Carb Cycling- An Experiment Gone Right!

[Wendy0513 38]

I do understand what it is and how can you tell me Im not right when in fact you are not a certified nutritionist. I eat a variety of foods daily I average between 1 to 5 lbs a week depending on what I eat. I know for a fact that fast weight loss no matter how you do it' date=' is not healthy. Why because someone wrote a book on it. How many diets books are there out there. A million. I love how you insinuate that I am wrong how do you know in fact that your not wrong. I just dont think this kind of thing should be promoted on a lap band website giving promise to others that it will work and then when it doesnt who answers for that. If you stop and gain weight back who is at fault. I think its everyones business if they want to do it but in the long run when you are setting others up to fail because this is working for you that it is not right. Just my opinion carry on with what you are doing. Fast weight loss is not healthy and I dont care who said so. Some idiot who wrote a book that you all are following. If diets worked for us we wouldnt have had wls[/quote']

Cheryl - if any of us choose to try something new, it's our own choice. No one is promoting it, it was brought up as an fyi and if others are intrigued, whats the harm. We r all reading a book written by a man who has done some wonderful work in the weight loss / nutrition field. If nothing else, just like with the WLS, it's another view into how what we eat impacts our health / weight loss. It's forcing us to continue looking critically at what we are eating / drinking... Which is a good thing.

You're doing great and if you're not interested in this, no worries.

[Jim1967 3,569]

I'm getting my 3rd fill tomorrow so liquids for 2 days. Any thought in the low carb (tomorrow) vs high carb (Tues) options? I feel like I'm a bit limited.

If it were me Wendy I would skip whatever day (low or high carb) the fill day was supposed to be and do it the following day. Again, that is what I would do. I actually have an appointment myself on Tuesday which is supposed to be a high carb day. I do not plan on a fill at this point.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

No lapband surgery is not supposed to be fast weight loss only by pass and the sleeve. I understand what she is saying however its still promoting something that most lapband doctors would not recommend. And for the record Jim I dont need underlined words to understand your post. I think I did graduate from college. Im done here and please do what you want. I said what I had too and that is that. I have been successful with my doctors ordered diet. You are going to hit plateus no matter how much you try not too. Its just the way it goes. Your not even giving your body time to catch up with fast weight loss.

[Jim1967 3,569]

My Nutritionist and Doctor didn't seem to be against it when I brought the book into their office and showed them. There is nothing wrong with changing up eating habits.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I do understand what it is and how can you tell me Im not right when in fact you are not a certified nutritionist. I eat a variety of foods daily I average between 1 to 5 lbs a week depending on what I eat. I know for a fact that fast weight loss no matter how you do it, is not healthy. Why because someone wrote a book on it. How many diets books are there out there. A million. I love how you insinuate that I am wrong how do you know in fact that your not wrong. I just dont think this kind of thing should be promoted on a lap band website giving promise to others that it will work and then when it doesnt who answers for that. If you stop and gain weight back who is at fault. I think its everyones business if they want to do it but in the long run when you are setting others up to fail because this is working for you that it is not right. Just my opinion carry on with what you are doing. Fast weight loss is not healthy and I dont care who said so. Some idiot who wrote a book that you all are following. If diets worked for us we wouldnt have had wls

No I'm not nutritionist however I do have a nutritionist. I also have a surgeon, I have family doctor, and I have a neurologist. I guarantee that all four know a lot more about nutrition than you do. All of them know I'm carb cycling and all of them 100% support it because it IS a very healthy way to lose weight. (yes, I did check with all them before starting this, I have to because I have other health issues)

And yes, when you're losing weight quickly while eating 1200 healthy calories a day and exercising, it is healthy. Fast weight loss doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy. Fast weight loss can simply be an effective metabolism.

I'm not sure why you have your panties in a twist about this. No one is doing any gimmicks, or fads, or taking any drugs. No one is forcing you to do anything. We're simply sharing our experience with each other.

Oh the "idiot who wrote the book" IS a nutritionist. So is his wife. They're both trainers, too. They're also not the only ones to promote carb cycling for healthy weight loss, in fact many beside them do. It just so happens I was familiar with him and he dealt specifically with morbidly obese people so I looked into his theories deeper and went with it

[angel_eyes4477 65]

Yesterday was one week for me of carb cycling and so far I have lost 7.4 pounds I'm loving the carb cycling. I don't feel deprived and I am losing the weight.

AgAin, Missy, thank you for sharing what is working for you It seems to be working for alot of us.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Yesterday was one week for me of carb cycling and so far I have lost 7.4 pounds I'm loving the carb cycling. I don't feel deprived and I am losing the weight.

AgAin, Missy, thank you for sharing what is working for you It seems to be working for alot of us.

Yay!! I'm so glad it's working for you too!!!

[destynee1 417]

Just to clarify Cherly.. I know I have been sending people to this thread who are having trouble losing weight, and the reason for that is because it is another alternative to help and try. In no way are we saying it will work for everyone.. hell, I don't even know if it will work for me but today is my first day and there is nothing unhealthy about this so long as you are doing it in a healthy way. Everything I eat is still on the list of things I can eat, and it's incredible how my cravings for bad things have diminished so much. I don't have to want and crave them because I can make them in a healthier way.. Diet ... no fab just another way of living...

Some people get tunnel vision believing one way is always the right way, there are many things you can do and be healthy and successful at. Just have to have an open mind, and if it doesn't work for you that's one thing to scratch off the list and on to the next. The most successful people will find what works the best for them, something they can live with.. as long as it is healthy... to each it's own.

that is my 2cent.

