Carb Cycling?

brandon2743
brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone else try it? Did you guys get results?

Replies

  • alibreasy
    alibreasy Posts: 328 Member
    What is Carb Cycling?
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
    Never tried it but it seems more people give it a bad rap than anything.
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
    What is Carb Cycling?

    Basically you have high carb days, then low carb days. Some even do no carb days. It's part of shocking the body to loose fat and gain muscle. It was made popular by some body builders awhile back.

    A lot of people say it can work but they feel like crap when they are cycling. You have to be very careful though.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
    Tried it and loved it...well loved the results anyway. I do a 2-1-0 cycle. Day 1: 2 servings complex carbs, day 2: 1 serving complex carbs, and day 3: ZERO complex carbs. Also, I already don;' eat complex carbs after 3 pm. Also, I do the zero day on my non cardio or rest day. This is the carb cycle that my trainer uses for fitness competitions 12 weeks out.
  • Getting_Fit_4_Life
    Getting_Fit_4_Life Posts: 401 Member
    Bump. Interesting.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
    What is Carb Cycling?

    Basically you have high carb days, then low carb days. Some even do no carb days. It's part of shocking the body to loose fat and gain muscle. It was made popular by some body builders awhile back.

    A lot of people say it can work but they feel like crap when they are cycling. You have to be very careful though.

    I really like it. And yes, the zero carb days are hard. I was grumpy and no energy for my usual hard workouts but the results speak for itself. :) It really does help you lean out.
  • alohabrie
    alohabrie Posts: 204
    Love carbs and by choosing healthy ones - you can still lose. Calories in vs calories out and healthy choices are what I can stay with for the long run. Boo on carb cycling for me.
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
    What is Carb Cycling?

    Basically you have high carb days, then low carb days. Some even do no carb days. It's part of shocking the body to loose fat and gain muscle. It was made popular by some body builders awhile back.

    A lot of people say it can work but they feel like crap when they are cycling. You have to be very careful though.

    I really like it. And yes, the zero carb days are hard. I was grumpy and no energy for my usual hard workouts but the results speak for itself. :) It really does help you lean out.

    That's cool and all but you can get the same results on a normal diet. Carb cycling was more ment for competitions than anything. The same people who eat packets of dry oatmeal to absorb the water from their body.
  • brandon2743
    brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/a_beginners_guide_to_carb_cycling

    an article on it
  • brandon2743
    brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
    bump
  • beernutz
    beernutz Posts: 136
    Carb cycling goes by many names: Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD), Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD), and the Anabolic Diet (http://stronglifts.com/anabolic-diet-101-the-definite-anabolic-diet-guide/). I was on a CKD for 9 months a few years ago and it worked fantastic, getting me down below 15% body fat for the first time since high school while maintaining or gaining strength in the gym. IMO, however it is a tough diet to stick with if you have a family and want to eat together, which is why I eventually ended it.

    I'm now just doing low carb, essentially in a maintenance mode where I eat as much complex carbs as I feel like but no starchy or sugary carbs for the most part. I've made great progress, I feel fine, and I think I'll be able to stick to it long-term.
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
    bump
  • brandon2743
    brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
    Carb cycling goes by many names: Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD), Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD), and the Anabolic Diet (http://stronglifts.com/anabolic-diet-101-the-definite-anabolic-diet-guide/). I was on a CKD for 9 months a few years ago and it worked fantastic, getting me down below 15% body fat for the first time since high school while maintaining or gaining strength in the gym. IMO, however it is a tough diet to stick with if you have a family and want to eat together, which is why I eventually ended it.

    I'm now just doing low carb, essentially in a maintenance mode where I eat as much complex carbs as I feel like but no starchy or sugary carbs for the most part. I've made great progress, I feel fine, and I think I'll be able to stick to it long-term.

    carb cycling, and keto are very different.
    with carb cycling you never go into ketosis.
  • beernutz
    beernutz Posts: 136
    Carb cycling goes by many names: Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD), Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD), and the Anabolic Diet (http://stronglifts.com/anabolic-diet-101-the-definite-anabolic-diet-guide/). I was on a CKD for 9 months a few years ago and it worked fantastic, getting me down below 15% body fat for the first time since high school while maintaining or gaining strength in the gym. IMO, however it is a tough diet to stick with if you have a family and want to eat together, which is why I eventually ended it.

    I'm now just doing low carb, essentially in a maintenance mode where I eat as much complex carbs as I feel like but no starchy or sugary carbs for the most part. I've made great progress, I feel fine, and I think I'll be able to stick to it long-term.

    carb cycling, and keto are very different.
    with carb cycling you never go into ketosis.

    Not that this is a definitive source but Wikipedia disagrees with you (and so do I): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclic_ketogenic_diet
  • brandon2743
    brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
    In a cyclical keto diet, you restrict your carbs to the point where you body is put into ketosis (< 30grams). Basic carb cycling however, your carbs do not go that low. The lowest you will get is about 50-60g of carbs and thats about 1-2 days a week. That's the main difference. I suppose CKD is a slight version of carb cycling, but it is not the same as I am referring to.
  • brandon2743
    brandon2743 Posts: 121 Member
    Also, for CKD, your fat intake is much higher
  • beernutz
    beernutz Posts: 136
    In a cyclical keto diet, you restrict your carbs to the point where you body is put into ketosis (< 30grams). Basic carb cycling however, your carbs do not go that low. The lowest you will get is about 50-60g of carbs and thats about 1-2 days a week. That's the main difference. I suppose CKD is a slight version of carb cycling, but it is not the same as I am referring to.

    It doesn't sound like we really disagree. I, along with lots of other people I know, think of carb cycling as a general term to describe diets where you alternative between periods of low carb/high fat/adequate protein with periods of high carb/low fat/adequate protein. The diets I mentioned previously, CKD, TKD, and Anabolic, along with Rob Faigan's NHE diet and possibly others, all would fall into this categorization. You seem to be applying it more specifically to a certain type of diet. That's fine, but I can tell you for a fact that there are lots of people who use the term 'carb cycling' differently than you do.

    People are so different that there is nothing magical about being under 30 grams of carbs per day relative to going into ketosis. Your exercise levels also impact whether you enter ketosis but even without exercising, some people can get into ketosis with up to 100 grams of carbs a day. I know I can stay in ketosis eating more that 50 grams of carbs a day because I have done it and seen the ketostix to confirm I'm in ketosis.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    There are a lot of different ways to do it, I tend to think of it in more general terms like someone else mentioned, just alternating periods of high & low carb days. I do low carb (60g)/moderate fat/high protein 6 days a week then high carb/low fat/moderate protein 1 day & it works great for me. I continue to make progress with my strength training & am happy with the muscle definition I'm gaining. I'm typically not that strict with my carb-up days so I often use those to work out any cravings that built up through the week. I find it to be a great fit for me, & even when I reach maintenance I expect to continue eating the same through the week & just carb-up all weekend instead of just one day.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories