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Posted: 01/15/2010 07:48
 Carb cycling is a very effective way to lose weight, or just maintain a healthy weight without going against your body's hormones. This diet is not about eating the same exact thing every day, but more about eating the same amount of macro nutrients each week. The only counting you will do is of your carbohydrates. Here are the parameters per meal: Day 1-1st half of day 3- moderate fat(mostly from EFAs), high protein, less than 30g carbs 2nd half of day 3- low fat, moderate protein, 100+g of carbs(mainly starchy) Day 4-1st half of day 7- moderate fat(mostly from EFAs), high protein, less than 30g carbs per meal 2nd half of day 7- low fat, moderate protein, 100+g of carbs(mainly starchy) This may seem confusing at first sight, but it really isn't. Basically you will have 2 days a week, spaced 3 and 4 days apart to prevent your body from adjusting to low carb, that you will eat high carbohydrate meals like noodles, potatoes, breads, and maybe some sugars. Those days you only eat the high carb meal at the end of the day. It may seem weird, but here is the science behind it. When you eat high amounts of carbohydrates your body absorbs the carbs into your bloodstream too fast and your blood sugar spikes. Your body will then release insulin to deposit EVERYTHING in the bloodstream to an appropriate place. If you have high amounts of fat in the bloodstream then it will be stored as fat. If you have high amounts of protein then it will be stored as muscle up to a certain point, the rest will be stored as fat. As you can see insulin stores fat[2]. This is why we cycle the carbs. If you didn't have an insulin spike, the fat would sit in the blood stream and eventually be burned or pooped out. If protein stays in the blood stream then growth hormone, your fat burning/muscle building hormone, is released[1]. So now you ask, "Why do we have a carb load meal then?" Well that is a good question. Your body has a counter hormone to insulin called glucagon. Glucagon does the opposite of insulin. It breaks down body tissues like fat and muscle into sugar. If you completely cut out carbs then your body will release high amounts of glucagon to get its sugar[2]; therefore, a carb load meal every few days is enough to hold off glucagon and its catabolic effects. Also the carb load meal is good because you have all this protein flowing in the blood stream and the insulin spike will force all of it into the muscle that by now is a little drained from low carbs. Some people may take that last fact and think that if you just don't take in fat and it won't be store. WRONG! The human body is very effective at converting what is in the body to what it needs. For example your body can break down fat, or muscle, into sugar to provide energy. Your body can also turn protein and sugar in to fat to store; therefore, cutting fat out completely will not prevent you from storing fat. Also, fat is a very high source of energy. It yields 9 calories per gram, more than twice that of carbs and protein which yield 4 calories per gram; therefore, if you can prevent fat from being stored, you will get a lot more energy out of what you eat. Also fat, when ingested, releases a hormone called leptin which controls hunger[3]. Finally fat is needed by the body due to the high amount of energy it yields. If you don't take in any fat through your diet then your body will hold the fat it has- exactly what you don't want it to do. The best way to get the good fat is through oils like olive oil, flax oil, and through dairy and eggs which contain a high amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. So next time don't go for the fat free, that could be the worst thing available. This eating plan is best for everyone because it has so much flexibility. You can substitute all your favorite foods into the right days. If you have a thing for peanut butter you can eat it almost all the time except your carb load. If you are a pasta person then the carb load day will be your favorite. As you progress through the diet and you get to your target weight you can start to switch up things. The carb load can be used to eat your other favorite foods like ice cream which is high in carbs and fat if you are not trying to lose weight anymore. If you get to the point where you are losing too much weight then you can shorten the time between carb loads to like 2/3 days or 1/2 days. Try this out and I guarantee you'll never diet again in your life. 1. Tortora, Gerard J., and Bryan H. Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 11th ed. New York: Wiley, 2005. Web.628-629 2. Tortora, Gerard J., and Bryan H. Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 11th ed. New York: Wiley, 2005. Web.646-649 3. Tortora, Gerard J., and Bryan H. Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 11th ed. New York: Wiley, 2005. Web.651 |
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Posted: 01/15/2010 10:59
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