{"id":50740,"date":"2016-07-11T07:15:45","date_gmt":"2016-07-11T11:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=50740"},"modified":"2024-05-28T21:54:59","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T01:54:59","slug":"carb-cycling-diet-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/carb-cycling-diet-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Carb Cycling: Should I Match My Diet to My Workouts?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
Photo by Patryk Dziejma<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carb cycling<\/a>. It\u2019s by no means new, but it\u2019s the latest get-buff buzzword floating around Instagram. Fans of the strategic eating plan believe that to get the best results from your exercise routine, you should alternate between high- and low-carb days depending on which workout is on tap for the day (e.g. HIIT<\/a>, steady-state cardio<\/a>, strength training<\/a>, or a rest day<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Carb Cycling for Newbies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first question, though: Why should you switch up between eating high- and low-carb in the first place? \u201cA low-carb diet will burn fat really quickly, but it\u2019s not sustainable over time. In fact, when you finish a low-carb diet, you can actually bounce back and gain more weight,\u201d explains Heidi Powell<\/a>, personal trainer and co-author of Extreme Transformation: Lifelong Weight Loss in 21 Days<\/em><\/a>. On the other hand, strategically alternating between low- and high-carb days will help top off your glucose stores and build your metabolism back<\/a> up. \u201cYou get all the benefits of a low-carb diet without crashing your metabolism<\/a>,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

This is the basic premise behind carb cycling and having a carb cycling meal plan<\/a>. And you can either do one high-carb, then one low-carb day (and so on) or try two low-carb days in a row (or two high-carb days in a row), whatever works best for you. (For a how-to, check out Powell\u2019s web site<\/a> or follow our tutorial<\/a>.) Then, followers take an additional step and pair certain workouts with their low- and high-carb days.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Carbs 101: The Truth About Carbohydrates<\/a><\/p>\n

When to Go High-Carb<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Forget what you think you know about distance runners and carb loading. For carb cycling pros, a high-carb day is for building muscle, says Powell. Why? Carbohydrates<\/a> help open up your cells and allow protein to funnel in (and that protein is what beefs up muscle growth). According to Powell, on these days, you\u2019ll lift heavy<\/a> (enough weight that you can only do 10 to 12 reps before fatiguing muscles).<\/p>\n

When you go high-carb, Powell suggests aiming for 50 percent of your calories coming from carbs, 40 percent from protein (you still need protein to build muscle on those lifting days), and 10 percent from fat.<\/p>\n

When to Go Low-Carb<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Low-carb<\/a> days are for burning fat, says Powell. \u201cYour body uses carbs for fuel first, but if we kick out those carbs, it will attack fat,\u201d she says. It\u2019s on those days she recommends slotting in cardio, HIIT, or workouts that target smaller muscle groups. If you\u2019re doing HIIT, you\u2019ll also benefit from the \u201cafterburn effect,\u201d aka a boost in your metabolism after exercise that helps your body continue to burn more calories.<\/p>\n

As for your eats, Powell says in a low-carb day, your calorie breakdown should look like this: 40 percent protein, 50 percent fat and 10 percent carbs.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>What the Heck Are Macros? The IIFYM Diet Made Simple<\/a><\/p>\n

The Carb Conundrum<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But here\u2019s the kicker: if you\u2019re just dipping your toes into the world of carb cycling, there\u2019s no need to worry about matching your workouts to your carb intake. \u201cIf the task at hand seems too big, you won\u2019t continue with it,\u201d Powell says. Stick with your normal workouts while you get the hang of the new eating style.<\/p>\n

While carb cycling can be customized for every person, it\u2019s important to remember that there\u2019s no one approach that works for everyone, says Heather Mangieri, RDN, Pittsburgh-based board certified sports dietitian and founder of Nutrition CheckUp. \u201cOne of the biggest mistakes I see people make when deciding how to eat is not taking their own goals and lifestyle into consideration,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

According to Mangieri, carb cycling isn\u2019t necessary in the first place. \u201cMost recreational athletes can reach their body composition goals by eating a healthy, balanced diet throughout the day, without worrying about cycling and trying to match energy expenditure so precisely,\u201d she says. \u201cThough a well-strategized nutrition plan can be properly created for athletes participating in advanced training, carbohydrate cycling is likely to do little for the recreational exerciser,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Carb Loading for Runners: How to Prep for Race Day<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What Goes Around Comes Around<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another potential downside? Consider that you might feel restricted on low-carb days (even if there\u2019s a high carb one right around the corner). \u201cEvidence supports the fact that when we restrict food<\/a>, it can lead us to think more about it, which can lead to overeating at the wrong time,\u201d says Mangieri.<\/p>\n

Carb cycling might be the way you find your happy weight, and matching it with exercise might yield the body benefits you were looking for. Or, you might be better suited to eat carbs more evenly throughout the week. Either way, Mangieri has one more bit of advice: If you\u2019re looking to try something new, reach out to a board certified sports dietitian who can create an individualized meal plan to help you reach your goals.<\/p>\n

Not a Daily Burn member? Sign up at\u00a0dailyburn.com<\/a>\u00a0and start your free 30-day trial today.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exercise can boost the benefits of carb cycling, but there’s no one approach that works for all. Find out how to make high- vs. low-carb days work for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11,18],"tags":[201,41,222,71,80,281,341,380,285,99],"class_list":["post-50740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","category-weight-loss","tag-carbohydrates","tag-diets","tag-low-carb","tag-nutrition","tag-protein","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2diet-advice","tag-weight-loss","tag-weightlifting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}