This practice of rotating carbohydrates everyday is something I have personally used and have certain athletes use when getting into very lean condition, or maintaining acceptable leanness during a growth phase.
Oftentimes people will read or hear about a specific dieting method and not know how to best apply it for utmost or optimal results. Social media is to blame for numerous faulty protocols due to sensational pictures of extravagant food choices, which “might” (and I say that loosely) work for some gifted individuals with abnormal high metabolic parameters, and it could tie into their unique response and reaction to chemicals that are being supplemented.
Some of the enticing and convincing pictures might reveal the following carb choices :
...and many more empty calories and digressive food choices tend to pop up on your screen .
So how would I personally recommend people incorporate carb cycling to benefit them the absolute best way possible?
I would first like them to establish a base diet plan. Meaning , set up your protein, carbs, and fats according to your bodytype ( endo/meso/ecto), hormonal profile , activity output i.e., exercise choices, cardio intensity & style. I would advise really being as consistent as you can with linking each day into weeks, and weeks potentially into a few months. Starting at a high enough threshold of carbs and dietary fat to where you have options to pull from. The idea is to “milk results” for as long as you can without getting tricky or cute with anything just gutbusting dieting.
Once you get as lean as you think you can get from pulling down fats and carbohydrates , you will then implement strategic carb cycling or rotation menu’s. This could be setup several different ways.
For Example:
At this point in time, you should be in perhaps high single digit body fat or lower. Now you will truly visually see changes happening before your eyes by simply manipulating macronutrients by the day or every few days. It is very important that you keep pictures on file with a small written log notating key observations like
Body weight + pictures at end of day & morning after each high carb menu
Body weight + pictures at end of day & morning after each low carb menu
Notes of feeling “watery”, “smooth” “full” “drier” etc ...
These notes will help immensely in figuring out what your body does with certain carbohydrate thresholds. You can apply this knowledge to events like a Bodybuilding contest or special event where you wish to “peak” or look your best at.
What should I do with fats and protein during each specific Carb Menu?
I will just say this it’s all situational and depends on the person and what their body is doing exactly.
For example: Person A is a natural huskier , “bigboned” smoother person. I wouldn’t add in extra fats as they really need to dig deep and pull as much fat from fat cells as possible, plus these body types tend to hold muscle rather well. I would bump up their protein by 50 grams or so, but nothing crazy.
Person B is a high strung & metabolically gifted that tears through calories and is highly active. I would certainly add extra fats from raw almonds, coconut oil , and salmon on their low or zero carb menu days. They will be having a greater propensity to lose or burn off lean tissue for fuel if the exogenous fuel is not being supplied ( protein/fats) .
As carbs drop and overall calories drop the body will inevitably downshift and thermogenic enzymes will take a dive. By staggering carbohydrates in depletion phases and bolus phases , this will help keep your thyroid better primed and less likely to stall out.
I 100% firmly believe MPA VasoSeven will help from downshifting the metabolic rate as badly,
(keeping thermogenic enzymes primed) as well as MPA CortiSolve to help replenish vital phospholipids that will inevitably deplete from your cells through extreme depletion, which then increases cortisol levels etc…
Remember though, just because “So & So” top level Bodybuilder displays muffins, cookies , bagels, and sushi galore on their social media handles, doesn’t mean those are the right food choices for YOU personally. You are best off keeping things basic and straightforward. If you are going to cheat on the diet for mental reasons plan a cheat meal.
