I've Heard About Carb Cycling, Should I Bother?

MODULE 4 Foundations of Evidence-Based Nutrition

Unit 3 - The Role Of Carbohydrates In Health And Performance

 
 

The short answer to this one is...probably not.

Cycling your carbohydrate intake to have days of high and low consumption does not inherently lead to greater fat loss or more muscle gain.

However, if cycling your carbs in some way helps you to adhere to your calorie target and/or perform better in the gym, then this would be an appropriate strategy to implement.

Here's two different ways you could implement a carb cycling approach, depending on your goal.

Carb cycling to create a calorie deficit.  You could potentially opt for a number of low carbohydrate days during the week, which if calories are managed in some way, could create a calorie deficit and support fat loss. It might be a very simple way to achieve fat loss, without tracking calories, or eliminating carbs completely.

Carb cycling for more gains.  Allocating higher carbohydrate intake to specific training days may help promote improved performance.

This isn't a guarantee, but may work for you and can potentially be worth experimenting with.

Carb cycling isn't magic.

It doesn't automatically lead to greater fat loss or improved gains in the gym. However, it might work well for you. If it does, DO IT. 

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Does Carb Timing Matter For Fat Loss?

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Carbs And Digestive Health. Practical Tips For Gut Health