Carb Cycling: Does it really work?

[MrssTeapot]

First time posting I've read a few other posts about carb cycling but I have got mixed answers. Some have experienced great results and others say that carb cycling is a myth and it doesn't work. My goal I'm looking to achieve from carb cycling is weightloss/fatloss. I currently have overhauled my diet I've been clean eating for 6 months, I've increased my exercise from 2 days a week to 5 a half hour each time, and I've been using a caloric defiect to try and shed some pounds but nothing significant has changed. I've lost all of a measly 5lbs! And I'm hungry all the time. I don't take supplements but I do make smoothies once a day I have a kale, spinach, peach and banana smoothie and I just blend all that up with water. I heard of carb cycling and have seen people get fast results over a 12 week time period. So I'm wondering how do you do it, where do veggies fit into your macros and is it as effective as some claim it to be??

[Partyrocking]

If you only lost 5 pounds in six months, then you're eating more than you think you are. You don't need calorie cycling. You need a food scale. Eating clean won't make you lose weight.

[LunaLifts]

What is your calorie range? What are your macros? Not getting enough protein can make it harder to feel full, of course a deficit will mean you have to deal with some hunger, but clearly there isn't always a deficit there.

"Where do veggies fit in with macros?" - Mostly they're small amounts of carbs. Wouldn't you be looking this information up if you're tracking?

Are you using a food scale, or eyeballing things? Are you tracking on an app, or on paper? Are you tracking everything?
Weigh as much as you can. Using spoons, and cups isn't always accurate:
Watch this to see what I mean.

[oregonchick76]

IF carb cycling yields faster weight loss than just a steady deficit, I would not expect it to be more than a very marginal difference. And carb cycling is a pain in the ass.

If you lost 5 lbs in 6 months, you need to look at the cold hard facts that you were only averaging a 100 calorie deficit per day.

If you were hungry all the time, maybe your macros aren't optimal for satiety.

At 5'2" and 177, weight loss should be pretty easy. You should see a pretty steady drop of at least 1 lb per week if you are eating 1500 calories per day with regular exercise.

Get yourself a food scale and track EVERY SINGLE THING that goes in your mouth, in grams.

[asteroidbooty]

IMO carb cycling is just another method to achieve overall calorie deficit. It also seems very fadish.

Since carbs tend to be the most appetite satisfying (no matter how much protein I pack in), the carb cycling was not for productive me. Including even a small amount of high fiber carbs in my daily diet helps with energy and overall calorie restriction.Trying to go low carb just led to the inevitable binge. But you may have better luck.

Be careful about smoothies, cause fruit and juice bases can be a real calorie buster.