Carb cycling

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DawnieB1977
DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm losing weight after my third baby (I exercised and ate well in pregnancy but still gained unfortunately) and my personal trainer has suggested I try carb cycling, so I started yesterday on a high carb day as I was going to a baby shower and thought it would tie I'm nicely with having a treat, and today I've done a low carb day.

I lost loads after my 2nd baby, all the baby weight and more, and carried on eating pretty much the same way through my pregnancy, but I think my body is probably so used to what I eat that my diet needs a kick up the ar*e now, which is why I've decided to give this carb cycling a go.

Has anyone done it and got good results?

My plan is to do high carbs on Sat and Tues, but should I keep the high carb days the same every week, or change them?

I workout 5-6 times a week (combination of PT, spinning, aerobics, boxercise, fitball, Zumba...) and I'm also taking part in a biggest loser competition at my gym which has another 7 weeks to go.

I've found that today I've successfully had low carbs, but my fat is up. I've had eggs, ham, chicken and almonds, so I know a lot of the fat is from healthy sources as opposed to ice-cream or chocolate! Is that ok?

Thanks in advance :smile:

Replies

  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    Anyone??
  • shortnsassy1981
    shortnsassy1981 Posts: 154 Member
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    I don't carb cycle. But I do eat Paleo which by nature is lower carb. Paleo encourages good fat from quality sources like meats, nuts, seeds, and oils like avocado, olive, and coconut. The fat keeps you satiated longer. It also helps you reach the amount of calories you need as most low carb foods tend to be lower calorie as well.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    When carb cycling it's usually recommend to have your higher carb days on training days (fuel for your workouts).
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Ya you're ok on the fat. When cycling carbs LeanGains-style, protein is kept high all days, training days have high carb and minimal fat, rest days have lower carb and higher fat.
  • melonerski
    melonerski Posts: 311 Member
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    have u read the chris powell book choose more to lose more? its really good at explaining carb cycling
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Just remember low carb does not mean no carb. I have lots of non starchy and green leafy veggies on low carb days when I carb cycle. The fiber helps other issues that may come along when eating more protein.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    have u read the chris powell book choose more to lose more? its really good at explaining carb cycling

    No, I haven't. My PT suggested I try it, and as I'm doing this biggest loser competition I thought 'why not?'. Anything to win £500 lol.

    I train most days, so I do have to train on low carb days. However, I have a 4 month old who is up sometimes 3 times in the night and 2 other kids, so I often train when I'm exhausted, so I probably won't even notice the low carb thing.
  • stefne888
    stefne888 Posts: 113 Member
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    Are you still doing Carb Cycling? If so, how are you liking it?
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,302 Member
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    I thought this thread was about better and more effective ways to eat bagels while cycling. . . .ugh.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    "I started yesterday on a high carb day as I was going to a baby shower and thought it would tie I'm nicely with having a treat, and today I've done a low carb day."

    –Would probably be a better idea to have high carb days coincide with training days.



    "I've found that today I've successfully had low carbs, but my fat is up. I've had eggs, ham, chicken and almonds, so I know a lot of the fat is from healthy sources as opposed to ice-cream or chocolate! Is that ok?"

    –Fat loss has little to do with how healthy a particular food is. All to do with calorie deficit. You can get fat eating too much of anything, including healthy food.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    I thought this thread was about better and more effective ways to eat bagels while cycling. . . .ugh.

    Hahaha! I think it would be hard to eat anything while cycling actually.

    I train 6 days a week usually, so they can't all be high cab days!

    Yes I'm still doing it, although I had a few medium carb days last week as I've been ill and exhausted (5 month old baby). I've lost 8lbs in 5 weeks.

    I'm sorry but I don't believe the 'a calorie is a calorie' thing. I lose weight faster with lower carbs.

    I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby, so I do know about weight loss. I didn't do carb cycling then.

    My biggest problem is that I ate healthily and exercised all pregnancy, but gained anyway, so I need to do something different to have an impact. So I have to really push myself with exercise and try extra hard with my eating. I wish it were as simple as cutting out junk food, or wine, or starting exercise, but none of those apply.
  • CactusF1ower
    CactusF1ower Posts: 174 Member
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    Any updates?

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