While the Easy Cycle is the easiest cycle, the Classic Cycle is the simplest carb cycle. It offers a quick and easy introduction to carb cycling and results in fast and steady weight loss.
Unlike the Easy Cycle, which has a reward meal incorporated into every high carb day, the Classic Cycle has an entire reward day every week. Imagine that—a whole day to satisfy those cravings for your favorite foods! And you’ll still lose weight.
Here’s what a Classic Cycle week looks like:
- Monday: Low carb day
- Tuesday: High carb day
- Wednesday: Low carb day
- Thursday: High carb day
- Friday: Low carb day
- Saturday: High carb day
- Sunday: Reward day
Every breakfast—on both low and high carb days—will consist of a portion each of protein, carb, and fat. For the next three meals of the day, eat either low or high carb meals (depending on which day you’re on). Your last meal of every day will ALWAYS be a low carb meal. Follow the portion size guide to put all of your meals together.
With the Classic Cycle, besides losing weight at a quick and constant pace, you’ll also be able to tune into what is happening in your body during this carb cycle process. You’ll learn and actually feel how food affects your body, and while you may experience some brief periods of nausea, headaches, low energy, and other symptoms as you change the way you fuel your body, these will be temporary. In the end, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for this marvelous body you have! And you can stick with the Classic Cycle throughout your weight loss journey or move onto another cycle. You are in control!
For more information on the Classic Cycle, check out our book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. Interested in learning about the new Extreme Cycle? You can get all the info in our new book, Extreme Transformation.
And if you’d like some help creating your own meals, there’s a handy “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post!
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!
275 Responses
Hi!
Can your reward day have a high carb dinner? I know you say all last meals should be low carb. Our family does a family feast night once a week, which would be my reward day. But it?s dinner and high carb! Thx so much!
Hi Shawnda: You could have your second to the last meal of the day be a high carb meal, and then have your final meal later and make it low carb. Hope that helps! 🙂
Do the macros have to be split up equally between the 5 meals. Or just make sure you get the total amount throughout the day
Hi Jaime: That’s totally about preference and what will work best for you. In our app, your macros are split between 5 meals a day, and some people follow those, while others aim for daily totals. Hope that helps! 🙂
In general, can you give an idea or range of how many grams of carbs you should consume on high and low carb days?
Hi Leanne: There’s a “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post, and it can help you figure this out. https://heidipowell.net/10617. Just remember that each gram of protein or carb = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi team Powell,
I am currently 74,6kg and 1.65cm. My goal would be 65kg.
I started 5 weeks ago with the classic cycle and weighted HIIT with a pt 3 times a week and trying to walk for 45 minutes 2 times a week. And for the first 4 weeks it started of great; losing approx 0.5kg per week. I am doing the 3 times with the pt religiously but sometimes I cant fit in the walks, I also starting to have problems with keeping the eating clean for all the meals for 6 out of 7 days as the classic cycle suggests. I had some minor snacks on other days as well resulting for my last week to have gained 0.8kg. So overall I am still in a deficit (I weigh less since I started). But feel like the easy cycle is more my thing. But I’m scared now that my body has adjusted to the classic cycle with all that activity from pt and walking and adopting the easy cycle and would result in weight gain cause of the more lenient plan and also when I can’t fit in my walking days.
Basically feeling like I started of so ambitiously and feel like I cant daily back and still lose weight. Please advice. Thank you!
Hi Merit: You can change cycles at any time! It can take your body a few weeks to adapt to a new eating program, so please be patient. You got this!
