Calorie Shifting Methods for Very Fast Fat Loss

Have you ever heard of calorie shifting methods before?

Many people still have not heard of calorie shifting / calorie cycling.

Calorie cycling has been around for decades, yet it is one of the biggest secrets to burning fat consistently.

Many people that have heard about calorie cycling are not sure if it really works. I've read message boards with beginners questioning the validity of calorie cycling.

I've seen other beginners tell others that it doesn't work.

And then I've seen the people who say it can't work unless you have an overall calorie deficit for the week.

Does Calorie Shifting Really Work? The Answer Is…

I'm telling you right now that calorie cycling does work, and it works very well.

And that is why I'm devoting an entire page to calorie cycling.

I'm going to teach you all the secrets you need to know about calorie cycling so that you make the best progress possible.

Calorie cycling is the most effective fat burning method in existence. Let's learn more about it…

The Theory Behind Calorie Cycling

When your goal is weight loss and fat burning, you are attempting to create a calorie deficit. When you decrease calories, your body will react by slowing your metabolism.

Calorie cycling will allow you to create a calorie deficit without slowing your metabolism. This means you burn more fat and build more muscle through calorie cycling.

With calorie cycling, you eat fewer calories for a period of time and create a larger calorie deficit.

Then, before your body has a chance to respond, you eat a larger amount of calories for a period of time. By doing so, you never give your body a chance to respond to the lower calorie intake.

The result of calorie shifting is a higher metabolism more of the time, which leads to more fat burning and more muscle building opportunities.

Basic Calorie Cycling You Should Try…

You will always be utilizing some form of calorie cycling while on any of our programs because it really is that powerful.

The basic method for cycling calories is discussed here…

You won't even have to put any extra effort in to utilize this basic form of calorie cycling. Remember the pre and post workout protocols we discussed earlier in another section of the website?

Well, on workout days you will take in the extra calories from your pre and post workout meals as a part of your daily diet plan.

This means your calorie intake for weight lifting workout days is going to be higher than your days off from weight lifting. For example (avg = average):

 
See the extra 400 calories in the example above? They are coming from your pre and post workout meals.

This gives you the awesome advantage of calorie cycling without having to re-design your entire diet plan on workout days.

Now, the calorie amount that you cycle with is not going to be 400 calories as given in the table above. Everyone's number will be different depending on what you have calculated for your pre workout shake, post workout shake, and post workout whole food meal.

All beginners to this program should start with this basic form of calorie cycling.

It's the easiest to implement, and you'll get to feel the effects and see the great results you get from cycling calories throughout the week.

You'll also be eating more calories during the most vital muscle building times. You will maximize the amount of muscle you will build by eating more calories around your workouts.

The results are astounding, and I can't wait for you to see your body change — it seems to happen almost instantly. Maybe not that fast, but it does produce some very quick results.

Taking Calorie Cycling to a New Level with Carb Cycling

One of the most effective methods of cycling calories for maximum fat loss is the carb cycling method. The carb cycling method will be fully discussed here.

If you really want to burn fat faster than ever, you're going to want to try this method in the future.

I recommend that you only try this after you have mastered the basic method above. This may take you several months. Also, this method is only recommended for fat loss cycles — not muscle building cycles.

Remember the guidelines we discussed earlier on macronutrient ratios? Do you remember the ranges we talked about? Here they are again…

Protein Ranges: 30 to 50 percent
Carbohydrate Ranges: 25 to 55 percent
Fat Ranges: 15 to 30 percent

With carb cycling and calorie cycling in general, you are going to have different macronutrient ratios each day. The only rule you need to follow when calorie and carb cycling is stay within these ranges each day.

So, you will never eat fewer carbohydrates than 25% of your total calories — this ensure you always have the fuel you need to make progress in the gym.

I want to teach you how to design a carb cycling diet for maximum fat loss by taking you through an extensive example. Let's get started…

Designing Your Carb Cycling Plan for Future Use

Let's start by getting all the facts about you first…

We need your body weight, body fat percentage, lean body mass, and fat mass. We already know that your goal is maximum fat loss because you are choosing carb cycling. Remember, carb cycling is only recommended for fat loss cycles.

We can then calculate your calorie levels and carb intakes once we know all the vital information…

Vital Statistics
Body Weight = 180 pounds
Body Fat Percentage = 20%
Lean Body Mass = 144 pounds
Fat Mass = 36 pounds
Goal is Maximum Fat Loss

Fat Loss Calorie Levels
Maintenance Calories = 2765
Calorie Level 0 = 2765
Calorie Level 1 = 2477
Calorie Level 2 = 2189
Calorie Level 3 = 1901

You will start your average calorie intake at calorie level 1 (the starting level is 1 for every program). So, your average calorie intake for Week 1 is going to be 2477 calories.

With WLC carb cycling, you will have 2 high carb days during each week and 5 lower carb days. The WLC carb cycling schedule is shown below. I want the high carb days spaced as shown.

 
So, the low carb days will be set at the lowest carb range possible. This happens to be 25% of your total calories. Use these macronutrient percentages for your high carb days and low carb days:

High Carb Days
Protein = 35%
Carbs = 50%
Fat = 15%

Low Carb Days
Protein = 50%
Carbs = 25%
Fat = 25%

Now, you can easily figure out the amount of calories to eat each day along with the amount of protein, carbs, and fat to eat each day. Let's see…

On high carb days, I want you to eat 500 calories more than your average calorie intake (starting calorie level).

This means you'll need to eat 200 calories below your starting calorie level on the other 5 days of the week to meet your average calorie intake. See the schedule below:

 
Now let's calculate your exact calorie intake along with protein, carbs, and fat intakes for each day.

 
Here's what your protein, carb, and fat intake looks like for a 2977 calorie intake:

 
And here's what it looks like for a 2277 calorie intake:

 
You NOW know exactly how much and what to eat on your high carb days and your low carb days. And please don't worry about the calculations as I will have calculators that calculate everything for you.

The above is just an example.

Your numbers will be different unless you fit the example perfectly. Here are a few common questions that you might have:

What do you do about the pre and post workout protocols on the lower carb weight lifting day shown on Day 3 in the example?

For any weight lifting day using the carb cycling method, save most of your carb intake for before and after your weight lifting workouts. This will help you meet your targets for each day much easier without manipulating the pre and post workout protocols.

Pre and post workout protocols do make the calculations and planning a little more diffcult, but it's definitely worth the trouble. With a little practice the first week, you'll see what you need to adjust to meet your targets. It's very simple after some practice.

Again, I want to stress that this method is only for people who have mastered the basic diet and the basic calorie cycling method.