Carb Cycling Meal Plan

Diet and Nutrition
1

I’ve been doing this plan for 2 weeks. I was doing the Smolov prior to the carb cycling and was eating everything in sight. I started the 5 3 1 the same time I started the diet. I’m aiming to lose a bit of the slop I accumulated from going nuts at buffets.

2 weeks ago, I weighed 227, now I weight 217. I lost 2 inches from my love handles, so it’s working, and outside my squat strength dropping a bit, all my other lifts are okay. The diet seems to be working okay, but I wanted some feedback on what you think of my template I have set up and any suggestions you might have to imrpove it.

I have 3 days - my low carb (off days), my medium carb (bench and military days), and my high carb (deads and squat days):

Meal Plan

No Lifting - Low Carbs

Meal 1
4 Eggs
2 Whites
.5 ounce of cheddar cheese

protein - 37 g
carbs - 5 g
fat - 34 g
calories - 496

Meal 2
1.75 scoops of protein w/ water

protein - 42 g
carbs - 5 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 210

Meal 3
1/2 cup of Cottage cheese
1 ounce of raw almonds

protein - 18 g
carbs - 10 g
fat - 19 g
calories - 271

Meal 4
1 can of tuna w/ mayo
12 olives

protein - 42 g
carbs - 1 g
fat - 42 g
calories - 565

Meal 5
1.75 scoops of protein w/ water

protein - 42 g
carbs - 5 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 210

Meal 6
1 chicken breast cooked in olive oil
bed of lettuce and cucumbers maybe
salad dressing
broccoli w/ cheese

protein - 40 g
carbs - 12 g
fat - 54 g
calories - 690

Meal 7
Protein Shake - 1 scoop with water

protein - 24 g
carbs - 3 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 120

Totals
Protein - 245
Carbs - 41
Fat - 152
Calories - 2562

Upper body workout - moderate carbs

Meal 1
4 Eggs
2 egg whites
1 orange
1 ounce of cheddar cheese

Protein - 42.5 g
Carbs - 23.8 g
Fat - 39.4 g
calories - 621

Meal 2
Protein Shake 1 and 1/2 scoops
1/2 milk and 1/2 water

Protein - 40 g
Carbs - 10 g
Fat - 1.6 g
calories - 222

Meal 3
1/2 cup of Cottage cheese
1 ounce of raw almonds

protein - 18 g
carbs - 10 g
fat - 19 g
calories - 271

Meal 4
1 can of Tuna
3 tbspn mayo
1 cup of yam
1 tbspons sour cream

protein - 45 g
carbs - 39 g
fat - 43 g
calories - 739

Meal 5
1/2 cup of Cottage cheese
1 ounce of raw almonds

protein - 18 g
carbs - 10 g
fat - 19 g
calories - 271

Meal 6
Protein Shake - 1 scoop with water

protein - 24 g
carbs - 3 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 120

Meal 7
1 chicken breast cooked in olive oil
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
2 ounces of cheese
1 cup of broccoli

protein - 52 g
fat - 45 g
carbs - 14 g
calories - 685

Meal 8
Protein Shake - 1 scoop with water

protein - 24 g
carbs - 3 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 120

Totals
Protein - 263.5 g
Carbs - 113 g
Fat - 170
Calories - 3049

Lower Body - High Carbs

Meal 1
2 eggs
4 egg whites
1 ounce of cheese
1/2 cup of oats w/blueberries

protein - 45 g
carbs - 62 g
fat - 30 g
calories - 700

Meal 2
Protein Shake 1 and 1/2 scoops
1/2 milk and 1/2 water

Protein - 40 g
Carbs - 10 g
Fat - 1.6 g
calories - 222

Meal 3
1/2 cup of Cottage cheese
1 ounce of raw almonds

protein - 18 g
carbs - 10 g
fat - 19 g
calories - 271

Meal 4
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
1 chicken breast cooked in olive oil
1 yam
1 tbspns of sour cream

protein - 43 g
carbs - 79 g
fat - 24 g
calories - 715

Meal 5
1 can of tuna
1 orange

protein - 43 g
carbs - 17 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 260

Meal 6
Protein shake - 1 scoop
1 ounce of raw almonds

protein - 42g
carbs - 10g
fat - 15g
calories - 360

Meal 7
1 chicken breast cooked in olive oil
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
2 ounces of cheese
1 cup of broccoli

protein - 52 g
fat - 45 g
carbs - 14 g
calories - 685

Meal 8
Protein Shake - 1 scoop with water

protein - 24 g
carbs - 3 g
fat - 1 g
calories - 120

Totals
Protein - 307
Carbs - 205
Fat - 137
Calories - 3240

This is just my template I set up. A frequent change I do is instead of chicken, I’ll have a couple trader joe chicken sausages that pack 21g of protein and 9g of fat per link. Or, I’ll have one sausage and cottage cheese instead of almonds and cottage cheese and just munch on almonds in between meals.

I’d love to hear suggestions to improve upon it or if there’s anything I look like I am missing or could use more of.

