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
Hello!! I am super excited to start carb cycling but I am a little lost on where to start. I am 5’6 190lbs and I am weight training with a trainer 3x a week in addition to cardio 30-60 min 5x a week. Would the Turbo Cycle be beneficial or would I need to have my weight training days be high carb days?? Thanks in advance!!!!
You could try the Turbo Cycle and see how it goes. Some people don’t have an issue weight training on low carb days, and some actually do better if the day before their weight training days are high carb days. And remember, you can change cycles at any time. Happy carb cycling!
Hi! I started your plan 3 weeks ago and I’ve only lost 1 lb. I always lose weight VERY easily and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I keep looking over my food diary and it’s on plan. The only thing I see is that I’m eating way too much sodium on my low carb days. (I guess eggs have a lot of sodium). For some reason I seem to be lighter after my high carb days. Any clue to what I may be doing wrong?
Hmmm…let’s try and figure this out. Which cycle are you following? Yes, sodium can retain water, and it can take your body a bit of time to adjust to a new way of doing things overall. The speed at which you lose your weight can depend on how much weight you need to lose, and the more you have to lose, the more quickly you should lose it. Also, how is your exercise going? How much exercise are you getting in a day? Here’s a post that might help you figure things out a bit: https://heidipowell.net/5366/all-about-calories/. And while we really don’t count calories in carb cycling, you might want to do this for a bit to make sure nutrition is spot on. A few extra calories here and there really can make a difference, so shoot for 1200 on low carb days and 1500 on high carb days. And there’s an awesome graphic in this post (as well as some other helpful info) that will help you double check how you’re putting together your meals: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. One last thing: Are you drinking half your body weight in ounces of water every day (200 lbs = 100 oz)? I hope this helps, and please don’t give up – you can do this!
Is it safe or okay for a 13 year old to do any of the carb cycling programs?
I’m starting the Easy carb cycle and my daughter wants to join in.
Hi Claudia: It would be best to discuss the program with her healthcare team first, and here’s a post that might help too: https://heidipowell.net/4373. Welcome to carb cycling!
Sorry if this is a double post but I have a question about Quest Bars. I’ve read that they are a good option for low carb days but I guess I’m confused on whether they count as a protein and fat or just a protein. Any clarification would be great! Thanks!
Great question! They count as both your protein and your fat. Happy carb cycling!
I am so excited to start carb cycling! I just finished reading the book and I am working on laying out the next 6 weeks. I run Biggest Loser Challenges here in Arizona and our 4th round just started. I am excited to have a plan for this round.
On Days that I do crossfit or zumba, would I count that as my Shredder?
I have 30-40 lbs to lose and would love to get it off by February so we can go see our fertility dr and hopefully get this body pregnant! 🙂 Anyway, Just want to make sure I do this right to get the best results and get closer to a healthy me. Thanks!!
Yes, any type of cardio is considered your Shredders. Happy carb cycling!
I’ve just started the program and have been struggling with breakfast – alittle. I get the protein and good part but the spray butter – would this be something (in moderation) that I can also use? Otherwise I’ll have some very dry toast and/or english muffin. Thank you in advance – love the program thus far.
Yes, spray butter is totally acceptable (in moderation). 🙂
Hello! I?m from Brazil and I?m starting this program to my benefits, to get a better life.
Thanks for sharing!
I currently wake at 5am and workout by 530/545 each morning because it is the only time of day I can get in a workout… will it be ok to eat my first meal post workout which would be about 90 minutes after waking?
Here’s a post about eating and working out: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/. Hope it helps!
Thank you! One more question, today was my first low carb day and I am having a hard time reaching 1200 calories, I have all of my food logged for the day and I’m sitting at 850, should I bulk up my meals more to reach 1200 or add a few more snacks?
Are you eating the veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every meal on your low carb days? Are you eating the correct portion sizes? There’s an awesome graphic (as well as some other great info) in this post that might help: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. If you have either book, there’s also an approved foods list that is broken out into 100 calorie portions that might also help you get enough calories. Happy carb cycling!
My family and I have been doing your classic carb cycling for about 6 weeks and we have all had great results. The one problem we have is finding low carb recipes. I have both of your books and prepar majority of thoserecipes. Will you be putting out a low carb recipe book anytime soon. If not do you recommend any?
Thanks
We’re so happy you all are enjoying carb cycling! Heidi’s not working on a cookbook right now, and I really don’t have any to recommend. However, any recipe that has protein and healthy fats should be a good option.
Pinterest!
I just started the Carbo Cycling this week but I eat a vegan diet. I used legumes as a source of protein in my everyday diet but they are listed as a Carbohydrate for purposes of the carbo cycling. Is it okay to still use legumes as a source of protein instead or a carbohydrate since I am limited on the types of protein I can eat?
Even though you follow a vegan diet, legumes are still considered carbs for carb cycling purposes. The protein vegan options Chris and Heidi recommend are tofu, tempeh, and TVP. Hope that helps. 🙂
I am in the same boat as Lisa. I am vegan and typically eat mostly fruits, veggies, and beans/legumes. I use soy/tofu, tempeh, and TVP occasionally but don’t like eating it (feels like processed food) several times a day.
I too am vegan and don’t like to use soy very often.
Vegan carb cycling without soy feels impossible.
What about seitan? It’s high protein and appears to be low carb. Made at home it can have very minimal ingredients. Would that be a good alternative to soy products?
I hope this question reaches you. I am excited to start my weight loss journey with you. I have been reading up on the carb cycling and for the most part I get it. I do have a question about recipes; how do I or can I incorporate recipes that I would normally make into my day? For example I make a quinoa salad that my kids and I really enjoy. I am really confused about using my favorite recipes and knowing how to count it. Thank you for your help!!
You’ll simply go through the ingredients in your recipes and see if there are proteins, carbs, veggies, and/or healthy fats. You can use the approved foods list in the book to help you figure out the amounts of each to know how to count them towards a carb cycling meal. If a recipe has a protein and a carb, then it’s a high carb option. If it has a protein and a healthy fat, then it’s a low carb option. If it has a protein, a carb, and a healthy fat, then it’s a reward day/meal option. And check out this post for some awesome carb-related info as well as a handy graphic: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. Happy carb cycling!