Is anyone here carb cycling?

elenamfloria
elenamfloria Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
If you are carb cycling, how is it working for you? What cycle are you using? Any tips?

Answers

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 871 Member
    I’m not sure why anyone would carb cycle unless they were training for a major endurance sport. Are you preparing for something like that?
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    I’m not sure why anyone would carb cycle unless they were training for a major endurance sport. Are you preparing for something like that?

    I think it's gained popularity in the keto community for people that want to go on and off keto. That way they still get to eat eat their carbs, but be "part time keto".
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 871 Member
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    I’m not sure why anyone would carb cycle unless they were training for a major endurance sport. Are you preparing for something like that?

    I think it's gained popularity in the keto community for people that want to go on and off keto. That way they still get to eat eat their carbs, but be "part time keto".

    Oh, gotcha. Makes sense.

    OP, regardless what diet you use, the only factor in losing weight is calories, despite what tabloids say. Have you tried eating in a small calorie deficit consistently and logging your calories? That way you don’t have to deal with extreme opposites, missing an entire macro group, and yo-yo dieting for an eternity.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    elenamfloria wrote: »
    If you are carb cycling, how is it working for you? What cycle are you using? Any tips?

    What exactly are you trying to accomplish with carb cycling?

    I kind of sort of do it accidentally...you know, a whole package of _ _ _ _ _ treat food one day, then all veg and protein the next.

    Not purposely, just when I have to have a box of such and such...
  • jacwhitney1
    jacwhitney1 Posts: 1 Member
    I am doing Carb cycling with 1200 cals/day. Im on week one. Haven't lost any weight yet and working out 45 minutes a day. :-(
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    @elenamfloria, I share others' question about what you're hoping carb cycling will do for you. It might also help to know some of your context, like what exercise load/types you do, and what your overall goals are (weight loss, health, nutrition, remediation of some health condition or risk, etc.).

    My carb intake varies as a result of MFP's "eat back exercise calories when you exercise" concept, but I don't intentionally manipulate carb intake. (I eat quite a lot of carbs, 225g+ most days now that I'm maintaining a healthy weight long term.)
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    I’m not sure why anyone would carb cycle unless they were training for a major endurance sport. Are you preparing for something like that?

    Some people do it because they think the higher-carb days will offset some of the problematic hormonal responses to calorie restriction. Some do it because they've fallen for the "confuse your body to keep it guessing" myth. I think some do it for athletic performance reasons, too, though it's not particularly common in my sport, outside of a more generalized "fuel your activity level" idea in which carb cycling is a result rather than an intentional goal.

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 871 Member
    edited April 5
    I’ve been an athlete my entire life, and we didn’t have fancy wording like “carb cycling” 😊. We just ate a “normal diet” (is there such a thing anymore??) until we knew our diet would be compromised by either:

    1. A long day without enough meals/calories
    2. A high endurance activity that would require a fast energy source

    Carb cycling for any other reason seems like someone is at odds with the diet they’re struggling to adhere to.

    My question is, why do it at all if not for examples 1 & 2? And how is it more beneficial than a balanced diet in someone’s goal calories?
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 871 Member
    edited April 5
    jacwhitney1 wrote: »
    I am doing Carb cycling with 1200 cals/day. Im on week one. Haven't lost any weight yet and working out 45 minutes a day. :-(

    Can you share your diary with us? It might be an obvious adjustment that can help make all the difference? Or perhaps, copy and paste a days entry if that’s more comfortable?
  • nafisapreston1975
    nafisapreston1975 Posts: 18 Member
    I was going to try low carb, but I donate plasma. I think the end of my last cycle was a struggle because I didn't eat my Goldfish (carbs). So, I looked up Carb Cycling today. I set it into MFP so the days match my plasma days. I've set my calories for 1200, and I'm still trying to focus on 90+ grams of protein except on my high carb day.

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  • nafisapreston1975
    nafisapreston1975 Posts: 18 Member
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  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,994 Member
    edited May 6
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    jacwhitney1 wrote: »
    I am doing Carb cycling with 1200 cals/day. Im on week one. Haven't lost any weight yet and working out 45 minutes a day. :-(

    Can you share your diary with us? It might be an obvious adjustment that can help make all the difference? Or perhaps, copy and paste a days entry if that’s more comfortable?

    I’m curious also.
    1200 calories is the rock bottom minimum, and is often detrimental for long term success. Add in that 45 minutes daily of exercise - the calories of which I suspect are not being eaten back - raises the potential that the lack of weight loss may be caused by physical exhaustion leading to a reduction of movement during non- exercise periods. As well as water retention due to stress.

    1200 calories is really only appropriate for someone who is very small and/or physically disabled (leading to many fewer steps per day or none at all)

    Editing to include that weight loss is a long term process, and results usually take months to years. A week is usually not long enough to see a difference.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    I tried carb cycling for like 48 hrs after watching some guy on Instagram. I was so mean and miserable on my low carb day that I quit. Because by “low” they mean LOW. I also was informed here by some of the pros that this is really a body building thing and not for most of us.
  • Hobartlemagne
    Hobartlemagne Posts: 566 Member
    I ride my bike then eat a bagel. That's about it for my approach.

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