Little Known Fat Loss Secret - Carb Cycling

Actually, this is not really a secret, not to those in the fitness industry anyway. Carb cycling is exactly as it sounds - an eating plan where you cycle the amount of carbohydrates you take in so some days a little and some days a lot.

Carbs are used as energy by the body. They fuel workouts and keep us going throughout the day. Carbs also replenish our glucose and glycogen stores to prevent fatigue. The good starches, or complex carbohydrates, include foods such as fruit and vegetables, wholemeal bread, brown rice and low fat yoghurt. The ones to avoid as much as possible are simple carbohydrates such as white flour, table sugar, sodas, cakes and biscuits.

Carbohydrates have got a bad rep in recent years thanks to the myriad of Atkins and Dukan style diets being touted around, but they do not have to be your enemy. If eaten in excess, or eaten at the wrong times, then they will help you to store fat, but they are not a bad thing if incorporated into a diet properly. A traditional low-carb diet promotes a starvation response, resulting in lost muscle, but carb cycling avoids this problem by "reloading" your carbohydrate store every few days.

There are different configurations of a carb cycling week, for instance, you could alternate one day low carb with one day high carb. A popular choice amongst body builders is three low carb and one high carb but if you are just starting out then one day no carb, one day low carb and one day high carb may be easiest for you to stick to.

Just to illustrate; on a no carb day, your meals will be made up of eggs and lean protein from red meat, white meat and/or fish. You will also be able to add a few vegetables to one of your meals but that's it. This follows the Atkins style rules.

On a mid carb day you will be eating the standard proteins with a few vegetables but also adding in a helping of starch such as rice or couscous. You may also be advised to eat one or two portions of fruit.

Finally, your high carb days will see you adding in oats and bread products such as bagels to everything above.

Like the low carb plans of old, this eating regime still takes a lot of planning and dedication. The plus side here though is that cycling should stave off the boredom often experienced on other diets and the results are definitely worth the effort.

If you would like to find out much more about carb cycling and other fat loss techniques then check out the You Can Lose That Weight blog.

Nina Starkey is owner and author of the You Can Lose That Weight blog and has a huge interest in the subject of weight loss and nutrition.