There are more ways to manage carbs than one. Some people prefer going keto, others take things a step further and eliminate them on a carnivore diet. For me, my body i can work them into my day and i personally have higher carb days than other which naturally puts a limit, or, I earn my carbs through training. Both of these allow me to enjoy carbs without going overboard and suffering the consequences. However, there is another method called carb cycling, which is what we’ll be exploring today. Are you ready? Then let’s get to it!
Carb Cycling 101
Carb cycling is more of a practice rather than a diet. It doesn’t tell you to go vegan or keto.
The idea is to “cycle” carbs either every day, week, or so often.
There’s no one way to carb cycle:
Alternating between high carb and low carb days; Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun are low carb, Tue, Thur, and Sat are high carb
Lowering carbs for losing weight, increasing carbs for gaining weight“Carb Loading” (i.e., increasing carbs) before athletic events or activities (marathons, powerlifting, cycling, sports, etc.)“
Re-feeds,” when you eat either a meal or full day of high carb every few days or weeks before returning to low carb the rest of the time (also practiced as “Cyclical Keto”)
Activity levels- some people eat most of their carbs around their workouts or days when you’re most active; similar to our “earn your carbs” principle; rest or low activity days are for low carbs
Let’s start with the benefits, or pros, of carb cycling:
Creates a caloric deficit without counting calories: In other words, you’re naturally cutting back on calories by lowering high carb foods like pasta, cereal, bread, rice, and dessert. Over time, this results in weight loss. I’m not a fan of counting calories; I think it’s unnecessary and open to becoming an obsession. However, I do believe in portion control and tracking your macros and other habits that naturally control calories without needing you to count them to the exact calorie.
Fuels Workouts and Supports Recovery: Unless your metabolism has switched over to burning fat for fuel, you’re going to need some carbs to help you exercise. You’ll also need to pair them with protein for recovery.
Creates Metabolic Flexibility: Speaking of your metabolism, you can teach it to swing between burning mostly fat and back to mostly carbs with carb cycling. On your low carb days, your primary energy source becomes fat. And on high carb days (you guessed it!), you mostly burn carbs. Metabolic flexibility gives you the advantage of “adapting” to different diets and eating styles. What happens if you’re on vacation and, try as you might, you end up eating a load of carbs? Instead of dealing with blood sugar swings and weight gain (provided you don’t overeat), your body can efficiently use the extra carbs as fuel. And the same works on the opposite side with fat. All in all, you’re increasing your sensitivity to insulin and keeping blood sugar from going unstable.
Hormones: There are three hormones that I need you to focus on- thyroid, testosterone, ghrelin, and leptin. All four play huge roles in metabolism, exercise performance, hunger, weight maintenance, and well-being. If any of these starts getting imbalanced, a whole host of problems may occur. Problems that, in some cases, can cause serious damage. The days you “refeed” or “increase” your carbs may help to keep these hormones in check, acting as a sort of “reset.” However, I should point out that not everyone needs a refeed day, and not everyone’s hormones do well on higher carbs. But some people do and are worth mentioning.
Now onto the cons, or drawbacks, of carb cycling. Because there’s no such thing as a perfect “practice,” even in the dieting world.
Zero Research: Unfortunately, there’s no research on carb cycling. There is on low carb diets and carb “loading” in athletes, but nothing specifically on the practice of cycling carbs itself.
Maintenance: For some people, following “rules” or “protocols” with their diet may not be sustainable. If you’re least concerned about performance or weight and would rather eat intuitively, then skip carb cycling.
Carb Binges: In the wrong hands, carb cycling may be used as an excuse to binge on empty carbs from junk food (cookies, ice cream, soda, juice, etc.). Even though you’re eating more carbs, they should be coming from whole foods such as fruit, sweet potatoes, squash, whole grains, and legumes.
Final Thoughts
This post is for those of you similar to me or that are trying to manage their carb intake.As you can see, there’s more than one way to do so. You can still enjoy carbs with the right planning. If low carb or earning your carbs hasn’t worked out for you, then consider cycling them in every few days or around your training.
