As a personal trainer I'm often asked: “How do I lose those dreaded last 10 pounds?”
People usually start off well on their diet and start losing weight. However, after some time, they hit a plateau and even though they are exercising and eating the same as when they started the diet, they are not able to lose any more.
In other words, they feel like they have hit a brick wall.
In order to counter this, I recommend a diet where you alternate between high-carb and low-carb days; this is called carb cycling. Carb cycling can help you burn fat and also build muscle.
On high-carb days, the high-carbohydrate consumption causes the release of insulin in your blood that helps moves the nutrients to your muscles.
You need good carbs for high-intensity workouts. On low-carb days, your body will burn through the glycogen you have stored from your high-carb days and once the glycogen is depleted, it attacks the fat stores for energy.
Take a look: How I lost 14 pounds in 40 days through a mobile app
In other words, low-carbohydrate days promote fat metabolism by causing your body to switch from carbohydrates to fat as its fuel source. By alternating between low-carb and high-carb days, you help your body burn fat most efficiently.
Since carb cycling means you are not completely eliminating carbs, it is psychologically satisfying and easy to adhere to.
In contrast, a long-term low-carb diet with no high-carb days would result in low serotonin — the “feel-good” brain chemical.
Low-serotonin levels are associated with increased cravings for sugar and chocolate. That’s why many low-carb diets fail as low-serotonin levels makes people depressed. By combining low-carb with high-carb days, you can regulate your serotonin levels and make it easier to stick to this diet.
Like any healthy diet, you should stick to carbs that are good for you, even on high-carb days. I usually recommend not eating fruit on low-carb days. A carb cycling meal plan that I recommend would be as follows:
Day 1 and 2: Low-carb day. Limit intake of carbs up to 50 grams per day.
Day 3: High-carb day. Eat between 50 to 100 grams of carbs on Day 3.
Day 4, 5 and 6: Low-carb day
Day 7: High-carb day. Eat the way you would on Day 3. However, you can substitute a cheat meal that day instead of one of your regular meals.
Following are some things to consider:
All days require a high-protein intake. Try and incorporate protein in every meal.
Eat five times a day instead of three times. Have healthy snacks like nuts and seeds between meals. If you give long gaps between meals, your metabolism slows down as it tricks your body into thinking it’s not getting its next meal soon and so the body starts holding on to the fat in your body.
On low-carb days, you can eat plenty of low-carb vegetables. On high-carb days, you can eat plenty of vegetables and minimal amounts of starchy carbohydrates.
Stay away from low fat or fat-free foods as they are usually high in sugar.
Watch your calorie intake.
No fruits on low-carb days due to the sugar content. You can have one to two servings of fruit on high-carb days.
Your fat intake should be inversely related to your carbohydrate intake. Increase your intake of good fats like nuts and seeds on low-carb days. Decrease fat intake on high-carb days.
Aim to drink eight glasses of water everyday.
Try and exclude processed sugar from your diet. I cannot emphasise this enough.
While on the carb cycling diet, try not to obsess over the weighing scale and instead measure your success by how your clothes are fitting you. There will be swings in body weight due to glycogen and water and the scale might actually show an increase in weight initially. Have patience and stick with this plan for four to six weeks. If you are consistent, you will see results.
I recommend aligning high and low-carb days with your workouts. On the days you have intense workouts including weight lifting, use the high-carb diet and on days you are doing cardio and lifting lighter weights, go for the low-carb diet. The reason being you need enough carbs for energy on the days you have high-intensity workouts.
A carb cycling plan is not going to work on its own. You will need to combine it with exercise.
If you are new to carb, cycling your body will go through an adaptation phase initially. However this should be over in a few days. Make sure to eat protein, vegetables and healthy fats in every meal.
Carb cycling is not for everyone as it requires careful planning the day before. There are many websites and apps available that allow you to monitor you daily calorie intake and the amount of carbs you are consuming. I personally use MyFitnessPal.com but there are lots of other good ones too that you can use.
The best thing about this diet is that you can have a cheat meal once a week. On one of your high-carb days, substitute a cheat meal instead of one of your regular meals.
Follow the carb cycling diet for four to six weeks along with a consistent workout plan in order to get results.
As with any diet or exercise plan, always check with your doctor before you start.