Using Carb Cycling to Lose Weight and Cut Fat Fast
Beginner's Guide to Carb Cycling For Fat Loss

Make no mistake that calorie control is the main determining factor when you need to lose weight, or more specifically for losing fat, but macronutrient manipulation (e.g. carb cycling) is the next step for accelerating that process.

Is Carb Cycling the Perfect Solution?
Having a strictly no-carb or even low-carb diet isn?t necessary (nor would it be optimal) for losing fat fast. Bear in mind that carbohydrate restriction isn?t the same thing as calorie restriction. Unbeknownst to many people using a low-carb diet, they mainly drop weight so rapidly because they are simultaneously cutting calories (from the carb reduction) and losing muscle glycogen and water weight.

So yes, carb cycling works, but it?s not the panacea for losing fat and managing body weight. Ultimately, cutting calories will always be the best way to lose weight, but carb cycling will help give you that extra edge needed, especially when you want to burn fat fast. Therefore, this article will explain exactly what a carb cycling diet is, how it works, and how to devise a carb cycling plan to cut off that unwanted body-fat, fast!

What Does A Carb Cycling Diet Look Like?
Carb cycling is a means of altering your daily calorie intake by also manipulating the amount of carbs you consume. This will help you lose fat fast, get more toned and lose weight in the process. In general, a carb cycling diet is comprised of three different days, ranging from no-carb to high-carb intake days:

Zero-Carb Days (No-Starch)?Don?t take the ?no? too literally here; you?ll still be getting a trivial amount of carb intake from greens and fat sources ? trivial in comparison to your low-carb days and especially your high-carb days. The goal, though, is to avoid any direct starch sources and keep impact (non-fibrous) carbohydrates to as close to nil as possible.
Low-Carb Days?Low-carb days start at a baseline of eating 25% of your total calories in the form of carbohydrates. Keep in mind, the switch here could be something as simple as going from white rice for more carbs to brown rice for your low-carb days.
High-Carb Days?On these days, your carb intake will be 40% of your total calorie intake and you will be eating slightly more calories overall. High-carb days are essentially ?refeed? days and help restore muscle glycogen and reduce muscle breakdown.
NOTE*--You will inevitably need to fine-tune the exact amount of carbs you eat as you progress throughout the diet

What Happens to Your Body When You Cut Calories
The human body is smart, and it knows exactly how much energy (calories) it needs, so there is a bit of a conundrum we are all faced with?fat loss requires us to burn more calories than we consume, but if you do that for a long period of time the body adapts by reducing its metabolic rate (since survival is its primary concern, not necessarily muscle gain). Think about it from a biological perspective: it would be imprudent for your body to be depleting its energy reserves if nourishment is limited.

Keto vs. Carb Cycling
Some people may compare carb cycling to a ketogenic diet, but by having periods of low and high-carb, you may get many of the benefits provided by both diets, without some of the negatives that involve strictly choking off your carb intake as with Keto.

The goal for Keto is to be in a consistent state of Ketosis, where your body burns fat for fuel. It is far fewer carbs, is moderate in protein, and aims for high fat intake. While carb cycling is really a version of no to low carbohydrate intake, there is more of a fluctuation, and certainly does not include such high fat intake as keto does.

Other Benefits of Carb Cycling
While carb cycling aims to burn fat fast, it may even provide additional benefits that other diets cannot.

During low-carb periods, your body may experience enhanced metabolic health, may improve insulin sensitivity, and improve cholesterol. High-carb refeeds may also have positive effects on hormones during a diet, including thyroid hormones, testosterone, and leptin.

Some of these factors may play an important role in long-term dieting success since hormones play a key role in hunger, metabolism, and exercise performance (which is what we?re aiming for!).

Determine Your Daily Caloric & Macronutrient Needs:
Whichever weight category you fall into, those will be the number of calories and macronutrients you will aim for on the given no-carb or low-carb days.

