Carb cycling is the foundation of what I do every day and with every client. I know through years of experience with many different clients that carb cycling works, so I’m going to introduce you to the basics and the five different carb cycling plans—Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit, and Extreme. I’m stripping it down to the basics to get you started:
What is Carb Cycling + How Does it Work?
Carb cycling is an eating plan with alternating high carb and low carb days. It’s that simple. It also has built-in reward days or reward meals (depending on the plan you’re following), so you can still eat your favorite foods on a regular basis. Sounds pretty much perfect, right? You can eat healthy foods, enjoy foods you love, and still lose weight.
While each plan has a different mix of high carb and low carb days, each day works basically the same:
- Eat five meals—no more, no less.
- Eat breakfast within 60 minutes of waking or whenever your feeding window opens if you’re an intermittent faster.
- For breakfast, you’ll eat a portion of protein, carbs, and fat.
- For your next 3 meals (snack, lunch, snack), you’ll eat either a low or high carb meal depending on which day you’re on. So, if you’re on a low carb day, those three meals will be low carb. If you’re on a high carb day, those three meals will be high carb.
- Your last meal of the day will ALWAYS be a low carb meal. Always.
- Choose approved foods.
- Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water every day. So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you’ll drink 75 ounces a day.
How Does Carb Cycling Work?
Carb cycling is based on the right combination of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. In order to lose weight, our bodies need the right combination. Here’s why:
- Protein builds and maintains muscles and these muscles burn calories like an inferno. Protein also breaks down more slowly than carbs and fat, which burns even more calories and helps you feel fuller longer.
- Carbs are the preferred fuel source for your muscles and organs, and they come in healthy versions (vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes), and not-so-healthy versions (cakes, cookies, soda, doughnuts, candy, and many processed foods). Healthy carbs are also crucial for burning calories, and since they break down more slowly than those not-so-healthy carbs, they keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady, and they also keep your calorie-burning furnace hot so it burns more calories!
- Healthy fats (unsaturated fats) eaten in moderation help the development and function of your eyes and brain and help prevent heart disease, stroke, depression, and arthritis. Healthy fats also help keep your energy levels steady and keep you from feeling hungry.
Why do we alternate high carb + low carb days in carb cycling?
On high carb days you’re stocking your calorie-burning furnace so that on low carb days your furnace burns fat, and lots of it! This pattern tricks your metabolism into burning a lot of calories, even on those low carb days. It’s an amazing and well-proven process.
What are the Benefits of Carb Cycling?
Carb cycling has many benefits:
- It fits any lifestyle.
- You’ll learn how to shed weight and body fat and how to make smart lifestyle choices for the rest of your life. This puts YOU in control.
- You’ll feel better and have more energy.
- You’ll eat the foods you love.
- You’ll build lean, strong muscles.
- You’ll be empowered physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I’ve only skimmed the surface of carb cycling, so learn more about our five carb cycling plans to find your ideal cycle, and let’s get cycling!
Get even more information on carb cycling in both or our books: Extreme Transformation (the newest edition to our carb cycline lineup featuring the Extreme Cycle) and Choose More, Lose More for Life (which features our other four cycles).
If you’d like some help creating your own meals, there’s a handy “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post! To get a customized cycle for you and your goals + several workout programs (from gym-based to bodyweight to dance) + the all-important life lessons (the key to long-term transformation), check out The Transform App.
Note: If you’ve been carb cycling using our book, Choose Lose More, Lose More for Life, you’ll notice that we’ve changed a couple of things since that book was published: You now include a fat for breakfast, and every final meal of the day is a low carb meal. Like with a lot of things in life, the more you do them, the more you learn about how to do them even better!
xo,
1,381 Responses
Hi, I bought your book and I am really excited to give this a go under the Fit cycle. I am a powerlifter and a Strongwoman competitor and I am wondering and it has been advised that I use the High Carb days on the days that I lift(4 x per week), rather than in the linear fashion you have outlined so it supports the strength and muscle growth and most benefits on those days. Can you advise? THANKS!
Here’s a post that might help: https://heidipowell.net/2582/ask-heidi-anything-does-fit-fit-bulking-up/. Good luck! 🙂
My daughter is doing the carb cycling and is curious how to follow the plan when she is back in high school?? Every 3 hours is difficult when she is in class
Have her check out this post for some helpful info: https://heidipowell.net/2960/ask-heidi-anything-what-if-i-cant-or-dont-eat-every-three-hours/. 🙂
What whey protein do you recommend? I have been looking but they all seem to have high carb and high calories. Is there a specific brand you would suggest?
