Confused about carbs and how they fit into carb cycling? Believe me, you’re not alone! Many of my most frequently asked questions are about carbs. And yes, with all the talk of “carbs this” and “carbs that” in the media, it can get a bit confusing. It gets even more complicated when you think you need to keep track of grams of carbs per meal and per day and the “good” vs. the “bad.”
It’s time to rethink how you think about carbs, agreed?!
First, the basics: Carbs—and the roles they play in your diet—are actually pretty simple. If it comes from a plant, it’s a carb, and carbs are the preferred fuel source for your muscles and organs. Breads, beans, potatoes, table sugar, fruits, and vegetables are all carbs.
There are two categories of carbs: simple and complex. The simple, not-so-healthy ones are found in foods such as cakes, cookies, some commercially made breads, and many processed foods. Fruits are also considered simple carbs because of the type of sugar they contain, but they’re a healthy choice because they’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, antioxidants, and some fiber. Your body breaks down simple, not-so-healthy carbs very quickly, which spikes your blood sugar levels and stimulates the release of insulin, resulting in a craving for more simple carbs. And that is soooo not good!
Complex, healthy carbs—like those found in legumes, root vegetables, whole-grains, cereals, breads, and pastas—are typically high in fiber, which slows food digestion and the release of sugars. This keeps your blood sugar and energy levels steady (and longer lasting), so your calorie-burning furnace stays hot and burns more calories! And that is awesome!
So how do carbs fit into our carb cycling program? It’s actually pretty simple. No matter what carb cycle you choose, every breakfast of every day will contain a carb. Every breakfast, every day. Your carb can be a grain, a legume, a starchy or root veggie, or a fruit.
In the Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit Cycles, on low-carb days, your remaining four meals (spaced every three hours) consist of a portion each of protein, fat, and veggies (think fibrous green veggies, not the starchy, root kind), and on high-carb days, your remaining four meals (spaced every three hours) are made up of a portion each of protein and complex carbs (grains, legumes, starchy or root veggies, or fruits). To learn more about the new Extreme Cycle, go here. And no matter which cycle you choose, if you’re ever still hungry, you can always throw in a portion of veggies (again, the fibrous greens). Remember: With carb cycling, you can have non-root/non-starchy veggies with every single meal (starchy, root veggies, like potatoes, will fall into the carb category)! Pretty simple, right?
Here’s what it looks like, including some handy portion size helps, for the Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit Cycles:
Here’s the most important take-away about carbs: With carbs and carb cycling, it’s not about a magic number of grams of carbs to eat every day. It’s about that carb for breakfast every morning and spreading your carb intake throughout your high-carb days so your body gets the greatest benefits from those healthy carbs you eat. Carbs are amazing, and they can be an important key to achieving your transformation goals. 🙂
693 Responses
Hi Team Powell, I have another question regarding the recipes in the book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. There are no calorie information for each of the recipes. Is there somewhere I can get that information other than doing the math for each recipe? Being on the Turbo Cycle (1200/1500 cal), I’m having a hard time finding recipes that are low in calorie for all 5 meals and STILL include the recommended portions. Thanks!
Hi Meme (again): Yes, there is no calorie information available because each recipe is based on the guidelines for the 5 meals a day as outlined in the graphic in this post. If you’d like to figure out the calories for the recipes, sites like calorieking.com and caloriecount.com are very helpful. Or you can use the calorie/measurement amounts in the approved foods list in the book. Happy carb cycling!
I want to start turbo plan but I am really confused because I 21 year old woman having impaired glucose intolerantance (pre-diabetic) having pcos. Right now I am following a low glycemic diet and I am seeing results………I am wondering if turbo carb cycling plan is right for me>
I am morbidly obese and dohigh intensity interval training everyday! PLEASE HELP PLEASE REPLY!!!!
I’d suggest showing Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program to your healthcare team and see what modifications, if any, they would make to the program for your medical issues. Chris and Heidi have used their program with both pre-diabetic and PCOS clients after consultation with their clients’ healthcare teams, but again, please follow the recommendations of your healthcare team.
Hello Heidi,
I want to start the turbo carb cycling and just wanted to make sure i don’t count carbs just my calories. Last year in 2014 I lost 77 pounds on my own but now my body doesn’t want to lose any more for some reason. So I am jumping on board and trying this because you Chris are a HUGE inspiration to me. I watch all of his shows:)
You are correct – you don’t need to count carbs in carb cycling. Follow the outlines in this post to put together your meals, and you can also count calories if you’d like. You can do this! And congrats on those 77 pounds gone – that’s awesome!
Hi! I have read your whole book twice and have the gist of it down. However, I am having a hard time getting 10 cups of veggies, 2 cups per meal, in each day. I have tried to do actual meals that include veggies, like taco salad, wraps, spinach in smoothies, but I don’t have many more ideas. Any tips on fitting in all the veggies per day?
Also, on LC days, if I add a little cheese on my taco salad, for example, as my fat, could I add some fat free cheese to get a little more flavor? Since it is fat free, what does it count as?
Thanks!
