Free Carb Cycling Calculator

By: Jeremy Fox, CNC, CPT – Updated: August 25, 2022

This carb cycling calculator stands out from the rest because you get a detailed personal plan that’s also easy to follow. And did I mention it’s free?!

All you have to do is, answer a few simple questions in the form below. Then you’ll see your personalized carb cycling macros and calories.

Give it a try and get your free plan in just a few minutes!

Before you fill out the carb cycling calculator, it’s a good idea to skim through the information below. That way, you will understand carb cycling and how it works.

Carb Cycling Calculator

What is Carb Cycling?

Why Use It?

Who Should Use It?

Benefits

How the Carb Cycling Calculator Works

Carb Cycling Example

What is Carb Cycling?

Carb cycling refers to alternating your daily carbohydrate intake. Usually, a “cycle” includes low, medium, and high-carb days over the course of the week. And the exact cycle depends on your body, activity level, and goals.

But why use carb cycling in the first place? After all, it sounds a lot more complicated than just eating low carbs all the time.

Why Use Carb Cycling?

Low-carb diets are arguably the most popular for weight loss. But, the reason they work is not simply the elimination of carbs.

Instead, reducing carbs gets results because it lowers your blood sugar. This, in turn, lowers insulin and promotes fat burning.

carb cycling calculator - carbs and blood sugar

Figure 1. Low-carb diets lower blood sugar and insulin. Carb cycling does the same thing without being overly restrictive.

However, restricting carbs all the time isn’t necessarily the best approach in the long run, especially in extreme cases like the keto diet.

For one, it’s not practical for most people because eliminating carbs doesn’t fit well with our family or social lives.

In addition, low-carb diets often result in prolonged calorie restriction. This energy deficit helps with short-term weight loss but can lead to metabolic damage and hormone imbalance.

On the other hand, carb cycling allows the flexibility to enjoy carbs with your family and friends. So you can live your life in a more normal fashion.

When used correctly, high-carb days help boost your metabolism and prevent the unwanted side effects of restrictive dieting.

Figure 2. An illustration of how typical low-carb, low-calorie diets fail.

Who Should Use the Carb Cycling Calculator?

Anyone can use carb cycling, whether your goal is burning fat or building muscle.

If you check any of these boxes, carb cycling is probably for you:

You’re fed up with crash diets
You’ve tried low carb or keto and couldn’t stick to it
You want the flexibility to enjoy carbs in moderation
You’re looking to add lean muscle while burning fat
You want a more sustainable approach to nutrition
You need to fuel intense resistance training or long duration workouts

Carb Cycling Meal Plan

Get a personalized plan built for your body, activity level, and fitness goals! For just $17.99 per month, your plan includes a custom carb cycling schedule with menus and recipes.

Customize Your Plan

Benefits of Carb Cycling

Carb cycling is a proven way to boost your metabolism and maintain lean muscle. This, in turn, helps you burn more fat and transform your body.

In addition, carb cycling is sustainable because there are no crashes, and you can enjoy carbs without guilt!

For more information on all the benefits of carb cycling, check out my in-depth article by clicking the link below.

Featured: 5 Awesome Benefits of Carb Cycling

Figure 3. An illustration of how carb cycling maintains your metabolism during a calorie deficit.

Generally, carb cycling coincides with your workout schedule. Low carbs when you don’t work out, medium carbs when you do. And a weekly high carb day to boost your metabolism.

Again, the number of low, medium, and high days varies with your situation. For example, your numbers depend on your body, schedule, and fitness goals. That’s where the carb cycling calculator comes in.

How the Carb Cycling Calculator Works

The carb cycling calculator works by asking you questions about your unique situation. First, specify your weight, body composition, and body type to establish your metabolic rate.

Next, you give details about your daily activity and workout schedule. Then, we can calculate your ideal calorie target and macronutrient ratio for each day of the week.

Lastly, you choose your fitness goal. You can use carb cycling for fat loss, body recomposition, and even muscle gain.

After completing the questions, you’ll see your personalized carb cycling macros, including a breakdown of your low, medium, and high days.

Figure 4. With carb cycling, the percentage of carbs in your diet should adjust to your activity level.

Carb Cycling Calculator Example

At this point, you may wonder what a carb cycling plan might look like. So let me walk you through an example.

In this scenario, a 175-man works out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. His primary goal is to burn as much fat as possible while maintaining lean muscle. In other words, he wants to look good in a bathing suit, like we all do.

To do this, he starts the week with a high-carb day for his Monday workout. Then he eats medium carbs for his Wednesday and Friday workouts. And on his rest days, he follows a low-carb diet.

Click here to get the free 7-day carb cycling meal plan PDF.

Figure 5. This is what you’ll see when you complete the carb cycling calculator. A table with your personalized calories and macros, including tips for each day.

High Carb Day

On a high-carb day, the added carbohydrates fuel your workout and fill your glycogen stores to provide energy for the week ahead. In addition, the slight calorie surplus boosts your metabolism, offsetting the negative effects of dieting.

A high carb day should be 45-55% carbs, 15-25% fat, and 27-30% protein.

Some people think of high-carb days as cheat days where you can eat whatever you want. However, you should still try to hit your macro targets using mostly healthy foods.

I prefer to think of high-carb days as a strategic part of a fat-burning nutrition plan. Therefore, I call them refeed days instead of cheat days.

Medium Carb Day

On a regular workout day, you need enough carbs to replenish what you burn during exercise without spilling over. Your exact carb intake depends on your body composition, activity level, and fitness goal. But here are some guidelines.

A medium carb day should be 20-40% carbs, 30-50% fat, and 27-30% protein.

Low Carb Day

On rest days, you don’t burn as many calories or carbs. Hence, your carb intake should be lower.

At the same time, your fat intake can be higher since you burn more calories from fat on rest days.

Low carb days should be 5-20% carbs, 50-65% fat, and 30% protein.

Try the Carb Cycling Calculator

Now that you understand how carb cycling works, it’s time to try the free calculator. It only takes a few minutes!

When you’re done, you’ll be able to see a table with your weekly plan laid out in detail. Each day shows your calories and macros.

Below is an example for someone who works out 4 days per week with the goal of weight loss. Of course, your exact numbers will vary depending on your situation.