Carb Cycling guidelines!
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Carbohydrates are an important source of energy, but when you consume too much of them, they are more likely to be stored as fat. Carb Cycling, or rotating your carbohydrates during the week is a popular method to still get your carbohydrates, but to reduce the chance of fat storage. You do this by alternating days with a lot of carbohydrates with days with few carbohydrates.
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By 'cycling' your carbohydrates in this way during the week you will benefit from the benefits of carbohydrates, but you will avoid the negative effects of too few carbohydrates in your diet, such as a slowed metabolism , low energy and a bad state of mind. Before starting this strategy, there are a few things you should know.
Eat your carbohydrates on training days
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To get the best results with Carb Cycling it is important that you eat the carbohydrates on days when you do strength training and keep this to a minimum on rest or cardio days. On training days, your body simply needs the most energy, and therefore carbohydrates.
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11 minMain dishpeanut oil, tofu stir-fry cubes finely seasoned, stir fry sauce sweet and sour, thick noodles, carrot julienne, beetroot julienne, yellow bell pepper, watercress,rainbow salad with tofu -
45 minMain dishRed cabbage, mild olive oil, quinoa plus, forest outing, lemon, sesame oil, soy sauce less salt, Bio Today tahini white in pot, tap water,grilled red cabbage with quinoa salad -
30 minDessertBrie, Roquefort, port salut, gruyere, Camembert, walnut, garlic, thyme, honey, grape, baguette, Red onion, red grape, raisins, Red wine, Red wine vinegar, Brown sugar,generous cheese plate with onion marmalade -
30 minDessertFull Milk, whipped cream, macaroon, custard powder, vanilla sugar, sugar, protein, amaretto, almond liqueur, basic recipe cooking pears,macaroon pastry with casserole
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By 'cycling' your carbohydrates in this smart way during the week you can be sure that they are immediately burned again during your training or used for your recovery by replenishing your glycogen stock .
Macros and calories
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Another important aspect for Carb Cycling to succeed if you want to lose fat is that you create a calorie deficit during the week. This is best achieved by eating fewer calories from fats on training days when you are high in carbohydrates. If you don't do this, chances are that at the end of the week you will still be over your energy needs and will not lose weight.
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Your protein intake remains constant on both training days and rest days, 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a good guideline. What you will be rotating with is the number of carbohydrates and fats you eat on both workout and rest days.
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5 minDrink without alcoholbananas, cool fresh apple-pear raspberry juice, Soy drink vanilla,soy fruit shake -
20 minMain dishsauerkraut, sticking potato, liquid baking product, half-to-half minced, Spice meatballs, pineapple, olive oil, liquid baking product,gratin sauerkraut dish with minced meat -
40 minMain dishlemongrass, fresh ginger, Red peppers, onions, tomato cubes, fresh cod fillet, coriander, oil, ground turmeric (koenjit), coconut milk, salt,fish in creamy coconut sauce -
15 minSide dishsweet potato, soft goat cheese, egg, spring / forest onion,stuffed sweet potato with egg
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Suppose your current weight is maintained at 2,500 calories per day, or 17,500 calories per week. You want to lower your fat percentage and therefore eat 500 calories below your energy requirement. With a 'standard' diet you would eat 2000 calories (14,000 calories per week) every day to reach your goal, but with Carb Cycling this works a little differently.
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To 'Carb Cycle' successfully, your calories are higher on training days, this must be compensated with your rest days.
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Let's assume you train 3 days a week. On these training days you eat 2,500 calories, which equates to 7,500 calories that week. This means that there are still 14,000 - 7,500Â = 6,500 calories left for the remaining 4 rest days. This equates to 6,500: 4 = 1,625 calories on rest days. Your schedule would look like this, for example.
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20 minMain dishTasty vine tomato, (olive oil, fresh basil, onion, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, zucchini spaghetti, pumpkin spaghetti, mini buffalo mozzarella,lukewarm pumpkin and zucchini spaghetti -
15 minSide dishtraditional olive oil, curry powder, wheat flour, coconut milk, sambal oelek, chicken broth tablet, water, fresh mango,curry sauce with mango -
30 minMain dishtraditional olive oil, lean ground beef, frozen Mexican wok vegetables, salsa sauce mild, taco shell, grated young cheese, creme fraiche,Mexican vegetable in tacos -
95 minMain dishmaize chicken, lemon, coarse sea salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, thyme, zucchini, tomatoes (small to), black olives without pit,provençal chicken with zucchini and tomatoes
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You see that on rest days you eat fewer calories than you may be used to. However, after a day with a lot of carbohydrates this should not be a problem for most people. You can even choose to eat even more calories on training days and therefore even less on rest days. This all depends on your personal preference, as long as you make sure you have eaten below your energy needs by the end of the week.
Carb Cycling and moisture retention
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At Carb Cycling it is important to understand that you are likely to retain water on the days when you eat a lot of carbohydrates. For every gram of carbohydrates you eat, your body stores about 4 grams of water. You will understand that this can add up very quickly if you eat 300-400 grams of carbohydrates on your training days.
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25 minSmall dishflour, frozen puff pastry, egg, milk, walnut, mature cheese, paprika, dried Provençal herbs,puff pastry-sticks -
20 minSide dishEggs, lettuce, parsley, olive oil (extra virgin), tarragon vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper,lettuce with egg dressing -
15 minSmall dishbaking flour, peanut oil, flat leaf parsley,ar'nabit mi'li -
15 minAppetizerScottish salmon fillet, butter or margarine, fresh dill, creme fraiche, dry white wine, arugula lettuce melange, pan tostado,baked salmon with white-wine sauce
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The lower your fat percentage, the more you will notice the effect of this fluid retention. It is important to realize that this is not an increase in fat, but that this moisture will simply disappear after a low carbohydrate day. If you have a hard time with this effect and the big differences you see in the mirror from day to day, Carb Cycling may not be the ideal strategy for you.
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The lower your fat percentage, the more you will notice the effect of this fluid retention. It is important to realize that this is not an increase in fat, but that this moisture will simply disappear after a low carbohydrate day. If you have a hard time with this effect and the big differences you see in the mirror from day to day, then Carb Cycling may not be the ideal strategy for you.