You CAN eat your favourite foods and still lose weight with carb-cycling diet
WHAT if you were told you can still eat your favourite foods AND lose weight?
The carb-cycling diet gives you the ability to do that, allowing you to fill up on carbohydrates - such as bread and pasta - on given days.
It has some basic rules that are rooted in science.
But they are a small price to pay to avoid having to cut carbs - the basis of trendy weight loss diets such as keto, Atkins and Dukan.
Carb-cycling is when you eat carbohydrates on the days you are most physically active, while cutting them back on more sedentary days.
Carbs provide the body with bounds of energy, so are best eaten as a way to fuel your body for exercise.
“A lot of sports people will eat this way to help the body adapt to training.
But she agreed you still need to monitor your intake, saying: "Just because you may have eaten less carbs on one day, it is not necessarily going to result in weight loss if the next two days have increased intake."
That would need two groups of people randomised to follow either the carb-cycling diet, or just a regular diet, and then see who has the best outcomes.
Rob said you can still eat carbs on your “low carb” days, but not to over-do it.
He added: “You’ve got to make sure you're focusing on healthy fats and protein to get your calories on low-carb days.”
For a balanced diet, experts recommend sticking to more “complex” carbs than “simple” carbs.
Rob said: “The type of carb is important - choose high fibre ones, which keep you full between meals and keep blood sugar levels low.”
Simple carbs are generally those that taste the best - baked treats, packaged cookies and cakes, pastries, breakfast cereals, and white bread and pasta.
They are easier to digest, therefore enter the bloodstream faster and can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
Switching to complex carbs are going to help steer you toward weight loss.
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They are more nutritious and because they are harder to digest, they give a slower release of energy, preventing you from snacking as much.
They include brown rice, wholewheat bread, vegetables, oats, beans and whole grains, such as bulgur wheat, quinoa.