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Carb Cycling 101: What You Need To Know To Be Successful At It
Much is contradictory in our quickly expanding world of 2021.. Politics, social issues, pandemic responses, getting rid of cable only to subscribe to 36 different streaming services, but carbs?? Carbohydrates are loved while being hated, hated while loved. Praised by one, admonished by another, and a precursor to addiction for the next in line. The truth is there are performance and results benefits to having carbs strategically, so with understanding you’ll see the truth about them lies somewhere in the middle; let me explain.
SECTIONS:
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What Are Carbs
Before we get into cycling, a definition. Carbohydrates (carbs) are one of three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fat. A macronutrient (macro) is a type of food consumed in large portions of the traditional diet.
Carbs are starches, sugars, and fiber representing 4 calories per gram and along with creatine is hailed for its ability to provide energy, particularly for weight training.
So carbs are already an energy source upon consumption, but the primary way they render energy for pumping iron is via stored glycogen through a process called glycolysis.
Carbs convert to glucose (sugar) after the chow bell. What glucose isn’t used for energy in the moment is stored as liver and/or muscle glycogen for later use, namely intense short duration movements i.e. resistance training. This is why you want to refill your glycogen stores even while in a weight loss phase.
Unfortunately what isn’t used or stored as glycogen is converted to and stored as adipose tissue (body fat).
Now.. All carbs aren’t created equal, they’re to be used at different times:
Simple carbs (high glycemic load/index) - digest quickly and cause a blood sugar spike. Limit those since they can lead to type 2 diabetes in excess and raise the likelihood of fat storage, but they can be used judiciously post-weight training or high intensity cardio with protein for potentially greater protein synthesis.
Complex carbs (medium-low glycemic load/index) - take longer to digest and impact your blood sugar levels to a lesser degree. Can be used throughout the day with less worry.
Note: like any macro, carbs can be stored as adipose tissue. When you consume excess calories (calorie surplus) you gain weight.
What Is Carb Cycling
At this point you know carbs aren’t little Nikky’s father, yet they are to receive a sort of rubber gloved treatment.
My preferred method of treatment is to cycle thy carb.
Note: all diets generally work for losing fat, but some provide better results than others. On that note not all diets work for building muscle, protein is a precursor.
Carb cycling is when you intentionally, and hopefully methodically, vary your carbohydrate intake day to day. Some days you’ll go high carb and others low, more on specifics later.
Carb cycling isn’t to be done in isolation, it is in tandem with calorie cycling as a whole.
Calorie cycling is varying your calorie intake day to day.. On low carb days your calories will be lower while protein and dietary fat remain generally the same. High carb days? Higher calories.
Note: when you insert refeeds you are doing a version of calorie cycling. A refeed is when you’re glycogen depleted, so you consume a solid amount of carbs to replenish glycogen and hopefully keep metabolism up as the fat loss journey continues.
Because carb cycling is accompanied with calorie cycling it’s usually reserved for those on a cut.
But.. If you want to gain weight at a steady pace and keep fat off as long as possible during a bulk, don’t sleep on carb cycling.
It’s always about energy balance, as long as you consume more calories than you burn over time you’ll grow; vice versa and you’ll shrink.
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Pros Of Carb Cycling
Here’s why one would choose the carb cycling life:
Better muscle retention when in a calorie deficit [1]
Enhanced muscle protein synthesis [2]
Better resistance training energy compared to strictly low carb diets
Fuller muscle appearance despite low carb stints
Slows the decline of metabolism that inevitably leads to reverse dieting*
Improves insulin sensitivity
Makes you better at metabolizing fat [3]
Helps fend off some of the hunger on low carb days
Enables you to gain weight with less fat accumulation
Psychologically helpful knowing you don’t have to completely deprive yourself
Makes dietary compliance easier
*Long-term calorie deficits lead to your body making adjustments such as slowing your metabolism. Carb/calorie cycling slows how quickly your body adjusts, extending the length of progress.
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Cons Of Carb Cycling
Carb cycling side effects to be aware of:
High glycemic blood sugar spikes could nudge you to type 2 diabetes
You’ll be pretty full on high carb days
Slower weight loss pace, but remember.. Results last longer this way
Weight fluctuations are more severe than when traditionally dieting
Groggy low carb days, you may feel irritable the first few weeks
You will need to track calories and macros
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How To Carb Cycle
Transparency: it takes a little more discipline to enroll in carb cycling university, for macro awareness is a must. You’ll need to get into tracking calories too if you want to get the full experience.
But you want it right? Do what it takes.
