Carb Cycling....Ever Thought About It?

 I am almost 7 weeks out.  My plan calls for my stage to be soft foods and to chew really good.  I stalled for almost a week +.  I went a little nuts like everyone else.  My diet was 600-700 cals a day, 30-40 grams of carbs or less.  Following the golden rules as they say of this forum.  However I have several friends who compete as natural body builders.  One thing that they do is to "Carb Cycle"  One day higher carbs, one day low carbs and so on.  That is what they do around contests to get their body fat to 4-6%.  I started researching it more and more.  So I tried it.  Not with bread, or french frys, but similar carbs as what they eat.  Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, raisins, green beans, spinach and peas.  I immediately broke my stall and really felt better.  I can only eat 3 oz or less per meal no matter what I eat, and frankly will keep it there always or less even if I could go more.  But I feel better, broke my stall immediately, and I find my diet is now mixed so its not so boring eating the same food everyday.  Plus as the body builders told me there is real science behind it.  Has to do with how the body stores and releases energy "Fat".  Go google carb cycling.  Not for everyone, but working for me, and I never have felt better.  A sample of the last two days is below.  I will change it up everyday.  More from fruit or vegies, maybe more from brown rice or whole wheat pasta or oats.

Tuesday: "Carb Day"
Breakfast - Quaker Instant oatmeal - 190 cal 37gr. carbs
Snack - 1/2 cup of raisins - 390 cal 93 gr. carbs
lunch- 4 peices of California roll sushi with brown rice - 164 calories 32 gram carb
dinner - 3oz of Pad Thai noodles no peanuts with a little chicken - 360 cal 72 gram carb
snack - 1 oz beef jerkey - 80 cal 4 gr carbs

Total: 1184 cal. 237 gr of carb about 40 grams of protein

Today: Low Carb Day"
Breakfast - ****gg and 3 small pieces of bacon 222 cal .74 carb
snack - 2 oz of beef jerky - 160 cal 8 gr carbs
Lunch - 2 oz of chicken breast and 1 tbl of may - 155 cal 2 gr carb
Dinner - 4 shrimp and 2.5 oz of prime rib - 259 cal 0.29 carb
snack - 2 oz of beef jerky - 160 cal 8 gr carbs

Total: 1036 cal 23 grams of carbs about 138 grams of protein

So you can see this varies widely.  I upped my calories by 200 a day or so and am right at where my surgeon wants me.  Remeber I am a guy.  About a 1000 a day.  6'1" 325lb CW.  But I chew like crazy, eat slow, never pu**** don't drink with meals and get in 80+ oz of water.  When I get close to 3 oz of anything I feel it beleive me.  I know that line.

Carbs are not the enemy here.  Its how you use them.  Like in lifting weights doing the same old thing your body is an amazing machine and will adapt.  It will slow down if you only have 20 grams of carbs a day or less.  It actually will get efficient.  It knows the pattern and what you are going to give it.  So it will slow down.  Conserve and save.  Store as fat to save for later when you are defficient in calories.  Calories in calroies out.  Isn't that why we got this surgurey?  I didn't get VSG so I would only eat 20 carbs a day or less.  I got it because I couldn't put the fork down.  I never felt full.  This creates a forced restriction now.  Which in turn forces my calories to where I want it.  I am not depriving my body, take my vitamins.

But the most important thing?  I always keep my body and best yet my metabolism guessing.  So it keeps burning and never stops because sometimes it gets the carbs to burn, and sometimes not.  Its never the same....

To each their own.  But for me I can do this for a life time...

I haven't had surgey yet, but I find that the weeks when I have a "bad day" such as rice with dinner or a sandwich on a day or two I lose more, so I think this theory is sopt on. Carbs are not the absolute enemy we just need to consume wisely and be active. Thank you for posting this.

I'm looking at your carb day and it doesn't look like you got anything near 80grams of protein.  Do you not shoot for your protein requirements on carb day?

