Carb Cycling as a means of reducing Bodyfat

cousin_borat

Has anyone any experience of this? For example having 3 portions of carbs day one, 2 on day 2 and 1 portion on day 3.
3-2-1 sequence and then starting over again.

Combined with 3 day resistance training with cardio would this be an effective diet for bringing BF% down?

Easygainer

Yeah, it works well, but you've to be very strict on it. I could email you the article I based my training on if I find it but alternatively just search bodybuilding.com for it!

cousin_borat

Googled carb cycling and this was the first article to come up. Seems to be very informative, will definately read it later on after work.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm

I presume this is the one you're referring to?

RonanC

Once you've read the two articles, have a look over the Q&A that accompanies them.

Adding vinegar and lemon juice (for the sodium acetate and citric acid respectively) will increase glycogen repletion on the high carb days.

cousin_borat

Below is my proposed carb cycling plan which I started yesterday. Weight training only during this period, 3 day split, cutting out cardio for the next 3 weeks to see results. The carb servings for each of the days are in italics. Also I never have carbs with dinner.

Training in the evening about 1 and 1/2 hours after dinner, so about 8pm. Followed by another Shake post workout.

Any changes or modifications I should make to this, or start from scratch? Also regarding the supplements would taking some form of liver be a useful addition?

Supplements:
Multi-Vitamin
Fish Oil
Vit C

High Carb

Breakfast @ 7:00AM
5 Scrambled Eggs
1/2 Cup Oatmeal with Flax

Mid Morning @ 10AM
ON Whey Shake

Lunch@ 12:30 PM
Low Carb whole grain bread (16 grammes carbs for two slices)
turkey breast
low fat mayo/mustard
fruit

Mid Afternoon @ 3:30
1/2 cup cottage cheese (2% fat)
Whole grain wheat crackers

Dinner @ 6:30
Grilled Chicken Breast
Green salad with vinegar/fat free dressing
1 cup steamed broccoli

Post workout Whey Shake @ 9:30

Med Carb

Breakfast
5 Scrambled Eggs
1/2 Cup Oatmeal with Flax

Mid Morning
ON Whey Shake

Lunch
Low Carb whole grain bread
turkey breast
low fat mayo/mustard
fruit

Mid Afternoon
ON Whey Shake

Dinner
grilled sirloin steak
green salad with vinegar/fat free dressing
1 cup steamed spinach

Post workout Whey Shake @ 9:30

Low Carb

Breakfast
5 Scrambled Eggs
1/2 Cup Oatmeal with Flax

Mid Morning
ON Whey Shake

Lunch
1 can tuna
low fat mayo/mustard
tossed salad with far-free dressing
fruit

Mid Afternoon
ON Whey Shake

Dinner
baked salmon
green salad with vinegar/fat free dressing
6-8 stalks of asparagus

Post workout Whey Shake @ 9:30

RonanC

Your high carb day doesn't appear to have enough carbs (especially post-workout) and the third day should be a no carb day (i.e. skip the oatmeal).

cousin_borat

Thanks for the feedback RonanC.
I wasn't sure whether to include carbs post workout since it is quite late, 9:30pm when I'm finished. I'm thinking either take oatmeal and shake or rice and shake post workout on high carb day?

I'm going to keep track of results over the next three weeks and post them for curiosity sake.

RonanC

cousin_borat wrote:

Thanks for the feedback RonanC.
I wasn't sure whether to include carbs post workout since it is quite late, 9:30pm when I'm finished. I'm thinking either take oatmeal and shake or rice and shake post workout on high carb day?

Go with the oatmeal. It will enhance recovery and aid in nutrient partioning aside from replenishing glycogen.

Also, have more than 1/2 cup oats with your first meal.

I don't see why you'd want low carb bread on a high carb day - can you have wholewheat pasta or a baked potato here? Have something like brown rice with your pre-workout meal too (and skip the crackers at 3.30 instead).

Flaxman

When you compile your list of items you eat on any given day, the total number of carbs must be 25% or below in order for you to burn fat otherwise you are burning carbs and anything left over is going to be stored as fat. That is the biochemistry of the body and you can't get away from it.

The 3-2-1 sequence sounds like yet another fad idea. Also, stay clear of the of the GI (Glycemic Index) diet which is another fad started by a doctor in Toronto. It is out again and simply known as the GI diet.

If you check out ultimatedietsecrets.com, you can have a read and understand what will really work. By the way, I am not paid for this but after years of trying to beat the weight rap, this has been the only one which works and which has the hard science backing it up, which you can read about. It will also tell you about the nonsense of the high carb idea, which just does not work with the body's chemistry.

Flaxman

RonanC

Flaxman wrote:

When you compile your list of items you eat on any given day, the total number of carbs must be 25% or below in order for you to burn fat otherwise you are burning carbs and anything left over is going to be stored as fat.

