You’ve likely heard us talk about carb cycling a lot. We even include a carb cycling calculator in the calorie and macro calculator within the V Shred App for IOS and Android.

But here’s the deal… carb cycling is demanding and tricky, and it’s a dieting strategy with a pretty in-depth learning curve. It is definitely NOT for everyone, and even people who are well-versed in nutrition struggle with it — or only do it for specific periods of time.

When you’re just starting out, to be honest, it’s a lot easier to do carb cycling wrong than to do it right. For that reason, we only advise carb cycling as something you do after mastering the basics of calories, meal prep, and regular training.

The best way to do this is to follow (and finish) one of our 90-day programs— like Fat Loss Extreme Male, Fat Loss Extreme Female, or MOVE. 

Even better, follow that program while asking all the questions you have along the way in our private Facebook groups for men or women, where V Shred trainers and nutrition experts are always available to answer your questions.

When To Consider Carb Cycling

Remember, the best eating style for you is the one that you can stick to consistently! That might be carb cycling for you, or it might not. After three months in one of our workout programs and lots of practice dialing in your calories and nailing workouts, you’ll have a better understanding of fitness and nutrition, and what works for you overall.

If you really want to try carb cycling and don’t want to wait three months, or you get to the end of the 90 days and are still totally lost, we can help you!

Our V Shred certified trainers and nutritionists create custom meal plans for people who want to take the planning off of their plate–literally.

Sound like a good fit? Reach out by clicking HERE or emailing coaching@vshred.com.

The post Do I Need To Do Carb Cycling? appeared first on V Shred.

There is a good reason nutrition experts tell you to eat somewhere between two and five servings of fruit each day. Fruit is packed with nutrients, fiber, antioxidants — all kinds of good stuff.

Now, eating as much fruit as you want, that’s a different story.

Remember that all foods, even “healthy” ones, have calories. So yes, it is possible to overeat fruit and put yourself in a caloric surplus that could cause weight gain, or get in the way of your weight loss goals.

So how do you know how much is enough?

How To Be Strategic With What Fruits You Choose

First things first: There’s a big difference between raw fruit and all the foods out there that are pretending to be fruit, like dried fruit, fruit yogurt, and fruit juice. Those things are not really fruit.

When we refer to “fruit,” we are talking about fresh produce. Many nutritionists consider certain vegetables like greens or asparagus to be “free foods” that you don’t need to track, but fruit, as healthy as it is, is not calorically free.

So, no matter your daily calorie budget that you have calculated in our V Shred app for IOS or Android— definitely track all fruit!

Next, if you are on a lower-calorie diet, you may want to stick with fruits that are lower in calories per serving. Some examples of low-calorie fruits include

• Berries
• Apples
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus

There isn’t anything wrong with higher-calorie fruits like bananas or pineapple. Pending your individual calorie, carbohydrate, or overall macro allowance, you just might have to enjoy a smaller portion.

There’s More Than One Way to Get Your Fruit

Suppose your calories are pretty low, or you don’t enjoy fruit? In that case, there is an easy and virtually calorie-free way to help make sure you’re getting all the micronutrients you should. One scoop of Sculpt Nation GREENS is jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants from fruits and vegetables. Plus, they taste delicious — the strawberry flavor in particular is a fan fave.

And if you eat fruit in an attempt to curb your sweet tooth, you may also want to give our Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies a try. They seriously taste like candy! Plus, they can help give you quick “pick-me-up energy” and provide digestion and metabolism support.

One more thing worth noting: It’s rarely a good idea to ONLY eat fruit as a meal. Whenever possible, have it as part of a  balanced meals that includes protein. One way you could enjoy both is with a Sculpt Nation Protein smoothie. You can find some of our favorite protein smoothie recipes HERE, and more of them within the V Shred app.

Lots of our clients and nutritionists also post their personal favorite recipes in our private Facebook Group For Men and Women. If you haven’t joined yet, make sure to do that!

Don’t Quite Trust Yourself Around Fruit?

We get it — even something as healthy as fruit can be a “trigger” food for some people. That’s why V Shred has a team of certified nutritionists who make custom diet plans every day built around just the right amounts of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats. They can help you make one that respects your cravings and helps you move toward your goals.

Reach out at coaching@vshred.com or click HERE, and we can start making your personalized meal plan today!

The post Can I Eat As Much Fruit As I Want? appeared first on V Shred.