My short term goal is by the end of July to have cut as much fat as I can without losing muscle. If I can gain muscle, great, but I know in the past unless I eat like a monster, I have a tough time putting on muscle.

I log my measurements once a week as well as my workout log. If that will help asses me better, you can see it here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=piStZDuzNAJctFPQ9q8faaw&output=html

Thanks in advance.

2

bump

3

Hi,

Coincidentally, I just started 5-3-1 and carb cycling myself.

It looks to me as if you’re doing a carb cycle similar to what CT outlined in his carb cycling codex. It looks pretty solid from that standpoint. You should continue to do it and monitor progress for a few more weeks.

After that however, I suggest something a bit different, albeit still carb cycling. The idea is still the same, but with macros adjusted. I would try toning down the fat a bit in general, with emphasis on moderate and high carb days, while upping the carbs on these same days, especially during para-workout/ breakfast. Pretty much what the recent article “Carb cycling for newbies” recommends.

I take advantage of the carb allotment on moderate and high days, and down a fairly hefty carb/protein post workout shake, followed by a very starchy protein meal about 1.5 hours later. The rest of my meals are lean protein/ green vegetables or protein drinks throughout the day.

Don’t worry about lack of fat, you’ll get plenty of fat on your off days. Not sure if you’re including fish oil capsules in your diet, but you should go ahead and throw some in, particularly on your off days.

This is just my suggestion. You should currently continue what you’re doing now however, because you’ve made awesome progress. I’d give my suggestion a try tho, in a few weeks or when progress stalls.

What do you think of 5-3-1? I’m about to do my last workout of week 1 and I’m hooked already!

4

Doloe,

Thanks for the response. You’re right about toning down the fat or at the very least change my fat sources. Part of the reason I included so much fat is because I find it difficult to get enough calories.

I’m thinking maybe cut back on mayo with tuna and sour cream with my yam (which really is more than my measured cup there, since I just nuke an entire sweet potato) and include more egg whites. Another alternative to cut the fat would be low fat cottage cheese, since the more I read Shelby and Harris suggest avoiding dairy.

I’m going to pick up some fish oil capsules today and that’ll replace some of the fat I’d lose from making those modifications.

As far as post workout drink, I’ll use milk as my carb source. Then in the following meal is where I have my giant sweet potato. Should I swap out milk with something else as my carb source for the post workout drink. I hear of people using oats in the shakes, where you prepare it before hand and let the oats soften in the shake for a while first.

As far as the 5-3-1, it’s okay. I’m doing it 4 days a weekI just finished week 3, and my lifts are really just maintaining themselves. It’s fun going for reps, and my knees and shoulders are appreciating hitting bench and squat only once a week a piece. Although I have to be careful with high rep deadlifts.

Personally, Sheiko worked really well for me. My strength would explode from the volume and frequency. The downside is that by the end of the month my knees and shoulders would be shot and I’d have to back off. With 5-3-1, I’m hoping I can still progress albeit more slowly, but I’ll stay healthier. Plus, this gives me more time to work on my back which is somewhat neglected in the Sheiko template.

Thanks again for your feedack.

5

Milk is okay. I like using something that absorbs a bit faster however, especially when I’m trying to fill the carb allotment of high carb day! I’m not gonna push Surge on you or anything, cause that stuff is crazy expensive, but there are plenty of other cheap carb sources that can be added to your whey… such as maltodextrin, dextrose, waxy maize, swedish oat starch.

I hear ya on sweet potatoes bro. I’ve had them twice this week, and they amaze me every time. They’re just so sweet and wholesome tasting.

Have you ever tried a trap bar to deadlift? I’m using one for my “deadlift” day and its much more natural feeling than conventional deadlifts- I can keep my spine neutral throughout the lift.

Keep me posted on your progress!

6

My gym doesn’t have a trap bar, so I’m stuck with conventional deadlifting. I’m okay with low reps, just the damn high rep stuff I get sloppy.

Also, hate to dissappoint, but I bailed on the 5-3-1 after finishing up the 3rd week and started up Shieko 29. After my last squat session, I only got 315 for 2 fucking reps. 3 weeks ago on my second to last day of the smolov base I did 315 for 7 sets of 5, and I could have gotten probably 7 or 8 on my first set had I gone balls to the wall. That dramatic drop in performance made me panic, so back to what I know works for me.

I’ve come to the conclusion that unless I squat at least twice a week my legs won’t maintain strength nevermind getting stronger. My upper body was going well with the 5-3-1, but I refuse to let the squat strength that I spent so much time building up deplete so rapidly. I started a thread in the strength sports forum seeing if anyone had any dropoff experience like that after squatting multiple times a week to doing it only once a week.

I took your advice and bought fish oil pills from GNC and have been eating them. I also have been cutting the fat a little and am trying to get a little more carbs on the high carb days. I also started back on creatine after a 3 week break two days ago. I weighed in this morning at 218.5, up from 217 last week, but I did lose another 1/4 of an inch of my waist and 1/2 an inch on the middle of the gut. In fact, most of my measurements either stayed the same or went down slightly - so I don’t know how I gained a pound and a half, maybe I just really had to crap. I’m good with it though, slow and steady progress.