Before you start reading this post, make sure you bookmark this page. Or print out this post and put it on your fridge.  Or get out a pen and paper and start taking notes … Carb cycling is a game-changer and it’s going to give you mind-blowing results if when you start implementing it.

Put in the most simple terms, carbohydrate cycling is a meal plan that involves consuming a high carbohydrate diet on some days of the week and a low-to-moderate carbohydrate diet on other days of the week.

Eating a high carbohydrate diet on some days will raise your body’s insulin levels, replenish your glycogen stores, keep your body’s metabolism burning efficiently and prevent muscle catabolism (breakdown).  These high carbohydrate days are important because your low-to-moderate carbohydrate days are fat burning days, when insulin levels are low enough to allow for maximal fat burning while still allowing you to retain muscle.

To break it down for you … You’re going to eat a high carbohydrate diet on days that you train.  And yes, you’re in training.  Especially if you’re in one of my boot camps … So pat yourself on the back because, just like Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, you’re in training too.  Whether you’re in training for a half-marathon, tri-athlon or the “How F&$*ing Sexy Am I” contest that takes place inside your bathroom mirror each morning … Your ARE in training

BTW … I’ve won that contest in my bathroom mirror every single morning for the past 3 months.  In fact, yesterday I won twice

Eating a high carbohydrate diet on these days is also going to give you the energy you need to perform your best during your strength training workouts and give you the nutrients you need to replenish your glycogen stores so that you can build new muscle.  Of course, you’ll be eating a healthy dose of protein on these days too.

For most people, one or two high carbohydrate days is sufficient for fat loss. Anymore than that and most people will be looking at extra Ell Bees, even though they may continue to get stronger from their training.  Never, ever put two high carbohydrate days back-to-back.  They need to be spread out by at least a couple days.

Medium carbohydrate days will fall on your other strength training days.  So if you’re strength training three times per week, you’ll want one or two of those days to be high carbohydrate days, and the other one or two will be medium carbohydrate days.

Your low carbohydrate days will fall on your “off days”, which may or may not be days when you are actually “off” from any type of training.  For those of you whose goal is fat loss, you’ll be performing cardio on two or three of those days.  And it shouldn’t be the “slow & boring, talk-to-my-friend-next-to-me” type of cardio.  It should be high intensity interval training type cardio (HIIT).  Anything else is really just a waste of your time.

QUICK SOAP BOX RANT:

Long, steady-state cardio (ANY type of low-to-moderate intensity cardio that lasts longer than 45 minutes) has been proven to raise your body’s cortisol levels.  This is important for people whose goals include fat loss because when cortisol is released into the body, one of it’s jobs is to preserve body carbohydrate stores and increase alternate fuels for muscle.  This means that one of your body’s main fuels during this type of exercise is amino acids … which are derived from the breakdown of muscle!

Since long, steady-state cardio does not produce a significant release of growth hormone to counteract the functions of cortisol, the end result is the catabolism (breakdown) of your muscles.  Unless, of course, you keep blood glucose levels constant by consuming carbohydrates before & during this time.  But if you’re goals include fat loss, you just canceled out any type of calorie-burning effects you may have been able to produce because you had to consume carbohydrates to prevent the breakdown of muscle.

Oh yeah … Another of Cortisol’s functions = storing belly fat.

END OF RANT

So now that you know what days your high, medium and low carbohydrate days will take place, how do you determine how many days are dedicated to each level?

You need to find out what your body fat % is. This will determine not only how many days will be high carbohydrate days, but also how many grams of carbohydrate you’ll be eating on each of those days.  If your body fat % is high, you’ll be eating very few carbohydrates and those that you do consume will come mainly from vegetables, moderate amounts of fruit and as “incidental” carbohydrates that are included in your “protein foods” (such as your protein shake having 3 – 8 grams of carbohydrate or your Greek yogurt/cottage cheese having 4 – 6 grams).

When your body fat level hits 12% or below, you’ll begin to add more high & medium carbohydrate days into the cycle.  At this point, your abs will begin to show, your ribs will once again become visible and your competition for the “How Sexy Am I” competition each morning will be non-existent

During this entire time, your protein levels will remain between 0.8 – 1.0 gram of protein for each pound of body weight.  So if you’re a 150 pound gal (or dude), then your protein intake on average will be 120 – 150 grams of protein per day.  This includes all sources of protein – protein foods, shakes and “incidental” protein.

Quick nuggets from today’s post …

• Carb cycling is a meal plan of high, medium & low carbohydrate days
• Number of high, medium and low carb days is based on your body fat %
• Number of carbs you eat during each one of these days is based on your body weight
• Protein levels remain constant at 0.8 – 1.0 grams / lb. of body weight
• Long, steady-state cardio sucks for fat loss!

Be sure to check back for Part 2 of “What Is Carb Cycling” where I tell you the 3 biggest mistakes people make on a Carb Cycling nutrition program!