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
I just finished your book 2wks ago but am confused about the calories allocated for reward meals . I am a past binger so I don’t want a full day of treats but cannot go a full week wIthout either. I tried the easy but now want to cut back to 3 HC days with reward meals. Wed/sat/sunday but how do I determine the calories for just a reward meal? I like to count my macros and have been aiming for under 50carbs on LC days. I do feel more in control of my food than I have in 10years so thank you for that. I have 30lbs I want to lose and I like how I can slowly build up my LC days as I improve with food choices. Kind regards.
We’re so excited you’re liking carb cycling! Reward meals have around an extra 250 calories, and you can eat anything you want – both healthy and more treat-type foods. If you have a cycle with a reward day, then you eat up to 1000 extra calories for that day. Happy carb cycling!
Hi! I just started carb cycling (doing the Turbo Cycle) a couple of days ago and so far I’m loving it! I’m just wondering… today I’m on a “low carb” day. Would it be okay to have some fresh strawberries with my string cheese and raw almond snack? Or should I stay away from strawberries on low carb days?
Thanks so much! Team Powell is awesome!
Welcome to carb cycling, and I’m so happy you’re loving it! On low carb days, you’re only supposed to have fruits (carbs) as the carb part of your high carb breakfast (every breakfast is a high carb meal). And remember to add a protein to the snack you’ve described – both string cheese and almonds are considered fats in carb cycling, so you’ll only want one portion of fat for your low carb snack. 🙂
What can I eat on my salad on high carb days?
Any veggies and fruits, and as dressings you can have the fat-free type, lemon juice, vinegar, low fat Italian, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Hi (:
What does a reward day look like as far as eating goes?
Is it rewards all day, or just for one meal of that day?
Thank you 😀
If you have an entire reward day, you can eat anything you want, any time you want, up to 1000 extra calories. It can be healthy foods, “reward” foods, or a mix of both – it’s totally up to you!
do you eat veggies with your meal on he high carb day? if i want to loose fast can i do 3 low carb days with 1 high carb day then repeat the cycle/
You can if you’re still hungry. But they’re not optional on low carb days. Happy carb cycling!
I’ve read the choose more lose more book but I’m confused about the calories…. I’m not an average size woman and everything lists calories at 1200 which seems very low. How do I figure out how many calories I should be eating on a low carb day vs a high carb day?
The daily calorie amounts listed in the book (1200 calories on low carb days and 1500 calories on high carb days) are recommendations for everyone to follow, no matter how many pounds you’d like to lose. (For men, it’s 1500 on low carb days and 2000 on high carb days.) Chris and Heidi have done a lot of research, and through their many years of experience helping people transform their lives, these are the recommendations they’ve found that work, and these calorie recommendations, when combined with their exercise program, can help people achieve their transformation goals. Happy carb cycling!
Hi. I have a quick question. I plan to start carb cycling and I do a boot camp 3-4 times a week and burn around 600-700 calories. 1200 to 1500 calories seem very low for the exercise I do. Would it be okay to increase the calorie intake? If so by how much?
Thank you very much!
How long is your bootcamp? Chris and Heidi recommend doing their 9-Minute Missions Monday-Friday, and up to an hour of cardio (Shredders) Monday-Friday too. If you’re worried, start with the Fit Cycle. You can change cycles at any time! Happy carb cycling!
Hi there! I have a question about morning workouts. I’m excited to do the Turbo cycling and tend to do a morning workout a few days a week at 7am. For awhile I’ve been doing it fasted. Do I need to eat my high carb breakfast before this workout? Or is it okay to keep it fasted and then do my high carb breakfast at 8am? Also, I’m assuming no fats in my breakfast ever? (i.e. cooking oils, butter, avocado) even on low carb days? Thanks so much!
Great questions! Here’s a post that will help answer your eating and working out question: https://heidipowell.net/9194/qa-with-the-powells-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/. And yes, no fats for any breakfast since every breakfast is a high carb meal. Happy Turbo Cycling!
Hey Chris and Heidi,
I just started this week and this is my plan. Please let me know what you’re thinking. I use Myfitnesspal to track my food and such and it tracks in g’s. So I just want to know if should count the carb grams from vegetables on low days? My stats are below. Please help!
5’7” female – 147lbs
Sunday – Low
Monday – High
Tuesday – Low
Wednesday – Low
Thursday – No
Friday – Low/Weigh in
Saturday – High
No Carb – 140-150G protein, 60-70G fat, carbs from greens only
Low Carb – 60-80g of Carbs, 140-150g of Protein, 40-45g of Fat
High Carb – 140g of Carbs, 140-150g of Protein, 20-25g of Fat
First of all, we don’t count grams of anything in carb cycling, we count portion sizes (please refer to the graphic in this post), which makes things much simpler. You can also count calories if you’d like. As for your weekly schedule, it doesn’t look like you’re following one of the four carb cycles as far as how you’ve arranged your low/high carb days. Chris and Heidi’s plan is designed for maximum weight loss and fat burn, so you might want to choose one of their four carb cycles to follow. You can change cycles at any time, so you should definitely be able to find one that will work for you and your goals!
Another question. I’ve been doing it for a month and feel like nothing has changed. I think my proportions are a little off….for low carb days and when using fat for example quacamole ontop of lettuce tacos what would the equivalent of my thumb be in tablespoons? I’ve been using like a whole wholly guacamole mini cup ontop or half the cup. Is a thumb like a tablespoon or 2? Or salad dressing be how many tablespoons on top? Thanks so much! I just don’t want to be using too much fat in things 🙂 and on high carb days for a snack is like an apple and some turkey ok?
Hopefully this will help: 1/3 cup of avocado is 1 fat serving. The serving size for low fat/no fat dressings is 2 T, and for regular fat dressings the serving size is 1 T. I’m not sure which book you have, but in “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” there’s an awesome foods list (with serving sizes and calorie counts) that begins on page 192. And yes, for a high carb day an apple and some turkey for a meal/snack is great! Happy carb cycling!