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
I love everything about your diet! It is by far the easiest and best diet out there for the results you want, hands down! But I do have a question. I am a women who eats 1200 calories on low carb and 1500 calories on high carb days. However, if I work out those days and burn calories, do we add those calories or do we just stick wtih the 1200 and 1500 respectfully?
I’ve been trying to follow the plan for over a month. Just started exercising again – struggling due to hypothyroid, gall bladder issues, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (not supposed to eat carbs at all)and getting therapy for my right knee and heel.
I’m determined to lose 30 lbs, build muscle, lose body fat and start to feel better. I lost 4 lbs and gained them back 1 lb at a time. I’m so frustrated.
I’m using the Bod.e products and following the turbo plan. I need help, please.
Sharon be sure and share the plan with your doctor to be sure it’s the right one for you. Kick up the intensity of your workouts if you can. You can do this. It takes time and patience. Hang in there! 🙂
I work rotating shifts and sometimes I am up for 18 to 24 hours. So when I eat right after getting up and then every three hours until I hit 5 meals I then have a long time until I get my next meal and end up hungry and worried I might cheat any suggestions.
I would love a post on high and low carb snacks. I am doing great at meal planning but I am getting bored with my snack ideas!
I just got the book choose more, lose more for life and started on the turbo cycle. For me I find trying to eat every three hours, trying to figure out what foods are low carb or high carb, and making sure I am eating enough calories I am just too overwhelmed!!! I have to say I’m giving up because it’s too complicated and I am constantly hungry which just makes me look for anything I can eat whether it is a good choice or not. I am open to suggestions but really need something simplifed.
Have you printed out the food chart on chrispowell.com? When you join the mailing list, you can print it out. Ask questions on our fanpages too for community help.
Question for us women who take way too long to get ready in the morning. How do I handle breakfast when I get up so early? Is it possible to break up breakfast into 2 servings? I get up at 4 and eat breakfast at 5:30-from 5:30 on is perfect for eating every 3 hours but if I eat breakfast within 30 min of waking up the every 3 hours will not work. Any suggestions? Just started reading Chris’s book and getting ready to order me some CHOCOLATE bode shake and some burn. HAS to be chocolate!! 🙂
Breaking up the breakfast is ok. Maybe start with a piece of fruit first thing then have the rest of your breakfast at 5:30. And YAY for the Bod-e and Burn!! Love me some Vemma!
Some info is vague or contradictory between the book, website and app. Is the Bode shake on ok for use at breakfast on low carb days? The app is sending me reminders and tips on the wrong days. I’m alternating high/low carb daily and app is doing 2 days low 1 day high. Frustrating. I would take any advice anyone could offer. I wish there was an actual forum for us to exchange ideas, recipes, etc.
Pick one tool and use it. If you’re going to use the app then stick with that one. 🙂 And yes, the Bod-e Shakes are ok for breakfast on low carb days. As for the forum… we’re working on it. 🙂
The turbo carb cycling coupled with the BODE products have helped me lose some extra weight, especially blasting through a couple of stubborn plateaus. Have been cruising at a classic carb cycle for a couple of weeks and not really losing, so need to jump into turbo mode again. Looking forward to finally reaching my healthy lifestyle goals. What is the key to successful maintenance?
Hi Heidi,
What do you do when you work 10 hour shifts and barely get time for lunch? My career is in the medical field and we see patients back to back with no breaks except for lunch. What would you suggest? I really like the idea of carb-cycling.
Thanks!
Pam Karabatsos
I have a see-food problem. I see food and I want it. As a Vemma Brand 3 and a half years healthy with my daily nutritional needs met, I want to step it up and carb cycle for life. Heidi’s recipes are a huge incentive to cross over into the light.