On Extreme Weight Loss and in our books “Choose to Lose: The 7 Day Carb Cycle Solution” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” Chris and I teach people how to lose weight and get healthy using a program called carb cycling. When you carb cycle, you eat 5 smaller meals a day, 1 every 3 hours starting within 30 minutes of waking up.
Eating this often is new to many people, especially those that skip breakfast and suddenly realize halfway through the day, that they’ve also missed lunch. Irregular eating can derail your fitness goals.
Preparation is key to eating every three hours. While we all know the best laid plans can go awry with an emergency, you get stuck in traffic, a meeting goes longer than planned, etc., so many people ask Chris and I what happens if I accidentally skip a meal or am unable to eat my meal on time. What do you do?
Find out the answers by watching this week’s Ask Heidi Anything.
264 Responses
I am a paraprofessional. I find it hard to eat every 3 hours what do you recomend for a teacher who can’t eat in front of the students?
Hi Heidi, I just completed my second day of carb Cycling. I have a question, for each meal am I suppose to have a protein, carb & flavoring on high carb days and a protein, fat & flavoring on low carb days? I am not so sure about the snacks. Should I be having something that is 100 calories on each day and make the snack be a protein & a fat on low carb days and a protein & a carb on high carb days? Should I be trying to cut portions in half so I get the protein fat & carbs on the proper day and not go over 100 calories for my snack or can I just pick one thing. On my first day I went over my calories because I chose one from each. All those 100 calories added up fast. Is it ok to have cottage cheese as my snack and nothing else? Is it ok to have 10 olives as a snack or just a slice of cheese? I hope this makes sense to you. I am very confused. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Sincerely, Lynnette Armistead 925-565-1268
I am 3 weeks in… I’m using the app… But I miss my fruit… I am a vegetarian, is there a reason why fruit is not included with any of the suggestions for food??!
Simple answer is fruit is a carb. You can have a piece every morning especially on high carb days though.
Hi heidi,
First of all congrats on the pregnancy and all you and chris’s success. I am a watcher of all weight loss shows and a food network addict haha. Having said that I am currently 530 pounds I have had some issues with a failed lapband and the regaining of pounds lost. I would like you to guide me right now I have been doing intermittent fasting but i yoyo in weight despite following the “rules” I think my body just gains with any carbs..i am afraid if i carb cycle i will gain more weight. I have heard cutting out carbs all together I would like to get out of the 500’s and lose weight like you do in the show just I don’t want chris to move in lol i like my privacy and i have 3 kids and no room. i got chris’s first book is his new video made for big people like me or for the smaller overweight people? Maybe you can link me a menu i can follow..thank you sincerely jeremiah
Hi Heidi! I got the new book and committed to carb cycling and eating every 3 hours. I lasted 3 days until I got horribly sick. It felt like the flu, and I was so nauseous and tired and run down. I thought about maybe doing a high carb week to ease myself into the transition (the high carb week is much lower carb than my body is currently used to) and then trying carb cycling again. Do you have any suggestions to avoid getting so sick again? It seems like any time I alter my diet to eat healthier, it happens, but with carb cycling it seemed much worse!
Thanks!!
What can I do Heidi if I’m going through menopause and weight doesn’t seem to go away or it’s harder to lose it and keep it off. Wht can I do?
Thank you SO much for this post! I am on my 4th week of carb cycling with you guys and have wondered what to do on those crazy days!!!!! I appreciate the clarification. This plan is working great for me….thanks for all of the great inspiration you and Chris have available!!
I’m doing gym but i was very tired after the gym. I don’t know what to eat before a workout. I go to the gym at 6 am . Help me .
when should it be my last meal before going to bed and what could be the best choices to eat at that last mea?
I have Tons of food Allergies for me just trying to be healthly and eating enough is a challenge the carb rotation is hard for me. I can?t have any cows milk, eggs, some fish, chicken or wheat. I read Chris book and trying to incorporate what I can into my life like eat every 3 hours work out. I find that protein is a huge issue, I don?t get enough and I eat way to may carbs?. Any suggestions I did make your heart healthy muffins love them!!! I do have a vegetable protein powder.