Does carb cycling works for yall?

[Amiru98]

Whats up guys, just that quick question.
Does Carb cycling works for yall? I been doing carb cycling for the past month, and yes, Im losing weight but its not going as well as a thought.
Went from 192 to 175 in around 6 weeks, But its just not looking as good as when I did low fat diet.
Should I keep it or if i feel better with low fat do it that way?
My profile pic is when I did low fat, just to show how well it went. Went all the way to 7% body fat.

Thanks

[CharlieG82]

If you have found that a low fat diet works well for you why change it up???

[Amiru98]

If you have found that a low fat diet works well for you why change it up???

Just to try new things, I wanted to see how it goes for like a month and as I see it just doesnt goes well with me, Im going back to old days now, but I wanted to see if other people also have the same problem. I just think that my body doesnt work well with fats, I can bite a brownie and feel it right away lol

[deano110]

Whats up guys, just that quick question.
Does Carb cycling works for yall? I been doing carb cycling for the past month, and yes, Im losing weight but its not going as well as a thought.
Went from 192 to 175 in around 6 weeks, But its just not looking as good as when I did low fat diet.
Should I keep it or if i feel better with low fat do it that way?
My profile pic is when I did low fat, just to show how well it went. Went all the way to 7% body fat.

Thanks

What aspect of carb cycling hasn't worked? If you're love 17 lbs in 6 weeks and your goal is presumably fat loss then it seems to have been very effective for you.

Your overall calorie intake is what determines your weight loss/gain, there is no magic to carbohydrate cycling vs any other form of calorie restricted diet in the context of weight loss.

If you're an athlete taking part in sport and want to maximise performance whilst maintaining bodyweight then it can have some application. Also, if you're at a very low body fat (sub 10%) and you want to place more carbohydrates around your training carb cycling would be a good strategy (I've had success with this in the past). Note that these are examples are for performance benefit not body composition.

If you feel better using a different approach then it makes sense to revert back to it, you've tried this and don't think there's benefit - your practical experience if more important than what people can tell you on a forum.

[Millz12323]

Never tried it.

[Tommy W.]

Carb cycling in itself does not directly affect fat loss however carb TIMING for many people helps with strength and energy in the gym. Some guys take in their majority of carbs a few hours before training. Non training days the carbs are lower however this is more about just lower calories so that the weekly calorie target amount stays intact

[Tucane]

If you're an athlete taking part in sport and want to maximise performance whilst maintaining bodyweight then it can have some application. Also, if you're at a very low body fat (sub 10%) and you want to place more carbohydrates around your training carb cycling would be a good strategy (I've had success with this in the past). Note that these are examples are for performance benefit not body composition.

This is pretty much how i roll nowadays, but not in a meticulous way as I don't track calories/macros anymore. I opt for loads of carbs prior to longer/intense lifting sessions and go by hunger cues/preferences past that.

For rest days I choose food with more fats. Carbs make me energetic, which in turn makes me less prone to actually rest... so keeping them lower works well for the purpose. Fats also seem to make me more relaxed, so win-win. Hunger cues dictate here aswell.

[Amiru98]

What aspect of carb cycling hasn't worked? If you're love 17 lbs in 6 weeks and your goal is presumably fat loss then it seems to have been very effective for you.

Your overall calorie intake is what determines your weight loss/gain, there is no magic to carbohydrate cycling vs any other form of calorie restricted diet in the context of weight loss.

If you're an athlete taking part in sport and want to maximise performance whilst maintaining bodyweight then it can have some application. Also, if you're at a very low body fat (sub 10%) and you want to place more carbohydrates around your training carb cycling would be a good strategy (I've had success with this in the past). Note that these are examples are for performance benefit not body composition.

If you feel better using a different approach then it makes sense to revert back to it, you've tried this and don't think there's benefit - your practical experience if more important than what people can tell you on a forum.

