The Extreme Cycle is the newest addition to our carb cycling family and is the result of our years of experience helping our peeps successfully transform their lives on Extreme Weight Loss. If you?re already a carb cycler, then a lot about this new cycle will seem familiar. If you’re new to carb cycling, check out the carb cycling basics first, and then get cycling!
Here’s what an Extreme Cycle week looks like:
- Monday: High carb day
- Tuesday: High carb day
- Wednesday: High carb day
- Thursday: High carb day
- Friday: Low carb day
- Saturday: Low carb day
- Sunday: Reset Day (and weigh-in day)
Those four consecutive high carb days will give your body a sense of normalcy and let you get into a routine with meal planning. Switching to two low carb days flips your weight loss into turbo mode, allowing you to burn the maximum fat, which is what we want, right?! And your weekly Reset Day (known as your Reward Day in other cycles), lets you eat all those foods you crave, boosts your metabolic rate, and actually helps you lose weight!
Just like with the other cycles, you’ll eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking and every 3 hours thereafter for a total of 5 meals a day. When it comes to putting your meals together, this is what you’ll do:
- Every breakfast—on both low and high carb days—contains a protein, a carb, and a fat.
- On high carb days, for meals 2, 3, and 4, you’ll be eating a protein, a carb, and veggies. For meal 5, you’ll be eating a protein, a fat, and veggies.
- On low carb days, all 4 meals after breakfast will contain a protein, a fat, and veggies.
- And veggies—the non-root/non-starchy type—are totally “free” in the Extreme Cycle! You can enjoy them in limitless portions, and they are a huge key to helping you feel full throughout your day.
If you’re using our book, Extreme Transformation, where we talk about the Extreme Cycle and a lot of other amazing transformation-related things, all your meals are planned out for you for all 21 days of the cycle! We’ve created 21 days? worth of amazing meals for you, including Cheat Meals for your Reset Days. We’ve also included other options to make meal planning as simple and flexible as possible. And you can repeat the Extreme Cycle as many times as you want, or you can change to the Turbo Cycle if you need to shake things up a bit. And for all you macro counters (*hand raised*), calories and macros are figured out and listed for you with every single recipe. 🙂 If you’d like to put your own meals together, or are out and about and can’t meal prep ahead of time, follow this handy portion size guide:
- Proteins: Palm-size portion
- Carbs (grainy, starchy, and fruit): 1 clenched fist
- Veggies: 2 clenched fists
- Fats: 1 thumb
- Sauces: 1 thumb
Are you ready to take your transformation to the extreme and lose those extra pounds in the fastest and safest way possible? Then grab a copy of Extreme Transformation, and let’s go!
661 Responses
hi! i see you say we can substitute the protein meat/fish portions with tofu,,,but its definitely higher in fats and lower protein than the same 150kcal of lean chicken/turkey for example (mine has for 100g 155kcal – 9g fats – 2g carb – 15g protein). 1)should i only it it for LC meals? 2)x is it the most important to stick to the protein amount or the kcals? thanks a lot! Elisa
Hi Elisa: Here’s a post that can help you with your meal planning: https://heidipowell.net/10617. And there’s a “Create Your Own Meals” chart at the end of the post that shows you how many calories of each macro to include in each meal, so I’d follow these guidelines for all your meals. Hope that helps!
Hi! Do you have any good tips for me regarding the two questions i wrote below? Thanks a lot! Elisa
Hi TP, is it still recommended that the daily Missions be completed in the morning, or does it not matter? Thanks!
Hi Julie: It is best to do the Metabolic Missions first thing in the morning if at all possible. 🙂
Hi Team Powell!
I’ve just finished a full Extreme 21-day cycle and I’m really liking the meals, the way I feel, etc., but I am not losing pounds (but I am losing a couple cms). I’ve been on a weight loss journey for about 5 years now, slowly losing about 55 lb, and wanted to do this program to crack those last ten pounds or so, which I’ve been trying to do for a year or more. I’ve been eating clean and working out for years so there was no shock to my system (read: fast weight loss!) like there would be for someone new to this lifestyle. I realize other measurements are as important as the number on the scale, but my body fat % is still high (29%) as well. I’m a petite pear-shape and these last pounds are clinging to me for dear life! I am doing everything right! Lots of water, 40 min/day cardio and weights, no cheating except on day 7 (within moderation)… what do you think is happening, and what do you think I should tweak/expect in the coming weeks? Thanks so much!
