Showing posts with label carb cycling diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carb cycling diet. Show all posts

Will Carb Cycling Help Me To Become Muscular and Lean?

Saturday, 19 October 2013
Definitely. Carb cycling when done correctly is one of the best ways to trim off the fat and retain your muscle mass. Many men are constantly looking for a way to burn off fat and gain muscle at the same time.

Carb cycling is the answer. The worry that most men have is that they will lose muscle mass along with their fat. This is true with conventional dieting and other fat loss methods. However, since carb cycling involves both caloric deficit and surplus, you will be able to do both, gain muscle and lose fat.

The traditional way bodybuilders used to get muscular was to have a bulking and cutting phase. During the bulking phase, they would eat as much calories as possible. They'd get muscular but they'd also get fat. During the cutting phase, they'd try and lose the fat and hold on to as much muscle as they could. Often, they lose a lot of muscle too. A waste of time and effort.

Carb cycling enables one to do both at once. There are 2 phases to carb cycling. The low carb phase and the high carb phase. On days of intense, heavy training, you will have a high carb intake. This will ensure that your body has fuel to workout hard. You will also allow your body to recover since the carbs will be used in muscle recovery.

During your off days, your carb intake will be minimal. This will ensure that your insulin levels are stable. The caloric deficit that you are in will create a fat burning environment in your body. You can also consume healthy fats during your off days.

It is never a good idea to eat your carbs and fats at the same time. The carbs will cause insulin spike in your body. If there are fats present during the insulin spike, the conditions for fat storage in the body are ideal. You definitely want to avoid this.

On your high carb days, you want your workouts to be intense and heavy. Lift the heavier weights, perform the compound movements and create an oxygen deficit. Your workouts should ideally last from 45 minutes to not longer than an hour.

On your low carb days, you may engage in low intensity cardio such as slow jog or walk. This will keep your body active and in fat burning mode constantly.
The key point to note is that your weekly calorie intake must be maintained. If you can only consume 16, 000 calories per week to lose a pound of fat per week, you'll need to stick to this number.

Then assuming you have 3 intense workout days per week, your daily calorie intake during each of these 3 days will be about 300 to 600 calories more than a low carb day.

This may seem a little complicated but it's really simple once you get the hang of it. Going into details is beyond the scope of this article. There is an excellent website dedicated to carb cycling and how you can get lean and muscular. If you wish to learn more about carb cycling, you may visit The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution website.

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How to Lose Fat Without Losing Motivation

Saturday, 19 October 2013

The number #1 reason most people give up on their weight loss goals is because they lose motivation. Losing weight is not an easy process. It requires sacrifice and hard work.

You'll need to give up your favorite foods and eat right. To make things tougher, you'll also have to engage in cardio and resistance training to burn off the fat. Now, it's not the diet or exercise that makes people quit. It is the failure to see results fast enough.

This could be due to a lack of knowledge, improper training or not following a proper diet. However, this article concerns itself with something more unique. It's about people who are getting results but think they're not... and they quit! That's a real pity because they were doing well.

So why did they quit?

They misjudged their results. Many people, who are trying to lose weight, obsess over the numbers on the scale. This is the biggest mistake. Numbers on a scale mean nothing and are a very poor indicator of actual fat loss.

The whole idea of losing weight and getting fit is about looking better and feeling better. Not changing the numbers on a weighing scale. The first thing anyone should do when trying to lose weight is to toss their scale away.

So why are the numbers on a scale unreliable?

The weight on the scale does not take into account body composition. Let's look at an example. Bob trains and eats right for 4 weeks; he lost 5lbs of fat. During this same period, due to the resistance training he gained 3lbs of lean muscle.

However when Bob weighs himself on a scale all he sees is a loss of 2 measly lbs. Bob thinks to himself, "After all this training and dieting, only 2lbs!"... "To hell with this, I'm quitting." That's it. What Bob did not realize as that he lost 5 lbs. of fat and gained muscle. If Bob knew, he'd be totally motivated!

Another reason people lose motivation is gaining weight while on a diet and training regimen. Once again they base their results on the scale.
This usually happens on a cheat day. If you're carb cycling on your cheat day, you'll consume more carbs than usual. When you do this, your body will retain more water. Does that mean you gained fat?

No. Your increased weight on the scale is water weight. If you just consume more water on that and the following day, your weight will drop and go back to normal. No big deal at all. Yet, people mistake the gain in weight as a negative result. They quit their training, diet and just throw in the towel.
So how should you track your progress?

That's an excellent question. Shaun Hadsall, the creator of the wildly popular fat loss guide, The 4 Cycle Solution stated that the best way to track your progress was to take 1 photo of yourself in revealing clothes every week.

Since losing weight is about looking good, this is the best way to see your body change before your eyes. One photo on the same day every week will show you how much your body is changing.

This is an excellent tip. In fact, it is recommended that you visit Shaun's website, The 4 Cycle Solution to learn more tips about fat loss. The information is really good and thousands of people have benefitted from it.

