QUestions on carb cycling for pre contest diet

[spound]

How many of you guys use carbs cycling to get ready?

How do you do your carb cycling? (ie: what days, how many days etc..)


I am ~255lbs (13-15% BF) right now and may start dieting in March for a first time show, what would my days need to look like? And when would I need to start cycling carbs? I plan on a 16 week prep. just FYI. Any advice/help/insight would be great! THanks!

[bigsd67]

i did a sodium load/depletion, then a carb up starting the day of the show at 4am using rice cakes and jelly and white rice. i'll post the exact amounts if you want.

[j martini]

i did a sodium load/depletion, then a carb up starting the day of the show at 4am using rice cakes and jelly and white rice. i'll post the exact amounts if you want.

Thats very late to carb up, i have heard of people doing it late with shit loading, but not with reasonably clean carb sources.

[spound]

I think you guys might have misinterpreted my question. I wasn't referring to carbing up before a show. I was asking more along the lines about the diet methods some use where they cycle their carb amounts day to day throughout their diet. Do any of you do this? Or do you jsut pretty much eat teh same amounts of macros every day? Thanks

[j martini]

I cycle my carbs no set routine the body gets used to routine. Basically my carbs will be lower on rest days and days i only do cardio, usually 1 day a week i have a high carb day, though this is not set in stone could be once every 10 days, once every 2 weeks just depends how i look and feel, but usually works out about once a week.

Low carb for me is about 100-150g of carbs, moderate 250-400g(again depends how i feel and how my condition is if im behind moderate carb day will be on the low end if im ahead of schedule on the high end). High carb day will be about 600g.

I would in a week typically have 3 low carb, 3 moderate, and 1 high carb day, but again if im ahead i will have more moderate days and if im behind more low carb days.

Another thing to remember is my calories stay the same whatever my carb intake for the day, protein intake also stays the same except fro a reduction on high carb day. So in order to keep my calorie level the same on a low carb day as opposed to a moderate carb day my fat intake increases on the low carb day. I know many people just drop the carbs and keep there other macros the same, this is a mistake IMO.

Remeber that the amount of carbs and calories needed will vary for different people, currently i am 3 weeks out from a show and eating 4500cals ED however i wam the exception and certainly not the norm.

[spound]

THanks J, yea, this is what I was referring to. I am wondering though, how big are you? I am asking b/c those carbs are pretty high for pre contest it seems, so I guess you are pretty big? So basically it all jsut depends on how you look huh? Man, this precontest diet thing is so individual and having never done one before it seems like it would be hard to makes decision like these not knowing what the effects will be since I have never done this before. Thanks for the help.

[spound]

THanks J, yea, this is what I was referring to. I am wondering though, how big are you? I am asking b/c those carbs are pretty high for pre contest it seems, so I guess you are pretty big? So basically it all jsut depends on how you look huh? Man, this precontest diet thing is so individual and having never done one before it seems like it would be hard to makes decision like these not knowing what the effects will be since I have never done this before. Thanks for the help.