Not quite, your overall caloric intake will ultimately determine whether or not you lose weight. If you take in 5000kcals a day and keep carbs at 20% will you still decrease fat mass?

Carb cycling works (when followed correctly) as over the course of a week / 12 days / etc, your total caloric intake will still be lower than maintenance levels.

Flaxman

Not quite, your overall caloric intake will ultimately determine whether or not you lose weight. If you take in 5000kcals a day and keep carbs at 20% will you still decrease fat mass?

Yes, that's quite right Ronan. I presumed upon the calorie factor, but thanks for pointing that out. Calories in and calories out. Good man yourself.

Carb cycling works (when followed correctly) as over the course of a week / 12 days / etc, your total caloric intake will still be lower than maintenance levels.

Your pancreas will still be dumping insulin, however if you are on a 2000 calorie a day program and you burn 2300 calories, it is better for your body to have used fat as a fuel. The only way to achieve that is to keep your overall intake of carbs. below 25%. That way the ratio between fat burning and lean body mass loss will give leverage to a fat burn.

If you tend towards over 25% of your total intake as carbs, you may burn off some of those carbs but the ratio of loss between lean body mass and fat will lean favourably in burning lean body mass and you don't want that if you want to build muscle whether to tone or bulk up. Flaxman

cousin_borat

Trained yesterday on no carb day and my lifting was definately affected. Would I be better to restrict training to medium and high carb days?

Flaxman

Trained yesterday on no carb day and my lifting was definately affected. Would I be better to restrict training to medium and high carb days?

Hey Cous, if you are used to fuelling your jets on carbs, then once you run on empty, you're going to lose engine power, if you know what I mean. If you have a diet which is fairly high on carbs and low on fats, you give your body no recourse to any other kind of fuel for the body. That's why you feel like you have no stamina.

If you want to build more lean body mass, you will need to consume protein and fat (yes fat) which will be your building blocks to fitness.

When you do this and keep track of your meals so that 25% or less is the only amount of carbs you allow yourself then your body will switch from using carbs to using fat as an energy source. In fact, you will achieve more in this way. It takes from a few weeks to a few months to do this. The reason is that your body will have a supply of enzymes for breaking down carbs.

When you lower the amount (not to an extreme level like Atkin's) your only means of fuel will be fat, however it takes time for the body to produce the enzymes necessary to do this and that is why people can experience fatigue, etc., so switch slowly.

If you go at it slowly, you will begin to notice untapped energy and stamina like you've never imagined.

I would encourage you to look into Dr. Greg Ellis' and his work which he did for his doctorate. He's a straight shooter and nobody has been able to topple his research because it is how the body works.

If you try it any other way, there will not be the results you are looking for because on the carb program you're on, the body will prefer using lean body mass for fuel. Fat is the last thing it wants to burn. The only way you can make it do otherwise is to work with it.

Flaxman

cousin_borat

What you are saying makes sense.

My plan is that after 3 weeks of carb cycling (curious to see the results bf% wise) that keeping carbs under 25% on a continuing basis would be a sensible and sustainable nutrition plan. And this will complement building lean body mass over the following 10 months.

Flaxman

Of course you'll need to know how many calories you can take in and how much you're going to burn in the process so as to make sure that you are consuming enough protein.

I found this impossible to do on just regular protein such as animal products because it is just impossible to consume so much as it fills you fast so when you're training, I found that whey protein gives you loads of protein.

You don't necessarily have to be making shakes either because I make protein pancakes with whey protein, almond flour, buttermilk and some items plus I have a great cookie recipe with similar items. They're not chips ahoy but then again you don't want to be eating that when you're trying to get fit, unless it's a once off.

If you want the pancake recipe let me know. I then use Joseph's pancake syrup which is great tasting and sweetened with malititol. All the best in your training.

If you want to know that you are eating with precision with regards to your food intake, you can download some good software programs or try fitday.com. That way you can regulate how much protein, fats and carbs you are taking in and also keep track of your workouts. It's a very good site and it's free.

cousin_borat

Well heres the follow up after three weeks of carb cycling. Quite happy with the results. My BF% went from 19 to 15.4% over the time period. Very little change in the first week, slightly more in the following 5 days. The major change appears to have taken place in the last 9 days.

Been keeping a three day resistance training regime as well as limited cardio. My lean mass has increased since I maintained the same overall body mass 190lb. Going forward I'm going to maintain a carb % of 25-30 percent consuming the majority of carbs first thing in the morning and with pre-workout meal. For post-workout will take some dextrose to aid insulin spike.

Dragan

OP, it all depends on what your current BF level is. It works best for people under 15% bodyfat, for people over that, simply keep an eye on overall calories has been shown to be the best bet.

cousin_borat

True, it seems to be most prevalent with competition bodybuilders as a means of getting down to required BF levels. I was trying it out as an experiment for 3 weeks to see what the effect was.

Longer term you're right, maintaining control of calories and pro/carb/fat ratio's is the best strategy.