Hi there:
Is carb cycling good for people who have hypothyroidism and struggle to lose weight. Thanks
Hi Brenda: We recommend that you discuss any nutrition program with your healthcare team to see if it’s right for you and/or if any modifications need to be made. I’d definitely ask them about carb cycling! 🙂
Hello – I am new to carb cycling! I’ve recently added intermittently fasting into my diet, but I feel like I need to be more restricted on what I’m eating instead of eating just anything. I work out about 5 times a week. 2 HIT classes, hot yoga and rebounding. I recently read about the endomorph body style and I really think that is what I am. I lost a little bit of weight when I first started the 5 day workouts, but I feel like I have hit a stand still and I definitely don’t monitor my macros or calories, but choose healthy foods for the most part with a few rewards during the week. Looking at the options, I feel like the classic is the best option for me, but I guess I’ve been reading conflicting information on what days should be high carb vs. low carb. When I do a HIT class – should that be on a low carb day or high? I have about 30 lbs to lose to be at my goal weight. Let me know what you suggest. Thanks
Hi Michelle: Some people do their hardest workouts on high carb days, others find that they can do any workout on any day. I’d experiment and do what works best for you! You got this!
Hello,
I am very interested in doing carb cycling. I?ve done macros, keto, low carb,etc. I just ordered the books however they haven?t arrived yet. I strength train 3x/week(Th, Th, Sa) and do HIIT workouts 3x/week(M, W, F). I am also a diabetic controlled through diet and exercise. I?m looking to lose only about 10 pounds and lean out. Which cycle would be best? I worry about my blood sugars being high on the high carb days without fat being added to the rest of the meals.
You guys are amazing!
Hi Keri: Which books did you order? Each has different cycles. The program is formulated for you to be able to work out 5-6 days a week, so that shouldn’t be an issue no matter which cycle you choose. As far as your diabetes, it would be best to discuss the cycle you choose with your healthcare team and then follow any modifications they may recommend since each case of diabetes can require different a treatment. Please reply with the books you ordered, and we’ll go from there! 🙂
I actually ordered all 3 ? and they should come by Wednesday. I was successful with macros however I had a coach at the time so they formulated all my meals/eating times for me. I have emailed my doctor for their advice- just waiting to hear back. I?ve browsed through the books in the book store, read people?s success stories online as well as looking into the app.
Hi Keri: Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I’d do the Extreme Cycle in “Extreme Transformation.” You’re going to love it! 🙂
Thank you! That?s actually the one I was thinking ?
How do I start? Do I purchase the app, buy a book, or purchase one of the above plans? I’m confused.
Hi Paula: You can use the books (we recommend “Extreme Transformation”: http://amzn.to/2eTGrVy), this blog post (https://heidipowell.net/9060), or the app (http://thetransformapp.com)…whichever will work best for you! 🙂
how many calories should I be eating with the classic plan
Hi Hayley: If you’re following the Classic Cycle as outlined in this post and/or in Chris and Heidi’s books, you’ll aim for 1200 calories on low carb days and 1500 calories on high carb days. On your reward day, you’ll eat 1000 extra calories – 2500. 🙂
I have a question…what is the starting level for carbs on the high days (how many grams) and carb level on low days (grams). I am 222 pounds and trying to lose some additional fat. I work out hard 6 days week, 1 rest day and during the six days I do 10-15 minutes of stair stepper cardio.
Hi Mark: Since we’ve tried to make meal planning as simple as possible for the Classic Cycle, we don’t have any carb gram counts for this cycle, but there’s a chart in this post that can help you put your meals together. https://heidipowell.net/4514. Follow the chart, and you’ll be good to go!
I have a few questions. Should reward day be a pretty heavy exercise day and my rest day be on a low carb day? Also, I read a quote from Heidi on another site that says that on high carb days total calories should be 50% carb, 40% protein and 10% fat and low carb days should be 10% carb, 40% protein and 50% fat. I’ve been tracking my calories on My Fitness Pal, and because of all of the non-starchy veggies on low carb days, my carbs are closer to 18-19% and my fat is only 37%. I feel like I’m hungry enough to eat even more veggies, but I don’t want to mess things up. If I ate even more, I’d also be going over my 1200 calories a day. Is it ok to go over if it’s just from non-starchy vegetables? Thank you so much for your help!