Carb Cycling 101:
What You Need To Know!
Carb Cycling is my go-to nutrition approach, and I do it every day and with every client I work with…
For years, my husband, Dennis, and I tested just about every diet imaginable. And through all this testing and working with clients from all over the world, we now know that carb cycling works. Simple as that.
So today, I’d like to introduce you to the basics and the one carb cycle we always start our new clients on.
First, let’s cover the basics of carb cycling.
What is Carb Cycling?
Carb Cycling is when you alternate between eating days of higher amounts of carbs and days of eating lower amounts of carbs. It’s really that simple.
There are also “Off Days” which allow you to cycle in your favorite "comfort" foods and include more "flexible meals" so that you can still eat lots of the foods you enjoy on a regular basis.
It’s a pretty great formula, don’t you think? Eat great tasting healthy meals, enjoy some of your favorite "comfort" foods, and still get the results you want.
So How Does It All Work?
In order to see the results you want, Macronutrients (macro's for short) are very important. If you aren't familiar with Macro's, it simply refers to Protein, Carbs, and Fats. Let's break it down:
Protein: Allows you to build and maintain lean muscle, which in turn helps you to burn more fat. Protein also helps you feel more full for longer, giving you long lasting energy.
Carbs: Carbs come in the form of simple and complex. Simple Carbs are the not-so healthy carbs and include foods like sugar, cookies, candy, and most other processed foods. Complex carbs on the other hand, are your healthy carbs. Foods like vegetables, fruit, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, beans, oats, and more fall into this category.
As you might have already guess, focusing on getting more Complex Carbs is the best way to go and yields much better results. Not only that, high quality complex carbs help keep your energy levels and metabolism high.
Fats: Healthy fats play an important role in allowing your body to function at its best. That's why it's important to include healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, grass fed butter, yogurt, and more into your meals.
So Why Cycle Your Carbs?
When you carb cycle, what you are really doing is keeping your body guessing. One day you are having lower amount of carbs and the next your are shocking the body with a higher carb day.
Essentially, you are telling your body to burn fat on low carb days, then when you follow that up with a high carb day, your body gets shocked which allows for you to burn fat while maintaining your lean muscle. In short, when you carb cycle, you keep your body at optimal fat burning levels.
It's a very effective and proven process.
Now, I have only scratched the surface on Carb Cycling. Which is why on the next page, I will be covering more on the exact plan that I always have my new clients start. So click the NEXT PAGE button to learn more about Carb Cycling...