I think carb "timing" is more important than carb cycling. By that I mean eating more carbs when your upcoming level of activity requires them and less when your upcoming activity doesn’t. When I create diets for people I adjust their calories based on daily activity levels for the week, the macronutrients consumed follow the same ratios from day to day but the ratios change from meal to meal.

Saying that, different strokes for different folks. Personally, I will often eat less carbs on days that my activity level is low or I am not working out. But I have found that my body fat levels stay lower if I have few carbs in my diet, I tend to smooth out much faster with higher carb ratios. I have trained many people that have no trouble remaining lean with plenty of carbs in their diet, again different strokes.

If you are responding well to carb cycling I wouldn’t change anything. I do feel however that most people respond well with my carb timing approach, plus they still get to have carbs daily and don’t feel that they are sacrificing too much. Keep in mind most people I train are regular everyday people or fitness buffs, not competitors that are willing to sacrifice on a much higher level.

Darrin