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Are Carbs Your Enemy? Find Out the Real Truth

Saturday, 19 October 2013
Carbs which are short for carbohydrates have received a real bad reputation. Nobody serious about losing weight is showing carbs any love. There are low carb diets, no carb diets, etc. Even celebrities have come out and said that they barely consume any carbs to maintain their slim, toned figures. So, are carbs really bad for you?

Carbs can be good and bad for you. When consumed at the right times, carbs can in fact help to boost your metabolism and help you lose more weight. They give you the energy to work out harder and carbs also make you feel better. People on low carb diets often feel sluggish and easily irritated. This is a side effect of low carb diets.

Carbs are you friend and not your enemy. You just need to know which the good carbs are and when to consume them. You’ll also need to be aware of how to combine your carbs with the other macro nutrients for fat loss benefits.

First we’ll examine the negative effects of carbohydrates. The following points were taken from, Shaun Hadsall’s bestselling fat loss guide, The 4 Cycle Solution.

Carbs Impact or “active” carbs spike insulin levels and elevate blood sugar higher and faster than all other macronutrients (proteins and fats). In the presence of high insulin levels it’s pretty much impossible to burn fat as fuel.

Consuming too many unhealthy carbs over lengthy periods of time leads to a lot of internal inflammation, which can eventually lead to other serious health issues; obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc. --because it promotes excess fat storage.

Excess carb intake creates a lot of water retention, which leads to a soft look so it makes you look and feel bloated.

Now, let’s look at the positive effects.

Carbs are the purest, most natural forms of fuel, provided you eat the NATURAL carbs from sources like brown or white rice, potatoes, etc. A doughnut is NOT a natural source of carbs. Carbs help to build muscle, boost metabolism, raise thyroid output, keep leptin (your body’s #1 fat burning hormone) levels in check, improve the free testosterone to estrogen ratio for both men and women, burn more lower stomach fat and much more.

This are definitely good reasons to keep carbs in your diet. The benefits are just too many to ignore. In fact, if carbs help you lose weight faster, why would you even want to eliminate them? You’d just substitute bad carbs with good carbs in moderate amounts.

So what are good and bad carbs?

Cakes, doughnuts, white flour products and actually any processed form of carbohydrates are best avoided. Most people have difficulty doing this because of habit. They are so used to eating these comfort foods that giving them up just seems so painful. Making this crucial change to good carbs will make all the difference. Examples of good carbs would be rice, potatoes, quinoa, fruits, etc. Eating these starchy carbs when prepared the correct way, will really benefit you.

Of course, there are a few more factors like combining your carbs and when to consume them. However, those are beyond the scope of this article which just aimed to show you that carbs can be good for you.

If you wish to learn more about how to combine your carbs with other foods and when would be the best time to consume your carbs, you really should visit The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution. Shaun Hadsall, has information that will really help you eat wisely and lose weight at the same time.
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5 Facts About Carb Cycling You Must Know!

Saturday, 19 October 2013
Carb cycling is one of the most efficient methods of losing fat. Fitness models and bodybuilding pros will swear by it as the ideal method of leaning down and lowering their bodyfat percentage.

Basically, carb cycling is a technique which uses "high carbohydrate days" mixed with periods of 'low carb days". For example, you may go four days on a diet very low in carbs. On the fifth day, you will consume a lot more carbs.

There are a few benefits of this. Firstly, it gives you a break from the cravings and mental agony of a low carb diet. People who are on permanent low carb diets often feel sluggish, easily annoyed, and can't really exercise hard.

With carb cycling, all these negative side effects are minimised. You will have more energy to train harder and you get to satisfy your cravings. A win-win situation. Of course, you lose weight faster too.

There are 5 facts about carb cycling that you should be aware of. This will help you make an informed decision about whether you should adopt carb cycling as your method of fat loss.

Firstly, your high carb days are best suited on days when your training is intense and heavy. The main reason for this is that your body will be needing the carbohydrates for the intense training.

By consuming the carbs before your workout, you'll give your body the fuel it needs so that it can train harder and better. Consuming carbs after your workout will shuttle the carbs to the muscles and will help with muscle recovery.

Secondly, you should be aware that you will gain weight on the high carb day. Do not panic. This is just water weight. Every gram of carbohydrate will store about 3 to 4 grams of water. On high carb days, since you'll be consuming a lot more carbs, your body will hold on to much more water.
You will lose the water weight the following day when you're back on your low carb phase.

The third fact is crucial. It's one fact that many people who follow carb cycling make. You must decrease your fat intake on high carb days. When you consume more carbs, your body releases insulin.

When you consume fats while insulin is present, the potential for fat storage is very high.

Furthermore, by consuming less fat on high carb days, you are able to consume even more carbs. You only want to exceeed the calories of your low carb day by about 400 to 600 calories. This will prevent you from cancelling out your fat loss for the past few days.

The fourth point to note is that, you will need to consume carbs that are high in glucose. It doesn't really matter if it's simple or complex carbs, as long as it's a simple source of glucose. You want the glucose to get stored in your muscles.

The last fact to note and ultimately, the most important one- Always maintain calorie intake for fat loss. If you have to consume 16, 000 calories a week, then you should not exceeed this amount.

