What is a diet?
We have the misconception that a "diet" is this special thing that we do to lose weight - you're either on a diet or you're not. Guess what?!. We are ALL on a diet, whether you know it or not. Humor me and erase that mindset. The word "diet," according to Merriam Webster, is:a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed
b : habitual nourishment
d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight
That means even if you eat twinkies and nachos, and drink soda regularly then that is a part of your diet.
What is carb cycling?
Carb cycling is a diet that involves varying your carb intake through the week. You alternate your carb intake, so some days will be a "high carb" day and others a "low carb" day. I have seen some that had high, low, and no carb days. I think a "no carb" day would be very difficult. We need some bit of carbs to function, so you would crash early on. Also, most foods have carbs in them, so it also would be quite restrictive.
Who should do it?
This plan is popular among body builders, but I've seen that many others do it as well. While I'm not a professional at all, I don't see why it would be a problem for a healthy adult.
Bodybuilders have done this for quite a while. This fat burning plan helps prep them for competition, so they have as little fat visible as possible. Others do it to avoid or break a plateau. Plateaus happen to all of us! Our bodies are smart little machines.
How does it work?
Remember how I just said how smart our bodies are? If you've hit a plateau, then you know exactly what I'm talking about! Well, carb cycling is a way to outsmart your body and your metabolism. Typically when someone is trying to lose weight, they first thing they do is restrict calories. It works well for a while and then your weight loss halts. People say, "ah, it's not working anymore." Well, yes and no. Your body learned to expect the new fuel intake and adjusted your metabolism accordingly. If your body didn't do this, then it could risk starvation as you whittled away.
Carbs are a big part of the metabolic process related to fat burning and muscle building. Carb cycling works to deplete glycogen reserves (in the muscles) and refill them.
- High carb days are your refill points. Since carbs are energy, these are your high energy (and high activity) days. As your muscles refill with glycogen these days, they also are fueled with other nutrients. In turn, your fueling your body for muscle growth. (Mind you, carbs don't build muscles. That's why you'll need the protein intake.)
- Low carb days are your depletion points. During these days, your body will dip in to the glycogen stored in your muscles from your high carb days and use that. Once that is depleted, then it will start to burn fat for energy.
- Free days are added once a week to keep your body working and guessing, and to allow yourself some leniency. You can't go overboard these days, but allow yourself a "normal" day intake-wise. You can certainly treat yourself, too.
Calories... carbs... protein - AHH I'm confused!
We need carbs to have energy to perform our daily tasks and fuel our workouts. Our bodies even use energy to merely survive. Yes, that means when you are being a couch potato or sleeping - your body is still burning calories. Albeit, not as many calories as you would if you were active and certainly you're not building muscle. But, you get the drift! Food is fuel.
How many calories do I need? I follow Jamie Eason's rule of thumb for calorie intake. Take your ideal weight and multiply it by 10. Add 200-500 calories to get your goal calorie range. Stick with the lower range for lighter exercise days or rest days, and the higher range for more intense days. For example if your goal weight was 125, then your formula would look like this:
125 (ideal weight) x 10 = 1,250 (baseline calories)
1,250 (baseline calories) + 200 (lower range) = 1,450 calories
1,250 (baseline calories) + 500 (higher range) = 1,750 calories
How many carbs do I need? This has varied quite a bit when I've researched; I think due to varying goals (body builders, weight loss, etc). Also, some people are more sensitive to carbs. As for me, my low carb days are 60-75g. My high carb days are around 150-200g. Below are just two of the calculators I came across. I recomend looking around and see what you feel more comfortable with.
How much protein do I need?
Depending on your goals, your protein should be 1-1.5 g per pound of body weight. So, at 145lb (give or take, since I don't weight myself) I aim for 145g of protein a day. This seems like a lot (and it is), but you want to support your muscle growth and prevent your body from using muscle tissue as energy.
What does a week of carb cycling look like?
A low carb day will look different from a high carb day.
