Carb Cycling

[alwaysgrowing]

I've been carb cycling for the past two months. I have been going on what I have read here and been told by some BB'ers from my gym. I finally decided to do some reading on it.

I have been having wednesday as no carb day. Thursday as a high carb. Mid carb friday-sunday. High on monday, and tuesday mid carb.

I have a few questions. SOme of my reading says not to use dextrose or any sugar post workout. They say to drink oatmeal with whey. Fog, BOuncer, any opinions on this?

And second, is my carb split what is typically used

[Bouncer]

i would rather see you follow a no carb Mon-Sat and High Carb Sun routine. All the ups and downs you are doing is not giving your body enough time to go into ketosis. (takes about 3 days). fat burning would be much more drastic and as long as your taking in enough fats on your no carb days, you wont lose much muscle.

[alwaysgrowing]

I'm not looking for drastic fat loss. I figure i'm hanging around 8-10% bf. Trying to stay that way but add some size. If i do no carb mon-sat, I'd be miserable. Between school, work and the gym, I would have no ernergy. So that wouldn't work. I figure one day with no carbs while reset my bodies glycogen stores, and gthen I start the process all over. Am i wrong in this assumption?

[Bouncer]

I'm not looking for drastic fat loss. I figure i'm hanging around 8-10% bf. Trying to stay that way but add some size. If i do no carb mon-sat, I'd be miserable. Between school, work and the gym, I would have no ernergy. So that wouldn't work. I figure one day with no carbs while reset my bodies glycogen stores, and gthen I start the process all over. Am i wrong in this assumption?

when looking to lose just a little fat and gain muscle i do not like carb cycling at all.

i would keep carbs in every day, all clean sources no sugar. the last 2 meals of the day cut the carbs.

[Pumpdogg]

I agree with bouncer.. if you decide to do a CKD you will have to deplete the muscles and liver of glycogen to reach ketosis.. You could use vandly sulfate as a glucose disposal agent in the first couple of days without carbs to speed it along.. Also could use anabolic pump for your refeeds.
You should also be checking your morning temp before you crawl out of bed to make sure your thyroid is up to par.. Dieting will lower your output, and keto diets seem to tapper off at about the 4 week mark, where you will need to cycle carbs back in for usually 2 weeks to get everything back to normal, then you can finish out if you need more time
Lastly the first week of those diets are the hardest as far as getting used to it.. the second week when you reach ketosis its not as bad... your body adapts..

[coffee-guy]

when looking to lose just a little fat and gain muscle i do not like carb cycling at all.

i would keep carbs in every day, all clean sources no sugar. the last 2 meals of the day cut the carbs.

:agree:

[coffee-guy]

I agree with bouncer.. if you decide to do a CKD you will have to deplete the muscles and liver of glycogen to reach ketosis.. You could use vandly sulfate as a glucose disposal agent in the first couple of days without carbs to speed it along.. Also could use anabolic pump for your refeeds.
You should also be checking your morning temp before you crawl out of bed to make sure your thyroid is up to par.. Dieting will lower your output, and keto diets seem to tapper off at about the 4 week mark, where you will need to cycle carbs back in for usually 2 weeks to get everything back to normal, then you can finish out if you need more time
Lastly the first week of those diets are the hardest as far as getting used to it.. the second week when you reach ketosis its not as bad... your body adapts..

That's a good analysis of the CKD diet but but but.... If anyone who wants to run this diet is looking to save muscle they won't be doing it with this diet - test or no test.... I don't recommend something of this extreme for anyone who cherishes muscle mass - it simply won't hold up through those first few weeks and the refeeds with canes at week 4 tend to be stored as fat because at that point the body isn't used to them and has switched gears to using fat as fuel and views carbs as *excess*....

[coffee-guy]

I've been carb cycling for the past two months. I have been going on what I have read here and been told by some BB'ers from my gym. I finally decided to do some reading on it.

I have been having wednesday as no carb day. Thursday as a high carb. Mid carb friday-sunday. High on monday, and tuesday mid carb.

I have a few questions. SOme of my reading says not to use dextrose or any sugar post workout. They say to drink oatmeal with whey. Fog, BOuncer, any opinions on this?

And second, is my carb split what is typically used

There are studies and individual claims that oats pwo help facilitate fat loss - you won't kill yourself using malto/dextrose pwo though if you do it correctly - it's basically 6 one way and half a dozen the other IMO....

As for what your split looks like I'm sure you would be better off with something structured less around a *week* and more around days themselves.

Figure up how many carbs you want in a week and go from there - your no carb days should be JUST that and for a minimum of 3 to 4 days in a row, you can then use up to 50%-60% of your weeks carb allotment on a refeed day (careful not to overdue it so as to avoid fat accumulation). Then you can go 3 or 4 days on no carbs again followed by 3 days of mid carb days, follow that by no carb days followed by a larger refeed day etc. It's whatever works for you but the no carb days should run long enough consecutively that your body tries to adapt and once it begins to you pull the rug out from under it - and then repeat and then repeat....

[Scrumhalf]

Hey Bouncer/Fog, have you guys read Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0? I found it a good read with his carb cycling methodology, and Lyle certainly is very well respected in the field.

If you did constant carbs, what percentage of your daily caloric intake should be in the form of carbs?

[Scrumhalf]

bump.... Bouncer/Fog, still interested in your inputs...

[alwaysgrowing]

thanks fir your response guys. I will go back to my nomral diet, where I just cut cars after 5. I can't take a week to readjust to a no-card diet and risk my grades slipping in school. Wouldn't look so hot on a my transcript when applying for law school.

[Bouncer]

Hey Bouncer/Fog, have you guys read Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0? I found it a good read with his carb cycling methodology, and Lyle certainly is very well respected in the field.

If you did constant carbs, what percentage of your daily caloric intake should be in the form of carbs?

i have not read his book. what are his basic rules?

as for your question, that depends on your goals. if you want, make a thread about your goals, diet, etc.. and we will get the ball rolling.