Thread: calorie/carb cycling

Always go back to your maintanance, and then go up again so that you don't shock your body and it doesn't store the excess calories. You're really going all out here. I mean, it's only 5 pounds you're trying to lose right...why don't you try to get rid of bf instead of weight? Have you ever gotten it tested before?

i do want bf gotten rid of, if my wieght stays the same it wouldn't matter. I just wanted to know if i should go at or above maintenace after going low for 2 days. sorry if i confused anyone

Id make it near maintenance or slightly above, depending how low you are going during the cutting days. as for how many carbs. rather than percents, Id aim for 2g/lb BW. although again, depends on how low carbs u go the other days

well, even though this probably would not seem low carb, i want to do 2 days of 45/30/25 =(p/c/F) and then on the 3rd day go back up to maintenace and wonder what my ratios should look like on that day , (25/65/10?) i have no idea what percent of fat and especially carbs to have on my maintenace day and also wonder if i could have bagels with fat free cream cheese or would that slow the digestion of the carbs.

also, i heared i need to eat small piece of fruit with each carb meal on low day and high day and to eat fruit, veggies and protein before eating carbs on high day. why is this.....i though it would be better to eat carbs mostly in the begining of the high day to refill the glycogen and do i really need to eat fruit? if so what kind, only fast digesting or any like apples? sorry i didn't wait untill my other question was answered.

Originally Posted by swimgirl089

also, i heared i need to eat small piece of fruit with each carb meal on low day and high day and to eat fruit, veggies and protein before eating carbs on high day. why is this.....i though it would be better to eat carbs mostly in the begining of the high day to refill the glycogen and do i really need to eat fruit? if so what kind, only fast digesting or any like apples? sorry i didn't wait untill my other question was answered.

The guidelines you are quoting here are from Twin Peak's carb cycling plan ... and the reason you have heard them is probably because so many people here use the plan with much success

TP has written up the diet in detail, just follow the links below and you'll find exactly the answers you are looking for. Good luck!

Twin Peak's Carb Cycling Diet Part I, The Basics & Cutting

Twin Peak's Carb Cycling Part II for Bulking & Lifestyle

ok, but since im only doing 2 days and their only low carb, not no carb, could i just eat carbs on my high day ( obviously a lot more than my low days) and still have effectivness

i thought eating some bagels on the high day with fat free cream cheese would be good for the first half of the day, but i think they need to be hi GI carbs so i don't know if the cream cheese would be a good idea

also, my low calorie low carb days are only about 400-500 below, so i don't think i really need to go over maintenace for my high carb day, maybe 100 more or so ( unless you guys think i should go more)

ok, could i have i guess a bagel with an apple for 4 of my meals and then the last two egge whites or some type of meat ( since i guess 2 meals need to be protien only) If my low calories/carb days seem to not need this strict regemin please tell me sorry again for the abundance of messages before waiting for answers

If you are trying to lose bodyfat then bagels would never be a good choice and neither would the cream cheese.

i thought bagels were acceptable on the high carb days

if not, what kind of carbs are ok, and can i eat them with meat (like a sandwich) or should they be eaten alone and how much fruit on the high day

nevermind that, i just want to know how much carbs should be eating ( b/c im only going low carb for 2 days and the calorie deficit isn't that low)

just one more thing, why can't carbs be consumed for every meal on the high day, why do 2 need to be carb free.

When I cycle my carbs I have to get my energy from somewhere, so I take in more fat on my low carb days and keep my calories the same. My cycle will last the whole week: Mon=maint. Tues=Half Maint. Wed=0 Thurs=Half Maint. Fri-Sun=150% of Maint.. On my Low carb days (Mon-Thurs) I up my fat intake with Salmon or Beef.

thanks...also, sorry for trying to be a advocate of bagels but it i thought that as long as you ate protein with carbs ( no matter how high the GI level) like say a bagel sandwich (meat inside) that it was ok b/c your'e making it a slower digesting and thus and lower GI food which would not spike insulin

Did you read the articles?

Swimgirl, Twin Peaks' carb cycle is one thing, but I don't think what you're trying to do is the same thing. It appears to be more of a structured calorie cycle, along the lines of say Aceto or Venuto. In which case, I wouldn't mix in TP's stuff if I were you.

I found fruit to be a big fat (and I mean that) no for me when trying to shed weight. (Which is one, though only one, reason why I suspect TP's plan -- sorry, TP -- was so very, very wrong for me). And dairy doesn't "cut" it for me either, so to speak. (Nor for a lot of other people. It tends to make one hold water weight, for one thing, which while not exactly fat, is discouraging. For another, the carbs in dairy are sugar carbs -- lactose -- which of course in any significant quantity can cause fat loss problems if you are at all sugar-sensitive.)

As for the two meals being no-carb -- again, that's TP's plan specifically. And if you read the plan, you'll see why: there is no limit on carbs on the high-carb day. If all your meals of six meals are no limit of carbs, with carbs -- well, if you have any Carb Capacity at all, you can easily see how one could well pack away far too much without the safety factor of a couple no carb meals.

On bagels -- less the GI factor than the lack-of-nutrients factor. You'd be better off, specially if you are restricting cals in general, to go with something that has a little more to offer. Beans. Whole grains. Sweet potatoes. With restricted calories, one's nutrition tends to suffer anyhow (especially if one is a female, since even on a typical female maintenance diet of around 2000 calories, it's apparently darn near impossible to stuff in the RDI of all requisite nutrients) so you basically don't want to waste a significant fraction of your day's allotment (one bagel, 200-300 calories at least) on something that isn't giving you full bang for your caloric buck.

Now, on your calorie division. If you are doing structured calorie cycling, here is what you essentially want to accomplish: an overall caloric deficit, weekly, with a rotation of calories, daily. Does that make sense? So if, say, your maintenance is round 1900 cals, and you eat 1200 cals for three days, and then back to maintenance every fourth day, you are averaging either 1300 or 1400 cals per diem for that week. Which is a total deficit of either 4200 or 3500 calories per week -- only you are varying it constantly as you can see, not only every few days but even weekly, so your body never gets accustomed to a drastically lowered feedbag.

That help?