I’m going to throw a spanner in the works for the people out there that still assume that low carbohydrate diets means no carbs at all. Unlike the thoughts of so many "carb phobic" people now a days, structuring when you have carbs actually helps you lose body fat consistently. Now I’m not saying that you should ditch this article and go back and load up on your good old breakfast cereals and fat wedge sandwiches. What I am saying is that you could be a lot smarter about your fat loss and take advantage of a strategy that can help you drop body fat consistently and drive you closer to the body of your dreams.

Now before I go on any further I’m going to point out that this article is for the readers that have been working on a fat loss plan for a while, are either stuck in a rut, are trying to get very lean (such as figure athletes or body builders) or are trying to gain lean muscle mass but without the fat gain that happens with the classic bulking method.

A good number of the clients I work with on a daily basis are starting their fat loss journey right from the very beginning and as such do extremely well following my fourteen day fat loss plan. The system starts from the very beginning and installs the basic rules and essential habits necessary for fat loss. Whilst I do use a very small amount of carb cycling in the plan, the basic client does very well and does not require a strategy like I cover in this article.

Following the same low carb plan day in and day out is a strategy that often leads to a plateau in fat loss and leads to low levels of, metabolic rate, thyroid function, energy levels and hormone function (especially testosterone). All of the above are essential for optimal fat loss and overall health; you can’t simply follow the same system and hope for results, you must have a strategy. This is where carb cycling comes in.

What is carb cycling?

Carb cycling is a planned alteration of your carbohydrate intake designed to stop you hitting a plateau on your fat loss journey. It also helps maintain your metabolic rate and allows you to continue to perform at your very best.

You will have learnt in my article about insulin sensitivity that when you drop your carbohydrate level, your body frees up stored carbohydrate (muscle glycogen) to provide you with energy. When you burn glycogen stores your body goes into fat burning mode. Many of you will have seen this work for yourselves. Now in many cases, dropping your carbs to around 30 – 50 grams per day (rich berry fruits and a post workout shake) works very well, but inevitably your fat loss will grind to a halt.

Carb cycling is an individual system where you have to see how your body responds to a given protocol. Some people find they do very well having a carb load once every 2 weeks, some every week, some find it works well to have 3 days low carb followed by 1 day high carb. My first suggestion is to have a higher carb meal once per week and to then check your body fat levels the day after to see how it has affected you. Fat loss is an individual approach and what works for you may not work for someone else.  Let’s have a look at the protocols.

Protocols  

Infrequent, large re-feed meals

This is for someone who has a lot of discipline and can stay consistent with their diet throughout the week until their planned large re feeding meal say on a Saturday. It is very important that you stay strict in the week and resist temptation if you use this protocol. An example of a re feed meal may be by adding a sweet potato and a large dessert like apple pie and organic Ice cream to your standard lean protein and vegetable meal.

Frequent or moderate re-feed meals

This is a planned re feed protocol that occurs every 3 or 4 days whilst you are still following a lower carb plan.

In some cases, low carbohydrate systems can affect your mental focus and concentration, not everyone can handle low carbs for too long (even a full week). This is where a planned boost of carbs every few days can help. So in this case you would still remain on a lower carb plan of between 30 - 40 grams of carbs per day (for the average 55kg female) for three days and then on the fourth, you could have three pieces of fruit throughout the day, a post workout shake and a post workout carb meal with a sweet potato. Once again, check how your body reacts the day after and adjust the re feeds if you have gained body fat. If you feel like you're putting fat on, you usually are.

Carb cycling for muscle gain

Those people that are looking to gain lean muscle mass always come to a standstill when they notice fat gain at a lot quicker rate than muscle gain. In this case following a lower carb, high protein, high fat diet during the week can still work in your favour. You create a plan around a structured large re feed meal which can provide you with the extra calories and anabolic nutrients required to build muscle, whilst still remaining lean. So say on a Sunday you load up on 15 - 20% more calories from carbs than you would normally have. So a 3000 calorie weekly plan would mean loading up to 3450 - 3600 and then dropping back down again the day after. If you find this plan works well for you and you are still gaining lean mass, add 2 high carb meals in on your re feed day and see how that works. In some cases two planned re feed days work very well and you will continue to develop muscle mass whilst still remaining lean. Remember to assess your body composition regularly.

Tops tips for carb cycling

• Stick to your planned protocol
  
  
• Make sure you always plan ahead
  
  
• Record your progress by taking regular body fat measurements and pictures
  
  
• Remember that not every strategy works well for everyone, try one for a few weeks and then change it if it’s not working.
  
  
• Add your re-feeds in as your post workout meal and not before.
  
  
• Don’t try to attempt carb cycling if you have not got the basic habits and essential skills of fat loss nailed down. (pick up a copy of my fourteen day fat loss program first)
  
  

Give carb cycling a go and let me know how you get on.

If you would like to share any of your own carb cycling experiences, please fill in the comments below.

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