My 7-Day Carb Cycling Plan: How I Shed Fat Without Losing Muscle
Let’s be real. I was stuck. My exercise was good, but my body was not transforming. The scale was not moving, and I seemed to be turning my wheels. I required a plan and not another diet. It is at that point that I learned about carb cycling.
I was skeptical. It was akin to another unclear exercise movement. However, having researched into the science, I made a decision to use my body as a case study. I made myself an 7-day carb riding regimen where I will monitor all the activities. The results shocked me. I lost not only some pounds, but I transformed my body and entered the plateau.
It is not a theoretical guide. This is where I did it, what I consumed and how I trained. I will provide you with the blueprint so that you get to know whether it suits you.
The Science of How Carbs Cycling Worked on Me.
To begin with, we will clear the jargon. The manipulation of your daily or weekly carbohydrate intake is known as carb cycling. It is not that we should get rid of carbs, but rather schedule them to a particular mission.
In my case, it was a two-fold goal to lose body fat and maintain the hard-earned muscle that I had. The following is the plain reason why I was persuaded:
On carb days: I charged my body with vigorous exercises. The carbohydrates have replenished my muscle glycogen reserves, which made me explosive in energy and has put my body in the position that it does not need to use muscle to generate energy. During such days I had been in an anabolic (building) state.
On low-carb days: I developed caloric deficit and my body used its fat deposits as sources of energy. Since these days were not associated with strenuous exercises, I did not require the additional carbohydrates. This put me in a fat-burning (catabolic) state; however, this is specialized to fat, as opposed to muscle.
The alternation between these states ensured that my metabolism remains in suspense and does not adapt to the dietary standard, leading to plateaus. My thyroid and leptin (metabolism and hunger hormones) remained relatively stable compared to the time on a constant low-calorie diet, and this meant I had more energy and was less hungry.
My Daily Diary of the 7 Day Carb Cycling Plan.
This was my structure. I was at approximately 2,500 in terms of maintenance calories. I maintain protein as 180 grams/day in order to focus on muscle retention. I then did control my fats and carbs.
Day 1: High Carb Day (Calories: 2,600 | Carbs: 300g) fat: 60g)
My Justification: It was my hard leg day. I had to achieve as much glycogen as possible to get me through squats and deadlifts. The insignificant excess in calories was performance-related.
Day 2: Low Carb Day (Calories: 2,100 | Carbs: 100g)
My Interpretation: I had a low carbs day after exhausting my glycogen, and my body was burning fat ruthlessly. I maintained higher levels of the fats to be satiated.
Day 3: Medium Carb Day (Calories: 2,400 | Carbs: 200g| Fat: 70g)
My Justification: This was a day of upper-body strength. I had to have good energy, but not as much as leg day. This was a metabolic reset.
Day 4: Low Carb (Calories: 2,100 | Carbs: 100g| Fat: 80g)
My Excuse: I have another day to work on fat adaptation. I accompanied this with light activity.
Day 5: High Carb Day (Calories: 2,600-Carbs: 300g-Fat: 60g)
My Reason: It was my second sweaty workout day, which was concentrated on the strength and power of the whole body. One more performance-oriented day.
Day 6: Low Carb Day (Calories: 2,100| Carbs: 100g| Fat: 80g)
My Reason: I have the third week of low carbs to further incur calorie deficit during the week.
Day 7: Re-feed Day (Medium/High Carb): (Calories: 2,500 | Carbs: 250g |Fat: 65g)
My Justification: This proved essential. Re-feed day is used to restore the level of leptin, increase the metabolism, and is a psychological rest. I ate at maintenance.
Meal Planning Strategies to My Success.
Planning was non-negotiable. I would fail in case I do not have the right food ready.
I Cooked in Bulk: On Sunday, I grilled 2 lbs of chicken breast, cooked 4 cups of brown rice and roasted a large tray of broccoli and sweet potatoes. This was my foundation.
My Favorite sources of carbs: I use sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, oats when I have a high-carb day. On low-carb days, I used green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach as my source of carbs.
My Protein Was the same: Chicken breast, lean ground turkey, eggs, egg whites, and a daily whey protein shake.
I Smartly Controlled Fats: almonds, nut butters, olive oil, and avocado. When I had a high carb day, I made myself reduce these in order to fit in the carbs.
