Popular diets like Atkins and Paleo have long preached that to lose weight — and keep it off — you’ve got to cut out the carbohydrates. But for those who love bagels and pasta (i.e., most of the population), a total divorce from life’s carb-y joys isn’t realistic — or healthy.
“Low-carb diets make me and most people I know cranky,” says Heidi Powell, 33, co-author of the new book “Extreme Transformation: Lifelong Weight Loss in 21 Days” (out now, Hachette). “They remind me of juice cleanses, but people want the quick fix. It might work for a minute, but then you’re right back where you started.”
In the dieting world, the tide has shifted in favor of carbs. Instead of cutting them completely to lose or maintain weight long-term, experts now say you just need to be smart about them.
One of the buzziest approaches is carb cycling. Long popular in the bodybuilding community, it’s gone mainstream.
“You get the results of a low-carb diet, but we’ve got high-carb days in between to help save your metabolism,” says Chris Powell, 37, Heidi’s husband and co-author.
The three-week carb-cycling diet plan outlined in their new book calls for four high-carb days, followed by two low-carb days and then a seventh “cheat day.”
Heidi says the approach helps prevents the metabolic slowdown common to low-carb diets, which cause the pounds to pack back on as soon as you eat some bread.
“It’s the benefits of a low-carb diet, without crashing your metabolism,” she says.
The svelte couple, who are based in Phoenix, Ariz., use the method when working with contestants on the ABC reality show “Extreme Weight Loss.” Heidi credits it for helping one contestant, Bruce Pitcher lose 201 pounds over the course of a year.
But the diet’s high-carb days don’t mean you can stuff yourself with pizza to your heart’s content — you only get your cheat day for that.
The carbs should be “real, clean, natural carbohydrates,” like those found in whole-grain breads and pastas, legumes and fruit.
The diet is catching on, with more than 119,000 Instagram posts tagged with #carbcycling. But is it as revolutionary — or healthy —- as the Powells think?
New York-based dietitian Marissa Lippert is skeptical. “When you are depriving yourself of carbs or you’re having them every other day … you’re kind of doing yourself a disservice,” she says.
For a less “extreme” regime, try being conscious of what time of day you’re consuming carbs. If you’re working out early in the day, fuel your exercise with a mix of protein and carbs, like a banana with nut butter. For post-workout or breakfast, you can consume more decadent bread bombs, like a bagel, since you’ll have all day to work it off. Carbs are also key to recovery after a hard session at the gym.
“[They’re] important to restore and rebuild muscle and aid in recovery,” says trainer Alexander Galvez of Fit Focus.
Make a high-fiber carb, like brown rice, part of your lunch to keep you feeling full. For your afternoon snack, go for dried fruit and nuts. A combo like this helps keep blood sugar steady. For dinner, opt for carbs in the form of vegetables, like sweet potatoes or zucchini, that can be easily digested; so you’ll sleep well and wake up feeling light and energized.
Such an approach, says Lippert, will “keep your metabolism going and your blood-sugar levels balanced.”
Dawn Lerman is a board-certified nutrition expert and the author of “My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love and Family, With Recipes.”