How to lose body fat with Carb Cycling

Carb Cycling is a way to lose body fat that began within the bodybuilding community and has found its’ way into general fitness as well now. It has often been used among bodybuilders as a way to cut body fat before a competition but the principles of Carb Cycling can also be used in a more moderate fashion among gym-goers who aren’t competing. By varying the level of carbohydrates consumed on differing days, practitioners of Carb Cycling can lose substantial amounts of body fat and keep it off.

A low-carbohydrate diet is classified as a diet that consists of less than 30% carbohydrates. If you want to lose body fat then cutting the amount of carbohydrates you eat will make that goal much more achievable as you’ll benefit from reduced hunger and a more stable level of blood sugar.

Carb Cycling is very different from a low-carbohydrate diet such as the Atkins diet. People who diet on Atkins may experience lots of fatigue, higher risks of heart disease and diabetes as well as brain fog. These problems can be avoided by consuming low amounts of carbohydrates on one day, then higher amounts the next.

When you eat carbs, these become stored in your muscles as glycogen, the body’s biggest source of fuel for exercise and general daily activity. Your body converts these carbohydrates into glycogen for energy first, then if there are excess carbohydrates these are stored as body fat which is what you definitely don’t want! To avoid this you can lower your intake of carbohydrates, this means that your body will use the available glycogen for energy, and once this is used up it will begin burning any excess bodyfat for fuel instead.

To begin Carb Cycling, you can take a Seven Day Week and choose which days should be high carb and which days should be low carb. For example:

–        Monday: No carbohydrates

–        Tuesday: Moderate amount of carbohydrates

–        Wednesday: High amounts of carbohydrates

–        Thursday: No carbohydrates

–        Friday: Moderate amounts of carbohydrates

–        Saturday: High amounts of carbohydrates

–        Sunday: No carbohydrates

If you’re looking to lose body fat using Carb Cycling but don’t want to over-complicate your diet don’t worry. The easiest way is to look at your current diet plan and alter it to the specifications above. For example, if one of your daily meals consists of half a plate of pasta, on moderate days, just cut that amount of pasta in half. On non-carbohydrate days you can substitute vegetable for the pasta. You could even try our Low carb diet whey.

The types of carbohydrates you eat daily should be whole grain rather than white. For example you can switch white bread in your sandwiches to brown bread. If you’re going to eat sugars or you have a cheat day, make sure this coincides with your high-carbohydrate day so you can stay on track to achieving your goals. Make sure you eat protein at every single meal and more fruit on high-carbohydrate days and more vegetables on low-carbohydrate days.

If you’re doing intense exercise multiple times a week, it’s best to make sure you do these sessions on days where you’re eating moderate to high amounts of carbohydrates, then on your rest days you can substitute vegetables for carbohydrates instead and prevent your body storing excess fat! As always, the best routine is one that you stick to and complete consistently so plan accordingly.

By Joshua Fisher (bodybuildingwarehouse)

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