Carbs. If you’re old enough to have lived through the fad dieting crazes of the 90’s and early 2000’s then you will probably see the word “carbs” as a curse word or at least a word you will want to avoid saying in polite company. In all seriousness though, managing your carbohydrate intake is one of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy diet and a great way to help you lose body fat. It just so happens that all of the “best” most tasty foods like noodles, bread, fries, and pizza are loaded with carbs and light on other nutrients. 

So, do you avoid carbs entirely and live a “dull” and plain lifestyle like a Benedictine monk, or do you continue to eat your favorite foods and accept the fact that you will always be overweight? What if we told you that there is a way that you could both eat the carbs you love while still losing weight, in a healthy way? Well, today we’re going to do just that as we talk about the benefits of carb cycling.

What Is Carb Cycling?

No, it isn’t a league for bread to ride bikes. It is actually a method of dietary discipline and scheduling in which the user will alternate between consuming large amounts of carbs on some days and little to no carbs on other days. Going up and down on a regular basis with your carb intake can actually have some dramatic impacts on your body’s makeup. It has been shown to help you to lose body fat, maintain high levels of skeletal muscle, and can even improve your overall metabolic health. 

How Do You Begin Carb Cycling?

To begin your carb cycling journey, you will need to have a few things in place first. You will need to set up your workout days on specific days of the week, like Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and make sure to strictly adhere to them, if you want this to work. Choose three days to be your “high carb” days and the other days will be your “low carb” days or recovery days. For this to work, you must follow your workout schedule exactly, or you will quickly get your cycle offset, thus ruining any benefits.

Sticking To Your Carb Cycle Routine

Once you have chosen your three high-activity or workout days, then you will also make those your high carb intake days. Start by eating 2 to 2.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight on high carb days and then reducing that to 0.5 grams per pound on low carb days. The schedule is easy to put down on paper, but difficult to master in implementation. Don’t give up if you have some off days in your first few weeks. It will definitely take some getting used to. It is, after all, a pretty drastic lifestyle change. For instance, if your friend is having a birthday party on one of your low-carb days, then you will have to avoid eating their birthday cake or having a “cheat meal” for dinner while out celebrating. 

For The Road

We hope you enjoyed learning about carb cycling options for your dietary needs. If you would like to know more about this or anything else along these lines, we are happy to help. Just contact us and we can go over your options and help you find the best path for your health and nutrition goals. Schedule a consultation for any of our amazing services by reaching out to us here. We look forward to hearing from you.