# carb cycling



## OTG85 (Sep 16, 2010)

I been eating real clean lately not really keeping track of anything just watching what I eat(no shit food).I kinda hit a plateau with my dieting and want to take things to the next level and get my b/f fairly low.I see alot of guy's here cycle there carb's and would like to know if that's the best way to drop fat without spareing to much muscle?Can someone give me a link or example to carb cycleing.

I'm 5'10 211  16% bf


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## gtbmed (Sep 16, 2010)

You're not going to lower your bodyfat much without tracking, at least not at first.  Start doing that.

As for the carb cycling, this is a good link.


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## OTG85 (Sep 16, 2010)

gtbmed said:


> You're not going to lower your bodyfat much without tracking, at least not at first. Start doing that.
> 
> As for the carb cycling, this is a good link.


 
thanks bro I will def. start tracking


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## Merkaba (Sep 17, 2010)

You take it to the next level by tracking your macs! The reason why you haven't been doing it is simple.  It sucks.  This is why I tell people that working out is the lazy mans way of losing weight. (for all of the weight loss junkies)  Because you can take half of that time you're over stressing your body and use some of it to track your intake and thus get better healthier results(for most people) in the long run.


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## theCaptn' (Sep 17, 2010)

gtbmed said:


> You're not going to lower your bodyfat much without tracking, at least not at first. Start doing that.
> 
> As for the carb cycling, this is a good link.


 
werd . . cant go past built


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## OTG85 (Sep 17, 2010)

god I'm look like a queer writeing everything down but let them say something Anyway thanks 4 the advice bro's.


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## sassy69 (Sep 17, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> god I'm look like a queer writeing everything down but let them say something Anyway thanks 4 the advice bro's.




If you plan out your meals ahead of time, it helps to use a food counts program like FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal - then you don't have to be seen writing things down. Once you do it for a while, you get a sense of what you're eating and it becomes easier to just make the changes w/o having to write stuff down every day, every time you eat. 

The starting point is to get a baseline of what you are eating now. This is the environment that you've given your body to work in - so you can look & see the results now. You can arrive at your portions for the changes in your diet - e.g. adding in carbs before / after training by doing the calculations ahead of time as to "how much" of this or that, and then just use that as your "unit of carb" going forward.   

Basically just getting an idea of what you are eating now, and "how much" of the different macros are need to make some changes - i.e. 3 oz potato, or 5 oz chicken, 1/2 c brown rice, etc. Then its easy to just add these to your meal plan.


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## vortrit (Sep 17, 2010)

All of the links to the carb cycling section on this board, as well as some others, in the stickies do not work. I was looking for info myself.


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## LAM (Sep 17, 2010)

if you want low body fat and crazy cardiovascular endurance in the gym I suggest start doing some form of high intensity interval training for cardio at least 2x a week.  the greater your VO2max the more fatty acids your body will burn at rest.


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## OTG85 (Sep 17, 2010)

vortrit said:


> All of the links to the carb cycling section on this board, as well as some others, in the stickies do not work. I was looking for info myself.


 
yea they bring you to some crapy forum


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## OTG85 (Sep 18, 2010)

gtbmed said:


> You're not going to lower your bodyfat much without tracking, at least not at first. Start doing that.
> 
> As for the carb cycling, this is a good link.


 
 Hey bro I'm confused.I found my lbm do I use  calorie maintmeance at that weight and  do I cut that by 10-20% to cut?


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## gtbmed (Sep 18, 2010)

You really have to track to find your maintenance calories.  But a good estimate is 13-15 * your body weight.  Consume about 10-20% less than that number.


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## OTG85 (Sep 18, 2010)

gtbmed said:


> You really have to track to find your maintenance calories. But a good estimate is 13-15 * your body weight. Consume about 10-20% less than that number.


 
my lbm body weight?Or my current body w?Sorry bro really trying to take this all in at once.Thank's for your help.


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## vortrit (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> yea they bring you to some crapy forum



Yeah, they used to work and have very good information in them. It's really too bad.


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> Hey bro I'm confused.I found my lbm do I use  calorie maintmeance at that weight and  do I cut that by 10-20% to cut?





legendkiller85 said:


> my lbm body weight?Or my current body w?Sorry bro really trying to take this all in at once.Thank's for your help.



legendkiller, cutting is always the same: eat less. 

Carb cycling lets you eat higher cals/carbs on some of the days, which can be helpful for managing appetite. 