[cleescruggs 13]

As many of you know' date=' I was stuck for more than a month. I was monitoring my calories, getting in all my Protein and exercising, yet the scale didn't budge. I know, plateaus are normal, but they still suck. Around the time the plateau hit I also started taking birth control pills. I even gained 2 pounds, which for me was the deal breaker. I had to find a way to break the plateau and start losing again.

So I started researching. Low carb, high carb, no carb, etc. I see so many variations on here! What's right? What's wrong? I already knew it was a matter of choice without a clear right or wrong answer, but I also knew individual body needs also played a very big part in it. During my research I kept coming across something called carb cycling, so I decided to look more into it.

Carb cycling is essentially trying to optimize your metabolism by alternating high and low carb days. Body builders often do this to build muscle and burn fat before a contest but it's also very helpful for weight loss. Then one day I turned on Doctor Oz...and wouldn't you know it... it was an episode on carb cycling. Chris Powell, of The Biggest Loser, was on his show talking about he has all the contestants on the show carb cycle and how he does it. For me, this was the point I decided to give carb cycling a try.

Chris Powell's method is specifically for weight loss so I decided to go with his (there's many out there). He has an excellent book called “Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution”.

His theory: No carb diets don't work. It's not sustainable long term and eventually it significantly slows the metabolism. Worse, people who cut out carbs usually end up gaining all their weight back and then some when they do suddenly reintroduce carbs. Carbs are the energy block of the body and a long term lack of carbs will cause the thyroid to slow down significantly.

7 day diet/carb cycling: High carb day followed by low carb day, alternating daily. Start on a high carb day and always eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. Always limit or omit carbs after 6pm.

All this is within your own personal daily calorie allowance.

High carb day/energy day:

[*']Preferably complex carbs. Protein, low fat. unlimited veggies.

Low carb day/burn day:

[*]A little carb in the morning to boost metabolism

[*]Cut carbs the rest of the day.

[*]Protien, healthy fats, unlimited veggies

3 of each/low carb and high carb. 7th day is cheat day

Cheat day:

[*]Boost calories to boost metabolism

[*]Boost to no more than 1000 extra calories a day

[*]Cheat at Breakfast and lunch, not dinner. 6-12pm “behave”

[*]Cheat at a table. Not in a car, or at a sofa, etc. No “hypno binging”

[*]No leftovers allowed.

Mind you, this is the short version of all this. If this interests you, I'd strongly suggest buying his book for a better understanding. It's very enlightening.

...So this is what I've done for the last week. I am very happy to say, carb cycling broke my plateau, despite still being on the birth control pill too. I lost 5.4 pounds this week!

I have decided I am going to continue to carb cycle. I am not a fan of the low carb days, but I am getting more used to them. Plus, I find my "carb cravings" have all but disappeared since starting this- something I didn't think possible.

For me, it's working. I just thought I'd share the results of my little self experiment <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Wow just read this, I'm going to try this. Thx

[PattyGirl66 1,243]

Just finished logging in for today, my low carb day

1,002 calories

38g of carbs

53g of fat

94g of Protein

Hope I did alright...

I went over my my 50g of fat limit...

I am so jealsous, how the heck do you always manage to get that high Protein in? I barely make it to the 40's, maybe 50 if I am lucky!

You did good girlie!

[♥LovetheNewMe♥ 1,216]

I am pro carb cycling. I have been doing a modified version of this for 8 months now. I eat a weight lifters diet to build lean muscle mass, I eat 100 plus gms of Protein a day. I don't consider it fad or a diet it is the way I eat. I started eating this way when I started weight training. I start my day with carbs and protein, lean meats, green veggies after 3pm am not suppose to have carbs. I eat Peanut Butter every day in the afternoon. I take one day a week and eat what ever carbs I want. This helped me lose my last 30 pounds and I had been stuck for 7 months prior to this, eating my Portion Control and maintaining my 1000 calories or less, it just was not working for me. I eat more calories now, I eat healthier now and I still do portion control, I just watch my carbs and fats very close. Sundays are usually my cheat day and if I want something no matter what it is I eat it on this day. Sunday's I never hit my protein limit and I eat more carbs than I probably eat all week long.

[PattyGirl66 1,243]

In no way shape or form is anyone doing any harm to themselves by doing this. There are TONS of people on here who praise the NO Carbs lifestyle and NOOOO body bashes or puts them down for what they believe what is good for 'their' bodies. We as individuals have to do what we feel what is good for 'our' bodies, nooooo body elses.

I have only been doing this for a week because my weight had stalled for 4 weeks (following my diet plan), if that does not work after a certain time that means my food intake needs to be adjusted. The lower my weight goes, the more I exercise, there are many factors and it is up to us to figure out how to jumpstart the metabolisim again. We are NOT starving, I can assure you that. If anything I do feel is a little low after a high carb day, but that is it. Just as I had to adjust after surgery not having what my body was use to eating. I felt the same way, and I learn to adjust.

Conclusion: This is a jumpstart to help boost your metabolisim, its not permanent. Everyone knows this, for how long they want to do this is entirely up to them. Some may even continue but adjust their carbs daily (I am going to do this). So, I have consistancy.

Missy has shared her personal experience with us as she always does. She if anything has been a great mentor and wonderful role model in this community. When you reach out to her, she reaches back.

We are all in this together, helping 'eachother' out, learning from 'one another'. Isn't this what this community is all about?

Thank you Missy you are a tremendous pillar to this forum and for one I appreciate everything you do to help.

((hugs))

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Thank you PattyGirl, love you!! :wub:

[PattyGirl66 1,243]

Thank you PattyGirl, love you!! :wub:

Luv ya too sweety!!!!!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I just got back from my monthly appointment with my surgeon. He is thrilled with my results carb cycling and encouraged me to continue doing it! His nurse echoed his statement, saying she's known others with both the band as well as the sleeve who've had great results doing it.