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 just subscribed to the app and I?m trying to figure out what nutrition plan to select. I?m 38, with a 17 month old. I?m 191lbs and am at my comfort level at 135-140. I?m a pretty picky eater (specifically proteins) but want to commit 100% for me and my daughter.
I should add, I love working out specially HIIT, weight training and elliptical for cardio
Hi KJ: You can choose any of the carb cycles, and you can change cycles at any time also. However, we recommend sticking with a carb cycle for several weeks before changing since it can take our bodies a bit of time to adjust to a new nutrition plan. A good cycle to start with is the Extreme Cycle, or if the app recommended a cycle for you based on your profile, you could definitely start with that one too. We hope you love the app – you got this! 🙂
Hello I have a question on what carb cycle process would be best for my needs. I am currently aiming to gain lean muscle and do HIIT as well as resistance training. Would the Fit cycle be best or should I start with the Classic cycle?
Hi Morgan: I’d start with either the Extreme Cycle or the Fit Cycle. You got this! 🙂
Hi Team Powell,
I have all your books including Extreme Transformation. The question I have is how do I gain about 10 lbs. but shed fat in the lower half of my body and gain lean muscle. I am not sure which of the programs I should do. I am 5’2″ and weigh 95 lbs. Lost muscle but retained fat in the hips, thighs and buttocks. Dealing with Lupus and hence the weight loss. But the doctor told me to eat low carbs and be gluten free. Can you please help! Thank you so very much!
Hi Connie: Thank you for your comment! Here’s a post from Heidi’s blog that can help you achieve your goals: https://heidipowell.net/15538 And we always recommend you follow your doctor’s recommendations, but you could show our plans to your doctor and then have them help you make any necessary modifications to help you achieve your goals. You can do this! 🙂
Hi, it’s great that you reply.
I am 50 and after my 3 children i have been trying to lose the fat these years but gaining i am 5 ft, weigh 200 pounds. I want to lose the excess fat on my upper body mainly belly. Which carb cycle will be great to start and switch also the exercising plan with suitable carb cycle. I do Boxing, other sports too as well exercising in gym with HIIT plans. It will help me if you can tell about it. And how can we contact you for more questions. Thanks alot
Hi Sumi: Unfortunately, you really can’t spot reduce–any extra fat will leave your body in its own unique way. We recommend doing the Extreme Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/10503). And you can follow any exercise program you’d like, and we recommend making sure you’re incorporating both cardio and strength training in your exercise program. It sounds like you’re already doing great there! We also have a complete and customized nutrition and workout programs in our app (The Transform App: http://thetransformapp.com), and so that might also be a great option for you. And you can ask any questions right here! 🙂
I am a 57 year old Woman who eats too much Junk and I love to exercise but I am limited bc I have had 4 knee replacements. Can walk and ride a bike on good days. I also like to lift some weights 3 times a week. I weight 154. Really would love to lose 10 pounds . What plan would be best for me.
Hi Kimberly: We recommend starting with the Extreme Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/10503). And our app, The Transform App (http://thetransformapp.com) offers you a customized nutrition program as well as several workout programs (with modified and alternate moves for every exercise), and it’s an amazing option! The app figures everything out for you and adjusts as you progress towards your goal. You can do this!
Hi I am 154 lb and 5.4 ft I work out 6 days/week(PPL)
Witch of your carb cycle type you recommend me ???
And I am 39 years old female
Hi Shatha: I’d begin with either the Extreme Cycle or the Fit Cycle. You got this! 🙂
Hi I am 53 yrs old post menopause and I was always my ideal weight. But around the age 49 I started gaining weight in the mid section all the around to my back. Losing weight has always been easy for me in the past and I was told this weight gain is from menopause and I let it pile on. Can carb cycling help me lose this mid section weight? I am constantly being told that I have to do a different approach to losing this mid section weight. I have diets, HCG and diet pills but no success
Hi Cassandra: Unfortunately, you really can’t spot reduce. Any extra fat will leave your body in its own unique way. 🙁 Follow a sound nutrition program (like carb cycling), work out regularly, drink your water every day (we recommend 1/2 your body weight/day), and any problem areas should get better. You can totally do this! 🙂
I only have half a thyroid and take thyroid medicine first thing in the morning and cannot eat for an hour after taking it. Therefore I will not be able to eat within 30 minutes of waking up . I am overweight by 75lbs and want to know if this is safe for those with thyroid issues. Do I start w/extreme? What do you suggest. #Motivated #IGotThis
Thank you for your comment! With any health issue, we recommend you discuss any nutrition program with your healthcare team first and then follow their recommendations, including any modifications to the program and which carb cycle would be best for you! 🙂
Is carb cycling only for those who frequently exercise?
Hi Laura: No! Anyone can carb cycle!
Hello,
My name is Mariela and I recently turn 40. My daughter just turn 19 months. I started my pregnancy at 125 lbs and gained about 15-17 pounds during pregnancy. When my daughter was born I was roughly 140 lbs and lost my pregnancy weight in the first 2 weeks. From than on its been trending up…..sleep deprivation, food starvation, stress and exhaustion ?. and now I am 144 lbs (on last Check) and can’t stand my self. I work full time and after I get off work I try spending time with my daughter as much as I can. Meal prepping feels impossible and dieting is just not my thing. I may be able to squeeze a work out here and there but nothing consistent. So I saw an advertising about Vshred and from then on have been looking in to carb cycling. May be that will flip my metabolism back, if there is even any hope for me at all these day. Any advise or suggestion will be welcome ?.. it seems that there are so many options out there and so many pros and cons about all of them…..so easy to get lost!
Hi Mariela: This post is a great source for carb cycling, and take a look at this one too: https://heidipowell.net/10671. You can totally do this! 🙂
I just got your transform app and need to lose 50 lbs. it suggests my calories should be 2750 a day! I feel like I am going to just get even bigger. Is this really how much I should eat?
Hi Kim: Welcome to the app! 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. 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!
Hi
I am 56 years old and post menopausal… I never had a weight problem until now … I gained 13 lbs over the winter and I feel terrible. I workout at the gym almost every day and I walk my dog twice daily… i feel like menopause has just punched me in the face … does this program help post menopausal women?
I cannot get this extra weight off… please help before it gets out of hand!
Hi Irene: Yes! We have many women who have found success with carb cycling. And remember, nutrition is 80% of weight loss, so stick to a sound nutrition program (like carb cycling), get in your exercise, and you can achieve your goals. If you continue to gain weight or have any concerns, I’d talk with your healthcare team and then follow their recommendations. You got this! 🙂
HI Hedi!
So I was wondering which book you would recommend for me. I am interested in carb cycling and would like something that pretty much TELLS me what to eat, such as a specific meal plan. I basically want something that tells me EXACTLY what to do. Also, any advice on how to exercise would be great too! Thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Deana: I’d get this book, Extreme Transformation: http://amzn.to/2eTGrVy It has a meal plan and exercise plan! You can totally do this! 🙂