Carb cycling is one of the most efficient methods of losing fat. Fitness models and bodybuilding pros will swear by it as the ideal method of leaning down and lowering their bodyfat percentage.
Basically, carb cycling is a technique which uses "high carbohydrate days" mixed with periods of 'low carb days". For example, you may go four days on a diet very low in carbs. On the fifth day, you will consume a lot more carbs.
There are a few benefits of this. Firstly, it gives you a break from the cravings and mental agony of a low carb diet. People who are on permanent low carb diets often feel sluggish, easily annoyed, and can't really exercise hard.
With carb cycling, all these negative side effects are minimised. You will have more energy to train harder and you get to satisfy your cravings. A win-win situation. Of course, you lose weight faster too.
There are 5 facts about carb cycling that you should be aware of. This will help you make an informed decision about whether you should adopt carb cycling as your method of fat loss.
Firstly, your high carb days are best suited on days when your training is intense and heavy. The main reason for this is that your body will be needing the carbohydrates for the intense training.
By consuming the carbs before your workout, you'll give your body the fuel it needs so that it can train harder and better. Consuming carbs after your workout will shuttle the carbs to the muscles and will help with muscle recovery.
Secondly, you should be aware that you will gain weight on the high carb day. Do not panic. This is just water weight. Every gram of carbohydrate will store about 3 to 4 grams of water. On high carb days, since you'll be consuming a lot more carbs, your body will hold on to much more water.
You will lose the water weight the following day when you're back on your low carb phase.
The third fact is crucial. It's one fact that many people who follow carb cycling make. You must decrease your fat intake on high carb days. When you consume more carbs, your body releases insulin.
When you consume fats while insulin is present, the potential for fat storage is very high.
Furthermore, by consuming less fat on high carb days, you are able to consume even more carbs. You only want to exceeed the calories of your low carb day by about 400 to 600 calories. This will prevent you from cancelling out your fat loss for the past few days.
The fourth point to note is that, you will need to consume carbs that are high in glucose. It doesn't really matter if it's simple or complex carbs, as long as it's a simple source of glucose. You want the glucose to get stored in your muscles.
The last fact to note and ultimately, the most important one- Always maintain calorie intake for fat loss. If you have to consume 16, 000 calories a week, then you should not exceeed this amount.
Going into exact details of managing your calories is beyond the scope of this article. However, there is a website that is perfect for people wishing to lose weight fast with carb cycling. It's called The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution. You may wish to visit it and learn more. You'll be glad you did.
