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 was wondering, i read on your book choose to lose that after every three weeks you should do one week where everyday is high carb. Is the every fourth week from the very start or you only should do the full week of high carb if you have hit a plateau?
Hi Janet: You’ll do a slingshot week (a full week of high carb days) every 4th week no matter what. 🙂
Heidi,
I’ve recently purchased you and your husband’s book Extreme Transformation after doing many days of research on carb cycling. I implemented the strategies outline in the week just over a week ago. I’ve lost 2.5 pounds in my first week and am relieved to finally see some results. I LOVE how easy the recipes are and how fast I can prepare them. I’m not much for cooking…
As someone who considers myself to be in good health and very active, I’ve struggled in the last year to maintain my fitness as a result of recent hormonal changes due to a newly developed physical ailment. I am not someone who is extremely over weight and my goal although really big to me, is to lose less than 10 pounds. I do however wish to maintain wellness and fitness well into my senior years and had been seeking a method for which was sustainable for me.
I travel VERY frequently for work (2-3 days a week) and find it hard at times to adhere to really strict programs that require a regimented plan of cooking your own meals. I hope to find more solutions as I progress in knowledge and understanding of carb cycling and would love any advice you can give me.
I currently prepare breakfasts and snacks to take on the road with me to minimize the high calorie impact eating out usually consists of. I read a couple articles on your site that are very helpful in identifying restaurants that offer meals that comply with carb cycling. Do you have any other tips to add.
Best wishes and thank you for being real!,
Becka
Hi Becka: Welcome to carb cycling! Here’s a post that can help with meal planning on the Extreme Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/10617. And congrats on losing 2.5 pounds your first week! 🙂
I’ve started the Extreme Carb Cycle on Monday. I am prone to migraines which are normally controlled but each day so far I have had multiple headaches and am on my second migraine. Is this common when moving from processed sugar and foods to this program?
Hi Darcy: Headaches can be a by product of a new program, especially if you’re eating differently than you’re used to; however, what causes headaches can be different for each person. Some people experience headaches at first on low carb days, but you’ve only done high carb days so far. If you know what usually triggers your headaches and it’s something in the program, you can definitely modify the program if necessary. And if they continue, you might want to chat with your healthcare team and then follow any recommendations they might have. We wish you all the best!
Hello,
I’ve been following the Classic Carb Cycle guide and it’s working really well but I’ve just changed to late night workouts and didn’t know what/when to eat. I finish training at 9.30pm and normally go to bed at 10.30pm so don’t have time for 2 meals – should I have a fast digesting shake after working out, a slow digesting meal or combine both (i.e. dextrose, protein, creatine & porridge)?
Thanks!
Hi Michael: Here’s a post that can help you figure out how best to structure your meal schedule with your crazy schedule: https://heidipowell.net/10556. Hope it helps!
Hey Heidi! I watched Chris show so many times and it was awesome! I have been trying to figure out a macro ratio for me to follow. I have PCOS, Insulin resistance, high blood sugars and it seems like everything I do to loose weight isn’t working. I only seem to gain unless I don’t eat that much. I am very sensitive to carbs and feel better the protein I eat. I have been weight lifting 3-4 times a week. I love it but nothing has changed other than I realized that I gain muscle very fast lol. Can you recommend a ratio for me to follow or a link to give me an idea? Or which Carb cycle would be best for me to follow. I know when I have done Atkins before I felt so sick! I am going whole and clean for the most part withy Jyms Pre and post workout powders! Thanks!!
Hi Dustyann: If you follow any of Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling programs, they’ve figured out all your macros for you – you just follow the plan! If you want more information on macros, including a link to an awesome macros calculator, please check out this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. And please discuss any nutrition and exercise program with your healthcare team first and then follow their recommendations. Hope that helps – you can do this!
Hi I’m just about to start your diet bet and wanted to carb cycle, do you have any advice for a vegan who wants to carb cycle. Thank you
Hi Laura: There are several vegan options for proteins for carb cycling including soy protein sources such as tofu and tempeh
and other vegetarian protein options such as hemp, bean, and pea protein, so you should be good to go! And good luck in the DietBet game!
That’s my same question. I’ve been using Beyond Meat products
Hi,
I want to start with carb cycling and I am used to count calories and macros, but now I am bit confused – according to your answer from September 2016 “Easy, Classic, Fit, and Turbo Cycles: High Carb Meal (including EVERY breakfast): Protein: 40%, Carbs: 40%, Fats: 20%, Low Carb Meal: Protein: 40%, Carbs: 20%, Fats: 40%.” – is it true, that a man should eat 200 g netto proteins a day on hi-carb days? Isn?t it a bit much? Thanks!
Hi Eva: Yes, that is correct. It’s recommended that a man eat 2000 calories on high carb days, which equates to 800 calories from both protein and carbs plus 400 calories from fats for a total of 2000 calories. I hope this helps!
Can you tell me when I should eat and what? My workout is Mon-Thurs Hiit fit at 5 am and random weight lifting and some cardio on weekends. I cannot eat 30 mins after waking. What do you recommend?
Hi Bethany: You can get some great ideas on how to schedule our meals in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10556. 🙂
hi! I hope i didn’t miss this skimming through the comments but how do you actually track your macros? pen and paper? app?
Hi Heidi. For low carb meals could you do a protein bar such as quest, mission one or oh yeah one bars?
Hi Rachel: Quest-type bars are awesome options for low carb meals!