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
I cycle (bicycle) 3-4 days a week usually right when I wake up around 5:30 or 6. Each ride usually lasts 1.5 to 2 hrs. Would you recommend eating before I ride or after (or during, I suppose)? Is breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up an absolute must? I just worry about eating a hearty breakfast before riding and feeling sluggish or sick. Thanks!
Check out this post from Heidi’s blog for some great info: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/.
Hey Heidi, love you guys and what you do. Just have a quick question. How many grams of carbs should I be getting on a low carb day vs high carb day? Thanks again
In carb cycling, we don’t count grams, we count portion sizes. Check out this post for some great info: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. 🙂
I was recently diagnosed as a Type II diabetic weighing in at 305.6 pounds the heaviest I have ever been in my life. Is carb cycling recommended, or do you have another plan. I have a excuse after excuse.. no more. I want to take my life back. I am inspired weekly by the show. I need help!! I need meal plan suggestions. I was raised on Southern Cooking that includes everything my doctor told me to be leary of: White bread, Pasta, Potatoes, Rice, and Sugar. He told me to use the Glycemic Index and keep my foods at around 80 or below. He told me to research the zone diet… I WANT A LIFE STYLE CHANGE!! So if you could present a meal plan for a week… you know something I Can build on… i use fitness pal right now and it is helping me keep track of things. I want to participate in 5K’s and be healthy.
Thank you.
Check out this post for some great info on carb cycling and diabetes: https://heidipowell.net/5078/ask-heidi-anything-im-diabetic-which-plan-should-i-follow/. And please remember to discuss this and any other nutrition/exercise program with your doctor first!
Hello mrs.and mr.powell i would love for your help i just wayed in this morning and i lost 1.3 pounds and my weight is now 275.4 so what else should i do and my mom has fibromyalgia and i am diabete plz help us thank you
Check out our complete carb cycling program in our book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” There’s a link to purchase it in this post. With your health issues, I’d suggest you both discuss the program with your healthcare teams so any needed modifications can be made to keep you safe and healthy while you’re working to reach your goals! You both can do this! 🙂
Is this safe for Type 2 Diabetics?
Sorry this is on here twice. I didn’t think the first one posted.
Check out this post for some great info on carb cycling and diabetes: https://heidipowell.net/5078/ask-heidi-anything-im-diabetic-which-plan-should-i-follow/.
Your program sounds great! I have a question, is it safe to follow while pregnant? I am almost 6 months along and finding it difficult to not go crazy with my eating, so your program sounds great to me, just wondering if it safe, and if that’s how Heidi still are while pregnant. Thanks!
Congratulations on the pregnancy – that’s awesome! Check out this post to see what Heidi does while pregnant or breastfeeding: https://heidipowell.net/2275/q-a-carb-cycling-while-prego/.
So if I decide to do the Turbo and I do not follow the meals exactley how it states, how do I know what a high carb low carb day is?! For instance how many carbs are you allows to have on both days?
Also, if I don’t use the bod-e drink, what’s something I can replace it with? Can I use another protein drink?
TIA, ?? you guys!
Dalelynn
In order to have the success you want, you really need to follow whichever cycle you choose exactly. Also, in carb cycling we don’t count grams, we count portion sizes. Check out this post for more info: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. And here’s a post about protein drinks that might help: https://heidipowell.net/6274/protein-powder-its-not-just-for-shakes-anymore/.
Is this safe for a Type 2 Diabetic?
Please check out this post for some info on carb cycling and diabetes: https://heidipowell.net/5078/ask-heidi-anything-im-diabetic-which-plan-should-i-follow/.
Hello! I am currently training for my first marathon. I am trying to eat a low carb/high protein diet. I am trying to lose around 15 lbs to make the run easier but the problem is I am ALWAYS hungry!!!
It sounds like the Fit Cycle would work for you: https://heidipowell.net/2719/carb-cycling-the-fit-cycle/. Try it out! 🙂
Hi! Do you recommend this for someone with Insulin Resistance? If so should I just increase my protein on my high carb days? Tha.ks so much!
Check out this post for some great info: https://heidipowell.net/5078/ask-heidi-anything-im-diabetic-which-plan-should-i-follow/.