Carb Cycling or Ketosis?

[jwhitaker]

I started going zero carbs today and i am debating on whether to carb up on weekends or just go completely without. i don't really see the reason for a carb up because i can go without carbs unless there is a good reason why i should carb up.

thanks for any help

[SQUAT or DIE!]

well it depends on how much weight you want to drop, cause some of the guys recommend carb cycling for up to like 15ish lbs.. after that keto is probably a better way to go.. but thats my thoughts.

[Thetasteofink69]

I think you're only supposed to carb up on one day.

I'm not completely sure, but I think it's just one meal.. One meal where you get to eat whatever the hell you want and as much of it as you want

And from what i've heard it's used to shock your body for another week of ketosis.. So it's not just a cheat meal, it's actually to aid your results and boost your metabolism..

[krazyassmexican]

not a carb up but a cheat meal a week, if you cant handle to be on zero carbs then cycle or go on lowcarbs

carbing up on weekends kick u out of ketosis, waste of money, energy and time in my opinion

[simpleguy]

not a carb up but a cheat meal a week, if you cant handle to be on zero carbs then cycle or go on lowcarbs

carbing up on weekends kick u out of ketosis, waste of money, energy and time in my opinion

yeah, agreed with Krazy on this one... 2 days of carbs will kick you out of ketosis, and probably even one full day so if you wanna stay in ketosis it's best to keep cheat meals (with carbs) like once per week

but if you don't wanna stay in ketosis, you can cycle carbs
from what I heard ketosis is way better (as far as you're feeling) than carb cycling
I've gone through those 50-100g of carbs a day myself (when carb cycling) and I tell you, I felt like crap

but both methods work as far as results go, just stick to one of them

[jwhitaker]

alright thanks everyone. a cheat meal a week sounds best to me.

[ANDROTAZ]

not a carb up but a cheat meal a week, if you cant handle to be on zero carbs then cycle or go on lowcarbs

carbing up on weekends kick u out of ketosis, waste of money, energy and time in my opinion

I agree that carbing up the ENTIRE weekend would be kind of senseless, but I did about a 12-hour carb-up last Saturday with relatively low fat, and by the time I checked on Sunday evening I was back in Ketosis.

[krazyassmexican]

I agree that carbing up the ENTIRE weekend would be kind of senseless, but I did about a 12-hour carb-up last Saturday with relatively low fat, and by the time I checked on Sunday evening I was back in Ketosis.

dave palumbo said more than a cheat meal kicks you off ketosis even evan said it before

and takes you three days of zero carbs to get back on track

[ANDROTAZ]

dave palumbo said more than a cheat meal kicks you off ketosis even evan said it before

and takes you three days of zero carbs to get back on track

Not trying to argue at all, bro...all I'm saying is that I carbed up one day, and the next night, my ketostix said I was in ketosis.

[krazyassmexican]

Not trying to argue at all, bro...all I'm saying is that I carbed up one day, and the next night, my ketostix said I was in ketosis.

great, i dont believe in the ketostix and i believe in palumbo and evan when it comes to zero carb dieting but if it works for you go for it, i am outtie

[adidamps2]

and takes you three days of zero carbs to get back on track

exactly three days! no more! no less! every one takes 3 days to get back in ketosis from a carb up, on a zero carb diet that some how allows peanut butter (but the carbs in the PB don't count as carbs???), almonds and a protein powder http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/univ/lean.html that has carbs but dont count either towards one carb intake, and green veggies (well except broccoli which some how seems to be to carb dense???). so in essence you have to diet on a zero carb diet, that isn't. well according to whats been said and advocated for.

BTW zero carb diets do exhist but they typically consit of nothing more than animal meat diets. no organs and no veggies.

BTW most "other" keto site have "various" opinions on how one should approach a "cheat/carb up"

[MDur8]

exactly three days! no more! no less! every one takes 3 days to get back in ketosis from a carb up, on a zero carb diet that some how allows peanut butter (but the carbs in the PB don't count as carbs???), almonds and a protein powder http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/univ/lean.html that has carbs but dont count either towards one carb intake, and green veggies (well except broccoli which some how seems to be to carb dense???). so in essence you have to diet on a zero carb diet, that isn't. well according to whats been said and advocated for.

