Is Carb Cycling the Same as Keto?

The keto cycling protocol involves eating a keto diet on most days. These will be interspersed with either one or two days of eating more carbs. These are called re-feeding days. They are designed to break the ketosis. By doing this, dieters can receive the benefits of consuming carbohydrates. Their fiber intake is increased, their athletic performance is fueled, and their diet is more varied.

Some nutritional experts say that restricting carbs in the longterm could impact on certain hormones. Insulin and thyroid hormones are vital for healthy body composition.

If you try keto-cycling, balance in these hormones could be better maintained. This provides a distinct advantage over the standard keto diet in which carbs are restricted over an extended period. Not only that, but the common problems associated with keto diets are reduced or eliminated. Issues such as bad breath don’t become prevalent since some carbs are still being consumed regularly.

Chapter 3: What Does a Carb Cycling Diet Look Like?

Carb cycling involves tracking macros with a food journal or app. You must work out the number of grams of carbohydrates you’ll need to eat every day. This may not be as easy as you imagined. The amount of carbs you should eat will be individual to you. You need to bear several factors in mind. We’ll look more closely at those later.

For now, let’s take a closer look at what a standard carb cycling diet looks like.

What do I eat on a High Carb Day?

On a high carb day, you will usually obtain around 60 percent of your calories from complex carbohydrates. That means, if you’re eating about 1,500 calories daily, around 900 calories are complex carbs.