It's safe to assume that most of you, if not all of you have heard or read about the Atkins diet. A lot of you have probably even tried it. For those of you who have done the Atkins diet or known someone whose done it, you know that concerning weight loss, it is highly effective. The Atkins Diet consists of very low carbohydrate intake, making weight loss quick and efficient. The belief behind this, is that in decreasing or eliminating our carbohydrate intake, we then must burn calories from a different source. The body is wired to burn stored energy in the order of carbs first, then fat. So the thinking, is that if we don't have any carbohydrates stored to burn, we must burn fat, which is exactly what happens.
The reason I'm bringing this to your attention, is not because I'm going to try and talk you into going on the Atkins diet (please, don't!) but it is because I want to emphasize the power that carbohydrates have on the body and weight maintenance. It's important to understand the reasoning behind the low-carb idea and how carbohydrates function in our diet and in the body before we all decide to go carb countin' crazy!
Thus, we come to, what I feel, is a much safer, more practical way to decrease our overall carbohydrate intake in order to promote weight loss, while still staying energized and getting all of our necessary vitamins and minerals. Many research studies back up carb cycling as a safe approach to weight loss and it is widely used in the bodybuilding world today for athletes trying to cut fat mass. It is very possible for this diet to be done safely, as long as the vast majority of the carbohydrates that you do take in, are complex carbs.
What is carb cycling?
Also known as cyclic ketogenic dieting, carb cycling consists of a mainly low daily carbohydrate consumption mixed with intermittent periods of elevated carbohydrate intake. In more simple terms, low carb diet for most days, with a few high carbohydrate days thrown in the mix, and in some cases, days without any carbohydrates.
When compared with the more traditional, steady 45-65% daily calories from carbohydrate intake, carb cycling has been shown to increase fat loss similar to the effects of a solely low carbohydrate diet. Because most days consist of at least some carbs, the body is never deprived enough for the metabolism to slow down, but is able to convert into a fat burning state during periods of low carb intake.
The main issue with a solely low carb diet (like Atkins) is that your consumption of dietary fat must increase in order to hit your daily caloric needs. Taking in too much dietary fat, especially saturated and trans fats, can be dangerous for heart health. (It's no wonder Dr. Atkins actually ended up dying from a heart attack).
Carbohydrates are also our main source of energy, so adding in a few days here and there, of high carbohydrate intake, allows for a kind of "recharge" for our energy stores. Being on a solely low carbohydrate diet for too long will eventually, cause you to burn out and become extremely fatigued. With carb cycling however, you have "refeed" days or days of higher carbohydrate intake which allow for these energy stores to be replenished. Essentially, these refeeds will increase the metabolism back up and fuel the body to better prepare for "burn" days during low carb periods.
Where do I start?
Stay tuned for Part 2-Starting the Cycle
Question of the Day:
What would you like to know about carb cycling that you would like me to cover in this series?
Great post rach! thanks for breaking down all the facts nice and simple! maybe cover what a one week cycle would look like?
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