BTW zero carb diets do exhist but they typically consit of nothing more than animal meat diets. no organs and no veggies.

BTW most "other" keto site have "various" opinions on how one should approach a "cheat/carb up"

I agree there are many different approaches to a keto diet as well as cheat meals

[IRBS]

Lets address the question in the origional post and leave the arguing to the kids on the playground. I dont know why, but it seems Keto threads always turn into a pissing match. If you cant address the origional poster's question or answer another statement in a non-argumentative manner, please keep your thoughts to yourself.

Keep it civil, no need to get into a heated debate about a diet...
IRBS

[sanga]

I have done both diets in the past and find the carb cycling with cardio a much saner approach, I feel ok and don`t feel I`m missing out on anything, just my experience.

Now once you want to get below say 8% bodyfat I think you will need to be really low on carb or on a complete keto diet as the body holds on to as much as it can.

I`d go with the carb cycling purely for my own sanity and add cardio in.

[spyderman4g63]

Keto works well for me, but I have never tried cycling. I am fine on no carbs (aside from the little bit of veggies). For me the less carbs I eat, the less I crave.

[krazyassmexican]

Keto works well for me, but I have never tried cycling. I am fine on no carbs (aside from the little bit of veggies). For me the less carbs I eat, the less I crave.

straight true

[Preston]

I started going zero carbs today and i am debating on whether to carb up on weekends or just go completely without. i don't really see the reason for a carb up because i can go without carbs unless there is a good reason why i should carb up.

thanks for any help

Toni69 had me carb cycling for a while, and that worked wonders....along with some intense cardio sessions....and then we went zero carbs and dropped back on the heavy cardio to ensure that I didn't lose that much muscle...both worked for me..and when I was on the zero carb I never once had a cheat meal nor did I " carb up. " That is what got veins in my abs and a road-map on my back. Let me repeat. That's how I GOT IT DONE. You just gotta soak in what everyone says here and play with it. :)

Good luck man, and if you don't feel bad with zero carbs the entire time, and no cheat meal...and it works...do it.

[osiris]

Insulin works hand in hand with testosterone and growth hormone in maximizing muscle
growth. Growth hormone is very important for its role in cell growth and maintenance.
When insulin goes down, as it does during the weekdays when you on a high fat/high
protein/low carb diet, growth hormone secretions increase. Along with stimulating
an anabolic environment, it also induce cells to use fat instead of sugar for energy, thus
increasing lipolysis and fighting lipogenesis.
Growth hormone also acts almost like a "starvation" hormone. When your body's in trouble
or when you're threatened or in "fight or flight syndrome",GH kicks in to mobilize stores of
energy in the body to deal with stress and these increased needs. It will also increase under the stress of exercise.
Usually insulin works to decrease the secretion of growth hormone, but the body sees the
great increase in carbs and insulin during the weekend carb up/cheat meal as a stressful situation, much like exercise,and growth hormone actually increases with insulin. In this way, you get the positive effects of growth hormone stimulus both during the week and on weekends.

(... so I've heard)

[Joseb]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=36497
i dont get the difference between carb cycling and ketosis..
according to this link, you would "carb up" on weekends and your body would still remain in ketosis. just saying..

[intoodeep25]

so is natty pb acceptable or not? like 2 tbsp's a day?

also the "cheat" meal, i hear its supposed to be the last meal of the day..this doesnt mean at 10 at night does it? i cant see eating some pizza before i hit the sack.

[Pizzalamp]

so is natty pb acceptable or not? like 2 tbsp's a day?

also the "cheat" meal, i hear its supposed to be the last meal of the day..this doesnt mean at 10 at night does it? i cant see eating some pizza before i hit the sack.

depending on your macronutrients(1 tbsp, 2 tbsp etc) you can have natty pb w/ ya shakes

yeah its the last meal of the day-so yeah pizza at 10 is fine

[gjn5002]

i did a modified carb cycle this summer. works great, not as fast as keto shreds fat but still good. simply put, carb cylce is some variance of high med low days. i like it because i can prioritize when i train larger muscle groups by when i eat carbs and have more energy and nutritents for the muscles. ketpo is just all low days. also, if done properly, you can bulk on a carb cycle. it keeps you a lil leaner.