So carbs will vary based on the day. You can go with a combination of high, medium, and low. I tend to prescribe only two of the options based on where we are on our timeline. This is to make maneuvering the process less strenuous rather than doing all three levels at once.
Categories:
High: 40+% of total calories
Medium: 20-39% of total calories
Low: under 20% of total calories
According to my research there are still 7 days in a week. Tracking comes about more easily if you do this with weekly intervals. You can go with 1-6 high days and 1-6 low days. Calories in versus calories out, so whatever schedule you choose when you add up the calories for a week.. If you’re in a surplus you gain, deficit you’ll lose.
For example my most recent cut was:
2 high carb days
5 low carb days
Had a daily average calorie deficit of 400 calories.
Typically if you include more high than low days you want to bulk, yet if more low than high you’re looking to cut.
Calories in versus calories out though, I’ve bulked with 3 high days and 4 low in the past since my high days were with a strong calorie surplus.
Your Steps Are As Follows:
One: pick a goal - gain, maintain, or lose.
Two: figure your maintenance number of calories using a Katch-McArdle or St. Mifflin-Jeor calculator.
Three: decide to go above, below, or stay at that number of calories for your low and again for your high day to gain, lose, or maintain over time.
Four: allocate protein calories, carbs, and the rest is dietary fat.
Don’t forget, you’ll do this for two different days: one high & one low.
Based on your two choices do the math to double check, ensuring the average works in your favor.
If you do 6 low days multiply 6 by your chosen low carb day number of calories and add that to the 7th day calories, which is a high day.
Divide this result by 7 and that’s your average.. Compare that average to your maintenance level of calories and its difference is the estimate of what direction you’ll go in on average per day.
Optional step five: I do it for you and you just follow directions.
Note: your high carb days can even be surplus calorie days when dieting for weight loss if you want your metabolism to hold up for even longer, yes this slows results, but also yes this makes results continue to come in before you hit that wall.
Another note: numbers are estimates, each person’s will vary in one direction or another based on how many carbs it takes to fill their glycogen stores, how intense their training is, and so on.
Another ‘nother note: protein and dietary fat are to remain consistent day over day. There’s no benefit from volatility in their respective intakes.
Last note, maybe: calorie calculators are estimates/starting points, as well. Adjust in the appropriate direction according to progress, or lack of.
Cycling or no cycling, exercise strategic timing of carbs. When it comes to simple carbs either avoid them altogether, aside from the occasional cheat meal, or only use them after weight training coupled with a protein source.. Preferably whey protein isolate.
This tag team boosts protein synthesis without the typical worries accompanying simple carbs.
Complex carbs aren’t a time sensitive matter.
Another strategy for your tool kit is to ensure your high carb days land on a day you lift, and if you want to get super fancy a day you work major muscle groups like legs.
This’ll give you better recovery and refill those big glycogen stores.
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My Thoughts
Carb cycling falls short of being a dietary miracle, for exist? Those do not.
Still boils down to basics for overall physique direction: eat more calories than you burn and you grow, consume the same amount of calories as you burn and there’s a stalemate, then if you take in less calories than you burn weight shall begin to wither. Regardless of the diet plan you choose, those are the laws you have no choice, but to live by or find yourself eternally wondering why.
Keep in mind the difference between fat loss and weight loss, which is where accounting for fluctuation comes in. Water molecules bind to glycogen, so as your glycogen stores empty, refill, and empty again weight will jump around. Now that you know you’ll avoid a house of pain; hehe. Properly tracking results with methods like photos and body fat calculations help with the gauging results process.
Unfortunately direct research on carb cycling is miniscule. Furthermore the research available is mostly on endurance athletes. Still results are real and work out scientifically, like the ability to become fat adapted. To be fat adapted means your body is quite adept at converting stored fat to fuel compared to an everyday ample carb eater. This is common with the keto diet, but the difference is keto makes muscle maintenance more difficult. Carb cycling marries the two worlds of keto and traditional with less of the cons from each.
The bottom line is I prefer carb cycling for its flexibility. Can gain more weight with less fat added and can lose more weight over time with more strength and muscle retention.
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So, It’s About That Time
All diets have the potential to yield results, but there’s a difference between good and great. Carb cycling leans toward the latter. You don’t have to love or hate carbs, just use them and use them good. Save more muscle when dropping pounds and stiff arm added fat when bulking by varying your carbs day to day. Have you ever tried carb cycling? Let me know about your experience in the comments below. The tools are always there all you have to do is use them. Put those muscles to use and Be Great.
Sources:
[1] Pubmed.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/3298320/