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 am extremely interested in carb cycling. I like that you seem to stick to whole foods which is something I am very passionate about. I have PCOS which is why I want to start. I however have Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy that is pretty significant. I cannot do more than walking unless I can get my heart healthy again. Do you know a good way to start lifting without putting pressure on my heart?
I’d suggest you discuss the exercise part of Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program with your healthcare team to see what modifications need to be made so you can reach your goals and stay safe at the same time. You can do this!
Hello there,
I’m about to start carb cycling but I am not sure which of the cycles would fit me best…
I’m a 20 year old girl, vegetarian, 5’8 ft tall, 148 lbs and I workout 5-6x a week, (3-4x strength training, 6x cardio), aiming to loose weight.
Which of the cycles should I follow?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Since you are so active, you might try the Fit Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/2719/carb-cycling-the-fit-cycle/. And remember, you can change cycles at any time. Happy carb cycling!
Hi, Heidi!
I am a type II diabetic. I have my A1C checked every three months. My last A1C was 6.1 which I managed to lower eating healthier and losing about 15-20 pounds over about 7 months. I would like to lose about 35-40 more pounds which would put me at about 140-145. I just turned 64 this month. Which of the carb cycles would be beneficial to me without sending my sugar levels into overdrive? I do not check my sugars during the day as suggested by my doctor. I get about an hour or more of exercise Monday through Friday which includes weights and/or cardio. (Cardio every week day)
Here’s a post about carb cycling and diabetes that will hopefully give you some good info: https://heidipowell.net/5078/ask-heidi-anything-im-diabetic-which-plan-should-i-follow/.
Everyone seems to be getting good advice here. I’ve been trying to get some guidance on the carb cycling. How many carb grams would be considered a low day or high day for a middle age female that is a very easy keeper?
In carb cycling we don’t count grams, we count portions. There’s an awesome graphic (as well as some other great info) in this post: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. The graphic will outline how to put together every meal in carb cycling – both low and high carb. Happy carb cycling!
Thanks for the chart but I’m a very detailed analytical person and I have to put the numbers to it; I will try to uncover some other rocks.
Do you have a sample menu for those just getting started and need the extra help with menu planning in the beginning.
Here are some meal ideas for low and high carb days (all recipes are from Chris and Heidi’s books: “Choose to Lose” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life.”). Low carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Basic Omelet with a corn tortilla to make it a wrap. Snack (3 hours later): A protein shake with a portion of a healthy fat, like peanut butter, mixed in. Lunch (3 hours later): Tomato Basil and Garlic Chicken with a portion of olive oil drizzled on top. Snack (3 hours later): Sonora Cottage Cheese with a portion of avocado. Dinner: (3 hours later): Lemon Chicken drizzled with salad dressing. High carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Denver Omelet with a ortion of your favorite fruit or oatmeal on the side. Snack (3 hours later): Greek Yogurt Parfait with a portion of low fat granola.
Lunch: (3 hours later): Caribbean Jerk Chicken with a portion of brown rice. Snack (3 hours later): Protein shake with a portion of oatmeal mixed in. Dinner (3 hours later): Apple Cider Chicken. And remember, you can have veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every single meal, and you can use any of the foods on Chris and Heidi’s approved foods list – in the proper proportions – to create meals to fit your needs.
Where can I find your book carb cycling. Have a real hard time losing weight. Need to lose at least 130lbs for my height.
It’s called “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” and here’s a link to purchase it on amazon.com: https://heidipowell.net/books-dvds/. 🙂
Could you start the carb cycling plans while pregnant?? I’m currently 20 weeks pregnant but I am overweight. I don’t want to do anything to harm my baby, but I’ve heard of women who lose weight while pregnant and still have healthy babies.
Here’s a blog post that outlines Heidi’s pregnancy/breastfeeding nutrition program: https://heidipowell.net/2275/q-a-carb-cycling-while-prego/. And it’s best to discuss this, or any nutrition program, with your healthcare team first while pregnant or breastfeeding. And congratulations on your pregnancy – that’s awesome!
Hi! I just started carb cycling today actually! My hubby and I are doing it together. I have around 77 lbs to lose, give or take. I have 5 children ages 10, 8, 7, 4, and the baby is 16 months. I got gestational diabetes with EACH ONE
I just got Choose More, Lose More and plan to start the turbo cycle tomorrow (I’ve been on a very low carb diet for the past 3 months and just need something more sustainable for the rest of my life). I noticed on the low carb days, you recommend having a carb with breakfast only. Would it be ok to save that one carb to have after my workout? I usually go to the gym before lunch and I’ve heard it can be good to give your muscles carbs after a workout, so I was hoping to eat my carb with lunch instead of at breakfast.
Here’s a post that talks about eating and working out: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/. On low carb days, it’s best to have that carb with breakfast, but you can have veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every meal. Or maybe try a protein bar like a quest bar? The carbs in these bars are considered to be negative carbs, so they’re a great option for low carb meals. Happy carb cycling!
Is it possible to do to turbo cycle, but have a reward meal on each high carb day instead of a whole reward day?
No, if you’d like a reward meal on each high carb day, then you’ll need to follow the Easy Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/2715/carb-cycling-the-easy-cycle/. Happy carb cycling!
First let me say that I adore you both! I have read Chris’ first book and I never miss your show…it’s always very inspiring. I have been thinking about giving carb cycling a try but I have a question about breakfast. You say that you should eat within 30 min of waking but what if you workout first thing in the morning? My CrossFit class starts at 5:30 so it’s very difficult to get a meal in before class, not to mention I usually don’t feel good if I eat before a workout. What should I do???
Here are some great tips about eating and working out: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/. Happy carb cycling! 🙂