Hi Julie: Since you’ve just finished a 21-day cycle, try shaking things up for a few weeks with the Turbo Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/2724/carb-cycling-the-turbo-cycle/. Often this can be enough to get things going. Then go back to another 21-day Extreme Cycle if you’d like to. You can do this!
What would be the ultimate macro ratio on low carb days and then on high carb days ? What number of Carbs should not be exceeded ? 🙂
I was told to try the extreme before turbo. This would be advised even tho I’m coming from a low carb diet? 🙂
You can get some great meal planning tips, including some awesome charts, for the Extreme Cycle here: https://heidipowell.net/10617. And yes, the Extreme Cycle is a great cycle to follow! And you can change cycles at any time, the plan is totally flexible. You can do this!
having a hard time with veggies for breakfast… 🙁
is that mandatory?
Hi Stephanie: Veggies are a good idea for breakfast, but if you’re too full, you can skip them for this meal.
Team Powell! I’m 22, strong, fit, but about 20lbs overweight. I carry my weight well though- no belly- very evenly distributed. Most people can’t believe how much i actually weigh. It’s easy for me to get strong and build middle mass, but VERY difficult for me to loose weight/fat .. I eat well, but maybe not ENOUGH. I’m tired of my body not showing my fitness. I’m interested in the extreme carb cycling, but I will be honest, all those high carb days scare the crap out of me. I’m so afraid of carbs. I just don’t want to waste my time. Which cycle technique do you recommend for me?
Hi Victoria: Don’t be afraid of the high-carb days. I’d recommend the Extreme Cycle, and the carbs, which are all healthy carbs, are spaced throughout the day, and you don’t even eat any for any dinner (except on your Reset/Reward Day if you’d like). Here’s some more info about carbs that might help: https://heidipowell.net/4514. You can do this!
Hi, I’m trying the Extreme cycle after having done the turbo with no results (I’ve been on a diet for as long as i can remeber, but it’s been always very hard for me to loose weight over the past 10 years, I’m 26 and need to loose10kg, try to always eat healthy, drink a lot of water, vegetarian, workout 5 times a week both cardio/strenght training but nothing). Seeing all the good results people get I bought the book thinking I must be doing something wrong and wanting to get it straight following the recipes, but since I’m a vegetarian its not so easy. 1) should I replace any protein portion with the same amount of tofu/egg whites/lowfat greek yogurt/cottage cheese or should i calculate the same amount of macros of whats in the recipe and therefore eat only certain proteins on LC days and certain ones on HC (even if i’ve tried and it’s not so easy)? 2) could all the lactose in cottage cheese and greek yogurt be not so good for weight loss/hormones? 3) about reward day, do we do 5 reward meals or only 4 (the book says to keep dinners LC, but then on reward day menus i see 5 “reward” meal suggested ? If you have any suggestion for me on why I am not loosing, ever!, it would be great to hear your opinion! thanks a lot, elisa
And another question…is the n.1 rupe to follow the calorie chart (givenchy amount of calories from fat/carb/Prot based on the meal you give in the book) or to count the over all macros no matter where they comw from? Thank you..I want to get it right!:)
Hi Heidi,
I am currently looking for a new nutrition plan to follow and came across your book/site. I have heard a lot about carb cycling and am looking to try it out. I’m not necessarily looking to lose weight, but to cut some fat and gain lean muscle. I am 5ft 2in and weigh 102lbs. I usually workout 6 days a week, with a good mix of cardio and strength training. Would I benefit from the extreme cycle? I saw a post that mentioned all the calorie/macro counts are the same for everyone who does the program. Is this calorie count too high for a smaller person like me? Everywhere else I’ve read about calculating macros/calories says its weight dependent…I’m nervous I will overdo it on this program and get opposite affects.
Thanks!
Gretchen
Hi Gretchen: Here’s a post/program that might work better for you since you’re wanting to gain muscle: https://heidipowell.net/10540/ask-the-powells-gaining-healthy-weight/. Hope it helps!
Hi! I am wondering on the reset day, what % of carbs/protein/fat should one strive for? I know one is suppose to eat 1000 more calories, but do you keep the 40/40/20 high carb day, or does it matter? thanks!
Hi Leslie: You can eat anything you want to up to 1000 extra calories on your Reset Day, so no need to track anything if you don’t want to.