The Ideal Exercises I Combined with Every Day Carb.
The key to aligning my training with what I have been intaking was the game-changer.
Low Carb Days = Low-Intensity Strength Training. I had my most challenging exercises here. Consider heavy-compound exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Overhead Press. My strength was sufficient to do heavier and greater amounts of volume.
Medium Carb Days = Moderate-Intensity Training. This was in support of my hypertrophy (muscle-building) sessions. Increased reps (8-12), reduced rest, machines and dumbbells in-accessory work.
Low Carb Days=Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS) Cardio or Active Recovery. I walked briskly up a hill or on a steep slope, did some light cycling, or yoga (30-45 minutes). Blood flow and recovery was the objective, not the loss of glycogen.
10 Yoga to Lose Weights I did on Low-Carb days.
Yoga was not a stretch exercise, but an active form of recovery that developed core strength and mind-muscle connection. This 20-minute flow was just the right one on my low-carb days.
Sun Salutations ( Surya Namaskar A and B): 5 rounds of warming up.
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): Held 5 deep breaths on each side.
Pose: Chair Pose (Utkatasana): Holds on 30 seconds, 3 times.
Boat Pose (Navasana): This is sustained as long as is possible, 3 sets.
Plank Pose: Held for 60 seconds.
Side Plank (Vasisthasana): Held 30 seconds each side.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana): Held 10 breaths, 3 sets.
Twisting Lunges (Parivrtta Anjaneyasana): 5 breaths in each side.
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Held 10 deep breaths.
Corpse Pose (Savasana): 2 minutes to complete. This was essential in relieving stress.
The Crash and Supplement Secrets I Can Live By.
I drank a gallon of water a day. Period. Dehydration performs death and pretends as being hungry. In the situation of supplements, I made it simple and to the point:
Whey Protein: It is easy to use after exercise.
Creatine Monohydrate: 5g daily, in my post-exercise shake. The statistics of its positive effect on strength and muscle mass are undisputed.
Caffeine: I have a cup of black coffee in the morning before my high-carb workout days to give me a boost of focus.
Fish Oil: Joint and brain health.
Mind and Sleep Better.
I monitored my sleep using a watch. My goal was 7-8 hours. In an event that I would receive less than 6, I was able to feel it on my workouts and my hunger level was off the scale. Sleep deprivation leads to more cortisol a hormone that contributes to belly fat.
In the case of mindfulness, all I did was to sit quietly and concentrate on my breath in the morning over a period of 5 minutes. It sounds gentle, yet it established a strict mood of the day and helped me to overcome cravings.
Monitoring My Progress and Realigning the Plan.
I counted it all during a period of one week:
Weight: I was weighing myself daily in the same circumstances.
Photos: On Day 1, I made front, back, and side photos, on Day 8, I made front and back photos.
Strength: I tracked my lifts. Was I becoming stronger or weaker?
My Performance after 1 7-Day Cycle:
I lost 2.1 pounds. But more importantly, my performance on my high-carb day lifts was slightly higher and my photos indicated that there were visible progress on my muscle definition, especially on my abs and shoulders. This was the indication that I was not losing muscle, but fat.
Had I not lost weight, I would have decreased a bit in calories on my low-carb days by 100-200. The medium days had 50 grams of carbs that I would have added in case I was feeling exhausted. The scheme is model, rather than a jail.
FAQs Based on My Experience
Q: Have I experienced hunger on low-carb days?
The first two were a correction. However, the hunger could be dealt with by fattening up on vegetables and proteins. It had died within the initial days.
Q: Is it possible to consume alcohol within this plan?
A: I didn’t. Alcohol interferes with the fat burning process and provides empty calories. It is counterproductive to the whole process. I saved it for after my plan.
Q: What was the hardest part?
A: The meal prep. It takes discipline and time at the kitchen. However, the outcomes are directly correlated with the preparation.
Q: Can this be long-term sustainable?
A: In my case, this method of cycling is more environmentally-friendly than an unchanging low-carb diet. I will do it in 4-6 week blocks, and a week in maintenance calories.
My case study in a nutshell:
The carb cycling enabled me to have a certain degree of control regarding my body composition that I never experienced before. It is a strategic powerful instrument. When you get stuck then have a good 7 day attempt. Monitor your information, be steady and watch what it can accomplish.