Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, see your abs, or get back in shape, calorie and carb cycling can make a real difference.
(Make sure nutrient deficiencies are eliminated, calories are controlled, and macronutrients are aligned appropriately–and that you’re doing all of this consistently before considering this fine-tuning strategy).
While it may have a fancy name, carb cycling is simply eating more carbohydrates on some days–usually on high volume or high intensity days–and eating fewer carbohydrates on other days–usually low volume, low intensity, or off days.
The focus is on carbohydrates (and not protein or fats) because carbs influence body composition, how you look, and how you feel the most.
By changing carbohydrate and therefore calorie intake on particular days, we can keep fat loss and metabolic rate going, without the bad effects of calorie or carb restriction.
The carb and calorie cycling approach is pretty simple, and based on your activity.
On the days you’re not lifting weights–or days you’re just doing low intensity or short duration exercise–eat a baseline diet of mostly protein, vegetables and healthy fats with minimal carbs.
On the days you are lifting weights–or you’re doing longer duration high intensity exercise–add starchy carbs to your baseline diet.
There’s no need to measure or count calories. Follow a baseline diet on lower carb days, and add carbs on higher carb days.
Most importantly, please remember, removing deficiencies, controlling calorie intake, and beginning to eat for your body type consistently must come first. If you haven’t done those first, this strategy usually backfires.
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