The Correct Way To Carb Cycle?

[fmorrow6]

OKAY, I think I'm ready for the next step. For four weeks now, I have been journaling everything. My food, my workouts. I've logged every little bite I've taken. I've done some adjusting to my diet to make a 40/40/20 split @ between 1400-1700 cals a day. (rotating 1400-1500 2 days, then 1700 the next day). Now that I've got that down pat, I would like to try carb cycling. But I need a plan. I want to do it correctly........(of courst, my goals are to lose fat and maintain my lean muscle....)

 

[Sassy69]

Lots of different ways to carb cycle. Generally the idea is to establish a level of starchy carb intake for a few days so your body is comfortable expecting that amount of carbs at particular times - it will adjust its metabolism to burn based on that expectation of preferred fuel input. The you can either do a taper down of High/Med/Low or go straight to "low" or none -- again depending on what you want. Atkins diet considers 30 g or less of carb to be "low" - I don't recall if that includes fibrous carbs or just the starchy carbs tho. But it gives you an idea of how low is "low". Then you run at "low" or no starchy carbs for some short period of time, e.g. 2-3 days. During this low time, your metabolism is still running like it is expecting the high number of carbs, except it isn't getting that. The trick is to run low for as long as it takes your body to realize it ISN"T gettng the amount of carb it had been conditioned to expect. Then just before it starts to readjust to the lower carb intake, you kick your starchy carb intake back up and restart the cycle.

You can usually tell when your metabolism is about to readjust when you start getting really lethargic and "stupid in the brain" as your body has consumed all the carb available to it in your body and will soon begin looking for a new source of energy. If you were to carry the low carb concept to the extent that the Atkins diet or any ketogenic diet does, you would have to wait thru this lethargic day or two until your body has converted to using a less-preferred source of energy. This other energy source is ketones (which produced by the liver from fatty acids). So you have to get thru this switch over period and then run on the ketones. (http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips011.html) In carb cycling, you don't go that far before a refeed (or going back to high carb).

One way I've done is to go 3 days at 100 g starchy carb (e.g. 2 meals of 50 mg russet potato) then 2 days without the potatos but replacing them with the same number of calories in fats (e.g. 1/4 cup almonds per 50 g carb). And just keep repeating this until you are where you want to be.

 

[Roonytunes]

Very basic questions....how do you know when you're ready to carb cycle? When you reach a certain bodyfat or when your body stops responding to your current routine? Also do you keep your cardio routine (be it HIIT or steady-state) the same on carb up and carb down days or do you work push harder on carb up days?

 

[fmorrow6]

SASSY TO THE RESCUE.............DAH-Duh-DUN- DAH!!!!!

You're so helpful. That's great info. Thanks sassy!!

 

[fmorrow6]

Thats a great question. Personally, I've decided to try it because a few people at the gym have tried it and it has worked well for those who stuck to it....lol.. I don't think low-carbing i.e. atkins, is healthy, so I'm comfortable with this plan. I had done the 40/40/20, because it seemed pretty basic and easy to start off with. To get my journaling down, and to begin to recognize portion sizes and what foods contained how much of each macronutrient. So, like I said, I'm stepping up, also, I feel I've kind of stalled on the fat loss, so I need a change. But I would also like to know about the cardio question you asked.

 

[The Shadow]

I like the concept of cycling by NOT replacing the loss in carbs cals by anything.

Increase the carbs - this bumps overall cal intake which bumps the metabolism

on the low carb day - there is a corresponding drop in cals



this accomplishes:

1 - A carb rotation
2 - Zig zag idea on overall cals

 

[*Bunny*]

Sassy great post as always

 

[sdupdike]

I like the concept of cycling by NOT replacing the loss in carbs cals by anything.

Increase the carbs - this bumps overall cal intake which bumps the metabolism

on the low carb day - there is a corresponding drop in cals



this accomplishes:

1 - A carb rotation
2 - Zig zag idea on overall cals

Great, this is exactly what I started doing a couple of weeks ago. I thought the same, about rotating carbs and calories. Seems to be working, I've dropped another % BF. Yeah!

 

[Sassy69]

There many ways to do it and yes, Shadow is correct on the cals changing as well. The point of adding in the fat on my description is to provide some additional form of energy support from the fat so you dont' get really stupid in the brain. Any of these approaches needs to accommodate your ability to function and should be adjusted in length or extent of "low" or no carb. Also the amount of high carb can increase or decrease as well. Just like the diet as whole, you need to experiment with different combinations (not just for one day) but run a complete carb cycle or two to see how you feel. Or also if you have done one way for a while and need to even change that up as your "way of dieting" is never really static because your body's response to it is always changing from shock to adjustment to comfortable, and its time to change again.

As far as matching your training -- in the past I've matched my heavier lifting (e.g. legs) with the higher carb days, and light or no lifting or just cardio or just a full day off with the low carb days, specifically the least amount of physical activity w/ the latest day of your low carbing because you are starting to feel really tapped. I will note on my current schedule, my training schedule is not dependent on my diet schedule and there really is no "heavy" day for lifting. I might get a sympathy excusing from my 2nd daily cardio session if I whine enough....

And also keep in mind your mental performance on low carb days - - dont' schedule a low carb day when you have a critical interview or an important client in town. It's hard to get sympathy for going off on someone because "Its my low carb day".

 

[gymmum]

I am having trouble understanding all these things on carbs, no carb, good carbs and starchy carbs. I don't know anything about carb cycling and I'm only 15 weeks out of my first comp. What is my trainer not telling me?????