Carb cycling has been scientifically proven to be one of the best and easiest weight loss strategies. I have helped thousands of my clients to achieve fantastic results with my own version of this protocol and here is why you should try it.
Have you been trying to create healthy eating habits for a while, but instead find yourself falling off the wagon every time? You’re not alone. This happens to most people and is called yo-yo dieting.
Last week I talked about my detox plan and how it can help you to significantly curb your cravings in just one week. If you haven’t read it, definitely check it out and download the plan for free. Most of my clients start their fitness journeys with it and it is an integral part of their success.
Today, I would like to talk about what happens AFTER the 7 days on the detox. Surely, anyone can stick to a diet plan for a week, however strict it is. But how about making eating healthy food a part of your daily routine?
How about eating the foods you love, while keeping your waistline slim (chocolate banana ice cream anyone?). Or how about being able to go out on a girls night out, drink wine and still lose weight?
It may sound like I am over-selling it, but bear with me. After all, I have perfected these plans for years and they are the foundation of my clients’ transformations.
Carb Cycling – The Only Protocol That Burns Fat, While Preserving Lean Muscle
I want to say it right off the bat – I did not invent crab cycling. This protocol has been around for a long time and I am completely aware that this is not a revolutionary breakthrough.
What I did do was research it thoroughly and used it many times to get ready for photo-shoots and fitness competitions. Over the years of following this protocol with great success, I kept modifying it to make it better every time. I kept changing it, recording it and working on it, until I had a final version that I could share with my clients.
Carb cycling protocol is very simple, you eat more carbs on some days and less carbs on the others. That’s it! There is really not much to it (well, almost). Despite how simple it is, following a carb cycling diet plan offers some amazing benefits:
- Burns fat AND helps your build lean muscle: carbs are the primary fuel for our bodies. Your body turns them into glycogen that is stored in the muscles is burnt for energy. Carbs also spike your insulin levels, which helps you build muscle but also can make you gain fat. Eating them in excess may contribute to the expansion of your waistline. Lack of carbs will make your body turn to other sources, like stored body fat, to extract energy. The problem is that when you eat less carbs than you should for a long period will slow down metabolism. Slow metabolism can lead to weight gain, but it can be sped up by eating carbs. See where I’m going with this? By alternating the amounts of carbs every day, you keep your body guessing and build lean muscle while burning fat!
- It is the easiest way to diet: most diet protocols put you in a catabolic state (when you burn body tissues, like fat, for energy). This is achieved by restricting either carbs, overall calories, or both. While this sounds like a great idea – it’s not. Staying in a catabolic state for too long will make your body go into an ’emergency mode’. In this ’emergency mode’ your brain thinks that you are lacking food and signals the organs to produce less energy. As a result, you get weaker, burn LESS calories during the workouts and get hit with cravings. Neither of these is great if you want to make eating healthy a habit. Carb cycling puts you in short catabolic periods and takes you out of them quickly, before you go into ’emergency mode. You have more energy, you burn more calories and keep the cravings at bay.
The Body Beautiful Method – The Ultimate Carb Cycling
Most diets promise you the world, but inherently come with two main drawbacks. They are tough to follow and are inflexible.
Even with such amazing tools as the Body Beautiful mobile app I understand that most women won’t count the calories they eat. Even though the app makes it super easy, they just don’t have the time to do it.
Another issue is that these protocols dictate a set list of foods for you to eat. What if you don’t like broccoli? Oh well, you have to pinch your nose and crunch on it every day now.
How is it possible to stick to eating healthy, when you hate what you eat?
I developed the Body Beautiful carb cycling method to solve these two problems.
First, the Body Beautiful carb cycling method is easy to follow – you don’t need to count calories. You don’t need to figure out the portions, they have already been figured out for you. Just walk to the store and grab whatever is on the list. Easy.
Second, it’s flexible – you can pick the foods you like and omit those that you don’t. You have a large list of foods to choose from and you are not locked into eating food that tastes awful.
You Are ENCOURAGED to Have Cheat Meals.
Even though I call my carb cycling method a diet (The Lil’ Black Dress Diet to be exact), it can hardly be qualified to be one. I really call it the D-word because it is the first thing that people look for when they try to lose weight. When I work with my clients I want them to have an easy-to-follow way of eating that they can stick to indefinitely.
To me, a diet is associated with restricting yourself from eating certain foods for a long (and painful) period of time. It has a start date and an end date.
Say you make a commitment to follow a certain diet plan for 90 days. What happens after those 90 days? I’m sorry, but staying fit means that you make healthy eating a part of your life. Fitness doesn’t have an end date, it is a lifestyle.
So the last thing I wish upon anyone is to stick to a lifestyle that you don’t enjoy. For that reason, everyone of my clients gets a cheat meal!
A. Cheat. Meal.
Not a cheat day, or a cheat weekend. Just one cheat meal a week to start. A strategically planned cheat meal:
- Gives you a mental break from eating healthy food all the time. (It also helps you keep your friends from stopping to invite you go out with them).
- Prevents your body from going into the ’emergency mode’.
- Keeps you enjoying the foods (and drinks) you love!
After some time, your body will adapt to the new routine and will be able to handle two and even three cheat meals per week!
Here is the thing about me – I absolutely LOVE wine. I think it’s a beverage that was invented just for me and I usually have it 2-3 times a week. It has absolutely no impact on my figure!
Eating Healthy and Staying Fit Is a Pleasure
A healthy lifestyle is meant to make you happy. It is meant to improve your health, your strength and stamina and teach you how to treat your body with respect. It definitely shouldn’t be a chore.
So if you are ready to start eating a healthy diet, have more energy and have a fit body – download your copy of Lil’ Black Dress Diet to get started.