That is a lot of veggies! And if it makes a little bit of a difference, it’s two fist fulls of veggies, not two cups per meal. 😉 On high carb days, the veggies are optional if you’re full. Cheese – whether full fat, reduced fat, or fat free – is considered a fat in carb cycling. Just watch the serving size that’s in the book. You got this!
Fist fulls? I was thinking that was also about 1 cup per fist. In the foods list in the book some of the veggies that are portioned by 100 calories are a lot more than 2 fist fulls. For example in the smart foods list for Broccoli the serving size is 4 cups. So should we be eating 2 fist fulls or whats in the list? Can you please clarify on this topic a little more?
“Two fist fulls” is a very visual way for people to know how much to eat. You can either follow the visual guidelines in this post, or count calories, or both. The important thing is to get the proteins, carbs, veggies, and fats for each meal (depending on if it’s a high or low carb day) and meet the suggested calorie totals each day.
I just started today and I only have about 10 lbs I’d like to lose (from having 4 kids!). My metabolism slowed down after I weaned my last child from nursing and I noticed my metabolism is no longer what it use to be and I’ve gained back about some weight in the last 6 months (my youngest is 2 1/2 years now). I was at my lowest weight ever while I nursed my 4th until he was 18 months old. I regularly workout and monitor my hr and calorie burn during these workouts. I can sometimes burn about 800 calories in a given day. Do I need to eat back those calories burned (I’m on the 1200/1500 cal for the Turbo Cycle)? Or do those calories just become part of total deficit? Thanks!!!
No, you don’t eat back calories burned – they become part of your calorie deficit, which leads to lost pounds. Happy carb cycling!
As a vegetarian, our protein does come from things such as kidney beans and black beans . for low carb days, for our lunch/dinner, can kidney beans, chicpeas, black beans, be put in as our protein source sometimes? Een though they have carbs but i cant always eat tofu everyday as soy is not generally good to have so much. I prefer putting the beans in my salad to get my veggies
The reason beans are considered carbs is because the carb vs protein count is not favorable for carb cycling. In order to get enough protein for beans to be counted as a protein serving, you’d have to eat more than a regular serving, which also adds too many carbs.
I didn’t see anything in the books about workout supplements. I am just starting your carb cycling program, but follow a weight lifting workout routine in which I take workout supplements (protein powder before and after workouts, among others). How do those fall into carb cycling? Do I need to count them as a meal or snack?
Also, I am seeking a little clarification on the calories and portion sizes. I see that in the book it has a section on portion sizes for smart foods. If I am putting foods together that are on the list based on portion sizes, do I need to calculate the calories for everything to stay within the 1200-1500 range or will the calories fall within that range if I follow the portion sizes? What if I choose foods that aren’t on the list, is priority on portion size or calories?
Yes, protein powder is approved in carb cycling. Whether or not it counts as the protein part of a snack/meal or a complete meal/snack replacement depends on the ingredients. Heidi and Chris’ Vemma Powell Perfect Protein Shakes are complete high carb meal replacements, and you can get more info by contacting Bob Brenner (one of our amazing season 3 transformations) at [email protected]. In general, Heidi and Chris recommend whey protein powders with 15-20 grams or protein and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving. For portions sizes/calories, you can follow the portion size recommendations (we try to make it as easy as possible), if you want to double check your portions sizes to make sure you’re getting in your calories for the day (or not too many), you can also use the calorie counts in the food lists as a backup. If you choose foods that aren’t on the lists, follow the portion size guidelines, and double check the calorie counts also, just in case. Happy carb cycling!
I’m confused on what and how much to eat on my reward day. It is a high carb day. Can I still eat anything? Or is it just more of what I usually eat on a hick carb day? Is there a calorie or portion limit?
On your Reward Day you can eat anything you’d like to up to 1,000 extra calories.
I have both books, Kindle version, is there a sample menu, not just high carb day or low carb day that I can look at. I may be missing it in books.
Here are some meal ideas for low and high carb days: Low carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Basic Omelet with a corn tortilla to make it a wrap. Snack (3 hours later): A protein shake with a portion of a healthy fat, like peanut butter, mixed in.
Lunch (3 hours later): Tomato Basil and Garlic Chicken with a portion of olive oil drizzled on top. Snack (3 hours later): Sonora Cottage Cheese with a portion of avocado. Dinner: (3 hours later): Lemon Chicken drizzled with salad dressing. High carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Denver Omelet with a portion of your favorite fruit or oatmeal on the side. Snack (3 hours later): Greek Yogurt Parfait with a portion of low fat granola. Lunch: (3 hours later): Caribbean Jerk Chicken with a portion of brown rice. Snack (3 hours later): Protein shake with a portion of oatmeal mixed in. Dinner (3 hours later): Apple Cider Chicken. And remember, you can have veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every single meal, and you can use any of the foods on Chris and Heidi’s approved foods list – in the proper proportions – to create meals to fit your needs.
Thanks, I thought I was doing low carb every day, but in reality, I was probably doing high carb each day. Now to change my routine and that may not be as easy as I hope but I’m willing to give it a try.
I joined your DietBet and plan on smashing that 4%.
Hi! How many grams of carbs should I be having on my high carb days?
In carb cycling, we don’t count grams, we count portion sizes. If you’ll follow the portions sizes in the graphic in this post, you’ll be good to go!