Has anybody done a carb cycling diet?

[hamster]

It showed up on my facebook feed from Chris and Heidi Powell. Basically you alternate high carb and low carb days. I want to do low carb but always struggle, cause, duh, carbs are nummy.

I'm skeptical how well this idea works though.

[brit]

My DH has been carb cycling for almost a year and it's been great for him. He is VERY disciplined and is diligent about keeping track of his macros. I know I would benefit from it, but I'm just not that disciplined.

[Deleted]

I personally think it's complicated an unecessary. I've read their book and wasn't impressed. I would be too hungry if i followed their meal plans. Also, I have a hard time taking any kind of nutrition advice from Heidi... she is too thin IMO.

[hamster]

Sept 17, 2014 17:52:34 GMT -5 brit said:

My DH has been carb cycling for almost a year and it's been great for him. He is VERY disciplined and is diligent about keeping track of his macros. I know I would benefit from it, but I'm just not that disciplined.

Do you know how many net carbs he eats on his high and low days?

[brit]

I'll have to ask him tonight.

[WinterWine]

I'm not a diet person, but I really don't get conceptually how that would make you lose weight. Though I've also never heard of it until now. Over the long run I think a balanced diet high on veggies and some fruit is a better gameplan. Though like I said I'm into lifestyle changes, nor diets.

Not intended to be rude, just really don't get the concept behind this one.

[crashgizmo]

Sept 17, 2014 19:04:12 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

I haven't read anything about this diet, but I find that when I eat low carb, the first few days are miserable. I'm not sure I'd want to be going through carb withdrawal every few days.

Yeah I'm here. We eat pretty low carb and after a weekend of splurging or vacation the first day or two back on the wagon suuuuccks. 

[starlily]

Sept 17, 2014 17:22:47 GMT -5 hamster said:

It showed up on my facebook feed from Chris and Heidi Powell. Basically you alternate high carb and low carb days. I want to do low carb but always struggle, cause, duh, carbs are nummy.

I'm skeptical how well this idea works though.

Have you ever tried cycling your carbs during the day? I find it easier to stick to a lower carb diet if I assign the highest number of carbs to either breakfast or lunch. So if my goal was to stay around 100 grams of carbs per day, I'd do maybe 25-30g at breakfast, 50g at lunch, and 20-25g at dinner.

[Deleted]

I've never cycled carbs. I have counted macros though and it was somewhat maddening, but very effective. I can't imagine trying to change up the carb allotment all the time though. Just counting macros alone is very time consuming.

[Deleted]

Why would you do that?

[gummybear]

Chiming in from H&F, I've loosely carb cycled all summer (the first month was pretty strict) and I've found it very effective and easy to follow. I read Chris Powell's book and found it OK for explaining the concept, but the calorie recommendations were way too low for me as a fairly active person. I did some research and now use macros instead of their recommendation of serving sizes. I did it because I have a huge binging problem with carbs, so it wasn't so much about losing lbs (I was already squarely at a healthy weight) as it was cleaning up my eating. I still lost about 4 lbs, and to be honest, there were days when I struggled to eat all the food I needed to eat, which has never happened to me. I also liked it because you don't long for "off limits" foods and there is room for a cheat day.

Anyway, when I follow my macros, I am still coming in with a calorie deficit. That is why it works. There is no magic in the diet other than you are eating less than you burn. It is easier for me to follow this diet because the protein is so high, and on low carb days the fat is high too, therefore I am satisfied. It also eliminates the snacky stuff and mindless eating of carbs for the majority of the week, which was my downfall.

[protozoa]

I have not. But do realize that carbs are not as yummy without the fat. Mmmmm plain potatoes. There was a recent paleo view podcast with mark Sisson as a guest that explained why it might not work, too.

[hamster]

Sept 17, 2014 19:41:13 GMT -5 starlily said:

Sept 17, 2014 17:22:47 GMT -5 hamster said:

It showed up on my facebook feed from Chris and Heidi Powell. Basically you alternate high carb and low carb days. I want to do low carb but always struggle, cause, duh, carbs are nummy.

I'm skeptical how well this idea works though.

Have you ever tried cycling your carbs during the day? I find it easier to stick to a lower carb diet if I assign the highest number of carbs to either breakfast or lunch. So if my goal was to stay around 100 grams of carbs per day, I'd do maybe 25-30g at breakfast, 50g at lunch, and 20-25g at dinner.

Not intentionally. I know my breakfasts tend to be low, since it's my least favorite meal and Id rather save my carbs. Evenings are almost always high, if I'm going to make a generalization.

[jmorgan]

Hello,
I wrote a book on the carb cycling diet, it explains the diet, provides some great nutritional tips, includes over 25 carb cycling recipes and has a diet journal. I would be happy to share the ebook version to anyone on this post for free. Just send me a quick note at [e-mail] and let me know if you would prefer the ipad or kindle version. If you want to check it out, you can go to www.carbcycle.net for more information. The book has been available on amazon in ebook and print format since the beginning of the year. No strings attached, just trying to spread the word.

[boiler717]

I'm not super into carb cycling. I just follow a moderate to low carbohydrate diet, mostly focusing on carbs from vegetables, 1-2 fruits a days and a few whole grains.

[dexteroni]

Sept 17, 2014 19:14:12 GMT -5 crashgizmo said:

Sept 17, 2014 19:04:12 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

I haven't read anything about this diet, but I find that when I eat low carb, the first few days are miserable. I'm not sure I'd want to be going through carb withdrawal every few days.

Yeah I'm here. We eat pretty low carb and after a weekend of splurging or vacation the first day or two back on the wagon suuuuccks. 

I was coming in to say the same thing. hamster Did they say what the advantage is of doing this? Because it would be so hard for me to swing to both sides of the pendulum like that. It would have to *really* be worth it.

[mrshandy]

Someone on H&f does this. I can't remember her screen name though.

[Deleted]

The idea behind carb cycling is that low carb diets are not sustainable because carbs are essential for energy. A high carb diet would provide a boost in energy but they do not aide in fat loss.

So you cycle them, you eat higher carbs on intense training days, and lower carbs on low intensity or rest days. You increase your fat on low/no carb days to still meet your macros. With no training + increased fat intake + stored energy, you wouldn't have carb withdrawals.

I really think anyone interested in carb cycling would be better served by counting macros before diving into carb cycling. You would get a moderate amount of carbs per day, not low carb, not high carb.

[hamster]

Oct 19, 2014 18:35:59 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Sept 17, 2014 19:14:12 GMT -5 crashgizmo said:

Yeah I'm here. We eat pretty low carb and after a weekend of splurging or vacation the first day or two back on the wagon suuuuccks. 

I was coming in to say the same thing. hamster Did they say what the advantage is of doing this? Because it would be so hard for me to swing to both sides of the pendulum like that. It would have to *really* be worth it.

Maybe? This post is a couple months old I'm  pretty sure it
 was a drunk  tangent, lol

[dexteroni]

Oct 19, 2014 20:19:14 GMT -5 hamster said:

Oct 19, 2014 18:35:59 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

I was coming in to say the same thing. hamster Did they say what the advantage is of doing this? Because it would be so hard for me to swing to both sides of the pendulum like that. It would have to *really* be worth it.

Maybe? This post is a couple months old I'm  pretty sure it
 was a drunk  tangent, lol

Oh! lol. I just read through the replies and realized that the post was bumped by someone who wrote a book about it. Huh.