What I think it is that Im looking extra flat due low carb and its just eating my head. My mid day is at the moment is 2000 calories low and high day rest/add 200 calories from there. I will go back to how I did it before for sure, I just kind of wanted to see if there any other people that have same "problems" as me,
Weird fact: I felt more tired all the time doing low fat than low carb, when low carb should make you more tired due no energy, and I also work longer hours (10hrs a day serving at restaurant) than before, lol

[Amiru98]

Carb cycling in itself does not directly affect fat loss however carb TIMING for many people helps with strength and energy in the gym. Some guys take in their majority of carbs a few hours before training. Non training days the carbs are lower however this is more about just lower calories so that the weekly calorie target amount stays intact

I only eat carbs between my daily run and workout, then at night just about 15-30g during mid days, then high days (just once a week or 2 MAX) I eat good amount of carbs just to carb up, but thats it. Im still on a deficit tho

[Nicksosure1]

For rest days I choose food with more fats. Carbs make me energetic, which in turn makes me less prone to actually rest... so keeping them lower works well for the purpose. Fats also seem to make me more relaxed, so win-win. Hunger cues dictate here aswell.

I do the same. Trade in carbs for fats on rest days.

The only thing I've noticed is that when I do this my workout the next day sometimes is lacking. Could be a number of factors at play but that's what I'm blaming it on. Nothing too detrimental though. I enjoy my fats on rest days.

[Tucane]

I do the same. Trade in carbs for fats on rest days.

The only thing I've noticed is that when I do this my workout the next day sometimes is lacking. Could be a number of factors at play but that's what I'm blaming it on. Nothing too detrimental though. I enjoy my fats on rest days.

It's the glycogen depletion from running the low carb day. Since you are bulking I'd recommend a bigger carbload pre-workout or starting to add them in earlier if it's hard to stomach. I'd personally be vary of even smaller performance drops on a bulk and adjust accordingly.

[Nicksosure1]

It's the glycogen depletion from running the low carb day. Since you are bulking I'd recommend a bigger carbload pre-workout or starting to add them in earlier if it's hard to stomach. I'd personally be vary of even smaller performance drops on a bulk and adjust accordingly.

Still seeing gains on the days after rest days just have to work a little harder on those days sometimes.

I may add a bit more carbs to my dinner on rest days if it becomes a problem. I lift around 5am so carbloading preworkout is an issue as it is already. Usually stick to a banana, some almond milk and whey right when I wake up pre-workout. More and it's hard to stomach, less and I run into performance issues.

[Tucane]

What I think it is that Im looking extra flat due low carb and its just eating my head. My mid day is at the moment is 2000 calories low and high day rest/add 200 calories from there. I will go back to how I did it before for sure, I just kind of wanted to see if there any other people that have same "problems" as me,
Weird fact: I felt more tired all the time doing low fat than low carb, when low carb should make you more tired due no energy, and I also work longer hours (10hrs a day serving at restaurant) than before, lol

The reason you felt more tired on low dietary fat was likely because you were chronically low on it. Fats are essential after all, unlike carbs. Might have been due to low bf% aswell (sub 8?), aka fatique due to energy preservation.

[deano110]

This is pretty much how i roll nowadays, but not in a meticulous way as I don't track calories/macros anymore. I opt for loads of carbs prior to longer/intense lifting sessions and go by hunger cues/preferences past that.

For rest days I choose food with more fats. Carbs make me energetic, which in turn makes me less prone to actually rest... so keeping them lower works well for the purpose. Fats also seem to make me more relaxed, so win-win. Hunger cues dictate here aswell.

We have a similar approach (although I'm still tracking because it helps with my physique goals) but the way I prioritise my carbohydrate intake is the same as you. After years of training and monitoring your nutrition it becomes very intuitive to know what foods will fuel your body dependent on what activity you're going to undertake.
After my next competition season I'll be relaxing my tracking and eating mindfully/intuitively with the odd day of tracking here and there just to see were I'm at.

Still seeing gains on the days after rest days just have to work a little harder on those days sometimes.

I may add a bit more carbs to my dinner on rest days if it becomes a problem. I lift around 5am so carbloading preworkout is an issue as it is already. Usually stick to a banana, some almond milk and whey right when I wake up pre-workout. More and it's hard to stomach, less and I run into performance issues.

Just to this point, on rest days I also have a lower carbohydrate intake and increase my fat. I also save about 60% of my rest day carb intake until my final meal and I don't see any dip in performance the next day with this approach - so I definitely think it would be worth experimenting with increasing your carb intake in your evening meal.