Carb Cycling -- What's considered "low" and "high"?

OregonMom1119
OregonMom1119 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been watching Extreme Weight Loss on ABC and have done tons of research on Chris and Heidi Powell. I stumbled upon carb cycling and REALLY want to try it. However, I'm having a hard time finding what is considered a "low" carb day? Like 150g/day? What is considered "high" carb -- 200g+?

I haven't got the book yet but plan on downloading it on my tablet. Does it tell you how to calculate that? Anyone have expereince with it? Did it work for you?

Replies

  • heronh
    heronh Posts: 529 Member
    Low carb is 30g NET CARB Carb minus fiber equals net carb. I would say high carb day is 300+ I've seen people eat close to 200g on a normal day its not that hard. You should read Carb Nite solutions as well. It works for me but you have to track the carbs very closely. There are lots of hidden carbs. Also you need to up your fat intake. PM me if you have questions.
  • vanillaminus
    vanillaminus Posts: 11 Member
    In because i'm curious :B
  • lotr4000
    lotr4000 Posts: 25 Member
    Depends on if you're doing it for fat loss or fat loss + muscle gain.

    For fat loss: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq

    For fat loss + muscle gain: http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index

    The differences between SKD (standard ketogenic diet) TKD (targeted ketogenic diet) and CKD (cyclical ketogenic diet) can be found here:
    http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index#wiki_skd.2C_tkd.2C_ckd_-_what.2C_when_and_how.3F
  • bigheadmom
    bigheadmom Posts: 3 Member
    I read one of his books. I don't remember exactly how many carbs he recommended. I do know he recommended for women 1200 calories on low carb days, and 1500 on high carb days. You should always eat a complex carb at breakfast. Then a carb at every meal on your high days, and no more carbs on the low days. You also should plan a cheat day once a week that adds 1000 calories to your day. The only rule for cheat day was you couldn't cheat at dinner.
  • lotr4000
    lotr4000 Posts: 25 Member
    Also, here's the Keto Calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

    Once you're low-carb (under 20g per day) and in ketosis, the weight loss doesn't stop until you raise your carbs again in order to maintain your weight. (Or you make the decision to eat carbohydrates, and are booted out of ketosis.)
    You WILL drop below your goal weight, so be judicious in stopping (raising your carbs and maintaining) when it's healthy to do so.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Just my $0.02, but carb cycling is almost certainly a more rigorous routine than you need. These routines are designed for people who want to follow a low carb diet but want to keep their muscle glycogen stores relatively full due to their exercise routine. The idea is that you eat low carb throughout the week because it's a very satiating diet and it's easy to maintain a caloric deficit with such a diet, but once a week (or bi-weekly) you do a carb refeed day where you keep fat very low and eat a very high carb intake. Generally, your body is going to have a preference to use the carbs to replenish your glycogen stores, rather than attempting to convert them into fat for storage, and so you would gain very little fat even when eating a surplus of carbs. Of course, for that to happen, you need to be glycogen depleted going into the refeed, which requires both very low carbs throughout the week and a rigorous training routine that you're consistent with and that's designed to deplete muscle glycogen. It's a very strict and restrictive diet and your diet ranges from very low carb/high fat to very low fat/high carb. Most people who prefer low carb diets just stick with a TKD, as it's a lot simpler and achieves substantially the same result.

    In short, it's a lot of work and a very restrictive diet, and odds are it's not worth the extra time and effort. But that's just my $0.02.
  • halaghh
    halaghh Posts: 20 Member
    I'm following the vemma bode carb cycling plan. Low carb days basically consist of protein shakes, yogurt, protein, and veggies. On high carb days you can add in a little fruit and whole grains. High carb days are not really that high in carbs, just relative to the low carb days. Let me know if you have any questions. This diet has been great for me so far.

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