Carb Cycling Vs Calorie Cycling
Guys, Carb cycling has no magic benefit to fat loss.
Carb Cycling is changing the amount of carbs you eat each day while keeping calories the same each day. Basically swapping carbs and fat around on different days.
If you have 2 different people and one has carbs everyday and the other does carb cycling as long as protein and calories are matched the fat loss will be the same.
You will not rapidly lose body fat doing carb cycling however there are some benefits to calorie cycling. This is where your calories change throughout the week not just carbs.
Benefits of calorie cycling:
✅ Have more calories on training days
✅ Have more calories on days when you have social events
✅ Improve insulin sensitivity on low days
✅ Raise leptin levels on high days (2-3 day or more)
✅ Reduce the rate of metabolic adaptation
There are many different ways to implement calorie cycling. You can set it up to give you a bit more freedom on the weekend with your diet, you can set it up for maximal performance in the gym or to maximise fat loss etc.
Even with all these amazing benefits you’ll still need to be in a calorie deficit throughout the week to lose body fat. You may have higher and lower days but it should average out to a caloric intake that has you in a deficit ✌🏼
Strength Lab - Personal Training, Body Transformation Coaching and Competition Preparation
Personal Training Hawthorn, Melbourne