Low carb day:
Meal 1: 1 carb, 1 protein, unlimited veggies
Meals 2-5 (or 6): 1 protein, 1 fat, unlimited veggies
High carb day:
Meals 1-5(or 6): 1 protein, 1 carb, unlimited veggies
A week can vary depending your activity levels. But a sample week could look like this:
Monday: Low carb
Tuesday: Low carb
Wednesday: High carb
Thursday: Low carb
Friday: High carb
Saturday: Low carb
Sunday: Free day
This can differ from person to person. Do what works for you. I align my high carb days with my more intense workout days or if I have more than one session in a day. Also, I don't have two high carb days back-to-back. See what works for you, and adjust it accordingly.
What kind of foods do I eat?
Remember how I said not all carbs are bad? That's true, but there are bad ones. Please don't think on your high carb days, you can meet your carb goal by drinking your way through Starbucks and eating pizza. That will completely throw your body out of whack! You should always stick with whole, clean foods. I call them "God's foods," as they are foods that He made and provided for us. Choose the foods that are closest to their original state and have very few (and recognizable) ingredients.
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Protein
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Dairy
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Cottage cheese (low fat)
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Eggs
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Egg substitutes
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Greek yogurt (nonfat plain)
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Yogurt (low carb/high protein)
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Poultry
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Red Meat
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Beef (lean cuts)
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Roast beef
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Seafood
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Tempeh
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White Meat (lean)
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Tofu
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Carbs
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Yogurt (low fat) with fruit
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Corn tortillas
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Whole grain breads
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Apples
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Apricots
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Bananas
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Berries
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Grapes
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Kiwi
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Melons
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Oranges
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Tangerines
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Peaches
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Nectarines
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Pears
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Pineapple
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Plums
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Corn
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Couscous
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Brown or Wild rice
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Oatmeal
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Milk
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Popcorn
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Quinoa
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Brown rice pasta
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Root Vegetables
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Potatoes
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Peas
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Sweet potatoes/yams
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Legumes
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Beans
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Soy Milk
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Edamame
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Veggies
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Artichokes
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Arugula
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Asparagus
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Beets
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Bok Choy
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Broccoli
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Brussels sprouts
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Cabbage
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Carrots
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Cauliflower
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Celery
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Collard greens
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Cucumber
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Eggplant
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Endive
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Green beans
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Kale
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Lettuce
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Mixed greens
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Mushrooms
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Mustard greens
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Okra
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Onions
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Peppers
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Zucchini
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Radishes
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Rhubarb
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Romaine
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Rutabaga
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Snow peas
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Spinach
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Sprouts
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Squash
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Tomatoes
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Turnips
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Fats
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Cheese (low fat)
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Feta cheese
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Heavy cream
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Mozzarella (low fat)
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Balsamic vinaigrette
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Creamy salad dressing (low fat)
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Mayonnaise (regular)
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Safflower oil
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Avocado
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Olives (large)
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Almond butter
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Almonds (raw)
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Peanut butter (natural)
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Peanuts (raw)
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Pecans (raw)
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Pumpkin seeds
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Sesame butter/tahini
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Sunflower seeds
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Soy nuts (roasted)
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Walnuts (raw)
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Canola oil
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Fish oil
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Flaxseed oil
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Olive oil
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What should I expect?
Each person will be different. I did well on my first low carb day, but around 6 pm I hit a wall. I got through it and slept well, but I was quite fatigued the following morning. I immediately had a bowl of oats and eggs for breakfast. Within an hour, I was fueled. While some people can handle that, as a teacher and a parent I need my energy! So, I upped my "low carb" intake to prevent that from happening again.
Other tips
- Drink lots and lots of water. You already know this! :)
- Eat every 3-4 hours, 5-6 meals a day.
- Don't be too hard on yourself!
- Plan out your meals ahead of time. It makes everything so much easier and you avoid getting stuck without your nutritious food.
- I'm not a fan of the scale, but if you must weigh yourself then remember you'll hold more water on high carb days.
- Take your measurements AND before and afters. Since weight can fluctuate so much (especially for women), that means it is not 100% accurate. Measure and take progress pics. I take progress pics weekly.
- A deficit of 3500 calories is needed to lose a lb - remember that on high carb and free days and don't go crazy!
- Remember, there are no quick fixes. This is a process.
- Be flexible. If you "mess up," it's OKAY! Life is messy... it happens.
*I'm not a medical professional. I love all aspects of fitness, and this is information that I've learned when I've researched the topic.
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