If you’re feeling confused about carbs these days, it’s okay: you’re not alone. Amongst all the low-carb and no-carb diets like Keto and the Atkins diet, you’ll also hear the term “carb cycling.” Wondering how to lose weight safely and effectively with carb cycling? Many people are finding weight-loss success using this program. Carb cycling has been toted as a safer way to burn fat and lose weight because it has fewer negative side effects than completely cutting out carbohydrates.
After we talk about what carb cycling is, we’ll discuss how it works and whether you’ll lose weight using a carb cycling program. Carb cycling isn’t for every, so we’ll also talk about who it’s best for (as always, you’ll want to check with your doctor or nutritionist before starting a new weight-loss or workout program). Finally, we’ll get to the really good stuff: what a week of carb cycling looks like so you can decide if it’s right for you!
What is Carb Cycling?
Carb cycling is a program where you alternate days of high- and low-carbohydrate intake. These programs were created by serious athletes and bodybuilders who exercise intensely multiple times per week. Their trainers knew they needed higher amounts of carbohydrates to give their bodies fuel to get through the workout. On the other hand, they didn’t need as many carbs on the days they didn’t work out.
Athletes may schedule several different kinds of carb cycling – including low-carb, medium-carb, and high-carb days. The timing of the days and the amount of carbs consumed depends on each persons individual situation. Don’t worry, though – we’ll provide you with a sample schedule at the end of this article!
With the rise in popularity of low-carb diets like Keto, non-athletes are becoming interested in carb cycling. After all, isn’t it easier to mentally handle an extremely low-carb day when you know you can eat all the carbs you want a few days later?
How Does Carb Cycling Work?
The reason carb cycling works is because your body is designed to use carbohydrates as its primary fuel source. If you’re working out a lot, you really won’t be successful if you don’t give your body what it needs. On the other hand, when your body receives a limited amount of carbs, it switches to burning fat for energy. If you’re trying to lose weight and reduce your body fat, carb reduction can be really helpful!
Will You Lose Weight?
Since this is a relatively new program, the long-term effects of carb cycling are unknown. But, for the short term, many people are seeing results when practicing carb cycling. The results are especially evident when people sync their high-carb days with their workout days. On the non-exercise days, carb cycling seems to be particularly effective in helping you from overeating. After all, it’s much harder to eat a ton of broccoli than it is to munch on potato chips when you’re lounging on the couch!
The most important thing to know when you want to learn how to lose weight safely and effectively with carb cycling? The experts suggest that you only practice it for short-term use. It’s not a long-term solution for weight management because it may put excessive amounts of stress on your body.
Who Should Try It?
While there’s nothing particularly dangerous about switching up your carbohydrate intake schedule, the experts really recommend this program for athletes. If you’re not participating in a workout program, there’s little benefit to having high-carbohydrate days. Without burning all these extra carbs, you may end up turning all that food into excess fat.
We’re finally getting to the good stuff! Move on to the next page to see what a week of carb cycling looks like. Then, you can decide for yourself if it’s right for you.
What Does a Week of Carb Cycling Look Like?
You want to know how to lose weight safely and effectively with carb cycling? Follow this example week! We’ve provided an example program, but you’ll need to do your own math to figure out your target calories if they’re different from our weekly goal. You see, it’s really important that you stick to your total weekly calorie goal. You might go over the goal on your high-carbohydrate days, so you’ll need to compensate with the low-carb days.
High-Carb Day 1: Workout (1,550 calories, 175 grams carbs)
Low-Carb Day 2: Rest (1,200 calories, 50 grams carbs)
High-Carb Day 3: Workout (1,550 calories, 200 grams carbs)
Medium-Carb Day 4: Rest (1,200 calories, 75 grams carbs)
High-Carb Day 5: Workout (1,550 calories, 150 grams carbs)
High-Carb Day 6: Workout, high-carb day (1,550 calories, 200 grams carbs)
Low-Carb Day 7: Rest (1,200 calories, 50 grams carbs)
This plan has us finishing at 9,800 calories for the week, or 1,400 calories per day, which puts most people in a safe 0.5- to 1-pound of weight loss per week. And, since we’ve synced our high-carb days with our workout days, all of those calories should be well-used for weight loss.
If you’ve had success using carb cycling, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line in the comments and let us know how it worked!
The best way to lose weight is to stay educated.
