Hi again...

I have read this on another post and was wondering if someone could explain what it is?

Sting




Into my 4th week and my PJ bottoms are much looser!!

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=199958

This link will take you to a thread all about carb cycling.

Thanks Judy!!

How funny it is. I was just thinking about starting carb cycling for myself. I have been doing phase 1 for almost 3 weeks now (well it is almost 4 week, but at the end of 1 week I had some crackers because of the stomach flue). I am afraid to add fruit every day/ SO my plan is to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday carb down days (under 30 carbs and around 1200-1400 calories) and Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do carbs Up days: carbs around 50-80 and calories 1800-2000.
I am going to add fruit and starchy veggies on the carbs UP days, so it is still going to be really South beach 2 phase.
I don’t see how that can heart, as I am doing carb down days for last 3 weeks any way and need to progress to 2 phase, but want to do it very slowly.

FYI- my version of carb cycling is that I float between the phases to manage my weight in maintenance.

I guess we have to find the best way to "carb cyle" to suit our own individual needs.

Sting

I'd say it's good to incorporate a couple of different strategies. The only problem is how you will be able to discern which has served your body the best. I really want the weight off, and so I am doing both SB and IF. If I manage to get it all off (for me it's less than 10 pounds now) - HOW will I know by doing both which "did the trick?" or if it was only done by the combination? I guess, I will learn and therefore, be able to employ one or both when I show a "gain."

You will not tell the difference, as it is the combination of everything we do, including the exercise. As for me, I know that phase one is not sustainable for lifetime and eventually I have to move on to phase 2, but adding fruit or starchy veggies every day is a bit too much. So I am doing it on the weekend. Just because I am at work all week long and I can eat only what I brought with me…. Very easy to control what goes to my mouth. On the weekend I am surrounded by 3 kids and I have to serve there food, what is very much SB friendly, but more like maintenance level.
Also, Judy gave me really good advice yesterday about dropping the cheese. I will try to do that too together with the nuts/ nut butters. Something have to work, we just have to find that “something”.
If carb cycling will not work for a month, I will try IF too. Aeroangi, how long is your eating window? DO you keep your meals kind of smallish, or you eat bigger meals?

Hey Broomangel - I only eat from 2:00 PM to 7:00 pm. I consume at least 1600 calories during that window of time. It consistes of a large "breakfast" - eggs, sauteed squash, then my snack is usually cottage cheese topped with berries and a handful of nuts (or sometimes yogurt) then dinner consists of about 4 to 5 ounces of protein, large salad, and some other side. Occasionally, I will have a sweet potato as the other side but usually, it's spaghetti or butternut squash, or possibly sauteed zucchini with mushrooms, onions. I try to eat a whole lot of veges and have smallish protein portions. I keep my protein under 8 ounces daily and don't worry about fats at all (saturated or un) as they are all the same number of calories per gram. This was a personal choice for me and is not totally SB. I always have less than 2 ounces of cheese daily and include that in my dairy total. Ususally, it's a sprinke on my daily salad but sometimes, I may add it to eggs. I have to be careful with cheese and nuts for sure. This all totals on Fitday around 1600 to 1700 daily. The only thing I ever cheat withis either a little wine or a few sugar free vodka drinks on the weekend. All in all - it's working much better for me than Atkin's and my carbs typically total around 60. I don't count them, or worry about them either. Hope that helps.

Do you drink coffee? And do you consider it breaking the Fast? I could easily do 1 to 6 PM eating window, but I am not going to get to far without coffee. My one and half year old is NOT sleeping through the night yet, so I am dead if I don’t drink a cup of Joe.

Yes - no cream though plus liquid sucralose or else I'll have a Diet Mt. Dew. The main thing is you just don't want to trigger insulin.