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The post V Shred Review – Ryan’s Inspiring Weight Loss Journey with V Shred appeared first on V Shred.

When 32-year-old Melissa had her 2nd child in late 2019, she looked to running to lose her baby weight. But soon after, she started having problems with her knee and had to figure out another way to get her body back.

She needed to stay home with her new baby, plus we were in the middle of covid lockdown at the time, so going to a gym wasn’t an option.

Without a gym or running, Melissa had no clue what to do. Then, as she scrolled Instagram one day, Vince popped up with the answer she’d been looking for!

“It was like he was speaking directly to me. He was saying, do you want to lose weight without all this running? I was like, let me keep watching,” says Melissa. 

The technique Vince was referring to is HIIT (high intensity interval training.) Giving up endless hours of running and switching to shorter fast-paced workouts was a concept totally foreign to Melissa, but she was willing to give it a try!

“My knee was in so much pain, my back was in so much pain, and he was saying that we can still be successful without long-distance running. I knew it was meant to be,” she says. 

Even though the program seemed to be a perfect fit, like most people, Melissa still had hesitations. She tried other online programs in the past without much success, so she had little hope V Shred would be different.

But despite her doubts, she purchased the Fat Loss Extreme and quickly learned why our programs work!

“It’s the technique he uses that is different. Some of the exercises I struggled with, but what I never did was give up. I remember Vince always said, even if it means that you can give me two reps within the 20 seconds, do it, but don’t just sit and do nothing, don’t stop.”

Melissa says it was like she had a personal trainer pushing her right there in her living room. Much needed, especially with a little one making things more difficult some days.

“When I started V Shred, my daughter was at a point where she was very clingy. So, I would even work out with her in my hands. I made sure I got that workout in, at any cost.”

From March until June, Melissa worked every day to complete the Fat Loss Extreme program. She even made modifications to the program to challenge herself even more!!

“When I finished day one, I didn’t feel like I worked out enough. So each day when I finished, whether it was 17 minutes, or it was 19 minutes, I just replayed from the top and went again.”

In addition to the daily workouts, Melissa focused on cleaning up her diet. She used the macro calculator in our V Shred App for Apple and Android to determine her calorie needs, but instead of trying to be perfect – she simply watched portion sizes and made better food choices.

“Here in France, it’s not easy to find everything that he has on the menu. I would use the next closest thing and improvise. If I couldn’t find any substitute at all, I would use my own ideas but make sure that my portion stayed in the calorie intake range and stick to that size meal every single day.”

At the beginning of her journey back in March 2020, Melissa weighed 145. She can’t tell us how much weight she’s lost, because she hasn’t stepped on a scale. 

“I don’t do the scale. The only reason why I knew when I started I was 145 pounds is because I needed that to calculate my calorie intake. I didn’t weigh when I finished, and I still don’t know how much I weigh today. I want no part of it. The pictures are enough for me. My flabby arms are gone, and that’s muscle now, and I am so much stronger than I used to be; I was so weak before.”

In addition to feeling stronger and her body looking totally different, Melissa says that her back and knee pain is gone.

“Before V Shred, I couldn’t run without a knee band. Now, I don’t need a knee band anymore.”

During her journey, Melissa also learned the positive impact of community. She joined our womens facebook group, and once she saw how she was motivating people on there, she was inspired to create her own fitness Instagram account and even follow in the footsteps of Vince and start a fitness YouTube channel!

“People would always tell me they were inspired by my weight loss.They would say we need you to show us how you do this workout and encouraged me to start my fitness channel. It’s a whole new journey for me. On my family channel we just have a little over 16,000 subscribers. On my fitness channel I’m almost at 1,000 subscribers. People are enjoying the journey with me.”

Complete strangers aren’t the only ones finding motivation through Melissa’s weight-loss journey. Her husband is now following in her footsteps and their 5-year-old son loves to workout alongside them as well.

“Sometimes, you just randomly see my son in the living room doing the workout, and you hear him speaking like Vince. He’s like, come on, five more seconds to go. He’s hilarious.” 

Now that she is stronger, leaner, more confident, and pain-free, Melissa is eager to continue using V Shred to see how much more she can improve! Her only regret? That she didn’t know about V Shred sooner!

“Check me back, next year this time, I’ll be beyond what I could ever expect me to be. I’m looking forward to that.” 

If you want to get started on your own V Shred transformation, the best place to start is by taking our free body type quiz or connecting with one of our expert one-on-one coaches! 

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