Losing fat is 90% diet, there’s 3500 calories in one pound of fat and unless you have 4 hours a day (it would take approximately 35 miles of running to burn 3500 calories) to commit to exercise, you will never out exercise your diet. With that said you must commit to a couple of things to be successful. I know your probably tired of hearing me say you must count your carbs, but if your serious about losing fat there is no compromise on this one. However, I am constantly looking for things to help you and encourage you. If you’re currently doing the Keto diet, having success and having zero problems with maintaining a carb count below 50 grams per day keep on keeping on.
However, if you’re like the majority of people who started with great intentions and said there’s no way I can do this then I want to talk to you about another diet technique used by body builders and figure and physique competitors. The technique is called carb cycling and there are many variations but I will hit the important points.
Vary Your Carb Count Daily
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 100 grams | 150 grams | 50 grams | 100 grams | 150 g | 50 grams | 100 grams |
The above is just an example. You never want to go above 150 grams in a day. You want your big carb days on the days you hit the gym hardest. Make sure 95% of your carbs come from real food (vegetables, fruits, whole grains and dairy). In addition you still want to increase the fat in your diet and maintain current protein intake.
Keep a Carb Diary
Write down your carbs every time you eat. This may be a pain at first but I can assure you it will help you as you pursue your fat loss goal. I’m not sure what it is about human beings but if we write it down we are more apt to stay on course. So grab a small notebook and start tracking. You can calculate carbs on almost any food with google on your phone.
Never Eat Carbs 3 Hours Before Bed Time
This is one of those things many of you have heard for years but if you work hours like I do it’s hard to do. If it’s impossible to eat early in the evening then make sure your meal consist of protein and fat. However, the best possible thing you can do is to eat your last meal or snack 3 hours before you hit the sack.
Eat Your Largest Carb Meal Around Your Workout
Your largest carb meal of the day should be consumed before your workout or immediately after. If your metabolism is working properly insulin will store those extra carbs inside your muscle cells restoring depleted glycogen and assist in protein synthesis to rebuild muscle. You want to insure those extra carbs are being used to restore your muscles and not being stored as extra fat.
Throw Away Your Scale
Even though I weigh everyone during the 28 Day Challenge the scale is probably one of the worst tools to measure success especially when you’re going low carb. You can be doing well for two or three weeks and watch that scale fall like a bad elevator then you slip up on the weekend and have a heavy carb day or two and suddenly your weight is taking flight like space rocket. Well that’s called water weight. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate you take in you will store 4 grams of water. Think about that next time you step on the scale after a heavy carb weekend. The scale can kill motivation. Have a low carb plan and work that plan for life no matter what the scale says.
Zero Junk Carbs Allowed
Eliminate the junk food carbs. No soda, cereal, cookies, candy bars or anything else that jacks up blood sugar. Instead replace with low sugar or no sugar alternatives. I’m not a purist, rather I’m a realist. I know how good sweet tea taste so by unsweetened tea and make your own sweet tea with Stevia. If you’re hungry for chocolate get some Atkins or Quest bars. While these are not per se real food they are low carb and taste good. Another great chocolate fix would be a low carb protein shake.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a modified low carb diet that will help you reach your fat loss goal you may want to try carb cycling. The only good diet is a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life and reach the goals you have set for yourself. The most important thing is to work daily on changing your eating habits and lowering that total carb count. There’s thousands of ways to reach your goal you have to find the way that is best for you.