Carb Cycling for Increased Energy and Fat Loss

Don't give up carbs! Carb cycling allows you to drop fat, build muscle, increase energy and sex drive, and even improve your skin ?by eating carbs the right way.

Do you ever wish you had the vitality of a teenager or the muscles of a star athlete? Well, you can抰 turn back the hands of time or suddenly morph into a superhero, but you can lose weight, gain energy, and reach your fitness goals by jumpstarting your anabolic hormones. It抯 not complicated and it doesn抰 require you to buy any special equipment. You just need to learn how to cut through popular diet trends and misinformation and understand which foods truly benefit your body the most.

As a younger person, perhaps you could eat anything you wanted without gaining a pound. Then, as you grew older, you started to notice the scale creeping upward. Maybe you suffered through the low-fat diets of the 1990s, only to find yourself surrounded by today抯 low-carb diets. There certainly are a lot of diets out there, yet the average American keeps getting larger. That抯 because much of the so-called health information that bombards the general public does a good job selling diet books, pills, and "specialty" foods, but it hasn抰 done anything to cut the rising trend of obesity in this country.

The truth about losing weight is simple. The only way to shed fat is to eat less calories than your body needs to maintain your current weigh. Yet, losing weight alone will not give you the healthy glow or energy so many of us crave. If you want to boost your energy as you drop pounds, you need to increase your body抯 natural production of anti-aging anabolic hormones.

Throughout life, there are two important bodily processes that determine how you look and feel - anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the process fueled by anabolic hormones that allows your body to build muscle. As younger people, we produced a lot of important anabolic growth and sex hormones. As we age, our bodies produce less of these hormones, which leads to weight gain and health problems. Catabolism is the process by which your body burns fat. Many popular diets, including most low-carb plans, focus only on changing your catabolism. Therefore, they do not help you build muscle or help your body produce more anabolic hormones.

For years I helped members of the Russian National Athletic Team drop fat, build muscle, and improve their performances by kick starting their bodies?anabolism process. I instructed the team to alternate between days of eating a normal amount of carbs and days of limited carb consumption. This method produced amazing results because it was based on real science, not marketing hype by the diet industry. When I moved to America, I started seeing clients who dieted and exercised regularly but still could not lose weight. They didn抰 realize that a slowed metabolism was derailing their efforts. I knew that my older patients would never compete in the Olympics, but they too could benefit from eating like a serious athlete.

By alternating between low carb and higher carb days, my clients have been able to get the lean, strong bodies they have always wanted. They also enjoy the luxury of eating the foods they love, as long as they eat them at the right time. It takes a little discipline at first, but it is far easier and healthier than low-carb, restriction diets.

How can you try it at home? During normal carb days, I recommend eating between 350 to 400 grams of carbohydrates. That抯 about what you probably are already eating. Keep in mind that you should focus on eating unrefined carbs from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These carbs are packed with healthy compounds that help ward off disease and keep your body young. Limited refined carbs from sugar and processed white flour. This includes white bread, crackers, and all processed junk food. Remember, all carbs are not created equally!

On limited carb days, do not eat any foods containing sugar or white flour. Try to keep your carbs under 300 grams a day. You should never starve yourself or feel hungry, even on limited carb days. Sound tricky? It抯 not! Counting carbs is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I suggest picking up a carb counting book, like the ones used by diabetics.

The small extra effort it takes to carb cycle can bring a huge payoff. If you combine carb cycling with exercise, you will protect yourself from countless age-related illnesses, such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and even form of cancer. You抣l also look and feel great.

 

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