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 just under 400lbs and am struggling to get the weight off. I am following your husbands show, eating up your info on your facebook as well as his page, and watching all the episodes of his show that I have missed. My sister is now on board with me to lose weight so we are starting out at Planet Fitness. I am going to put all this food information to work. I need to get this weight off and fast. I am a single mother to a 10 year old . He needs me to be healthy so I can live longer. I am 45 and I feel like I’m in my late 60’s. I am desperate and determined. I have never known what its like to be healthy and fit. A childhood trauma eats at me a lot even though I try to smile through it. Food has always been the one thing I could count on. Trying so hard to change that. I thank you and Chris for all you do to help us! Love you both!
I love the idea of being able to get the most out of the food you eat and how it can really help you lose weight. I have been overweight most of my life and have always had such a hard time choosing healthy things to eat. Now that I am getting older and wiser lol I have finally been getting on the right track with diet and exercise, working hard doing some HIIT and also incorporating weights into my workouts. I guess its better late then never, and carb cycling sounds like something I would love to try to further my efforts even more,however I have a question. What would you suggest for those who do 12 hour shift work? as well I usually don’t do my workouts till I come home from work on the days I work during the day and around 5 when I work nights?
Interesting blog
Can’t wait to try this!
I have to try the classic carb cycle. Sounds more realistic and able to do. I have to get your book.
Thanks for the info about carb cycling! I am ready to try it and you make it sound so doable! 🙂
This is why I want a copy of “Choose to Lose!” I’ve read “Choose More, Lose More,” and I’m in love with Chris’ philosophies, his positive vibe, and his simplicity in carb cycling. I’m soon coming off the Medifast program on which I’ve lost 164 pounds in 18 months, but I know carb cycling is the key to continuing and maintaining my weight loss. Thank you for the information you provide to us people getting healthy and living the lifestyle at home!
My husband and I have joined Planet Fitness to get back in shape, I have been bad about skipping meals. since I have been working on eating 5 times a day and working out, it has helped me fight harder to stay on track and help my husband fight his health issues and depression. I have had to stay busy to keep from being sucked into depression also. Your up beat and inspiring words has helped me work on staying on track.
So glad to get a chance to read this info! 🙂
I’ve heard about this & I think I might try it. I’m going to Chris’s website to print out the printable food guide & read more on what all the carb cycling entails.