Fat Intake And Carb Cycling: Keto's Best Friends?

Carb cycling is a strategy where you vary your carb intake throughout the week, month, or year. It is popular among people following low-carb diets like keto. Carb cycling involves going back and forth between high-carb days and low-carb days, with the aim of making the keto diet easier to follow. It is important to note that there is no definitive way to do carb cycling, and it may take some time to find a pattern that works for you. During this cycle, you will still be eating fat, as this is a fundamental part of the keto diet.

Weight loss

Carb cycling is a strategy where you vary your carb intake throughout the week, month, or year. It is popular among people following low-carb diets like keto. Carb cycling can be an effective strategy for weight loss, as it can help regulate hormones, stimulate muscle growth, and aid in workout recovery.

How Carb Cycling Works for Weight Loss

The idea behind carb cycling is to time your carb intake so that you eat carbs when they will benefit you the most and avoid them at other times. For example, you can plan higher-carb intake around your training schedule or adjust your carb intake on a day-to-day basis. While carb intake changes, overall protein intake generally stays the same, and fat intake depends on carb intake.

Carb cycling can be done safely, but it requires more planning than other eating patterns. As with any dietary changes, it is important to prioritise proper nutrition and ensure you are eating enough to fuel your body adequately. Some people may experience side effects when starting carb cycling, such as lethargy or intense cravings on low-carb days. However, as your body adjusts to the new plan, these potential side effects should subside.

Proponents of carb cycling argue that it can lead to weight and fat loss because it appears to regulate hormones, stimulate muscle growth, and aid in workout recovery. Additionally, when you change your diet, weight loss typically occurs when you are in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume. Therefore, pairing carb cycling with a calorie deficit can enhance weight and fat loss. However, while there is anecdotal evidence to support this theory, it has not been scientifically proven.

Other Benefits of Carb Cycling for Weight Loss

Although there are limited studies directly related to carb cycling, related research on training techniques, metabolism, and hormones supports the theory behind it. Carb cycling may support hormone regulation by raising anabolic hormones like testosterone and insulin. It can also improve muscle growth, as studies show that athletic performance and muscle repair after exercise are enhanced by carb-loading phases. Additionally, carb cycling can help break through weight loss plateaus, as increasing carb intake can stimulate weight loss after an initial period of low-carb dieting.

Fat loss

Carb cycling is a strategy where you vary your carb intake throughout the week, month, or year. Carb cycling is popular among people following low-carb diets like keto. It can be a beneficial strategy for fat loss, as it can regulate hormones, stimulate muscle growth, and help you recover quickly from workouts.

How Carb Cycling Works for Fat Loss

Carb cycling involves timing your carb intake to when it will benefit you the most. For example, athletes may prioritise carb intake around events and rest days. The targeted keto diet (TKD) is one such strategy. Generally, protein intake remains the same, while fat intake depends on carb intake—if you're eating high-carb, your fat intake should be low, and vice versa.

As with any dietary changes, carb cycling can be done safely as long as you prioritise proper nutrition and eat enough to fuel your body. However, some people may experience side effects such as lethargy or intense cravings on low-carb days, especially if they are not used to a low-carb diet.

Advocates of carb cycling argue that since it appears to regulate hormones, stimulate muscle growth, and aid workout recovery, it can lead to weight and fat loss. This is because the primary reason people lose weight when they change their diet is when they're in a calorie deficit—when you're burning more calories than you're eating. Therefore, if carb cycling is paired with a calorie deficit, you're more likely to experience weight and fat loss.

Weight loss occurs at a different rate for everyone, but a gradual and steady weight loss rate is about 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you're losing weight while carb cycling, it's best to ensure it's at a slow and gradual pace. Quicker weight loss upfront is often due to the loss of extra water, and a slower rate is generally healthier and more sustainable.

Other Benefits of Carb Cycling for Fat Loss

Although there are limited studies directly related to carb cycling, related studies on training techniques, metabolism, and hormones support the theory behind it. Carb cycling may support your hormones, improve muscle growth, and help you reach your keto diet goals.

Athletic performance

Carb cycling is a dietary nutrition plan that involves alternating high-carb days with low-carb days. Carb cycling can be an effective strategy for keto dieters as it can support weight loss, increase athletic performance, and promote muscle growth.

Carbohydrates are the body's most preferred source of energy. There are two types of carbs: simple and complex. Complex carbs are preferred because they digest more slowly, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes. Examples of simple carbs include white pasta, candy, and soda, while examples of complex carbs include brown rice, quinoa, and non-starchy vegetables.

