Carb Cycling and Timed Carb Diets;
a Lifestyle Change to Keep the Fat Off!
by HalleluYAH

Trying to lose weight, looking for direction? Are you seeking a lifestyle change, and not another fly-by-night fad diet? Carb cycling and timed carb diets have been very helpful for many, and the following should help get you started…

Before we begin, keep in mind there is no 100% right or wrong way to design your diet cycle. A basic Carb Cycling program will consist of no-carb, low-carb and high carb days. You must first ascertain what your top priority is, prior to designing a cycle that will help achieve you goals. For instance, creating your cycle with several low/no carb days back-to-back is ideal for rapid fat loss because the less insulin present (insulin is produced byt your body in response to blood sugar levels), the more fat your body will oxidize for energy. If, on the other hand you are trying to maintain/gain lean mass while burning fat using carb cycling, and you do not like or can not tolerate having back to back low/no carb days, there are many different ways to utilize a carb cycling/timed carb diet.

If you exercise regularly, especially resistance weight training, it is also important to make certain muscle glycogen is replenished post workout. Thus, heavy training days (such as legs, back, chest) should be done on high-carb days. You may also find that lifting in the AM after a high carb day works well, then eat carbs in the two meals following the AM training session and then switch to protein and fat for the remainder of the day. This is a variation of carb-cycling/timed carb diet for that particular day. There are other factors involved, though I am trying to keep this simple.

I have tried many different cycle variations of low, no and high carb days. I have also tried a carb cycling/timed carb pseudo diet by eating carbs in my first 3-4 meals, and then fats and protein only for the remaining 2-3 meals of each day. Outlined below you will find basic information to get you started on creating a carb cycling regimen of your own.

How many calories per day?

Use a calorie calculator to figure what your daily caloric intake needs will be based on your current statistics (age, weight, height etc.) combined with your goals (maintenance, weight loss, rapid weight loss etc.). There are several good calculators out there, I recommend using a good internet search engine, type in ‘Calorie Calculator’.

What macro nutrients should I eat to satisfy the caloric needs?

Next, take the daily kcal amount matching your specific goal (i.e. maintenance, fat loss, rapid fat loss etc.) and use to calculate your daily macronutrient needs (i.e. protein, carbs and fats).

As for the macro ratios to use, some basic suggestions would look like this:

No-Carb Day
15% of kcals from Carbs
45% of kcals from Protein
40% of kcals from fats

 
Low-Carb Day
30% of kcals from Carbs
45% of kcals from Protein
25% of kcals from fats

High-Carb Day
45% of kcals from Carbs
40% of kcals from Protein
15% of kcals from fats

IMPORTANT: Keep the following in mind…
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Putting this into practice

Here is an example… a bodybuilder, whose maintenance level is 3,000 kcals and is looking to lose weight slowly to ensure minimal muscle loss. His target daily kcal intake would approximately 2,500 kcals per day (i.e. 500kcals below maintenance).

So he calculates the percentage of kcals from each macro to be eaten on a given day (low, no and high carb)… To do so, multiply the percentage of each macro needed on that given day and multiply by your daily kcal requirement (see below). Next, divide the total kcal requirement by ‘4’ for protein and carbs, or ‘9’ for fats. This will give you the total number of kcals needed from each macro nutrient on any given day within your cycle.

Hi-Carb Day: (2500 Calories)
40% Protein x 2500 Calories = 1000 calories from protein (divided by ‘4’ = approx 250g)
45% Carbs x 2500 Calories = 11125 calories from carbs (approx 281g)
15% Fats x 2500 Calories = 375 calories from fats (approx 42g)

Low-Carb Day: (2500 Calories)
45% Protein x 2500 Calories = 1125calories from protein (approx 280g)
30% Carbs x 2500 Calories = 750 calories from carbs (approx 185g)
25% Fats x 2500 Calories = 500 calories from fats (approx 55g)

 
No-Carb Days: (2500 Calories)
45% Protein x 2500 Calories = 1125 calories from protein (approx 280g)
15% Carbs x 2500 Calories = 375 calories from carbs (94g)
40% Fats x 2500 Calories = 1000 calories from fats (approx 111g)

You will now have to design your cycle using suggestions outlines within the opening paragraphs to decide how many no, low and high carb days will be implemented into your weekly cycle.

What foods should be eaten to satisfy these macro totals?

Your next step will is choosing the right foods in each of the macro groups to satisfy the desired totals. Not all carbs, fats and protein are created the same. I recommend researching insulin sensitivity if you are unfamiliar with the importance of creating this within your body.

Here are some good choices in each macro to get your started:

I. Carbs:
Sweet Potatos/Yams
Long Grain Rice
Oatmeal (I prefer rolled oats)
100% Whole Wheat Bread (if you need bread this is the best choice. darker the better)
Beans/Legumes
Granny Smith Apples
Melon (very alkaline; helps keep ph lower)
Trace carbs found in dairy products.

II. Protein:
Tuna (drained well)
Salmon
Chicken (skinless)
Turkey
Lean Beef/Steak
Whey
Cottage Cheese/Caseinate
Skim Milk
Peanuts

III. Fats:
Sesamin/Sesam Seed Extract
Flax Seed/Oil
Fish Oil
Hempseed
EV Olive Oil
Natural Peanut Butter
Walnuts
Cashews
Almonds
Pecans

IV. Fibrous Greens:

Why fiber?
Fiber shields the starchy carbohydrates in food and slows the rapid attack of digestive enzymes. This slows the release of sugar molecules into the bloodstream. Thus, when you eat fiber along with your carbs, this will lower the overall effects the carbs have on potential fat gain.

Fibrous carbs in and of themselves, will have a much lower GI (glycemic index) and II (insulin index) scores and make excellent choices. It is important to understand this when making meal choices. All carbs are NOT equal and it is important to make the right choices at the right times. A fibrous carb or a carb + fiber would be an excellent choice during the day on a "refeed" day to maintain a steady insulin/glucagon hormone balance. Also, post workout, a more rapidly digested carb would be the better choice; followed up with a fibrous carb + protein meal.

Below is a list of fiber sources. For carb cycling, it will depend on which type of cycle you are using for which sources you should select in any given no, low and high carb day... For example, on a no-carb day, you will need to stick with fibrous greens. As a whole, I recommend eating at least 2-3 servings of fiber per day.

Insoluble Sources:
Whole-wheat products
Wheat oat
Corn bran
Flax seed
Vegetables such as green beans, cauliflowers and potato skins
Fruit skins and root vegetable skins

Soluble Sources:
Oat/Oat bran
Dried beans and peas
Nuts
Barley
Flax seed
Fruits such as oranges and apples
Vegetables such as carrots
Psyllium husk

 
Spinach (raw)
Broccoli
Basically anything dark green, save cucumbers (water) and avocados (fats).

Note: There are many other choices which would fit in the above. This is just a base list.

Best wishes, happy hypertrophy, and let the fat loss begin!

-HalleluYAH