Tell me your maintenance, current macros (grams please, not percentages) lean mass and number of high and low days, and I'll give you a sample of how you might choose to set this up, okay?


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## OTG85 (Sep 19, 2010)

Built said:


> legendkiller, cutting is always the same: eat less.
> 
> Carb cycling lets you eat higher cals/carbs on some of the days, which can be helpful for managing appetite.
> 
> Tell me your maintenance, current macros (grams please, not percentages) lean mass and number of high and low days, and I'll give you a sample of how you might choose to set this up, okay?


 

my t.d.e.e. is(maintenance) is 3184
I will cut at 20% less then that which is 2548.00
my daily macros at that is
240 g protein
240 g carbs
53 g  of fat


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## LAM (Sep 19, 2010)

you may want to look into using some 5-HTP to help fight the carb cravings at night on your low carb days.


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

Interesting suggestion, LAM. I've never tried this. How much?


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> my t.d.e.e. is(maintenance) is 3184
> I will cut at 20% less then that which is 2548.00
> my daily macros at that is
> 240 g protein
> ...


You've got about 180 lbs lean mass; how many high and low days do you want, and have you ever done a low carb diet before? When are you hungriest - AM or PM? What foods do you tend to want most when you're hungry - fatty meat, or starchy meals?


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## OTG85 (Sep 19, 2010)

Built said:


> You've got about 180 lbs lean mass; how many high and low days do you want, and have you ever done a low carb diet before? When are you hungriest - AM or PM? What foods do you tend to want most when you're hungry - fatty meat, or starchy meals?


 
Never done a low carb diet before.I feel I'm my hungriest in the pm I usually go to the gym in the am.I always just eat oatmeal or something small b4 the gym.I tend to crave more fatty meat.Today I went to the grocery store loaded up on,turkey filets,lean ground beef,chicken breast,sirloin tip,old fashion oats,flax oil,sweet potatoes and a never ending supply of old fashion oats.I also got some heavy whipping cream to add to my protein shakes(3 teaspoons) to keep my fat levels good.


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## OTG85 (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> Never done a low carb diet before.I feel I'm my hungriest in the pm I usually go to the gym in the am.I always just eat oatmeal or something small b4 the gym.I tend to crave more fatty meat.Today I went to the grocery store loaded up on,turkey filets,lean ground beef,chicken breast,sirloin tip,old fashion oats,flax oil,sweet potatoes and a never ending supply of old fashion oats.I also got some heavy whipping cream to add to my protein shakes(3 teaspoons) to keep my fat levels good.


 
how many high and low day's should I shoot 4


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

This is up to you. Lots of ways to do this. Suppose you were to train four days a week. 
You may wish to have your high carb days for lifting. Or you might want to train one of your days low, three high. 

Or something else. 

I'll set it up a few different ways for your consideration. Please keep in mind these are just options - you may prefer your carbs or fats higher - or lower. You may also prefer a bigger calorie/carb difference between days. It's entirely your call; it all comes down to where you are comfortable with the deficit:

LBM = 177 lbs. 
Maintenance calories: 3184 per day; 
A caloric deficit of 4,458 calories per week, 
for a loss of of 1.3 pounds per week

*2 high carb days:*
*Average daily macros: *
248g of protein, 
114g of fat, and 
133g of carbohydrate, 
2,547 calories in total.

*(2) high carb days: *
248g of protein, 
89g of fat, and 
297g of carbohydrate, 
2,976 calories in total.

*(5) low carb days:* 
248g of protein, 
124g of fat, and 
67g of carbohydrate, 
2,376 calories in total.		

*3 high carb days*
*Average daily macros: *
248g of protein, 
109g of fat, and 
144g of carbohydrate, 
2,547 calories in total.

*(3) high carb days: *
248g of protein, 
89g of fat, and 
261g of carbohydrate, 
2,833 calories in total.

*(4) low carb days:* 
248g of protein, 
124g of fat, and 
57g of carbohydrate, 
2,333 calories in total.

*4 high carb days*
*Average daily macros: *
248g of protein, 
104g of fat, and 
156g of carbohydrate, 
2,547 calories in total.

*(4) high carb days: *
248g of protein, 
89g of fat, and 
233g of carbohydrate, 
2,719 calories in total.

*(3) low carb days:* 
248g of protein, 
124g of fat, and 
53g of carbohydrate, 
2,319 calories in total.


