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Carb cycling is a diet plan that alternates between low and high carbohydrate days. This kind of cycle can be applied to many types of diets, such as the ketogenic diet or the paleo diet.
If you’ve been on the keto diet for a while, you may have bought into “carb phobia” — an intense fear of carbs. And it may come as a surprise to learn that increasing your carb intake can be beneficial. So what’s keto carb cycling all about? And how does it work in practice? In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about carb cycling and why it might be right for you.
First, let’s review the principle of keto. Basically, keto is a very low-carb diet. In other words, it aims to restrict your carbohydrate intake as much as possible. Most experts agree that you should aim for 50g or less of net carbs per day on this type of eating plan (7). Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the fiber content from total carbohydrates.
So what does this mean in practice? For most people, it means eating lots of healthy fats, moderate amounts of protein, and the bare minimum of carbs, most of which would come from fruits and non-starchy vegetables. The point of eating this way is to force your body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose.
In essence, by eating this way you get yourself into a metabolic state called “ketosis,” where your body burns fat as its main fuel instead of carbs (7). If by doing this, you put your body into a calorie deficit, you can lose weight.
Now, why would you need to change this seemingly efficient weight loss strategy? Well, for some people, the standard keto diet just doesn’t meet their physical and sometimes hormonal needs. Such people include:
The carb cycling keto diet is a great alternative for such people. It involves eating a high-carb diet on 1-2 non-consecutive days of the week (1). On the other days, you eat a standard keto diet.
The carb cycling vs keto comparison below puts this in better perspective:
Notice that, while fat and carbs trade places in the comparison above, dietary protein remains constant. For maintaining muscle, healing wounds, creating immune cells, producing hormones, and structuring every tissue in your body—there is no substitute for protein (8)
For producing energy, however, both carbs and fat are up to the task. When you carb cycle, you oscillate between these energy sources.
Read More: 1000-Calorie Keto Diet: Safety, Results, And Meal Plan
The cyclical keto diet is not the same as carb cycling.
While carb cycling, you lower your carb intake for 4-6 days and eat high carb for 1-3 days each week. In principle, the alternating low and high carb intake is similar to keto cycling. However, the carb consumption on low-carb days for the carb cycling diet isn’t low enough to induce ketosis.
There isn’t much research on cyclical keto. So, the benefits of this diet are mostly speculative. That said, below are some benefits you might enjoy from switching up your keto diet by introducing more carbs (10):
One of the reasons why keto carb cycling is a good idea for exercise is because you will not be as tired or exhausted as you might have been if you had stayed on a keto diet. Many individuals who eat this way often experience high levels of fatigue during their workouts, especially when they are working out with heavy weights. The reason? Their bodies don’t have enough glycogen to power them (4).
Using a cyclical keto diet can boost your energy levels and keep them steady so that you can achieve the body type that you desire without having to worry about getting tired too easily, or feeling less than optimal even though you’re exercising regularly.
Exercise enhancement is one of the biggest benefits of using this kind of diet when it comes to weight loss. If you’re not tired, it will be much easier for you to stick with your routine and push yourself harder at the gym.
An obvious benefit of using cyclical keto dieting is that since your body has enough glycogen stored, your energy levels won’t dip as they might have if you were still on a strict keto diet. As mentioned earlier, many people who follow this kind of diet end up feeling fatigued and tired when they exercise seriously because their bodies are low on glycogen.
Muscle-building — or anabolic — hormones like insulin are suppressed when following very low-carb diets like the keto diet (6).
Carb cycling may help restore these hormones back to healthy levels. By strategically introducing more carbs on days you train, you might be able to maximize your anabolic hormones (after all, insulin is considered to be one of the most powerful anabolic hormones) (5).
That said, studies show that higher carb intake doesn’t necessarily increase insulin sensitivity or even inhibit muscle breakdown for post-workout meals. So it’s still not clear whether carb cycling would help optimize muscle growth over a long period of time (especially if keto dieting is already working well for you).