Carb cycling is flexible and can be adjusted to fit your needs. A typical carb cycling plan may look like five or six "low-carb" days and one to two "high-carb" days. Many athletes and bodybuilders align their high-carb days with high-intensity workouts as the body runs off glucose during these workouts. Consuming carbs after training will also help refuel glycogen stores, helping to prevent muscle soreness and get you back into the gym sooner.

Carb cycling may increase athletic performance by providing the body with glycogen, another name for carbs stored in the liver and muscles, which is used as fuel during high-intensity, short-duration exercise. Exercise depletes glycogen stores, so replenishing with a variety of healthy carbohydrate sources, such as sweet potatoes, chocolate milk, and rice, can help improve performance.

On low-activity and low-carb days, increase your consumption of protein and healthy fats to aid in muscle recovery. Carb cycling may also help regulate hormones such as leptin, a weight-regulating hormone that suppresses appetite. On high-carb days, eating more calories from carbohydrates improves leptin function and decreases hunger.

Carb cycling is not recommended for everyone. It is considered a rigorous regime that requires meticulous planning and is recommended for short-term use only. It may also be challenging for those who crave higher-carb items as reintroducing carbohydrates can cause a "carb hangover," where the body feels bloated and inflamed, and may develop headaches.

If you are considering carb cycling, it is important to speak with a healthcare professional to ensure it is appropriate for you.

Overcoming a plateau

Plateauing is a common occurrence on the keto diet, and there are several strategies to overcome it. Here are some tips to help you break through that stubborn weight loss plateau:

• Look for hidden carbs: Even a few extra grams of carbs here and there can add up quickly and prevent you from entering ketosis. Evaluate your carb intake carefully and use a food tracker to get an accurate idea of your daily intake. Be sure to account for hidden carbs in processed meats, condiments, seasonings, and starchy vegetables.
• Try intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, and it can be a powerful tool when paired with the keto diet. It may help you transition into ketosis faster and boost fat burning by increasing your metabolism. It can also decrease hunger and calorie intake, aiding in weight loss. Try the 16/8 method, which involves limiting your food intake to an 8-hour window each day.
• Switch up your workout routine: Physical activity is crucial for weight loss. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week and consider experimenting with new activities like running, cycling, swimming, or strength training to keep things interesting.
• Decrease your calorie intake: While the keto diet doesn't require calorie counting, if you're stuck at a plateau, you may be consuming too many calories. Monitor your portion sizes and choose low-calorie-density snacks.
• Reduce your stress levels: Chronic stress has been linked to increased weight gain over time. Try incorporating stress-reducing activities like yoga or meditation into your routine, and focus on getting enough sleep.
• Track your progress in other ways: Even if the number on the scale isn't moving, you may still be making progress. Take measurements, note how your clothes fit, and pay attention to non-scale victories (NSVs) such as increased energy levels, improved mood, and enhanced attention. These are all signs that you're improving your health and achieving weight loss, even if the scale doesn't show it.
• Try carb cycling: Carb cycling involves alternating between low-carb and high-carb days, and it can be an effective strategy for keto dieters. It can support weight loss, increase athletic performance, and promote muscle growth. If you're an athlete, time your carb intake around events and rest days, and consider aligning high-carb days with high-intensity workouts. Just be mindful of your overall calorie intake to ensure you're still in a calorie deficit.

Hormone regulation

Carb cycling is a dietary approach in which you alternate carb intake on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Carbohydrate intake has been a hot topic for a long time, with several successful diets restricting carbs, and some even totally excluding them. However, no macronutrient is categorically bad, including carbs.

Carb cycling is an attempt to match your body's need for calories or glucose. It provides carbohydrates around your workout or on intense training days. Carb cycling is also used to enhance exercise performance. The extra carbs can be beneficial for longer, harder efforts like marathons, obstacle racing, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which demand glucose for energy.

The strategic inclusion of high-carb periods in carb cycling may also improve the function of the weight- and appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is our satiety hormone. It binds to receptors in the hypothalamus, a structure deep within our brain. When enough leptin is produced, we aren't hungry anymore, eat less, and lose (or maintain) weight. The main nutrient that stimulates leptin release is carbs.

The low-carb days in carb cycling reportedly switch your body to a predominantly fat-based energy system, which may improve metabolic flexibility and your body's ability to burn fat as fuel in the long term. Another big component of carb cycling is the manipulation of insulin. The low-carb days and targeting of carbs around workouts may improve insulin sensitivity, a vital marker of health.

High-carb refeeds may have positive effects on hormones during a diet, including thyroid hormones, testosterone, and leptin. These factors may play an important role in long-term dieting success since hormones play a key role in hunger, metabolism, and exercise performance.

However, there are some risks and challenges associated with carb cycling. It can be hard to maintain and may not be suitable for everyone. It is important to consult a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before starting any new diet, especially one as complex as carb cycling.

Frequently asked questions