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
Help! I’ve read both of Chris’s books and I’m having a hard time figuring out how much is too much fat on HC days. I’ve been trying my hardest to follow the matrix but still am clueless as to what the normal fat grams for a day/meal should look like. (I do understand the concept of healthy fats but only on LC days) I’m also having a really hard time eating low fat on HC days and meeting the calorie intake of 1500. I have reviewed the 100 calorie snacks stated in the book but it doesn’t seem to fit the matrix of palm size of protein, two fists of veggies, etc. If I follow that, I’m only getting about 1200 on both LC and HC days. Please help!
Heidi,on low carb day is it normal to experience low energy?
Yes!
I’m type 2 Diabetic. Can I do the Carb Recycling?
Take the book to your doctor and work with them.
I have read the book “Choose More, Lose More for Life” and today is my first day on it but I have notice that even eating every three hours I am very hungry, I know it will take a few days to adjust to my new eating habits but I’ve also wonder if I’m eating enough calories? Also is fruit allowed on the Low carb days?
Make sure you are getting plenty of water and that your portions are correct. Also, fruit is a carb so only at high carb meals. (Breakfast on a low carb day is a high carb meal.
I am a breast feeding mom. I have tried several different diets while nursing and all have affected my milk supply. My doctor wants me to stay around 2500 calories. Would I be able to incorporate carb cycling with this ? What are your suggestions ? I gained 100 lbs with my pregnancy and I have lost 45 in 4 months , but haven’t lost a thing since ! Help!
Hi, my name is Aneta and I have about 45 lbs to lose. I purchased Chris’ most recent book, read it, created my own food plan according to the book for the classic cycle and posted it on my fridge. Told my hubby to keep me in check. I also entered all 7 day plan into my fitness pal to check my calories and made those my favorite meals so that I can just pick and add instead of figuring out every time what I need to eat. I also printed out all the exercises, and made a schedule for a month of what 9 min Missions are for each day, and shredders are of my choice. I started following the plan on Jan 1st – it’s my fresh clean start for 2014. I know people say Chris’ plan is hard and confusing, but if you really take time to read the book and do your homework of building a plan for yourself, it’s super easy. Just lay it all out on the paper. It’s possible to have your family follow the plan too. I cook the same food for me and my husband, but I eat smaller portions than he does and for example, I add potatoes to his dinner instead of mine. Simply. You just need to be creative 🙂
My only issue is within me – it’s the determination, discipline, and consistency that is always leaving me when I need it the most, and that’s why I’ve been failing at weight loss before. I don’t love myself anymore because I’ve been starting weight loss so many times and I never sticked with it, but it’s time to change that. 2014 is MY year…
I’m super excited and can’t wait until the next season of EWL starts. It keeps me so motivated, that I watch past episodes on you tube. I love that they talk about nutrition in that show and teach you how you can believe in yourself again. Thank you Chris and Heidi for what you do. 🙂
Hi, my name is Carolyn and I am having such a difficult time. My husband and I are obese. I am tipping the scales around 265-270 and my husband is pushing I think 400lbs. Now our 5 year old son is considered obese. I feel like the worst mother ever. He is only 5 years old and weighs 72lbs. I am trying to cut his portions and watch what he eats but so difficult since myself and my husband are both over eaters. I don’t know where to start. Ikinda know how much we are to have and kinda an idea for the kids but still so confussing for me. I don’t know how to get my family on a exercise schedule. My husband travels 9months out of the year and only home on the weekend and I just recently became a stay at home mom to our kids, 5, 3 and 9months. Money can be tight with one income and I live out in a little bitty podonktown. I hate to cook and need so much help. Please any thing you can do to help would be so grateful!!! Thanks so much and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Hello Heidi, I just want to say thank you to you and Chris for all you are doing… I have recently started the carb cycling, and the first week went great and dropped about 5lbs, with minimal exercise… The second week started getting to me… I am finding it hard to get or keep any energy… I feel like I am hungry all the time. I’m not sure if my portion sizes are correct or what. Any advice would be wonderful…
which carb cycle shuld type 2 diabetics follow ?
Thank you to Chris and you for all you do. I got used to diet pills all my life, and laxatives and I eat when I feel like eating, breakfast varies like lunch and dinner. Was told lactose not good for my stomach.