What is Carb Cycling?
Why are people so afraid of carbs? It's an urban myth! Carbs are your friends and your body needs them. They are the preferred source of fuel for our muscles and organs. Truthfully, when I used to think of carbs, pasta and bread would come to mind, but if you take a step back and do a little research you'll find that carbs have been in front of your face all a long and you may not have realized they come in all forms. Take for example.....fruit! Yes, I said fruit. Certain fruits can be high in sugar but if you portion size it right, they are loaded with nutrients. A few more forms of carbs are vegetables, grains and legumes. Healthy carbs are crucial for burning calories and since they break down more slowly than those of cake and doughnuts, they keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady and they also keep your calorie burning furnace hot so it burns more calories.
Now I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm a professional about weight loss and know exactly what to eat. I'm just like you...well almost all of you. I go through the daily struggles of trying to lose a few pounds here and there. I was inspired to get healthy from the show Extreme Weight Loss and wanted to know what Chris Powell (creator of the show and mentor) taught his clients. First and foremost he asks his clients if they're ready for the transformation of their life. It's not just a phase, it's a lifestyle.....and POOF, that's how carb cycling was born (to me). I started to do research on what foods to eat but not only that, I wanted to know how to make them so they're fun and not boring or lacking flavor. I give all credit to Chris Powell and a lot of what I'm writing to you comes straight from him.
Soooooo, ok...what is Carb Cycling you ask? It's an eating plan with alternating high-carb and low-carb days. Once you get the hang of it, it begins to get quite simple. Depending on which cycle you chose, you will have a built-in reward day or reward meal (depending on which cycle you choose), so you can eat healthy, still eat your favorite foods and lose weight!
Each plan has a different mix of high and low-carb days each working basically the same:
- Eat 5 meals - no more, no less.
- Eat a high-carb breakfast that includes both protein and carbs. within 30 minutes of waking
- Eat your remaining 4 meals - either high-carb or low-carb, depending on the plan you're following - every 3 hours
- Choose approved foods (If you want the list just email me)
- Drink a gallon of h20 daily
On my high-carbs days each meal consists of a protein, carbs and veggies. On my low-carb days my breakfast will be high-carb hence a protein, carbs and veggies but the remaining 4 meals will be a protein, veggies and 1 portion of a healthy fat. Let's not forget that you must eat every 3 hours. It takes some getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it gets easy.
If you're like me, you still have tons of questions and concerns. If you're interested in learning more, I encourage you to buy Chris Powell's book. I bought it on Amazon for my Kindle on my Ipad Mini. You're going to need his book to follow his 9 minute Mission workouts. His book is packed with amazing information along with tons of different workouts and recipes.
Click here to purchase his book now. Good luck and enjoy!
Rosie xo