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## LAM (Sep 19, 2010)

Built said:


> Interesting suggestion, LAM. I've never tried this. How much?



for you I would start out at 100mg and go up from there.


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

How much do you take, and what are the sides if it's too high?


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## OTG85 (Sep 19, 2010)

built thank you brother,I will make you proud


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> built thank you brother,I will make you proud



Hey, no problem bro.


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## LAM (Sep 19, 2010)

Built said:


> How much do you take, and what are the sides if it's too high?



sometimes I take up to 300mg...side effects for most if too high a dose is used might lead to some GI discomfort but that's about it.

5-HTP also increases serotonin levels so you might have more vivid dreams, etc.


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

I understand it's good for appetite in general. Whose brand do you purchase?


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## OTG85 (Sep 19, 2010)

hours and hours of studying I finaly got the meal plan figured out.I will post it when I get some energy.Built u are the man


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## Built (Sep 19, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> .built u are the man



Hehehehe...


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## OTG85 (Sep 20, 2010)

Built this a link to a diet that almost match up perfect to my daily macro. what you think of this http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/diet-nutrition/6620-male-cutting-plan-meals.html


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## Built (Sep 20, 2010)

It does? What macros does this break down to?


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## OTG85 (Sep 20, 2010)

Built said:


> It does? What macros does this break down to?


 
daily cals. 2339, fat 72g, protein 265 g ,carbs 172

on lower carb days I will cut out some carbs to get it to the macro you showed me for low carb days and add a little more fat on days it requires it.I will add a extra serving of protein somewere to get to about 2500 cals.
56g protein x 4=208+2339(2547) just a ruff idea you gave me the macro now I just need to play around with the food to get it on point.


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## Built (Sep 20, 2010)

Okay, just so we're clear: you don't HAVE to stick to those macros. I offered you a selection of options - some like fats lower, some don't and you will just have to fiddle with it to see where you're more comfortable. 

That post is from a number of years back, when conventional wisdom was that multiple small meals were somehow beneficial for dieting (they aren't). You may however be one of those folks who find this way of eating comfortable. I try not to eat until about 11 or noon these days, so I can concentrate my food into a smaller window. This is fine too, okay? Just as long as you can stick with a deficit, any way you do it will work.


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## OTG85 (Sep 20, 2010)

Built said:


> Okay, just so we're clear: you don't HAVE to stick to those macros. I offered you a selection of options - some like fats lower, some don't and you will just have to fiddle with it to see where you're more comfortable.
> 
> That post is from a number of years back, when conventional wisdom was that multiple small meals were somehow beneficial for dieting (they aren't). You may however be one of those folks who find this way of eating comfortable. I try not to eat until about 11 or noon these days, so I can concentrate my food into a smaller window. This is fine too, okay? Just as long as you can stick with a deficit, any way you do it will work.


 
cool so basically will be a trial and error thing


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## Built (Sep 20, 2010)

Within the required parameters (it has to be a deficit on average, you have to hit your protein and fat minimums, again on average), the rest is trial and error, yes, to find the right macronutrient mix and spread (ie high/low carb/calorie days) that works with your goals, training and lifestyle, and the appropriate calorie-level for continuing losses.


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## OTG85 (Sep 20, 2010)

Built said:


> Within the required parameters (it has to be a deficit on average, you have to hit your protein and fat minimums, again on average), the rest is trial and error, yes, to find the right macronutrient mix and spread (ie high/low carb/calorie days) that works with your goals, training and lifestyle, and the appropriate calorie-level for continuing losses.


 
thank's bro!!! I knew all that math would come in handy one day


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## Built (Sep 20, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> thank's bro!!! I knew all that math would come in handy one day



Right back at you, bro. 

"Math is tough"
- Barbie


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## DaMayor (Sep 21, 2010)

Built said:


> Right back at you, bro.
> 
> "Math is tough"
> - Barbie



Bro...heh heh.


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## OTG85 (Sep 22, 2010)

been 3 days now so damm hungry


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## Built (Sep 22, 2010)

legendkiller, describe exactly what you are eating, and the timing of that food. 

What macros have you run for each of those days?


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## OTG85 (Sep 22, 2010)

Built said:


> legendkiller, describe exactly what you are eating, and the timing of that food.
> 
> What macros have you run for each of those days?


