Guide: How To Carb Cycle…Lose body fat, get lean and build muscle

“Carb cycling” is a technique of changing the amount of carbohydrates you eat from day to day. There are days of no, low, medium or high carbs. This is why we call it cycling. It works well, because the body is constantly being tricked with food intake, so one rarely reaches a dreaded plateau. Another benefit of carb cycling is that it is a much easier nutrition routine to follow than no carbs, because there are days when one is allowed to eat high carbs. Carb cycling was, is and will continue to be a go-to nutritional technique for fitness models, bodybuilders and pageant contestants,because it produces the best fat shedding results! The technique itself is easy, but make no mistake, even one day of absolutely no carbs or even low carbs can be very draining mentally to many people. It requires meticulous record keeping of the foods that go in and out of your body. YES, calorie counting…protein, carb, fat counting too!!! That’s why the average person will shy away from it. The common reason is that it’s too tedious.

READY TO QUIT BEFORE YOU START? If you won’t make time to cook EVERY DAY (or at least prep everything for the week ahead), learn a few more nutrition concepts and count the macro nutrients you consume, then you probably shouldn’t delve into carb cycling, because it won’t work for you.

ALTERNATELY, there is a ready-made easy way. A shortcut to carb cycling can be used temporarily. I say temporarily, because you won’t want to follow this cookie cutter routine forever. You’ll need something more tailored for you in order to maximize results. Hopefully, you’ll be motivated to learn the whys and hows of carb cycling after you test the short cut route. Why? Because as many people begin the shortcut route, they also begin to see results, and THEY WANT MORE! Once that happens, they commit to delving in full force and creating all sorts of different meal combinations.

How It Works:

Carb cycling works by providing your body with a burst of fuel it needs to boost your metabolism (on medium to high days), as well as just enough fuel to create a caloric deficit designed to force usage of your stored body fat (no to low days). Here is the standard three day carb cycling technique:
-High Carbs Day
-Medium/Low Carb Day
-Low/No Carbs Day
Remember, this high/medium/low technique is referring to carbs only, not protein or fat. However, there are many forms of cycling. For example: Jane Doe cycles between high carb days and low carb days. Her cardio days are her high carb days, and her strength training days are her low carb days. Note that this nutrition technique should be tweaked for individual goals. In standard cases, a high carb day should be on an intense training day, and a low carb day should be on a lighter training or no training day. Also, macro nutrient ratios (carbohydrate, protein, fat) must be carefully planned BY THE MEAL. It’s not enough to stay within total macros for the day.

Protein:
Biology 101…proteins (amino acids) are the building blocks of life. They are used to build tissues, including muscle.

Fat:
Fats are necessary for maintaining fat soluble vitamin absorption, skin health, nervous system health, essential fatty acids, and fuel.

Carbohydrates:
Carb are the body’s number one source of fuel. Both protein and fat can be broken down into sugar (carb) to be used for fuel, but the body prefers carbs. Carbs, also help the body absorb calcium, protect muscle, regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. So, they’re good!

Carb Cycling Breakdown:

1. Use the grams per pound method below, or use an energy expenditure formula like Harris Benedict. Note that you will need to select  macronutrient ratios to use after you use the Harris Benedict formula. The common recommendations for macronutrient ratios are as follows:

• USDA : 45-65% Carbohydrate; 20-35% Fat; 10-35% Protein 
• Zone diet: 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat
• Atkin’s Low-carb diet: 25% carbs, 40% protein, 35% fat
• Standard Low-fat diet: 60% carbs, 25% protein, 15% fat
• SHRED diet (i.e. Dr. Ian K. Smith): 50% carbohydrates; 30% fat, 20% protein
• Team Beach Body (i.e. P90X):
•               Phase 1: 30% carb, 20% fat, 50% protein
  Phase 2: 40% carb, 20% fat, 40% protein
  Phase 3: 60% carb, 20% fat, 20% protein
• HCG diet: calorie based, not macronutrient based

Per Individual Body Weight Pound Method Below

WOMEN

High Day

Carbs: 0.9-1.0 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 0.75 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: as little as possible

Low/Medium Day

Carbs: 0.2-0.5 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 0.9-1.0 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: 0.1-0.2 grams per pound of body weight

No Day

Carbs: 0.0 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1.1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
Fat:0.1-0.2 grams per pound of body weight

MEN

High day

Carbs: 2-3 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1-1.25 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: as little as possible

Low/Medium Days

Carbs: 0.5-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: 0.15-0.35 grams per pound of body weight

No Days

Carbs: 0.0 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1.75-2 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: 0.15-0.35 grams per pound of body weight

Carb Cycling Easy Cookie Cutter 1 2 3 Sample Days

Women/Men

Note that you need to calculate your grams per your individual weight. If you get lost or need help here, just ask for help.

Jane Doe – 135lbs, 65 inches tall

High Day

Carbs: 0.9-1.0 grams per pound of body weight (i.e. 121.5g-135g for the entire day)
Protein: 0.75 grams per pound of body weight (101.25g for the entire day)
Fat: as little as possible (i.e. only amount found naturally in carbs or protein eaten for the day. nothing added)

6:30 – Meal 1: 1 cup of old fashioned oatmeal with 20g of dried cranberries and 28g of almonds
9:00 – Meal 2: medium banana
11:30 – 12 – Meal 3: 4oz baked turkey breast, 1 cup spinach
2:30 – 3:00 – Meal 4: medium apple
5:30 – 6:00 – Meal 5: 7oz Tilapia, 1 cup broccoli
8:00 – 8:30 – Meal 6: 1cup Baked Tofu, 8oz 1% milk

John Doe – 165lbs, 68 inches tall

Low Day/Medium

Carbs: 0.5-1.5 grams per pound of body weight (i.e.82.5 g for the entire day)
Protein: 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of body weight (i.e. 247.5g for the entire day)
Fat:0.15-0.35 grams per pound of body weight (i.e. 57.75g for the entire day)

6:30a.m. – Meal 1: 8 oz. 12 egg whites no yolk; just under a cup of oatmeal
9:00a.m. – Meal 2: 4 oz. baked chicken, one table spoon natural peanut butter; 1 cup spinach
11:30a.m. – 12:00p.m. – Meal 3: 8 oz. baked turkey breast, one table spoon natural p. butter; 1 cup spinach
1:30 – 2 :00p.m. (whenever your workout is) – Workout Meal/ immediately after 1 scoop whey protein in water, skim milk, almond or soy milk
2:30 – 3:00p.m. – Meal 4: 7oz. Tilapia, 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread
5:30 – 6:30p.m. – Meal 5: 8 oz. chicken, 1 cup broccoli
8:30 – 9:00p.m. – Meal 6: (shake)1scoop whey protein powder, 2 tablespoons peanut butter