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Given that most people on keto are focused on improving their health, the fact that carb cycling could improve overall gut health might be just what they’re looking for. If you aren’t getting enough fiber from vegetables, healthy fats, or fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut) – then low-carb dieting could contribute to low levels of good gut microbes.
Not getting enough fiber, which can easily happen on a low-carbohydrate diet, has been shown to reduce the amount of beneficial bacteria in the gut and cause dysbiosis (2). Both of these are bad for a healthy gut. In other words: if you aren’t eating enough fiber, you aren’t feeding the bacteria that help prevent metabolic diseases like diabetes and inflammation.
Because there are periods where the carbohydrate amounts increase in a cyclical keto cycle, physical and mental abilities can be boosted. This can result in relief from keto flu symptoms (11) and:
Because your carbohydrate intake comes in waves during a cyclical keto cycle, you might experience better metabolic flexibility, which may lead to:
Likewise, your body may be able to burn fat stored in there faster because of the increase in energy consumption that goes with eating carbohydrates and exercising on a cyclical keto diet. This can help you lose weight quicker than if you were still trying to lose weight while staying off carbs altogether.
Since you’re allowed to eat some carbs during this diet, your mood might be brighter and you can have fewer cravings for sugar. By having a determined carb amount cycling on keto, it will become easier for you to control your sugar cravings as well as your food cravings in general, without feeling deprived of the foods that you want to consume most of all. This helps you stay motivated to stick to your diet. If you’re looking for a way to lose weight while feeling less deprived, carb cycling on keto might just be the right thing for you.
Read More: Keto Vs. Paleo: Which One Is The ‘It’ Solution For Weight Loss?
Along with helping you control your food cravings, it has been observed that most of the people who use this kind of diet say that they end up feeling less hungry as well. This can be a huge advantage when it comes to losing weight because if you’re not as hungry as you used to be, it will become easier for you to stick with your diet and eat fewer calories.
Follow these practical tips to get started with keto carb cycling the right way:
You can use an app or other tracking method (notes on paper are easy) to plan your cycle days and count your carb grams from extra veggies like leafy greens. If needed, break larger servings into smaller ones: for example, half of an avocado is 1/2 of one serving of fruit per day.
When planning your keto carb cycling meals, there are 3 major types of carbs you’ll consider:
These carbs are not broken down by the body, so they have no calories or effect on blood sugar levels. They help keep you full and prevent constipation during high-carb days.
Fiber-rich carbs include vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, spinach (yes!), lettuce, onions…and most fruits that can be eaten with skin on. On high-carb days, choose as many fiber-rich carbs as you’d like, within your daily calorie limits.
These carbs are broken down by the body, but they don’t cause a large jump in blood sugar levels. They do have calories and will kick you out of ketosis if eaten frequently throughout the day, so it’s important not to overdo it.
Examples of unrefined complex carbs include starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, winter squash, yams, and rutabaga, along with whole grains (like whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, oats) and legumes like beans and lentils. On high-carb days, choose a maximum of 2 servings of unrefined complex carbs.
These carbs are quickly broken down by the body and cause blood sugar levels to spike. Examples include white bread, white pasta, and white rice…and any other carb that has been highly processed which removes the fiber and other nutrients. On high-carb days, choose no more than 1 serving of refined carbs per meal, or avoid them altogether.
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Don’t know where to get started? Here’s an example day for someone who is just starting keto carb cycling: Note that this meal plan only uses the first two types of carbohydrates listed above, because these should be the only carbs you rely on to start with. It’s a basic keto diet plus 1-2 high-carb days per week but still allows for fat loss and sustainable weight loss even in those first few weeks.
The meal plan below consists of 1500-calorie diets:
If you’re having a hard time with the standard keto diet, carb cycling might be the perfect solution for you. It allows you to eat fewer carbs on certain days while eating more carbs on other days. It’s a simple way to make your body think it’s getting enough glucose, which can help reduce cravings and hunger pangs on low-carb days. It’s also a great way to get past those pesky keto flu symptoms.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!