 
I dont have my notebook with me I'm at work right now.But I been eating 
2400 cals a day 270g protein  162g carbs


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## OTG85 (Sep 22, 2010)

eal #1 
1 whole eggs + 5 egg whites
1/2 cup oatmeal before cooking 
1 slice of wheatbread sugar free jelly
1 TBS Flax Oil

Meal #2
Protein Drink: 2 Scoops Protein powder, 4-6 frozen strawbeeries, 4 TBS whipping cream (2 oz.), and 12-oz water



Meal #3
8 oz. chicken (before cooking)
6 oz. sweet potato or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1.5 cup vegetables (broccoli, etc.) or salad with 2 TBS. Low Cal Dressing

Meal #4
2 Scoops protein powder
4-6 strawberries (frozen) 
4 TBS whipping cream
12 oz water
or
4 oz chicken breast and 4 oz beef, 1 apple

Meal #5 
8 - 10 oz. 93% lean beef, chicken, turkey, fish and once or twice weekly sirloin steak 
2 cups vegetables
1 TBS Flax Oil

Meal #6 
2 whole eggs + 4 egg whites, 5 oz. 93% lean beef , 1 cup vegetables
Or: 4-oz chicken breast and 4 oz beef, 1 apple

Or: 2 Scoops protein powder, 4 TBS whipping cream, 12 oz water


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## Built (Sep 22, 2010)

Why so many meals? What time do you train?


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## OTG85 (Sep 22, 2010)

Built said:


> Why so many meals? What time do you train?


 
between meal 1 and 2,two of my meals are just protein 2 & 4


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## Built (Sep 23, 2010)

Ditch the flax oil and get some fish oil. 
Ditch the whipping cream in "meal" 2. Save those fat calories for later. 
Have butter on your sweet potato, and some walnuts. 

Instead of having so many small meals, try eating less frequently but with larger meals. Must you train in the AM? Are you hungrier at night or in the AM?


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## Life (Sep 23, 2010)

I generally do what Built does which is to say I wait until 12-1 to eat. I'll eat four meals or so (Depending if its a training or non-training day) and stop eating around 9PM. Takes a few days to adjust but it makes it a hell of a lot easier in the long run. 

You could train fasted on BCAA's and have your first meal after that.


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## OTG85 (Sep 23, 2010)

Built said:


> Ditch the flax oil and get some fish oil.
> Ditch the whipping cream in "meal" 2. Save those fat calories for later.
> Have butter on your sweet potato, and some walnuts.
> 
> Instead of having so many small meals, try eating less frequently but with larger meals. Must you train in the AM? Are you hungrier at night or in the AM?


 
will do I have to train in the am because of work.Iam hungriest at night


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## OTG85 (Sep 23, 2010)

Life said:


> I generally do what Built does which is to say I wait until 12-1 to eat. I'll eat four meals or so (Depending if its a training or non-training day) and stop eating around 9PM. Takes a few days to adjust but it makes it a hell of a lot easier in the long run.
> 
> You could train fasted on BCAA's and have your first meal after that.


 
ouch


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## Merkaba (Sep 23, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> built thank you brother,I will make you proud





Um, Built is a lady...probably still more of a man than you but still 100% lady...and don't you forget it boy!


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## OTG85 (Sep 23, 2010)

Merkaba said:


> Um, Built is a lady...probably still more of a man than you but still 100% lady...and don't you forget it boy!


   Built is awsome very knowledgeable


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## Merkaba (Sep 24, 2010)

We'll see if you need to be banished to a lesser than forum.  We'll get back to you later about your insubordination.


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## OTG85 (Sep 24, 2010)

Merkaba said:


> We'll see if you need to be banished to a lesser than forum. We'll get back to you later about your insubordination.


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## jmorrison (Sep 24, 2010)

legendkiller85 said:


> god I'm look like a queer writeing everything down but let them say something Anyway thanks 4 the advice bro's.




Fuck it bro, looking homo now will get you looking jerked and desirable later.


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## jmorrison (Sep 24, 2010)

Built is a jerked and desirable lady-type.  Worship her and listen to her, and you too will be jacked.

WWBD?


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## OTG85 (Sep 26, 2010)

jmorrison said:


> Built is a jerked and desirable lady-type. Worship her and listen to her, and you too will be jacked.
> 
> WWBD?


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## Merkaba (Sep 27, 2010)

plus frankly you really won't look homo...you'll look like somebody with a fucking plan...unlike 99% of the others


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## OTG85 (Sep 27, 2010)

Merkaba said:


> plus frankly you really won't look homo...you'll look like somebody with a fucking plan...unlike 99% of the others


 
yes you right about that bro


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