Learn all about protein powders, including Chris and Heidi’s favorite, here: https://heidipowell.net/6274/protein-powder-its-not-just-for-shakes-anymore/. 🙂
How do you know what meal plan(s) to follow and what foods to eat on high carb/ low carb days? Is there a book to purchase this information? I’m eager to try.
Yes! It’s called “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” and it will teach you everything you need to know and do. It’s awesome! 🙂
Download the bod-e app
I just started today, my first low carb day! I am following the basic plan, 1 day low, 1 day high, just to get adjusted to it. I got up this morning and had a half scoop of protein and some almond milk. I took the dogs for a 1 mile walk, then did the shapers, and then the shredders on my stepmill. Then I had 1/2 cup of egg whites and a serving of oats.
Also, I weight lift at the gym. So to add to the morning daily shredders and my dog walk, I usually weight lift for 40 minutes with my fiance at least 4 days a week.
I am following the book that states 1200 calories on low carb day. I am 5’7 and 230lbs. I AM STARVING! Like gut wrenching, stomach growling, feel nauseous HANGRY. Is 1200 calories too low?
Try and stick to the 1200 calories on low carb days. Are you drinking all of your water (1/2 your body weight in ounces every day)? Adding in veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every meal? You can add two fistfuls of these types of veggies with every meal on any day. And make sure you’re eating an entire portion of each meal component with every meal as outlined in the book. Hope this helps!
Gross or net?
What’s shapers and shredders?
They are both exercise programs. Shapers is the strength training program in Chris and Heidi’s first book, “Choose to Lose.” In the second book (“Choose More, Lose More for Life”) the program was renamed (9-Minute Missions) and put together a bit differently. Shredders is the cardio program in the second book.
I’m about to start cycling to try and react after my stalled weight loss (been operating on 800 calories per doctor). One question, I burn a ton of calories (1600-3500) during my daily workouts. My question: do I really push the limits on high or low carb days? Which day should I weight train and which should be mass cardio?
In carb cycling, each day’s exercise routine is laid out for you, and works in correlation with low and high carb days. There are some awesome charts in “Chose More, Lose more for Life” which would be really helpful for you to see everything you’ll need to eat and do as far as exercise day to day. Check ’em out! 🙂
I am carb cycling and can’t quite figure out what to do about writing or and eating breakfast.. I work out very early in the morning so I get up just minutes before class. I would get sick if I ate that early.. but I’m breaking the 30 minute rule.. what should I be doing to keep on plan and not hinder my work out?
Check out this post from this blog: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/. Hope it helps! 🙂
I’m very interested in your program, but I work in a hospital scrubbed in surgery and at times it may be really difficult to eat at the 3 hour intervals you recommend. one day I may have breakfast at 6:15, break at 9:45 or as late as 10:30, lunch as early as 11:00am or as late as 1:00….how would I manage those days where break and lunch are super close together? I can manage the longer durations between eating, but struggle with the closer times. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I absolutely love your show! So real!
Check out this post from Heidi’s blog: https://heidipowell.net/2960/ask-heidi-anything-what-if-i-cant-or-dont-eat-every-three-hours/. Hope it helps! 🙂
Hi! I just ordered the book and am excited to get started. One question–I do crossfit at 6 AM–I usually eat a handful of almonds and 1/2 banana in my car before the work out and then eat a real breakfast when I come back. Would that pre-snack count as one of my 5 meals?
Great question! Every breakfast in carb cycling is made up of a portion each of protein and carbs, plus veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) if you want. Your nuts (healthy fats) wouldn’t fit into any breakfast, but would fit into a low carb meal after breakfast on a low carb day. The 1/2 banana would count as 1/2 a carb portion for breakfast, so you could eat the other 1/2 carb portion after you work out. You just need to fit in that protein portion either before or after you work out and you’re good to go! Check out this post from Heidi’s blog for more info on eating and working out: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/.
THANK YOU!!! Book is on its way. Looking forward to getting started.
Heidi & Chris,
I’m excited to start carb cycling. I already eat most everything on your foods list daily, but I haven’t known small meals or portion control. I would like to lose 80-100# @59 years old, I’ve felt hopeless and have tried everything.
The only thing I question on the list, I don’t see coconut oil, almond milk, and why no egg yolks? I’m sceptable of “low-fat” products.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication!!
Sally
Great question! In carb cycling, egg yolks, almond milk, and coconut oil are all considered healthy fats and could be options for the fat portion of a low carb meal. Best of luck carb cycling! 🙂