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
Good morning, Heidi!
I have just started the Classic Cycle today. I work a third shift, and I have a fractured tibia and sprained wrist from a fall last week. Doctor says a boot for probably three months, then a surgery on the other ankle to remove hardware from a serious break a few years ago. That’s when I sat in a wheelchair, got depressed, and gained weight. I don’t want to do that again, and my health coach recommended your program. I plan to do core exercise since I’m not going to be able to do upper or lower body anytime soon. Are there any other ways I can get in exercise?
Hi Jeannie: I’m so sorry to hear about your injures. 🙁 Remember, 80% of weight loss is nutrition, so stick to the nutrition part of the Classic Cycle, exercise as recommended by your healthcare team, and you can still make some great progress towards your goals! They are the best ones to help you figure out what to do exercise-wise since they understand your exact issues and can work with you personally. You got this!
Hi, I do a lot of HIIT and have pretty low body fat.(15%) Want to lean out(I’m still flabby) and maybe lose 5 pounds. What program should I do? Fit or turbo cycle. Thanks, karen
Hi Karen: I’d start with the Fit Cycle, and you can change cycles at any time!
One last question! (or maybe not, there may be more, who knows!) How does coffee fit into this plan? I haven’t seen a coffee recipe. Is it allowed? And if so, how do you recommend its preparation?
Hi Alyssa: We recommend black coffee with 0 calorie natural sweeteners. 🙂
I have just started the turbo cycle, and so far so good. I do not find it difficult to follow. However, my husband is following turbo cycle as well, and he has an extremely physical job (approximately 12 hours a day of physical labor). I have increased his portions as recommended for men, but it seems that he is always hungry and I am worried that he is not getting enough food. I am wondering if the turbo cycle is too extreme for him, and maybe he should have more carbs throughout the week? Or maybe I should just increase his protein portions? Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you.
Hi Kendra: He can certainly change cycles at any time, and he can also add veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) to any meal, which can also help. Also make sure he’s drinking all of his water every day. If you haven’t checked out Chris and Heidi’s new app, it customizes each user’s meal program based on his/her body stats and his/her goals, so the meal and nutrition programs are tailor-made to each user. The app will also adjust based on the progress updates from each user too. Your first week is free so you can check everything out – it’s a great option!
Hi team Powell!
I absolutely adore you guys!
I’m really into getting fit (I’ve been wanting this for a while now, but I had a serious junk food addiction). Lately I’ve been doing really good, I work out often, I eat healthy, I still have a cheat meal every week. So I’m sure I’m on the right track.
I’ve been reading different theories and all, to find the way that fits best with me.
No worries I can already tell the difference between unhealthy and/or crash diets 🙂
But I was wondering what you guys think of Intermittent Fasting? You still eat all your macro’s you need, but just in a smaller time frame.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
A fan from Belgium!
Steffi
Hi! I just bought the book and am gearing to start up carb cycling come this Tuesday, 5/30/17. I feel like I’m crazy, but does this program not focus on calorie intake? How do I figure that out? Or do I just focus on the meal plans from the book and less about macros. Thanks in advance!
Hi Alyssa: Your macros and calories are figured out for you in the meal plan, so all you have to do is follow it! You’ll be eating around 1500 calories a day, and here’s a post that can help with meal planning on the Extreme Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/10617. You can do this!
I am just loving this app! How can I change my carb cycle program? I would like to try out the Turbo Cycle described on your website but I’m unsure if I can change the app to reflect that. Right now I think I am on the Fit Cycle, 2HC, 1LC, repeat. I would like to try the other program just to see how I feel doing more low carb days! Please advise.
Hi Heather: You can totally change your cycle! Go to Me, then Program, then click on whichever cycle you’d like to follow. If you’re not following the Weight Loss program, then you can also change to that program on the same screen. 🙂
Question!? 🙂
Night Carbs? In Last meal 5 ,somewhere in site i read “no carbs” but for example here(and not only) you do different? https://heidipowell.net/11127/eating-with-macros-a-day-in-the-life/
ps.Powell team is great 🙂
Hi Teo: Heidi is following a carb cycling program that is a bit different than the one you’re referring to where she follows a daily macro plan instead of a per meal macro plan. Hope that helps!
Question- Do you count net carbs or solely whole not subtracting fiber etc? thanks 🙂 Was trying to go through and find that answer but couldn’t find it.
Hi Mandy: We count total carbs to make things easier, but we do recommend you aim for around 25 grams of fiber a day on high carb days. 🙂
Is extreme cycle or turbo cycle best for the quickest weight loss without losing too much muscle?
Hi Andrea: Either the Turbo Cycle or the Extreme Cycles are the cycles for the quickest weight loss. And you can change cycles at any time!
I have a question about monitoring saturated fat intake while doing the turbo cycle. Depending on the meals I choose from the app, it is very likely that I am consuming 25-30 grams of saturated fat due mostly to coconut oil and butter. This seems high to me, and I am wondering what amount of saturated fat you recommend per day? The app only really tracks fat in general, not really the type of fat. Please advise. 🙂
Hi Amanda: All of the macros in the meals on the app fall into acceptable percentages, and you can choose meals with unsaturated fats if you’d like. We tried to make the meal plan appealing for those who are already healthy eaters and for those who are trying to become healthy eaters. Hope that helps!