V Shred is known for posting some of the most controversial content on the internet, and he’s been catching quite a lot of heat as of late. But can the same be said for something as simple as his advice on the carb-cycling diet?
Today, we’ll be reviewing one of his YouTube videos in which he discusses the top three tips for carb cycling. Let’s see how right (or wrong) he really is.
3 Tips For Carb Cycling (Don’t Forget To Do This!)
The video was originally posted six years ago, and while not his most famous, it still garnered around 300K views. A quick scroll through the comments will tell you the people aren’t completely upset with the content he put out.
So without further ado, let’s press play.
Tip #1: Match Your Calories with the Output of the Day
The video starts with a client asking V Shred the question we’ve all had about the carb-cycling diet. Should you eat more on days when you have harder training intensity?
Shred’s answer?
Yes. You should be consuming more food on the days when you train more. He goes on to say that these days will require more energy, so taking in a bolus amount of carbs is unlikely to place you in a calorie surplus, and he is correct.
Carb cycling is actually just about creating a weekly calorie deficit. This is still the only way to lose weight, despite what your favorite Instagram influencer would have you believe.
On low-carb days, your body continues to torch fat, while on high-carb days, you replenish your glycogen stores and boost your energy levels. It’s like giving your body a little shock every now and then, essentially keeping it on its toes and revving up your fat loss efforts (it doesn’t BOOST fat loss, though).
On low-activity or intensity days, you’ll simply need less fuel. So why eat more? It’s just simple mathematics. If you’re traveling 200 miles today and 40 tomorrow, you need the fuel today, not tomorrow.
Now, he fails to mention that you should choose healthy carbs during your high-carb days. Opt for nutrient-dense whole grains, fruits, and veggies while avoiding sugary treats and refined carbs. That way, you’ll still provide your body with the necessary nutrients.
Tip #2: Match Your Calories With the Output of the Day (Part 2)
Conversely, to point one, he goes on to say that on days when you need less energy, you need to have your low-carb days. Why? Well, you simply need less energy, so why would you be eating more?
On your rest days, when you’re lounging around like a pro and not hitting the gym or doing intense workouts, your body doesn’t need as much energy as it would on active days. By reducing the carbs on your rest days, you’re basically adjusting your nutrition to match your energy needs.
This also helps you to actually create the weekly deficit needed to lose weight.
Tip #3: Once You Hit a Plateau, Have a Cheat Day
This is one I didn’t see coming. He mentions that once you’ve hit a plateau, your body’s leptin levels are out of whack, and since ‘this is the body’s fat-burning hormone,’ you need to reset it.
Scientifically, the purpose of leptin is “leptin hormones interact with a receptor in the hypothalamus, suppressing hunger and stimulating satiety.”
So, does dieting reduce leptin?
Well, studies have found those who are obese due to diet do have a resistance to leptin itself. Other studies also show that as you diet, your leptin levels might decrease. Another study conducted on 10 females found that an increase in carbohydrates did increase leptin levels, though overfeeding with fats did not increase leptin at all.
So, will this work? For the most part, maybe.
As long as your cheat day or meal isn’t so incredibly wild that it throws off your deficit for the next two weeks, you should be okay. A good thing to try is to have your cheat day instead of your high day. This way, you run less of a risk of overfeeding and match your calories with your training intensity as well.
More information about carb overfeeding would’ve been nice. Fat overfeeding doesn’t seem to work in the same way, and telling us which carbs to eat would’ve also been a welcome feature.
Was V Shred Right?
So, there you have it, folks! We’ve taken a laid-back look at V Shred’s carb cycling strategy, and it turns out there were some things he got right and a couple of things he missed the mark on.
Matching your calories with the output of the day? Absolutely on point! It makes sense that on those high-energy, intense workout days, you fuel up with more carbs to meet your body’s needs.
And on those low-activity rest days, dialing down the carb intake is a smart move. It’s all about finding that balance to allow for a calorie deficit, which is key for weight loss.
Now, the idea of a cheat day to reset your leptin levels was a bit surprising. While the science isn’t crystal clear, it seems that a moderate cheat day might help as long as you don’t go completely overboard.
All in all, V Shred’s video had some accurate info mixed in with a few gaps. More details on carb overfeeding and specific carb recommendations would’ve been cool. I’m delightfully impressed with this video, to be completely honest!