It sounds as though you're combining carb cycling with intermittent fasting -- having a high carb dinner, and then not eating again until dinnertime the next day. Does that sound accurate?

Yes, that is the gist of it, but I vary it depending on how my body feels if that makes any sense. I really use the semi-fast day to jump start when I want to lose an extra pound and see some progress - about once a week. But I don't always go straight from a high carb day to a fast day. There are times where I will have 1 day in between of a regular South Beach day if it feels better to me. I am losing weight slowly, but with dieting alone, I lose like a snail. This is just the way it has always been for me. But with tricking my metabolism like this, I have seen that I will lose and extra pound or two above what I would normally lose. Every bit helps and people are starting to tell me that I look like I've lost a lot of weight. This may not be the way to do it for everyone, but it seems to really be working for me and I feel it is healthy as long as you are eating normally most of the time and only do it about once per week or once every other week. I would recommend not getting into too much of a routine with it as the point is to "suprise" your metabolism.

Hey everyone, just read the thread and feel a lot better then i did before!!!

I lift weights and exercise as much as i can and i occasionally fall off the wagon and eat carbs for a day.

I'm starting to think that maybe its actually a good thing and that i should listen to what my bodys telling me.

Subscribing to thread!

I've been listening to my body more, and when it needs more carbs, I graciously comply, and I've noticed that I drop 1-2 lbs. each time I do.

Hey Firefly....I'm doing South Beach too but am trying to include some cycling with it. I have investigated several plans because I am fascinated by carb cycling.... I think your plan sounds interesting.... Today I didn't do entire carb up, I just had one free meal and then am going right back to South Beach to see how my body responds to it. When I have sugar, I use the CAD program to balance it out and I don't get any cravings that way....for example I have the sugar at the end of my meal with milk... Milk balances out any sugar...I've also been on the Insulin Resistance Diet where you link foods and that is what I did for sweets ...

TJ

Hey guys. My first post... Hehehe.

A brief background: currently aged 22, been chubby my entire life, recently, its gotten a bit out of hand and seeing the word obese on the BMI made me sick to my stomach.

I've been carb cycling since Jan 5th and have lost 17lbs thus far. Before I started carb cycling I had a 2 week junk food party to eat as much crap as possible and then give it up cold turkey.

This is what my eating plan / workout plan looks like:

Monday: No Carb / Rest
Tuesday: Low Carb / Shoulders Traps
Wednesday: High Carb / Legs
Thursday: No Carb / Rest
Friday: Low Carb / Back Bicep
Saturday: High Carb / Chest Tricep
Sunday: Low Carb / Rest

Following a program (loosely in terms of macronutrient goals) I saw on a bodybuilding web site designed to burn off your body fat.

Working out is hard while carb cycling as I've noticed a decrease in both strength and stamina. Watching your regular lifts drop in weight is a big de-motivator.

Does anyone have any tips for getting pumped out for workouts?? I just can't get juiced up to lift anything anymore!

I found this thread very helpful. Did a lot of reading, and will be trying this as my new plan.
Sunday: 25 Carbs / Rest / 1500 calories
Monday:100 Carbs / Calenitics /30 mins. Biking / 1800 calories
Tuesday: High carb / Weights / 35 mins. Walking / 2000 calories
Wednesday: 25 Carbs/ Callanetics / 30 mins. Biking / 1500 calories
Thursday: 25 Carbs / Weights / 35 mins. Walking / 1500 calories
Friday: 100 Carbs / Callanetics / 30 mins. Biking /1800 calories
Saturday: High carb / Weights / 35 mins. Walking / following hunger and Satiety feelings practicing for maintenance. Will be observing calories using computer program.

Are you counting your carbs as net carbs or total carbs? Just curious as I would like to try carb cycling. The post above you uses a cycle of no carb, low carb and high carb. You seem to be using low carb, moderate carb and high carb. Also how many carbs do you use for high carb? Great success to you!

I am counting net carbs. On High carb days I am not really counting, but still trying to get protein at each meal for balance. In the reading I did I couldn't really find "the" way to carb cycle, there were many styles. I picked what I thought would work best for me, and will change it if my health or scales disagree.

Thanks for the clarification. Have a great journey!

I see from the above that you do not seem to count calories. Is that correct? Do you count net carbs? and how many carbs are low, high? Just curious because you have done so well at loosing.

The beauty of carb cycling is that you don't have to count. I would only count if you want seriously aggressive weight loss. I prefer slow steady weight loss (even though my weight has dropped VERY quickly).

No carb: Fewer than 50g of carbs, 250g protein, higher fat intake
Low carb: 120-175g of carbs, 250g protein, moderate fat intake
High carb: 250g+ of carbs 250g protein, low fat intake

Essentially, my diet and training system is a modified version of a pre-contest bodybuilders system. Their goal is to trim their BF numbers down to nothing right before a contest so it makes them look like more muscular than they actually are.

Trick to carb cycling is to not think about the numbers too hard. I trust my mental calculations and good nutrition habits.

I've actually been on a "maintenance" eating plan for the past 3 weeks (with no weight gained or lost - well okay lost 2lbs but that doesn't really count ) and have begun cycling again with added supplementation this time around to support my workouts.

I find the "maintenance" periods necessary for both sanity, and muscle/immune system recovery. My immune system is garbage as it is, so when I carb cycle I know it drops to nothing.

I think the best thing is to find what works for your body. (And avoid all those constant low-carb diets all together LOL)

That's good advice. I have been doing 20 net carbs a day and loose but very slowly. Also get sick alot even though I take a good whole food supplement with some extras. I'll give your plan a try but won't go so high with the carbs. My activity level is low. I'm a "mom" type nurse who sits at the bedside of patients all night . Days I sleep. I appreciate your thorough explanation. Have a great day.

Yea the lack of carbs constantly is probably taking a toll on your immune system.

Try doing cardio a few days a week for 20-30 minutes. That will help gradually speed up your body's metabolic processes.

Here's the guide(s) that I've used for my dieting/training regime:
http://magazine.mindandmuscle.net/a...hydrate_cycling
http://magazine.mindandmuscle.net/a...drate_cycling_2
http://magazine.mindandmuscle.net/a...cycling_q%2526a

Another interesting read to help you fully understand the idea of carb cycling: http://magazine.mindandmuscle.net/a...ss/carb_cycling

Cheers, and happy dieting.

Bumping thread // progress check.

Carb Cyclers.. GET IN HERE!

Bodyfat levels are still dropping. Trying everything in the book to keep my body in metabolic overdrive... so far its working.

Also, planning 2 days of cheat at the end of the month. OH YEA!