Carb Cycling for Sustained Weight Loss

Carb cycling for weight loss is one way in which some people will try to lose weight. While everyone has a different opinion about what works, what doesn’t work is a diet where carbohydrates are cut out entirely. A healthy eating plan should include fats, carbohydrates, and protein. To follow a diet without them would be akin to endangering your health.

Carbohydrates contain many nutrients. They can be found in most foods that we eat. They are made of simple and complex sugars that are metabolized by the body for energy, or stored as fat when no more is needed. Examples of simple carbohydrates include: fruits and dairy products such as milk and cheese. Complex carbohydrates are heavier foods such as: pastas, breads, potatoes, rice, and cereals. Eating less of the complex and more of the simple carbohydrates types may be a good way to lose weight. 

Determining what foods will help burn fat is the key.

Diets that advocate no carbohydrates force the body to obtain all of its energy from protein and fats. When protein from food is no longer available to meet the body’s energy needs, the body begins siphoning it from the muscle tissue of the body. In essence, the body begins eating itself for fuel. No one wants that. The body needs glucose to function. Interestingly enough, the glucose needed by the brain must come from carbohydrates and not protein sources.

Carbohydrates have been classified by their glycemic index (GI) number. This method of rating carbohydrates helps people make wiser choices about what they include in their diets. Foods with high GI’s (greater than fifty) cause the body to store fat. Foods with a low GI number (less than fifty); cause the body to burn fat. Clearly, muscle burning fat burning food is the preferred method by which one can achieve fat loss.

One of the muscle burning fat loss truths is that a diet that features low GI carbohydrates, allows for the insulin level in the body to be maintained at a steady level. These carbohydrates are processed at a slower rate by the body. The other hormone glucagon, can work to burn the sugars for energy in the cells. You don’t feel hungry all the time when the insulin hormone level in the body has no major fluctuations. Moreover, when you expend energy during physical activity, the body starts releasing fat stores to use for energy metabolism. Therefore, a carb cycling for fat loss provides the body with energy without going into crisis mode.

In order to achieve greater fat loss, eat the right carbohydrates.

Choose fresh vegetables and fruits. Whole grain or seven grain breads and pastas are preferred to those made with white flour. Beans and nuts are good for a low carbohydrate diet. If you must have potatoes, try sweet potatoes. The GI number is lower and they are great with non-fat spray butter. Don’t try to cut out all of your carbohydrates. Simply reduce them to lose weight by knowing what muscle building fat burning food is best for you.