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’m in the process of training for my first physique competition and am interested in carb cycling to shed some extra body fat and build muscle. I’ve been doing two-a-day workouts, strength training in the morning and cardio with some body weight exercise in the evening. Should I stick to the 1200/1500 calorie plan or should I up my intake? 1200 seems pretty low. I certainly don’t want to lose muscle during the process. Thank you and excited to try this!
Hi Tara: You can certainly up your calories if you need to to achieve your goals. Here’s another post that might help you figure out how many calories will work for you: https://heidipowell.net/5366/all-about-calories/. And good luck with your competition – you got this!
Do I need to still follow the 5 meals/3hrs rule on a reward day?
Hi Mary: It is best if you can since it keeps your energy and sugar levels more balanced.
Need tips on Gluten Free Carb-Cycling please : )
Sure! You shouldn’t have any problem eating gluten-free in carb cycling since you can choose from all the protein options in Chris and Heidi’s approved foods list (watch for gluten-free protein powders – some have added forms of gluten), all the fats, and many of the carbs (fruits, legumes, root/starchy veggies), and non-root/non-starchy veggies. There’s an awesome graphic in this post (as well as some other helpful info) that shows you how to put all your meals together: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. Happy carb cycling!
Any suggestions for a mid-morning snack? It’s hard for me to eat a snack at work (teacher) because I don’t have the means to sit down and eat a snack with 2c of veggies. I need something I can scarf down in less than 5 minutes. Any ideas? I’m assuming some kind of Shake?
Also, I use progenex protein powder which has 10g carbs and 22g of protein per 2 scoops. Does this count as a protein and a carb?
Thanks!
Hi MM: Getting in all 5 meals can be tricky on some schedules. On high carb days, you can skip the veggies if you’re full. Otherwise, just do the best you can. Carry easy to eat veggies (baby carrots, mini peppers, etc.). And yes, protein shakes or bars are a great option, and if you have a mini cooler or mini fridge close by, that opens up a lot of options for you like Greek yogurt, reduced fat cheeses, low sodium deli meats, etc. As for you Progenex shake, it would count as a protein and about 1/2 a carb. Hope that helps!
Just finished reading “Choose to Lose” and am jazzed to start! Couple of questions though…
I’m starting at over 330 pounds, but my calorie intake should be the same as a woman weighing half that? Won’t that send my body into starvation mode?
Is it okay to get all the exercise done first thing in the morning, then do breakfast? That would mean closer to 45 – 60 minutes after waking up, instead of the 30.
Thanks!
Hi Kim: Yes, you can follow the same calorie recommendations: 1200 on low carb days and 1500 on high carb days. And yes, it’s okay to get in all your exercise first thing in the morning if that works best for you. Here’s a post that talks about eating and working out that might help too: https://heidipowell.net/9194/qa-with-the-powells-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/. Welcome to carb cycling!
I’m so excited to start carb cycling, I just have a question on how to structure my week. I’m doing the Turbo Cycle and have decided to do two reward meals each week on the high carb days instead of the single reward day. Days 3 and 6 are 1,500 calorie days. Do I factor in my reward meal each day so the total is still 1,500, or do I plan 1,500 calories for those days before an additional 500 calories for each reward meal (totaling 2,000 calories for the high carb days)?
Hi Lindsay: It’s best to not change the scheduled days and reward day of the Turbo Cycle as you’ve suggested. Each cycle is designed the way it is for a reason, and if you change up the design, it could very well affect your weight loss. If you’d like to have reward meals instead of a reward day, you might want to try the Easy Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/2715/carb-cycling-the-easy-cycle/. And each reward meal is only an extra 250 calories on the Easy Cycle (there are 4 reward meals during the week = 1000 extra calories). Welcome to carb cycling – you can do this!
Two quick questions:
1) Is there any recommendation on how to structure workouts with the plan? For example, suggestion on what to do on high carb days vs low carb days given available energy from carbs?
2) Is this plan safe for moms who are breastfeeding? I’m assuming so since the calories can be adjusted, but thought I’d ask.
Thanks Team Powell! And thank you for putting out wonderful information for us all.
Hi Beth: In Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program, you do strength training and cardio Monday-Friday. Unless your workouts are very intense, you should be okay with how the days are outlined. If you are very active, you might want to start with the Fit Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/2719/carb-cycling-the-fit-cycle/), and remember that you can change cycles at any time. As for breastfeeding moms, here’s another post that outlines Heidi’s breastfeeding nutrition program: https://heidipowell.net/2275/q-a-carb-cycling-while-prego/. Hope this helps!
Hi there,
I was wondering if you absolutely HAVE to have a big breakfast 30 minutes after waking up? I’ve got a lapband, and all I can usually handle is like 1/4 of cereal (or something like that) without getting sick at that time. Can you change up the time of that?
Hi Vanessa: Since you do have a lapband, it’s best to follow your healthcare team’s recommendations as far as your meal sizes and schedules.
Hello. Thank you for all this great information. I do have one quick question. I live a permanent, low carb lifestyle, which includes a cheat meal every couple of weeks. Would something like carb cycling be beneficial for me, as I would be adding days of carbs that didn’t exist before and confusing my body about whether it should be burning fat or sugars first? Thanks so much!
Hi Megan: Chris and Heidi have found that carb cycling can work for pretty much anyone, so give it a try!
I’ve lost 8 lbs. in 8 weeks and going strong, but Low Carb day is beginning to be a bit of a challenge. Especially with my food allergies. I’m allergic to nuts and seeds so that takes quite a bit of options out of the equation. I’ve been eating avocado, black olives and cheese (on different days) for my fat, but missing the crunch. I eat protein first of course and I do eat a lot of veggies for crunch, especially salad. But allergic to cucumber, zucchini, egg plant and squash. Also I use sugarless gum off and on to help with my sweet cravings. I think I’m doing well, but not sure if I’m missing any other ideas for Low Carb days. Thanks!
Hi Diana: Congrats on those 8 pounds gone – that’s awesome! With your allergies, it is a bit trickier to add variety into your diet, but it sounds like you’re on the right track. Do you have “Choose More, Lose More for Life”? There’s a complete foods list beginning on page 192, and you might find more options there. Otherwise, keep trying out new protein sources and veggies to add some variety, and you got this!