Before changing the amount of carbs you're eating, it's important to know whether or not carb cycling is the best option for you. Here are groups of people who can benefit from carb cycling:
- People who want to lose fat: If you're trying to lose fat and overcome a weight-loss plateau, alternating between high and low-carb days can help.
- People who don't tolerate carbs well: Even if your body doesn't tolerate carbs well, they are effective during workouts. According to the Precision Nutrition manual, you should try to get the bulk of your carbs in around workouts. By doing so, you may become more metabolically healthy, which means you may see improvements in your carb tolerance.
- People with metabolic issues: If you have poor glucose control or elevated inflammation you may benefit from short periods of fasting. Here's what you need to know about the various styles of intermittent fasting.
- People who want their abs to show: If you've been trying to get your abs to show, you're going to have to lower your body fat percentage. One way to achieve this, in conjunction with working out and eating clean, is by having a lower-energy intake, or calorie deficit, for a period of time. You can achieve this by having high-carb days on the days where you are very active, and low-carb days on the days where you are not active.