Chapter 1 - How Carb Cycling Works
Remember how those old railway trains used to run? Workers had to stand in front of a huge coal furnace, shoveling in huge quantities of coal. If the furnace was regularly fueled, the train would keep running at full speed. If the coal input slowed down, the train would lose speed. If the furnace was not regularly fed with coal, the train would come to a standstill.
Our body's metabolism is very similar to this process. Carbs are the main food group that "fuels" our metabolism so that it burns calories and gives us energy. Carbs are also very filling. Therefore, diets that cut out or strictly limit carb intake make us feel tired and sluggish. They also make us irritable, hungry and more likely to binge.
With the 7-day carb cycling plan, a person consumes carbs to boost metabolism. The plan causes the body to use crab- rich foods to function at the optimal peak, burning fat and building muscle. The result is weight loss with less flab. It's that simple! This is what makes carb cycling unique and revolutionary.
But there's a catch. This doesn't mean going overboard with the carbs and eat tons of them day in, day out. The catch is that you follow a 7-day plan where you eat more carbs on certain days and less or no carbs on other days. This allows your body to optimally "cycle" your carb intake so that you lose weight and build muscle mass.
The theory behind this is that on the days when your carb intake is low and fat intake is higher, your body is forced to burn fat for energy. This is what causes weight loss. The purpose of the High carb days is to keep your metabolism fueled and functioning peak level, providing you with energy.
What Is The 7-day Plan?
The weekly plan alternates high carb days with low carb days to keep your metabolism in a regular cycle of fat burning.
On high carb days, you can increase your carb intake while decreasing your fat intake. On low carb days, you can choose to eat small quantities of carbs or eliminate them altogether, while increasing fat and protein intake.
Athletes and people who exercise regularly often choose to synchronize their high carb days with practice or workouts when their energy levels are high. You may want to consider this for certain days when you are particularly active.
A typical 7-day plan looks like this:
Monday: High carb intake Tuesday: Low carb intake Wednesday: High carb intake. Thursday: Low carb intake.
Friday: High carb intake.
Saturday: High carb day – or the option of rewarding yourself. You can indulge (moderately) in your favorite foods. This is also called "cheat day". Sunday: Low carb day.
Versions of the 7-day plan
There are several versions of the plan where two or more high carb days will be followed by low carb days or some variation of this. Some examples are:
Alternative plan 1:
Day 1: High carbs Day 2: Low carbs Day 3: Zero carbs Day 4: Low carbs Day 5: High carbs Day 6: Low carbs Day 7: Zero carbs
Alternative plan 2:
Day 1: High carbs Day 2: Low carbs Day 3: Zero carbs Day 4: Low carbs Day 5: High carbs Day 6: Low carbs
Day 7: Zero carbs
There are a variety of other versions as well, such as 4 high carb days followed by three low carb days. However, as a beginner, you will want to start with the simple alternate day plan.
You can switch to a different cycle when you get the hang of it and feel you are ready. Or, you can stick to the basic plan throughout your journey until you have achieved your weight loss goal.
If you find that carb cycling works for you, you may want to delve deeper into these other plans. In this case, you will want to consult an expert. They will help you customize a plan that suits your weight goals, gender, and lifestyle.
The alternate-day plan we will use here is just the simplest for a beginner and will work for anyone.
What You Eat
Carbs: They are the main source of fuel for the body and essential for boosting metabolism. They are also essential for potting the fat-burning cycle into action.
Protein: This is the foundation of your carb cycling plan. You must eat between 1/5th to 1/7th of the minimum required daily intake with each meal.
Fats: Fat intake will remain consistent throughout the plan. You may raise your fat intake a little bit on low carb days for more energy.
Calculating your daily intake
For the best results, you need to calculate your daily intake of carbs, proteins, and fats. This a very easy process of multiplication
Low carb days
Carbs: Women simply must multiply their body weight by 0.6. Men should multiply bodyweight by 0.9. The resulting number will represent the carbohydrate intake in grams per day.
Proteins: Women can calculate their daily intake by multiplying their body weight by 1.2. Men can calculate their daily intake by multiplying their body weight by 1.5. The resulting number will be the required daily intake of protein per day.
Fats: To calculate daily fat intake, women should multiply their body weight by 0.5, while men should multiply by 0.8. The resulting number is your daily intake of fats in grams.
To calculate the total number of calories, add the totals from the three food groups.
High carb days
The same calculation is used, except that in this case, your intake of carbs and proteins will be higher. Your intake of fats will decrease.
Carbs: Women should multiply their body weight by 1.4 while men will multiply by 1.7.
Proteins: Women multiply their body weight by 1.4 and men by 1.7 (yes, it's the same ratio as for carbs)
Fats: Women should multiple bodyweight by o.3 whereas men should multiply by o.6.
The total of the three numbers will give you the total number of calories you can consume for High carb days.
It is up to you how you divide your daily intake throughout meals, whether you are having three meals or six meals per day.
Calories
As for daily calorie consumption, the recommended range is 1500 – 2300 for women and 1500 – 3000 for men. This is the general recommended range that you should stay within. However, don’t beat yourself up if you exceed it a little on some days. I highly recommend that you invest in a calorie counting app. As for how many calories are contained in the foods you consume, you can easily look this up online and prepare a reference list to store on your computer.
Portions
Carb portions range from 200 grams to 300 grams on high carb days and 50 grams to 150 grams on lower carb days. We will discuss portions and food types in a later chapter.
This was a very simple explanation of how the carb cycling plan works. Next, let’s find out why it works and how it can benefit you.