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 Easter Sunday is supposed to be a low carb day but also want to enjoy the holiday with my family. Should I change my reset day for this week or wing it tomorrow? I know how important the low carb days are and I only do 2 per week. I’ve already got my meals lined up for my work week, I just don’t want to mess up my metabolism by switching things around.
I have never done carb cycling and I stumbled on your website. I’m going to give it a shot. Going with the classic cycle. I already track my macros at about 250C, 125P, and 56F (so 50, 25, 25). This was what was suggested for me since my workouts burn some serious calories. So given that…how many carbs for low carb days vs high carb days? Is there a ratio? I already use My Fitness Pal so I’m hoping to hear back from you guys on the gram amounts. Thanks!!
Also, I eat about 2014 cals per day…so do I still eat that amount each day and just adjust the macros basically?
Hi Lindsey: On the Classic Cycle, women eat around 1200 calories on low carb days and around 1500 calories on high carb days. If you use the app, these numbers are adjusted based on YOUR body and YOUR goals, so your numbers could very well be different. Hope this helps!
Hi Lindsey: Since we’ve planned all your macros for you in this plan, we really don’t have numbers to offer. And your macros are different depending on whether or not it’s a high carb or low carb meal also, so a blanket number for a day needs to take that into account. If you’ll follow the portion sizes for each macro for each meal, you should be good to go! You also might be interested in Chris and Heidi’s new Transform with Chris and Heidi app, which offers a completely customized meal and workout program, and it will adjust your program as you progress towards your goal also. It’s amazing! You can learn more about it here: http://thetransformapp.com.
But in all honesty, If I’m burning 700 per workout… and am active through the day…I don’t think 1200 calories would cut it. Right? I’ll take a look at the app and download it. Thanks for the response. 🙂
Hello, my sister and I are both following this plan. We are having a debate: Where does cottage cheese fit in? Thanks!
Hi Tabitha: Cottage cheese falls into the protein category! 🙂
Hi there. I am 143 pounds (5’6). I am looking to lose a bit of bodyfat and be a steady 138-140 pounds. I have worked hard to gain a good amount of muscle and I train 5 days a week (cardio and lifting). I am on my second week of the Transform App (woohoo)… but I am a bit confused. I am on the “fit cycle”, but it has me at 1950 calories on high carb days and 1800 on low carb days. This is much higher than the 1200-1500 that I have seen in many comments for all women in the carb cycles. Is this accurate for me??
Hi Abby: You’re doing awesome! The recommendations in Chris and Heidi’s books and are very general and while they do work, they are for a wide range of people. In the app, your program is customized to YOUR body and YOUR goals, so these numbers will naturally be different. And it is VERY common to be surprised at the amount of food you should be eating to reach your goals! Most people have the misconception (and “old school” mentality) that you have to starve yourself to reach your goals – this is not the case at all in both the books and this program. For our approach, we start you at the highest calorie intake possible to boost your metabolism and prime your body, then if you EVER plateau, the program will adjust your portions in a “step-down” manner, to maximize your results and keep you losing. This is transformation the way it SHOULD be done! Your meal plan is totally customized to you and your goals, and so you can feel confident that if you eat all of that delicious food, you will achieve your goals!
What is the best way to go about the meals as a Vegetarian? Is there a particular Carb Cycle that would work better? I do eat eggs and dairy products, but no other animal products. I use to eat seafood when I followed the Extreme Transformation program last year, but I would prefer not to eat meat this time around. Thank you in advance!
Hi! There are several vegetarian options you can use in carb cycling: tofu, plant proteins, tempeh, seitan, and TVP, to name a few. And eggs and dairy products are great also!
Hi there! I’m following carb cycling with the new Transform app, with two high carb and one low carb day. I want to be lean and shredded and wouldn’t mind building a little more muscle. Would it be detrimental to my carb cycling to add in a supplement protein shake (20 G protein) with my am snack so I can try to build more? Or just trust and stick with plan and forget the supplement protein powder unless it’s included in my meals for the day automatically? Thank you!
Hi Melissa: Protein is the foundation of every single meal in this program, and it’s been included in the program at the correct quantities, so you won’t want to add any additional protein to any meals. Instead, we have many meals that do include a protein shake, so you could choose one of those. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’m confused as to which cycle I need and the quiz I took had three in a tie. I’m looking to drop about 20lbs and lose fat. But I’m also an obstacle course racer and need to build lean muscle/have energy.
I have the book choose more, lose more.
Thanks!
Erin
Hi Erin: Since you are active, you might want to start with the Fit Cycle. And you can change cycles at any time! 🙂
Is there a place on the website to view a sample menu of a low carb and high carb day??
Hi Wendy: There are 21 days’ of menus in Chris and Heidi’s book, “Extreme Transformation” (http://amzn.to/2eTGrVy), and in their other books, you’re able to put your own meals together based on your food preferences. There are also lots of awesome recipes in all of their books. And there are charts in these posts that outline how to put meals together in each of the carb cycles: https://heidipowell.net/10617 and https://heidipowell.net/4514. Hope that helps! 🙂
Today is the first day of my transformation. My goal is to loose
150 lbs. I have 2 questions.
1. I’m a little confused between the turbo vs extreme options. I would love to get a quick start and build some momentum. Which option is best for me?
2. Due to a work emergency I missed my 2nd meal and it was 5 hrs between breakfast and lunch. Is it more important that I get all 5 meals in or should I just skip that meal all together.
(This is a bump in the road and a learning opportunity not something that will derail me at all)
I’m so EXCITED!!!!!
Hi Betsy: Let’s get you some answers to your questions! 1. I’d start with the Extreme Cycle. 2. Things like this happen #reallife, so you should be fine to just skip it. You might try keeping some healthy options in your purse, or at your desk (or some place handy at work) just in case this happens again. You’re doing awesome! 🙂
I am really struggling and need you help with this diet plan. I don’t usually even eat 1200 calories a day so now doing this diet I feel like I am over eating. I have only been on this diet 2 days and I feel like I am gaining weight. What do you suggest?
Hi Wendy: This is totally understandable! The minimum number of calories required for women for good health is 1200, so do your best to reach that number on those low carb days. If you’re still struggling, try increasing your calories by 100/day, and you will get to that 1200 calorie number! You can do this!
Okay thank you all good info. One last question on high carb day can you also include “fat” carbs also or just good carbs low in fat??
Hi Wendy: You are so welcome! Since some carbs naturally have a bit of fat in them, just keep things simple. Eat carbs for high carb meals, fats for low carb meals (some fats do have a bit of carb in them), and protein with every meal. Chris and Heidi have tried to make this program as simple as possible! 🙂