You work out for hours and hours. It’s workout for this, workout for that…plus cardio. The feeling of mission accomplished when you leave the gym all sweaty is just great.

After a while, when it’s time to meditate, you feel great about having burnt all that fat mass away. Yet, next thing you know you feel quite low, as a great percentage of lean mass has gone away just as well.

This is more common than you can imagine, after all, when we focus on fat loss, we end up compromising our lean mass too. But I’m sure no one wants to get skinny, right? So, a diet called “Carb Cycling” is the best solution to this.

How does that work?

Let’s go! With this diet you should alternate the schedule of high and low-carb days or even no carbs whatsoever. Because carbs are essential to provide energy, keep and gain lean mass, nutritionists don’t recommend going without it for too long.

“When you stop consuming carbs, you inhibit the production of insulin (hormone), which is responsible for metabolizing the sugar contained in the nutrient in your blood. During workout, the main sources of energy are carbs and fats. In the absence of carbs, your organism resorts to fat as source of energy”, explains Patricia Cruz, nutritionist and master in Science at the School of Public Health at USP, the University of São Paulo.

The secret to the Carb Cycling Diet is in knowing how much carb you should consume so you won’t harm your organism in order to lose weight.

Which is quite different from what happens with the Protein Diet, for example. In that case, your body eliminates fat and lean mass at the same time. Besides that, your metabolism also slows down, which makes it harder to do a heavier workout at the gym.

As for the second stage of the Protein Diet, the reintroduction of carbs is recommended. And what happens to your body? A rebound effect, and the organism starts storing the nutrient, fearing it could be cut off once again. And the outcome to this is gaining all the weight back.

Fast metabolism

Well, the objective of the Carb Cycling is totally different. The aim here is to permit that you can keep your metabolism rate high, burning fat without losing lean mass, as well as minimizing the risk of a yo-yo effect.

And that’s exactly on the high-carb days that we boost our metabolism. The periods of low carb, in turn, make the body prompt to burn calories.

Who can try that?

That is a great question. According to Patrícia Cruz, it’s recommended that only people who have been working out for a while take advantage of this diet. The reason: this is a very restrictive diet and it’s not easy to carry out for those who are trying to lose weight, leaving a sedentary lifestyle behind.

“What’s more, it’s important to highlight that this diet is neither advisable to teenagers who work out, as they’re still growing, nor to pregnant women and people with diabetes and other pathologies”, the nutritionist alerts.

Tips to improve your workout routine

Following the level and intensity of your workout each day is a great way to fit high-carb, low-carb and no-carb days with your routine. And the rule is quite simple:

If you work out 3 times a week:

Also set two high priority days for the workout. Those will be the days when you’ll work out the muscle groups that you need to improve. And this is exactly the period when you’ll consume lots of carbs.

On the following day eat carbs moderately. As for the other four days in the week, the ideal is setting one moderate-carb and three low-carb intakes.

If you work out 4 times a week:

Here the best thing to do is prioritize two days of workout. Those will be the days when you’ll work out the muscle groups that you need to improve. And this is exactly the period when you’ll consume lots of carbs.

Now, on the other two workout days, it’s ideal to intake moderate amounts of carb. On the three following days, go for a low-carb diet.

If you work out 5 times a week:

Same thing here: set two days to prioritize the workout of the muscle groups you have to improve. Likewise here, this is the period when you’ll eat more carbs.

On the next days of “secondary workout”, you should intake carbs moderately. Then, on the workout day left and on the other days in the week, go for a low-carb diet.

No exaggerations

Rumor has it that it is possible to have meals like pizza and sandwiches the day after the no-carb day. Patricia answers: “No way. The diet recommends exact grams of carbs. Low consumption (25g/day), moderate (75g) and high (150 – 300g). Therefore, the choice of carb source must be well thought of. Picking complex (that release energy gradually) over simple carbs”, she advises.

And to help you even more, we have asked a specialist to set a 1-week diet plan for you: Check below and start right away.

High Breakfast 2 slices of wholemeal bread 1 medium slice of white cheese 2 slices of lean ham 1/2 a papaya with 1 (table) spoon of rolled oats 1 glass (200ml) of skimmed milk mixed with 1/4 avocado and little sugar. Lunch: Lettuce, watercress, rocket, tomato, grated cabbage (dressed with mustard and honey dressing) 5 (table) spoons of mashed arracacha 2 slices of roast silverside beef 4 (table) spoons of fruit salad Snack: 1 glass (200ml) of plain yogurt 1 (tea) cup of granola 10 strawberries Dinner: Iceberg, red and loose-leaf lettuce, tomato, cucumber dressed with little olive oil and salt. 4 (table) spoons of snow pea 2 (tea) cups of past with red sauce 1 skinless chicken drumstick 1 slice of watermelon

Moderate Breakfast 200ml of skimmed milk 1 medium slice of white cheese 1 eggwhite omelet (4 eggwhites) Lunch: Chard, red lettuce, tomato 3 (table) spoons of grated carrots 4 (table) spoons of brown rice 3 (table) spoons of lentils Grilled beef – (200g) 1 mandarin Snack: 1 sliced burro banana 1 (table) spoon of rolled oats 1 (tea) spoon of honey Dinner: Watercress, iceberg lettuce, 3 (table) spoons of grated beet 1 slice of grilled salmon (300g) 1 peach

Zero carbs Breakfast 2 scrambled eggs 1 tomato 1 glass of skimmed milk with coffee and sweetener Lunch: Lettuce, tomato, watercress dressed with little olive oil and salt. 3 florets of broccoli 1 grilled St Peter fish (300g) 1 cup of light jello Snack: 1 glass of skimmed milk mixed with plain fat-free yogurt. Dinner: Watercress, rocket, cucumber with a little olive oil 1 grilled chicken fillet 1 slice of melon

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