stopped)
2. He doesn't specify carb grams. The way the plan works is through controlling portion sizes. You will have either fat or carb. So for low carb days, I think you get a portion of carbs at breakfast but no more, whereas on high carb days you have a portion with every meal. All meals must include protein, but on high carb days only one meal should have added fat, while on low carb days every meal has fat. You will alternate:

High carb/low fat
Low carb/high fat

3. There is an extensive exercise plan designed to be used with this way of eating. You'd have to get the book. I did my own exercise plan. The book had a lot of inspirational stuff and food for thought. I'd recommend it.

Just seeing this post now - but I am on week 2 of Powell's program. I'm not sure what he did in his first book, but in his second book (Choose More Lose More) he sets out "nine-minute missions" that you're supposed to do within the first half hour after waking up, plus what he terms "shredders," which is cardio using intervals to increase calorie burn. He starts you out with five minutes, then builds in an additional five minutes per week until you reach 60 minutes per day. You're supposed to mix up the cardio. I typically lose weight very slowly, and I lost 3.5 pounds the first week. Haven't weighed myself this week yet. You also eat veggies with every meal (even breakfast!), which can be tough for some. I happen to love veggies and know how good they make me feel if I eat a lot of them, so that's fine with me.

I do work an office job, so I have to bring basically three meals with me to the office every day - morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. I'm thinking about getting a rolling cooler! LOL. I think since this is all REAL FOOD, as opposed to pre-packaged stuff, it's more sustainable. You are literally learning the healthy way to eat.

Let me know if you're doing this, or what you decided to do.

.......2. He doesn't specify carb grams. The way the plan works is through controlling portion sizes. You will have either fat or carb. So for low carb days, I think you get a portion of carbs at breakfast but no more, whereas on high carb days you have a portion with every meal. All meals must include protein, but on high carb days only one meal should have added fat, while on low carb days every meal has fat. You will alternate:

High carb/low fat
Low carb/high fat

So in effect ..... isn't this just "eating in moderation"???

Great way to sell a book though !

Carb cycling is a very good way to lose, maintain and even build muscle. Other things to look at "carb back loading" . It's all about manipulating carbs because of the insulin response it causes.

Butttersoft, this is not just eating in moderation. While Powell doesn't have you counting carb grams or calories, he sets out the foods you can eat on low carb days and high carb days (including the portions, so in essence, he's counting carbs for you). High carb days doesn't mean you can go out and have a doughnut or big bowl of cereal. You may be able to have 1/2 cup of high protein cereal or a brown rice tortilla. You're still eating to control insulin and most importantly, keep your metabolism burning hot. That's the main reason for the high carb days - your body will start to lower your metabolism in response to too many low carb days, but throwing a high carb day in there keeps the fire burning brighter. That's also the reason behind the "Reward Day" - plus the fact that if you know that there's a day where you can eat basically what you want, you won't be so tempted to stray off plan the rest of the week (theoretically, at least).

I was told by my doctor to lower my carb intake significantly. I have heard of Chris Powell's carb cycling and thought maybe I should try that. But his website gives very little information about the technique. I was wondering if anyone had tried it and what your success or failure with it was like? Plus any more detail you could give would be wonderful - like how many grams is considered low carb/high carb exactly for example???
Thanks!!

@mrdalton, this is my first day on Mr. Powell's program. I am in no way an expert, just trying to find a program that works for me to get to my goal weight.

A little background on me: I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2008 and weighed over 300 lbs. I was unhealthy and unmotivated. Then I found a program that worked for me. I lost 100 lbs in 2011 doing an extreme low carb diet under Dr. supervision for a year. My blood sugar went back into control and I was able to stop my meds for both that and high blood pressure. Then I quit. I never made it to maintenance because the program got too expensive and, quite frankly, I was bored and hit a plateau. Once I began to add fruit and carbs (primarily complex carbohydrates) back into my diet plan, the lbs. started creeping back on. I have put back about 60. I am willing to give this a try. I like what I have read and the fact that he gives you a full program. Plus, many people have had success with his program. I have lived so long feeling like I'm cheating because I am eating "Carbs", and I know that I just need some guidance as to what types I should be eating and how many.

What I like about Chris' program is he takes you on baby steps toward your journey and tackles the real issues behind your overeating, all the while he gives you a solid program for life to follow. He's gentle and yet tough at the same time. As far as Carb Cycling goes, I downloaded the app for his challenge and received a meal plan which is not too far off from the way I have been eating (at least when I'm serious). I entered the recipes into "my recipes" in MFP and chose my meals from there. So far, it looks like on the low carb days it is right around 25 grams and on the high carb days it is a little over 100. So far, I like it. I have eaten very often today and feel extremely satisfied. If you are interested, I recommend his book which will lay out the program. I started reading it and am on chapter 3. My calories, so far, have not gone over 1200, even on my high carb days. I used his 1st week plan to make my menu for the week and went grocery shopping. This week I am ready to go. The meals seem very easy, which is super important to me, as I am so busy. I am sure things will be switched up later. But, so far, so good! You can friend me if you want to keep track of my progress. It would be good accountability for me and I'd love to hear how you are doing on it, if you decide to give it a try.

Entering into my 4th week of Carb Cycling. I've lost 7 lbs. I feel like I am eating all the time. Like loriboris, I too take my meals to work with me so I can eat every 3 hours (which can be a little tricky, but I have managed to do it for the most part). Where I used to snack on whatever was available and then gorge myself at night, I am now eating 5 meals steadily throughout the day and still managing to lose. I am struggling to exercise, which is a must! My goal is to do at least 10 minutes every day this week! I can do that! I will do high carb days every day this week and then resume my carb cycling starting next Sunday. I Hopefully will show a good weight loss over the next few weeks! I'll be back to give an update!