Im currently following the carb cycling routine outlined by Thib a couple of weeks ago and have to share my enthusiasm.
A bit of background on me, I’m the king if FFB’s (love that term!!) before I got into the Iron game I lost somewhere in the region of 80-90lbs of blubber (I ws a teenager at the time). Much like Thib, I had resided in the fact that my body wants me to be fat joes younger brother.
Anyway I get into bodybuilding blah blah blah I eventually over the course of 8 years gained around 40 pounds of muscle, whenever I diet I have always had to go via the low carb/keto approach (albeit cycled) at the time I was trying to shed a few pounds this way again. I read the article thought I need a 3-4 week break from my current diet and decided to give it a go, with amazing results.
Im eating a much greater quantity of food, dont feel eviler than skeletor (snappy!)!!! and am never particularly hungry, even on low carb days, in the time that the article appeared up till now, I can see a real difference in the mirror, my waist has gone down 3/4 of an inch and my lift numbers have gone up. 2 words for anyone wishing to try this
IT WORKS!
Hi There,
I would be interested in trying this but the only thing which I haven’t managed to do is fit in the required carb intake in just 3 meals (pre, post and PPWO since I train in the AM). I simply cannot handle having 80-120g carbs in one sitting as I end up feeling bloated, lethargic and tired.
it is hard, Im lucky really coz I have a monstrous appetite!!! lol!
My carb sources mainly are oats, brown rice and sweet potato mainly. If your struggling to get the requisite carbs down you then you could always try a carb supplement to boost it up if you wanted to. I tend to combine carb sources in one meal so instead of having say 100g of carbs from oats, I mix it so I get a percentage from oats, rice and sweet potato. The hardest part is Post workout as you do have to get a large quantity down you (I quite enjoy that part!) but I honestly have been amazed at my progress in such a small space of time, I have had non of the snappyness, hunger and cravings I normally experience with dieting.
forgot to mention, also dont forget about ‘hidden’ carbs, you should count those too, for instance 100g of cottage cheese contains 5-7g of carbs typically, so if you ate 300g of cottage cheese you would have 39g protein (around that mark!) and around 15-21g carbs! alwyas check the label!
Good to hear! I started it last week, but struggled a bit over the weekend. I started a new intense training regime this week, which should help keep me mentally motivated to stay on track with the diet. I have an event in 3 weeks I want to look really good for, but then I would like to stick with it for maintenance.
I am also not used to eating so many carbs in the 3 P+C meals and am struggling with variety for my P+F meals…
The way it is in that article I simply cannot manage it. Variety is not a problem with me, it just doesn’t feel right having 100g+ carbs in a meal and 40g+ fats in other meals. The way I have it at the moment I have P/C in the 3 meals plus one more after that, followed by 3 P/F meals. Non training days I have P/C in the first two meals followed by 4 P/F meals.
I know exactly what you are saying, given my fat-ass history for few days I was getting seriously paranoid, was convinced I’d end up putting a load of weight on. I am one of those unlucky ones who easily stores bodyfat, I have to be strict otherwise it instantly gets stored.
Remember though the article dictates that every 2 weeks (if you are cutting) then you reduce your carb intake by 20g, so periodically you have to lower your quantity of food. I must admit though I have tweaked it ever so slightly, I structure it so that 2 days I have high carb, 2 days medium and 2 days low, the remaining day I go for zero carbs! now this fits with my training, 2 days per week I train with a higher volume and lower intensity (1rm %)which is quite taxing so these are my high carb days, 2 days per week I train at very high intensity (90% plus) with lower volume these are my medium carb days, the 2 days for low carbs I do recovery sessions/C.V and the zero day I do no structured activity (usually spend the day in a foul mood staring longingly into the fridge).
If you are worried about the high carbs then try upping your physical activity on these days, go for a walk do some housework etc. Initially the volume of food is high, but it comes down. Remember though the article is only a guideline and everybody is different, I am having great success with it at the minute, its been a breathe of fresh air for me.
tips,
variety is a bit of a problem I have found that I do tend to stick with meals that I know fit the macronutrient profile but here are a few tips though for your meals.
Pro and Fat meals: I prefer to stick with lean meat choices, you could make a salad with plenty of green veg (spinache etc, raw is best) for fat drizzle with a little olive oil (you could use flavoured, or chop up some whole olives) and add some pine nuts/kernals (these are a fantastic source of good fats and incredibly nutrient dense, a tablespoon is enough) with some sunflower seeds. the combination of olive oil and nuts/seeds proved mono omega 3 and 6 FAs.
Omelletes (I cant spell, sorry!!) are also fantastic as protein and fat meals, just use 2-3 whole eggs, plenty of whites (dont worry about the yolk, the cholesterol wont raise your serum cholesterol levels), some vegetables of your choice and voila!!
Protein and Carb:
Breakfast 300g cottage cheese (provided 39g protein 15-20g carbs) with an apple (I like Crips pink) and a pear (both provide 10g each) with a bowl of oatmeal and maybe a banana mixed in. (I wouldnt recommend all that fructose later in the day though, is best to eat that amount of fructose 1st thing).
dont forget beans and legumes etc, they also provide carbs, mix them with grains to boost the carb content of th grains and provide a complete protein source (although the B.V isnt exactly the highest).