Carb Cycling

Refeeds may help preserve metabolism during fat loss. Refeeds are presented as planned carbohydrate periods rather than cheat days. The dual fuel model uses both carbohydrates or glycogen and ketones instead of rigid continuous ketosis. Carb cycling is least harmful only in fully keto-adapted individuals with no insulin resistance, but even then it is argued to be unnecessary. The reasoning behind carb cycling contains a fundamental error: performance drops during keto transition reflect incomplete adaptation, not a limitation of fat metabolism. Reverting from fat-burning to sugar-burning is very fast — a single carb-loading event is sufficient to exit ketosis. Carbohydrate refeeds refill muscle glycogen and glycogen-associated water. Brief insulin elevation is presented as useful, while chronic elevation is presented as harmful. Carb cycling perpetually resets the keto adaptation clock, trapping the person in a state where they experience the drawbacks of both metabolisms without the full benefits of either. Inflammatory cheat days are criticized for causing multi-day symptoms and impairing performance. The most common motivation for carb cycling is restoring performance during t…