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
So are hard boiled eggs ok for any day?!
Great question! 4 egg whites are considered a protein serving, and they would work for any meal. 2 egg yolks are considered a fat serving and would only be eaten for a low carb meal.
Thank you for explaining this so I can finally understand how it works! So, on high carb days we should NOT be eating any fats?
Correct – no fats on high carb days. Happy carb cycling!
Question about pre-workout and long days. My days are very long i wake up at 515am, workout 6-7 am work 830-530, then night class from 6-10 pm then in bed by 11. I like to have a small snack before i workout, usually almonds and some blueberries or a piece of toast with peanut butter, I usually don’t count that as a meal since I burn it off during the workout. Then 730 am usually eat breakfast if I follow your plan of every 3 hours that would put my next 4 meals at 1030, 130, 430 & 730. That would leave 3.5 hrs between my last meal and bedtime. I’m afraid I’m going to get hungry in this time. Any suggestions on meal spacing so I don’t starve since my days are ridiculously long.
It’s best to space your meals like you’ve outlined – every 3 hours. If you follow the portion sizes and make up of each meal, you should be able to go from your last meal to bedtime. If you do get hungry or get cravings, sometimes simply drinking some water can help, or try chewing a sugar free piece of minty gum. If you are following the meals as they’re outlined, you’re getting all your calories for the day in those 5 meals, so you’ll not want to eat anything else or your weight loss could be affected. Try making and keeping a promise to yourself that you won’t eat after that last meal – promises are a tool Chris and Heidi use with every person they work with. Learn more here: https://heidipowell.net/8679/it-really-is-all-about-promises-2/. You can do this!
Hi Heidi! If it wouldn’t be to much trouble can you name some snacks and meals you eat? That is always the frustrating part of any program for me. I printed out Chris’ poster with all the foods just need suggestions for meals. I’m starting a cycle soon. Either fit or turbo. Thank you!!
There are lots of great recipes in both Chris and Heidi’s books (“Choose to Lose” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life”). And for each meal, simply choose a protein, carb, and veggie (the non-root/non-starchy type) for high carb meals, and a protein, fat, and veggie (non-root/non-starchy type) for low carb meals. The possibilities are almost endless! Happy carb cycling!
Search “carb cycling meal plans” on Pinterest. There’s quite a few!
Hi, I am going to give carb cycling a go to achieve my goals. Is there a way to access a meal plan? Is this in the book? Thanks
We really don’t have meal plans, you’ll just choose foods and/or recipes from the lists and recipes in the books to put together your meals. Happy carb cycling!
how about dairy? I tend to eat the 100 calorie greek yogurt (vanilla flavored) with some chia seeds and pom seeds and blueberries.
how is this counted in the “carb” arena? simple or complex?
the carb grams are usually around 12g with sugars being 7 of them.
your advice would be great. I am one of those that can tolerate dairy, I dont eat it everyday but at least 2 x’s a week as a snack.
Thanks!
Great question! We really don’t count grams in carb cycling, just portion sizes. The Greek yogurt would be counted as a protein, the seeds as a fat, and the blueberries as carbs. In carb cycling, you wouldn’t want to eat both the seeds and fruit together, except for a reward meal/day option. You’d eat the seeds as part of a low carb meal, and the blueberries as part of a high carb meal. Happy carb cycling!
Hi! I’ve been trying to research on the Powell’s fitness plan in order to help my husband and I get into shape. My question is, how do protein shakes fit into the plan? I saw a recipe on Chris’s page for chocolate almond protein shake, would that be an entire meal? Or how is it considered?
Thank you!
That depends. Some protein powders are full meal replacement powders and others are not. Chris and Heidi love their Vemma Powell Perfect Protein Powder, and you can learn more about it by contacting Bob Brenner (one of our amazing season 3 transformations) at [email protected]. It is a full high carb meal replacement shake. In general, Chris and Heidi recommend whey protein powders with between 15-20 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving. Hope that helps!
You said in carb cycling you don’t count grams when it comes to carbs only the portion size; however, some foods are higher in carbs and can be the same poriton size. So how would someone know what an acceptable amount of carbs on high carb is good compared to low carb days?
On low carb days you only eat carbs for breakfast, and none the rest of the day. If you’ll follow the portion size guide for low and high carb days, you will be fine. Chris and Heidi designed the program to be as easy as possible to follow, and their portion guide works. You can do this!
I am reading my kindle book and looking at the websites and I have one question: coconut. Is coconut oil not an ok fat? What about coconut milk, flakes, or four? I use these as replacements for dairy and white flour when cooking. Is everything coconut against the rules?
Coconut oil is considered a fat in carb cycling, and here’s a post all about coconut oil: https://heidipowell.net/5846/coconut-oil-friend-or-foe/. The thing to remember about any coconut products is that they can be high in fat and calories, so you’ll want to take that into account when using them, and they could count as a fat in carb cycling.
Hi,
I have a question and I’m hoping Team Powell can help. I’m 5’4, 120lb (give or take).. I don’t need to lose weight, but I’d like to lose body fat. I started carb cycling for the first time with the classic cycle. I feel like I’m eating so much but I’m hungry ALL the time. Nothing seems to be filling even when I follow the recommendations. Do you have any suggestions for those just wanted to burn fat, not necessarily lose a lot of weight? I like the idea of carb cycling, but I think I need to change something..
Thanks!
Leanne
You might switch to the Fit Cycle – you can change cycles at any time. What is your workout routine like? The best way to replace body fat with muscle is to work those muscles as often as you can. The Fit Cycle will give you what you need for those workouts, and since you’ll have extra high carb days, you should feel fuller. One other thing: are you eating the two fist fulls of veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every meal? Are you drinking all your water (60 oz/day for you) every day? Both of those could also help you feel fuller. Let me know if these don’t work, and we’ll go from there. 🙂
hi team powell,
thanks for responding so quickly ! I think I’ll try switching to the fit cycle.. I workout about 4-5x a week, about 35-45 min on weekdays, a little longer on weekends. mostly strength training and weights.. cardio once or twice a week . I do drink my recommended amount of water but I’ll admit, my veggies fall short.. I stated with the classic cycle to get into the swing of things and get it all figured out (or try to anyway), so I’ll take the advice with the fit cycle. thanks so much!