Hello...

You get redirected to my journal. Others may have posted comments there too, so it may not look like it's specifically mine.

Thank you for going into such great detail.

shragae, good luck to you, whatever you try! keep us all posted.

Thanks,realised that after I had posted my remark. I've started my own now, though I'm not sure how often I'll update it. Probably at times of particularly good or conversely bad, weight loss!

Okay, week four update of carb cycling...

I have lost 7 pounds. I have lost 2% body fat. I have lost 11 inches total. I measure the following areas:

-chest
-waist
-hips
-lower hips
-each thigh
-each calf
-each upper arm

Other good observations: My clothes are more comfortable. I feel better in my skin. I am not thinking about food as much as I used to. I am not craving sweets in the evening as much as I used to. I no longer think each meal needs to be followed by something sweet. I have not been craving/obsessing about what dessert I will eat when my DH and I go out to dinner.

Wow, those are some huge mental shifts for me.

New goals for this month: Exercise more, increase my running mileage more consistently. More interval training when I run. Increase duration of weight training, up my weights a little on arms and legs.
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Hi fellow carb cyclers!

Just stopping by to say Hi! I reached goal last Spring.

Maintaining by staying low carb most days with cheats one to two times a week. Works for me.

From time to time I do a few days of Induction to get things back in line, but that doesn't happen very often.

As you've seen in this thread, carb cycling can take many forms. Experiment and find what works for you!

It worked like magic for me!!

LCanita...how many carbs did you average on low and high carb days while you were on your way to goal? How about fat intake? What adjustments did you make for exercise? Congratulations on meeting goal--how very exciting and I cannot wait for that day! BTW, about how long did it take for you to reach goal?

Hi Cactusrose!

See the very first post in this thread for the answer to how many carbs. I didn't worry about fat intake except as it impacted calories. No adjustments for exercise, but I did go to Curves faithfully, three times a week. That's all.

I finally solidly reached my original goal of 135 last Spring, or five years after starting. I lost from 185 to 142 in 2004 and stayed there pretty easily until 2008 when I picked up five pounds which stuck with me until early 2009 when I got serious, went back to a regular Induction and lost twelve pounds easily down to 135. I cannot explain why it was so easy then. When I had tried in 2004 to lose those last few pounds it was a constant struggle and they simply would not come off.

Since last Spring I've been successfully keeping within my three pound buffer zone (135-138) with daily lowish carb (similar to my carb up days as explained early in this thread) and occasional Induction days.

Bread, rice, pasta, etc. are special occasion items, no more than once a week or so. My husband does this with me (although he has never had a weight problem), and the kids are grown and gone, so it works well.

Hubby had allergy problems which low carb has virtually cured, and he loves meat.

We plan to eat this way forever.

Anita,

Thanks for all of the details you provided in the beginning of this thread. There is so much information out there that we really do have to experiment and tweak to see what works for us.

Also, this was pretty cute. My husband said he was glad I was "dieting" because he feels so much better now! Really we are just eating protein and vegetables, little to no bread or pasta and the general low carb lifestyle. Funny, I remember he used to eat like that pretty much when we were dating and then picked up some of my occasional bad eating habits. The carb cycling is really so much easier to fit into my daily life, it seems as though it will be easy to do forever.

I am currently eating less than 50 carbs daily, for 5-7 days at a time and then a carb up day, just increasing veggies and fruit on the carb ups. Am down 8.5 pounds and 15.75 inches and feeling much better in my skin. I tried the under 20 like LCanita, and it was just hard on my digestion. The 30-50 carbs seems to be working just right in every respect. Will keep tweaking...

Yep, you have to make this fit yourself, and fit yourself at different times in your journey. I changed the way I carb cycled several times. Sometimes things just stop working, so you have to try something new.

For maintenance I basically eat day to day like my carb ups use to be, then have occasional cheats and occasional induction days to stay in my buffer zone. That's how I carb cycle now. It works like magic for me!

Update on carb cycling...

I stayed essentially the same weight this week as last, but lost another 2.25 inches overall, for a total of 19.5 inches since Jan 10th or so. I tried on some of my favorite summer clothes and they are soooo much more comfy, and that feels great. Trying not to be obsessed with the scale....

Hello carb-cyclers...I'm looking for a little advice. I have read probably the first 20 pages of this thread and am very intrigued about this method. I have been doing Induction level since the end of March and lost 6lbs. the first week and not an ounce since then. I am thinking of trying the cycling but I'm not sure what my limits should be. I see a bit of variation in the thread depending on starting weight, etc.

I am currently 161lbs. doing under 20 carbs/day and calories fluctuate but average 1700-1800...I'm guessing my carb down days would be under 20 but not sure how high to go on the carb up days and not sure whether the 1700-1800 should be a carb down calorie or carb up calorie limit.

Any advice?

Petnanny...

See my post Carb cycling to lose 25 pounds by June 2010 on the moderate carb forum. This should give you some ideas. LCanita has some good ideas too in this forum. I think I am getting close to goal like you are and it gets harder to lose, so I am trying to make the transition to how I think I will feel best eating long term, even if I lose more slowly. Currently am doing about six days lower carb (less than 50-60) and yes I am being more careful about my calorie intake. High carb maybe more fruit and some bread or pasta, nothing crazy, and perhaps the smallest of desserts.

I am new to this site and am interested in the Carb Cycling ideas. I am afraid to go do the high carb days for more than a day at a time for fear of gaining weight. Would 1 or 2 days a week of high carb days be beneficial?
Thank you.