I know body builders swear by carb cycling, and it works to take off fat in the short term.  They aren't WLS patients trying to lose 100 or more pounds of fat.   I'm obviously a girl (or at least it was obvious until the girls deflated to the sad state they're in today), but in 9 1/2 months postop following a pretty strict low-carb regime (20-30 a day, 600-800 calories). I was low-carb before that as well for 3 months, so call it more than a year on a very low carb diet.    I'm down 115lbs post-op -- 145 overall, within 5lbs of a 'normal' BMI, well within normal body fat percentage, and I"m still losing quite well.  At 5'3", 44 years old, my resting metabolic rate is 1800 calories a day, and it's only slightly lower at 145lbs than it was at 291.  I have been routinely tested for body composition, and I've lost almost all fat. 

Effectively, I've maintained my metabolism by maintaining lean mass. I work with a trainer, do a lot of cardio, and I really mix up my workouts.   If my body has adapted, it's adapted to using fat for fuel rather than carbs. Cycling can be effective for breaking a stall. I'm not sure for long-term, sustained loss it's the right solution for most particularly if one has 'carb addiction' issues. 

Couple points I'd like to make:

#1, If it works for you and you can keep it up- great!

#2, Many of the folks here (MO/SMO now or previously) had a hard time with carbs, and going up one day may likely make it very difficult to drop back down when needed.. the vast majority of us are not professional athletes with a normal food intake/energy output automatic regulatory system that naturally lean people have. Yes, I am aware you said not for everyone- which makes me repeat #1 :)

#3, Most of us are staying lower carb only until maintenance, then slowly upping the healthier carbs (veggies, beans, low GL-GI foods) and also more fat as well to reach balance.. wherever the balance may be for each individual. 

You may want to watch this, it sounds like you'd get it- and it may help you along your way with the carb thing you are doing.. it covers some of the science behind lipogenesis. You are correct, not all carbs are bad, sugar sure is, fructose is the worst (table sugar, honey, agave.. all about half fructose, and juice and dried fruits=candy).. and of course processed grains (almost totally devoid of fiber) and unfortunately many "whole grain" foods aren't as great as they are pitched, low GL is a better way to carb load if you can.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

I am low carbing it because I had to get my fasting blood sugars under 110. It has taken 10 months to get out of my pre-diabetic tendencies. It did not happen overnight and the more belly fat I lose, the lower the sugars go. I was one of those weird ones whose sugars and lipid panels actually got worse after surgery. The human body is an amazing thing. So happy you feel good and are losing weight. Thank you for your interesting take on the matter.

Right on!  I think whatever you can do, sustain, and make work for you is the thing to do.

Higher carb days create ravenousness in me and the tweaking back and forth are the precursor to binges *in me* I know folks who do intermittant fasting and do great!  Me?  Back to the binge.  Boo.

Anyway - what works best for me, when leaning out and building muscle is a ketogenic diet.  5% of my calories coming from carbs, those carbs coming from nuts and vegs.

This is how my body changed in 2 months.  SOOO, while for SOME folks if they have less then 20 carbs a day their body may slow down, for me when I load up on carbs, I will consume more of EVERYTHING, but my body does not *need* the carbs other folks' bodies need.  I did a marathon and half marathon being ketogenic.  Bonking was never an issue, lifting and petering out is never an issue.  But that's just how it works for me!


Again, I get what works for me is not great for everyone, but like you - I have figured out the way I can eat, preserve muscle, and minimize insanity for a lifetime!

Right on us!

I don't do carb-cycling but my nut told me at my 6 week visit that I should add more healthy carbs back in and my weight loss average per week went up so I was happy about that.  I do focus on my protein and calories and as the nut said don't worry so much about the carbs just have to make better carb choices :) But it is great that it is working for you :) we all have to find our own way so to speak a way we can live with later on in the long run :) Glad your stall is over.