Weight (lbs)

Calorie Goal

No-Carb Day Macros

Low-Carb Day Macros

100-120 lbs

1,500

170/20/85

150/94/58

121-140 lbs

1,700

193/23/96

170/107/66

141-160 lbs

1,900

216/26/107

190/120/74

161-180 lbs

2,100

239/29/118

210/133/82

181-200 lbs

2,300

262/32/129

230/146/90

201-220 lbs

2,400

273/34/135

240/153/94

221-240 lbs

2,500

285/35/140

250/160/98

241-260 lbs

2,600

297/36/146

260/166/102

261+ lbs

2,700

309/38/157

270/172/106

***Macros given as grams of Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat

High-Carb/Refeed Day Calorie and Macronutrient Breakdown

Weight (lbs)

Calorie Goal

High-Carb Day Macros

100-120 lbs

2,000

150/250/56

121-140 lbs

2,200

165/275/60

141-160 lbs

2,400

170/300/64

161-180 lbs

2,600

185/325/68

181-200 lbs

2,800

200/350/72

201-220 lbs

2,900

208/368/74

221-240 lbs

3,000

216/381/76

241-260 lbs

3,100

224/394/78

261+ lbs

3,200

232/407/80

***Macros given as grams of Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat

The Diet Rotation

No-carb Days?3 per week
Lower-carb Days?3 per week
Refeed/High-carb Days?1 per week
Diet Rotation (Starting on Monday)?

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Low-Carb

Low-Carb

No-Carb

No-Carb

No-Carb

High-Carb

Low-Carb

Keep track of everything you put in your mouth. Make sure you?re weighing out your portions and reading food labels so you have the proper serving size measurements. There are many apps available nowadays, such as MyFitnessPal, that easily allows you to log your food intake.

You should aim to eat 4-6 meals/snacks per day! Simply spread out your calorie/macronutrient and especially carb intake accordingly. Don?t worry if you indulge just a little bit here and there, the most important thing is to be meeting your calorie and macronutrient intake at the end of the day. That?s the beauty of carb cycling ? you can have your cake and eat it too (just not too much cake!).

Lastly, don?t freak out if you happen to be just a bit off from your calorie and/or macronutrient goal(s) at the end of the day. If your goal is to eat 1600 calories but you end up eating, say 1650 calories, don't sweat it. Just make up the difference the next day by eating a little less. Nobody is perfect and it is simply doing you more harm than good by ruminating over such a trivial matter.

Recommended Foods
The following table shows what foods we recommend you base your diet around. Remember, you don?t need to sacrifice taste just because you?re trying to trim some fat. Be creative and use seasonings and no-calorie condiments to give your food some kick without sabotaging your goals.

Food Groups

Recommended Foods List

Grains

Basmati Rice Whole-grain Pasta Grits

Quinoa Whole-grain Bread Oats

Barley Whole-wheat Couscous Shredded Wheat

Brown Rice

Vegetables (Non Starchy)

Salad/Lettuce Zucchini Artichoke Brussels Sprouts

Broccoli Celery Spinach Sour Cabbage

Asparagus Beetroot

Vegetables (Starchy)

Sweet Potato Lentils Corn Green Peas

Kidney Beans Chick Peas Carrots Beans

Yams



Fruit

Bananas Apples Plums Pineapple

Orange Grapes Apricots Pears

Figs Blueberries Melons Watermelon

Cherries Peaches



Dairy

Fat-Free/Low-Fat Milk Fat Free/Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

Fat-Free/Low-Fat Yogurt Fat-Free/Low-Fat Cheese

Greek Yogurt



Lean Protein

Tuna Egg Whites (whole eggs also count as fat source)

Skinless Chicken Breast 96% Lean Beef

Lamb Chops 96% Lean Turkey

Fillet Steak 96% Lean Beef

Tilapia Shrimp

Salmon (also counts as fat source)

Healthy Fats

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Avocado Peanuts

Almonds Cashews Pistachios

Natural Peanut Butter Olives Coconut (unsweetened)

Bringing it All Together
Using the information in this guide and putting it to use will surely help you cut off unwanted body fat and keep you feeling energetic and healthy. Remember, stick to the diet and be consistent with your exercise regimen, as the latter is just as important as the former.

You shouldn?t feel too ?deprived? at any point when doing a carb cycling diet; the good thing about this type of diet is you get to have your cake and eat it too, at least one day a week. You have the knowledge, now make it happen!

__________________
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]