Carb Cycling | What is it? Does it work?

Oh, the dreaded word - carbohydrates. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of carbs now-a-days. Lets start with what carbs are. Carbs are a macronutrient that make up your calories, just like protein and fat. Carbs have 4 calories per gram, same as protein. Fat has 9 calories per gram. Carbs are an important energy source. Your diet isn't complete without them. Carbs can be found in many foods, from vegetables to breads and pastas. When you use energy to do daily activities or exercise your body breaks down your carbs as fuel which helps prevent your muscles from being used in its place. Carbs are good for energy, brain function, memory, and mood, just to name a few. So why are people so afraid of them? Everyone has heard it at some point (most likely), "carbs make you fat"..... Ugh this drives me insane, BUT I understand why people would cling to this idea because of how it is broken down.

Why did I try carb cycling?

If you know me, then you know I like to try new things. One afternoon, while mindlessly wasting time scrolling on Instagram, I saw a video that was talking about the science of carbs and fat loss. From there I started to research and found out that 2 of my biggest influences use carb cycling as a part of their every day life, Chris and Heidi Powell. They love and promote carbs, but still cycle them. So I asked myself if they love and promote carbs so much, why do they cycle them?

For more useful info on carbs, see Chris Powell’s video HERE.

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When we eat our bodies release a fat burning hormone called Leptin

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The science behind carb cycling

When we eat food our bodies release a fat burning hormone called Leptin. Leptin is vital for the regulation of appetite and its primary responsibility is to tell your brain you have enough nutrients to keep burning calories. You may have heard of starvation mode or slowing your metabolism. Well..when your body doesn't get enough nutrients it will tell your brain to slow leptin production. When that happens your body produces Ghrelin which has the opposite effect and promotes fat storage.

Your body has 2 main fuel sources - fat and carbs. When carbs are depleted your body uses fat for fuel. On the flip side, if you don't eat carbs you produce less and less leptin and your metabolism will slow down and store even more fat.

On low days your body grabs from your fat stores for energy. On high days your body produces leptin and increases your metabolism to help you burn fat faster.

Whew, ok enough with the science. The bottom line is, you need to eat and carbs are very important for fat loss too.

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True fat loss requires 2 things: consistency and time

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How does it work?

Your macros and calories all depend on what your goals and activity levels are, just like any other GOOD-SUSTAINABLE program. True fat loss requires 2 things: consistency and time. Being cautious of our macros, along with your calories allows you to focus on other goals you may have such as building muscle or fat loss. Since I have goals I am focused on both, calories and macros.

While looking through the plans, I chose macros that promote fat loss because I am wanting to get leaner. When I researched, surprisingly I was eating literally the exact amount of calories that I was supposed to be eating for weight loss. I say surprisingly because I had been calculating all of it myself based on how I felt and what my Fitbit says I am burning.

The good thing about carb cycling is that I am still eating the same amount of carbs and fat, but I increased my protein intake to about 650 more calories a week. In short, I didn't eat less calories or less carbs at all. I simply just changed up the amount of macros I would be eating on a daily basis and increased my protein.

For my cycle, I had 4 normal days, 2 low calorie days, and 1 refeed day. My carbs never went below 80 on my low calorie day and my calories only lower by around 170. On my refeed day my calories were increased by around 950. You mean to tell me that I can eat more and still hit my goals? It is a good time. Because of this, I like to call it calories cycling opposed to carb cycling.

How did I feel?

I feel great! I never feel deprived. I am able to enjoy food and still lose weight!

What were my results?

I am still cycling and loving it. I don't think of it as a "diet" at all. It is completely sustainable and I do not feel deprived at all. I get to eat whatever I want and feel satisfied. Once I hit my goal I will increase my calories and macros in order to maintain. Overall, I have been doing this for around a month. I've lost around 6lbs, and around 2.6% body fat all while maintaining muscle which is INSANE! Losing weight is the easy part, but losing body fat can be super hard so I am really proud of that progress.

There is no one size fits all for fitness. The only thing that is consistent for weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. You should always listen to the advice of your doctor as we all have different needs when it comes to nutrients.