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 so how do the workouts relate to the program do i do cardio on high carb days or lifting on low carb days is there a particular way to work out
Hi Inini: There is a strength and cardio workout for each of the carb cycles, and you can learn more about them in this post: https://heidipowell.net/9059/all-about-exercise-2/. 🙂
Nice info
I’m ready to start tomorrow! But I need protein powder. What is the best powder to purchase? What should the breakdown be of protein, carbs, etc?
Thanks!
I’m a huge fan of Shakeology! Protein PLUS tons of super foods like chia, flax, quinoa, Maca root, etc. I workout from home every day, 3 busy kids and run an at home business and Shakeo is SO convenient!
Running a FB fitness/health group starting Monday if you want to join, totally free, just some awesome accountability through the holidays ??? FB.com/Alicia.mills.33
Hello! I have about 5-10lbs I would like to lose and I’m trying to figure out which method of carb cycling would be best. I’ve never done the cycling before but I think it would really work with my lifestyle. I train 5-6 days per week and fairly fit but just would like to lean out a little more.
Hey! I’ve just finished reading Extreme Transformation. I’m excited to start and try all of the recipes. However to make my life easier and to be sure to stick to the plan, I was wondering if I can repeat meals through out the week. That way I can prep less food, but more of it, to last for the specific meal during the week.
Thanks in advance!
Jessica
Yes! Here’s a post with some awesome meal planning tips for the Extreme Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/10617. 🙂
I want to start the carb cycling. I am a runner and run 6 days a week and weight train 3 to 4 days a week. My problem would be that I do not eat meat. I will eat Chicken maybe 2 times a month and Fish maybe once a week. Do you have any advice for protein on low carb days. I drink smoothies everyday with plant based protein. I would like to lose 15 to 20 lbs and its been a struggle since I have turned 50. Thanks for your help.
Hi Sue: There are several protein options in Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program, and fish and chicken are two great ones as often as you can eat them. You can also do dairy products like nonfat/low fat Greek yogurts and cottage cheese, as well as eggs in addition to protein powders. Hope that helps! 🙂
I workout 5 times a week with a trainer, I’m 34, 5’3, 140lbs and I’m a size 2/4. I’m going to start doing more heavy lifting, wanting to get some major toned/muscle definition. I’m new to carb cycling, which one do you recommend?
Hi OP: Chris and Heidi’s carb cycles are mostly meant for losing weight, but you can use the same concept in a different way to gain healthy muscle. Here are a couple of posts that might help: https://heidipowell.net/10540 and https://heidipowell.net/10990. 🙂
Hi there — I have dug through several of your posts and even through the comments sections to see if my question has already been addressed. Wondering what to do with pre/post-workout meals, low carb days especially. I’m looking at doing Turbo and I am a runner. My workouts usually either fall in the early morning (start time 5am) or closer to 6pm if I’m working out with my team. I like to eat something prior to the key workouts (intervals, tempo, long runs) and I know carbs are essential for post-workout recovery. So, how do you address eating around workouts when carb cycling, especially on the low carb/high fat days?
Hi Bethany: Here’s a post that has some great info about eating and working out: https://heidipowell.net/9194. 🙂
Hi! My husband and I are on your “Fit Cycle” through the America’s Fittest Couple Challenge (love it so far!). My goal is to lost fat and gain lean muscle (seriously Heidi your bod is #goals lol) & my husband’s (end) goal is to honestly be similar to Chris’. My question is kind of multi-layered, but here it goes! If we wanted to order your Chef’d meals, could these be incorporated onto this plan as substitutes for dinners? — I couldn’t find the Macros so I couldn’t compare to the plan we have. In addition, if we have meals that meet (or are very similar) in macros to those on the plan, can we sub those out for more variety?
Hi Kelli: Any recipes/meals that match the macros in the challenge recipes are great options to use to add more variety into your meals. 🙂
Hi there!
I’m just 3 weeks out from my first figure competition and want to implement carb cycling when I am done, specifically the fit carb cycle.
Is there a calculator I can use to determine my macros/calories for my high and low days? I’m sure its here somewhere but perhaps I missed it 🙂
Hi Jordyn: There’s a macro calculator in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. For macros for low and high carb days, it’s really best to work with a macro coach who can help you figure out what works best for you based on your body composition and goals, since these are different for each person. In general, here are the macro percentages for the Fit Cycle: High Carb Meal (including EVERY breakfast): Protein: 40%, Carbs: 40%, Fats: 20%, Low Carb Meal: Protein: 40%, Carbs: 20%, Fats: 40%. But again, these are very general percentages. Good luck on your competition! 🙂