Society Magazine 57 | Page 45

• Replenish glycogen stores and thus boost training intensity.

• Favourably influence various hormones related to muscle protein metabolism and metabolism.

• Temporarily spike insulin levels to help preserve muscle tissue.

• By using lower-calorie low- and nocarb days to maximize fat burning.

This should allow us to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Is carb cycling good for weight loss?

Any dietary protocol that has you in a calorie deficit over an extended period of time will result in weight loss, regardless of the foods you eat or how you structure your meals or anything else. It’ s not much different with carb cycling except that calorie intake may vary each day which can prevent weight loss plateaus and will help retain muscle mass.

When you diet to lose weight, a portion of the weight lose comes from fat, but a portion also comes from water, glycogen and, in some cases, muscle.

Water and glycogen levels will fluctuate up and down depending on your diet and other factors. The idea is to lose fat and not muscle.

Typical carb cycling diet consists of 4 low carb, 1 no carb and 2 high carb days.

Bodybuilders usually choose to do 2 top priority muscle groups workouts( big muscles like legs) on the days with higher carb intake to prevent muscle loss while utilizing the 4 low carb days for increased fat burn and 1 reward day.

Advanced Cycle

With the Beginners Cycle, you won’ t lose weight as fast as with the Advanced Cycle, but you will be able to maintain your athletic performance.

• Fat loss

Low-carb intake on training days to promote fat loss and medium-carb days to promote regeneration between sessions.

• Weight maintenance

Low-carb intake on non-training days to avoid fat gain.

• Mass gain

Higher carb intake on large muscle groups training day to promote weight gain. We need carbs if we want to build muscle.

How to calculate and schedule your meals?

A typical low-carb day:

Carbs 0.5 grams per pound of body weight

Protein 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of body weight

Fat 0.15 grams per pound of body weight

7am: 2 scrambled eggs with spinach 10am: protein shake with berries 1pm: grilled chicken salad 4pm: oatmeal with almonds 7pm: steak with steamed broccoli or asparagus

A typical high-carb day:

Carbs 2-3 grams per pound of body weight

Protein 1-1.25 grams per pound of body weight

Fat as little as possible

7am: oatmeal with walnuts and berries and egg white 10am: carrots with hummus 1pm: turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread 4pm: chicken salad with quinoa 7pm: grilled salmon with baked potato

Keep in mind that you can still enjoy your favourite foods, just in moderation. The goal is to slowly change your eating habits to include a variety of healthy foods. That’ s the kind of formula you can stick to for continued success.

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