ShareThe low-carb diet craze has swept the world. We even have it in Australia. I heard the Queen jumped on board too, and stopped eating bread with her cucumber sandwiches.
I’m sure you’ve heard this over and over again…
In order to burn stomach fat and lose weight, just “eat less carbs” and exercise more.
Listen, if you just cut carbs, the scale might trick you into thinking that you’re losing a ton of weight – and you are. BUT – it’s water weight, NOT fat. Sorry…
The Biggest Myth About Carbs
And the winner is…
“Carbs make you fat”
Seriously, are all carbs the devil?
Let’s get one thing straight here: Heavy consumption of PROCESSED carbs affects your hormonal system, leading to inflammation and excess fat storage. So yes, these types of carbs are bad news.
Many low-carb diets focus on the link between carbs and insulin, THE hormone that stores carbs as fats. The idea is that carbs cause insulin to be less effective at transporting sugar to the cells and that the excess sugar is stored as fat.
The problem is, although insulin does play a role in fat storage, it also helps to deliver glucose to your muscles. Your body NEEDS carbs to build lean sexy muscle, and help you burn more fat. Not to mention it increases your metabolic rate.
Insulin release will vary depending on the type and amount of carbs you eat.
Consuming the right carbs at the right time will not make you fat. In fact, it can help you to accelerate fat loss.
The best time to eat carbs from starches and fruits is post workout. There is a “window of opportunity” which ranges from 1 to 3 hours after high intensity training.
Your diet should aim to manipulate insulin to minimize fat storage and boost muscle synthesis, not try to completely shutdown its release.
What is Carb Cycling?
Carb cycling strategically rotates carbohydrates in and out of your diet. Too many carbs over lengthy periods of time can lead to a lot of fat spillover, which leads to excess fat storage.
It’s an awesome way to help you:
1. Stimulate hormones that control your body’s ability to burn off stubborn fat
2. Prevent the metabolic slowdown that causes plateaus when trying to lose weight with a traditional lower carb “diet”
3. Double the fat-burning effect every time you exercise
Plus, you can enjoy carbs without feeling guilty. <= Hooray!
How Carb Cycling Works
In carb cycling, your week is divided into three types of days: no carb days, low-carb days and high-carb days.
NO CARB DAYS
You eat high-fiber vegetables such as leafy greens (kale!), asparagus, mushrooms, peppers and broccoli freely, plus lean protein and 1-2 servings of good fats. Avoid starchy carbs such as cereals, potatoes, oats and rice. Starchier veggies like beans, zucchini, squash, and pumpkin are also a no-go.
Your total carb intake should be less than 25 grams for the day, mainly from fibrous veggies. That’s basically nothing.
LOW CARB DAYS
Once again, eat unlimited high fiber veggies, but you can add in 2-3 servings of starch from clean sources such as sweet potatoes, starchy veggies and fruit.
“Clean” carbs are free of gluten, soy and dairy. For sexy results, time your meals and have starchy carbs post-workout on these days.
The goal today is to stay below 75 grams of carbs.
HIGH CARB DAYS
The total amount of carbs consumed will vary based on your weight and training volume. Again, go for clean sources. You still need to eat plenty of lean protein and 1-2 servings of healthy fats.
Women will eat 150-200 grams, while men can enjoy up to 300 grams.
If you are going to enjoy a cheat meal, it is advantageous to have it today, on a high-carb day.
But this is not an excuse to go wild and binge eat at a pancake buffet; it’s a systematic way to reset your fat-burning and muscle building hormones.
Rotating these three daily eating protocols, you can alter the body’s hormonal environment to maximize fat loss and muscle gain during the week.
Here’s what a sample week of carb cycling looks like:
Day 1: No carb
Day 2: Low carb
Day 3: High carb
Day 4: No carb
Day 5: No carb
Day 6: Low carb
Day 7: High carb
The high carb days totally rock. It’s psychologically satisfying and helps to curb cravings, making it easier to keep you in the game and adhere to the plan. It also helps muscle growth and will replenish carb storage to boost exercise intensity.
The problem is doing two or more high-carb days in a row.
That’s why a no-carb one follows high-carb days, because it will minimize fat storage and keep your body insulin sensitive and promote fat burning.
The Final Word
You don’t have to completely give up carbs in order to lose belly fat. You have to get “sneaky” and cycle your carb intake to maximize both your health and long term fat-loss.
Have an awesome day,
KV
PS. If you’re looking for an easy step-by-step plan, check out the 4 Cycle Fat-Loss Carb Cycling System.
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You’ll discover exactly how to eat LOTS of carbs and NEVER store them as fat with a brand new technique called Macro-Patterning™ and it’s pretty damn awesome if I do say so myself.
One Reply
Hey Kate!
Your Fatloss Acceleration System just inspires me every single day!!
here is a question for you :
Can I consume 35 gr. of bee Pollen in my NO CARB DAYS ?
Thanks a Lot !