Today, I will show you how to cycle your carbs for fat loss and peak performance.
Because carbs are an amazing weapon, but only if you know how to use them.
They can fuel your performance and transform your physique, or leave you feeling fat, groggy and like youâre running on empty.
In short – when you have a plan for your carbs, they become an asset. When you donât have a plan for your carbs, they become a liability.
Below is a picture of me from the other day:
In all honesty, Iâve looked the same way for ~20 years (I was just skinnier in high school).
Not because Iâm special but because Iâve executed the basics for nearly 2 decades.
I learned early on how to eat carbs for my physique and performance, and the results have been great.
But most men I know donât have a plan when it comes to carbs.
They mindlessly eat carbs and then wonder why they arenât happy with their energy, performance and physique.
Carbs are either an asset or a liability. Itâs up to you to determine which.
When you arenât mindful of your carb intake youâll be prone to:
- Brain fog
- Energy crashes
- Unwanted weight gain
But it doesnât have to be that way.
When you eat the correct amount of carbohydrates at the appropriate time, you will burn fat, gain muscle, and feel energized.
Here’s how to carb cycle, step by step:
đď¸ Download – click here to download your Carbohydrate Cheat Sheet
NOTE: carb cycling is an advanced nutrition strategy. If youâre a beginner, I donât recommend starting with this. You need a simpler approach to get going.
Step 1: Earn your carbs mindset
The reason we carb cycle is simple – to best match supply and demand.
When you eat carbohydrates, they release sugar into your bloodstream, providing fuel for your brain and muscles.
The key is giving that fuel something to do.
For example – exercise and movement pull sugar out of your bloodstream and use it for energy.
Problems arise when you eat carbohydrates and don’t give them something to do.
That’s when you get energy crashes, food comas, and unwanted weight gain.
So the mindset you must adopt above all else is to earn your carbs.
And you do that by working out, moving your body and living an active lifestyle.
Step 2: Categorize carbs
You can group carbohydrates into 2 broad categories:
- Anytime carbs – eaten all the time
- Workout carbs – eaten on days you train, workout, or do something physically demanding.
Plus, you want to consume your workout carbs around the time you are most active.
But more on carbohydrate timing in a second.
For now, hereâs a handy graphic of carbohydrate sources broken down by category:
The green highlights are anytime carbs and the yellow highlights are workout carbs. Itâs not a perfect categorization (example – apples are cool anytime) but itâs a great approximation.
Step 3: Low-carb days, high-carb days and fat
Next, categorize days as either low carb or high carb based on this simple question:
âAm I going to challenge myself physically today (i.e. workout, train, go on a grueling hike, do jiu jitsu for an hour, rock climb, 1 hour of hot yoga, etc.)?â
If the answer is no – it becomes a low-carb day and you only eat carbs from the low-carb category.
If the answer is yes – it becomes a high-carb day and you eat carbs from both categories.
Itâs important to note that fat plays a crucial role here as well.
And does the INVERSE of your carbs:
- On low-carb days your fat intake will be high
- On high-carb days your fat intake will be low
Again – carb cycling is all about matching energy supply with energy demand.
Fat powers day-to-day living. Carbs power high output performance.
Hereâs a handy graphic to show what this looks like for me over the course of a week:
Step 4: Eat workout carbs around your workout
I am defining a workout as anything that challenges you physically. Not from a skill or coordination standpoint. But from an energy standpoint.
And lots of activities do that:
- Yoga
- Cardio
- Hiking
- Jiu Jitsu
- Rock climbing
- Lifting weights
Really anything that gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat.
To best use workout carbs, place them before, during and/or after these periods of increased energy demand.
Thatâs how you use carbs to power both your physique and performance.
Conclusion
If you want to show up at your best every day as an entrepreneur dad, you must understand how to fuel your body.
Period.
Ditch the âeat whatever you want and still look great nakedâ clowns online.
Thatâs a white belt move reserved for people who donât demand excellence in their lives.
You are here because you want more.
So start playing at a black belt level by paying attention to the details of your nutrition.
Realizing that food is fuel for you to be more, do more and suck less.
In the words of Gary Vaynerchuck – âIf you want to be an anomaly, you need to start acting like one.â
âĄď¸ Worth your time
Mathew McConaugheyâs 3 things inspirational speech.
Each day he needs 3 things:
- Something to look up to
- Something to look forward to
- Someone to chase
đ¤ A question to ponder
If I had the wealth of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, what would I do with my life and resources?