Going into exact details of managing your calories is beyond the scope of this article. However, there is a website that is perfect for people wishing to lose weight fast with carb cycling. It's called The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution. You may wish to visit it and learn more.  You'll be glad you did.


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4 Common Carb Cycling Mistakes You Should Never Make

Saturday, 19 October 2013
Carb cycling can be simply explained as a form of zig zag dieting. It is a method which uses a period of low carb days with a high carb day every now and then. The theory behind this is that during the low carb days, your body will be in fat burning mode. However, due to the low carbs, it will slowly become more sluggish and your metabolism will drop.


Once this happens, a high carb day will be very beneficial and spike insulin levels and give your metabolism a boost. This will increase fat burning and you will be able to go on another short period of low carbs.

The Carb Cycling method has been proven to be very effective and is employed by the top fitness models and personal trainers around the world. It is sustainable for as long as you wish without being too demanding or stressful on your physical and mental well-being.

However, many beginners make a few common mistakes with carb cycling. 

The first mistake is not knowing how long to be on a low carb diet. This will take some experimenting. If you gain weight easily and you are overweight, it may be better to be on a low carb diet for 5 to 6 days. If you have a higher metabolic rate and just wish to lose a few extra pounds, a short period of 3 to 4 days of low carbs followed by a high carb day will suffice.

The important thing is to monitor how your body is reacting to the carb cycling. If there are no positive results, just add another day or two to the low carb period.

The second mistake is not consuming the correct amount of calories daily. You are aiming for a 500 to a 600 calorie deficit daily. You do not want to go above or below this range. If you go below, your fat loss will be slow. If you consume too little calories, your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose weight either.

Many beginners do not count their calories. Since carbs are calorie dense, when you cut out your carbs, it’s essential to see that your calorie consumption for the day is not below a 500 calorie deficit.

The third mistake is consumption of the wrong types of carbs. You want to eat clean starchy carbs like white or brown potatoes, white or brown rice or other tubers. Eating doughnuts and cakes on your high carb day will not be beneficial. Your diet must be clean and that means your carb intake must be clean too.

The fourth mistake is exceeding your calorie intake on a high carb day. A high carb day is also known as a “cheat day”. Many people go crazy on their cheat day and stuff themselves with all types of junk food. This is wrong. You only want to aim for a caloric surplus of about 600 to 700 calories. That’s it.

If you exceed your calorie intake by 2000 calories, those excess calories are going to be converted to fat. You would have undone your previous low carb cycle. That will be unproductive to say the least. So, watch your calories closely.

There is an excellent resource about carb cycling. It is hailed as the bible of carb cycling and you will learn a lot from it. You may read it at the 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution. The creator, Shaun Hadsall, has helped many people lose weight with these awesome tips.
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Three Crucial Components For Fat Loss

Saturday, 19 October 2013
This may have happened to you or you may know someone it has happened to. You're trying to lose weight so you're doing the whole exercise and diet thing. You're eating the six small meals, doing the cardio and even hitting the weights.... but...

The fat is just NOT coming off!

This is mental torture! Why will it not work? Why?

As with most problems, the solution is simple. You just need to know it. This article will tell you why.

Insulin. This is the reason why.

Most people struggling to lose weight have no idea that they need to control their insulin levels and should not cause spikes in their blood sugar levels. In his bestselling guide, The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution, Shaun Hadsall, states that nutrient timing nutrient combinations and portion control are 3 points on a food pyramid that must be closely monitored.

Only by understanding these 3 factors, can you keep insulin in check. You must understand that insulin is a storage hormone and plays a huge part in how your body stores fat.

When the insulin levels in your body are high, it'll be next to impossible to burn body fat. Eating the wrong foods in the wrong combinations and at the wrong times will cause you to have insulin spikes. For example, consuming a sugary cereal for breakfast in the morning is definitely going to send your insulin levels shooting through the root.

There are occasions when insulin spikes can be beneficial. Spiking your insulin levels before and after workouts will help to "shuttle" nutrients and "partition" carbs into muscle tissue for repair and growth. You can learn how to do this by visiting The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution website.
However, for the most part, we want our insulin levels and blood sugar level to be steady and stable.

So, how do you keep them stable?

Firstly, you need to eat your meals at regular intervals. Not too close or too far apart. If your meals are too close, your insulin levels go up. You'll feel tired and sluggish because of raised blood sugar levels.

You may have noticed that many people at work complain that they are sleepy after lunch hour. That's because their blood sugar has gone up.

Secondly, it'd be a good idea to eat your starchy carbs and fruits early in the day or after intense workout sessions.

Thirdly, never eat a carb by itself. Always combine it with a high quality protein. This will reduce the effect of the carb on the insulin levels.
Another way to keep insulin levels stable is to limit your fat when eating starches or carbs. When insulin and fat are present at the same time the potential for fat storage arises. This is always a bad idea.

The tips in this article are just scratching the surface and were taken from The 4 Cycle Fat Loss Solution website. There are many more pointers and helpful tips that one can learn from this guide. Testimonials from people all over the world show that the methods work. Do check it out and get the body you always wanted.

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