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 Heidi (and Chris),
Greetings from the Netherlands! I have followed you both for years now and still am. I always wanted to be able to do a program designed by you. Now I can. Jeeeej!
I just bought the book and it will be in Tomorrow.
Thank you already! Keep up your happy spirits and joyful authentic selves.
With Love Ramona
I just got your book and am starting the 21 day extreme cycling on Monday. My biggest concern is on certain days of the week I get up at 4am to make it to a 5am crossfit class which makes for a very long day. I always eat before working out as well. How would you suggest spacing out my meals because at eating every 3-3.5 hours would put my last meal around 5pm. I don’t think I can then go the rest of the night without eating. I typically go to bed around 10pm.
Hi Heather: Here’s a post that can help you figure out how to best structure your meals: https://heidipowell.net/10556. And welcome to carb cycling – you can do this!
Hello Powells!
I’m thinking of starting carb cycling. I probably 20 lbs to lose, most people that know me would say that’s a big stretch. I’m a yo yo dieter and binge eater trying to take charge before it’s too late. I’m very impatient when it comes to results. I hate cooking but i realize that I’ll have to get over that. I do hot yoga about 5/6 days a week and intend to start strength training additionally. Would you recommend turbo or extreme to begin?
Hi Sarah: I’d start with the Extreme Cycle, and here’s another post that can help too: https://heidipowell.net/10617. You can do this!
Hi! I am wondering which is better for someone (female 39) trying to lose 80+ lbs and also fighting hormones at this age. Would extreme be enough low carb days to work or should I try turbo? I just bought extreme but if you recommend turbo I’ll go get it. I want to do this dietbet the best I can. I find it so hard for the weight to budge despite working out daily.
Hi Jaime: You’re good to go to use the Extreme Cycle, it’s awesome! And good luck with your DietBet game – you can do this!
hi! I also am confused about turbo or extreme, I want to lose about 20 lbs, I thought turbo would be good, but i bought extreme transformation not realizing it was just the extreme cycle. I just started working out again, with a goal of about 4-5 days a week, doing strength training, HITS, and spin, should i go get the turbo book or do the extreme? can I lose this much weight in 3 weeks on extreme cycle?
Hi Amalia: I’d start with the Extreme Cycle, as it’s the most up-to-date cycle program, and it’s awesome! It sounds like your workout routine is definitely on the right track, so you’ll have great success!
I have 3 questions- 1. I am on my second week of the extreme cycle. My reset day is on Monday but I want to switch it to Fridays. What is the best way to go about doing this?
2. Are pork chops not allowed? I have the book and don’t see it but thought I would ask.
3. If I am not currently working out should I expect to still lose weight? Would I need to modify the calorie intake?
Hi Laetitia: It’s best not to switch up your Reset Day too often, unless you want it to be on Friday every week. If you’d like to change your Reset Day, then you’ll begin your week on Saturday (day 1), and end it on Friday (day 7/Reset Day), and keep the days (high and low carb) in the same order as they’re outlined. For pork, look for lean/loin cuts. And you can lose weight without working out, but working out burns calories, revs up your metabolism so it burns more calories throughout the day, and is great for overall good health. And I wouldn’t modify the calorie intake, as your body does need a certain number of calories to function properly. You can do this!
Can you do Quest Bars? If so, what days and how often in a week? Thanks!
Quest bars, and like bars, are great options for a low carb meal replacement, and Chris and Heidi recommend eating them no more than once a day. Hope that helps!
I’m on my second week of carb cycling and LOVE it! In my first week I lost 4.8 lbs!
My question is around bars. Which are the best to eat on this plan (if any) on high carb days? Personally, I LOVE Lara bars. I had one on my cheat day, but didn’t throughout the week because I thought the carbs may be too high. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear other recommendations. I am a working mom and having a quick grab and go option, a few days a week, would be nice if I am in a time crunch. Thanks!
Thanks for giving us a new cycle! Do we do a regular Slingshot week every 4 weeks on this cycle? If so, are the high carb days like the high carb days of other cycles, or like the ones on this cycle? Thanks!
Hi Tara: Yes, you can do a Slingshot Week every 4th week, and on this cycle, this week is a week of consecutive high-carb days and each day you’ll eat double the carbs each day. Hope that helps!
Thank you Heidi. I don’t remember eating double carbs on the Classic Cycle slingshot week – is this unique to the Extreme Cycle? So at every meal you eat twice the carbs of a regular meal? Do you eat a fat portion at breakfast? Do you skip the carbs at your last meal? Thanks so much for the additional details!
Hi Tara: Yes, this is a change for the Extreme Cycle. Follow the outline for a high carb day, just double your carb portions whenever a carb is included in a meal. 🙂
We have recently been eating Cappellos Fettuccine pasta as a grain replacement. The ingredients are Almond flour, cage free eggs, tapioca flour, xantham gum, sea salt. Would this be considered a carb or fat due to the Almond flour? It has 17% fat and 7% carbs per serving. Maybe I’ve answered my own question. If a fat, would it be okay to eat on a low carb day?
Hi Brooke: I looked up this product, and it would be best as a reward/reset meal option since it has too many grams of fat to be eaten as part of a high carb meal and too many grams of carbs to be eaten as part of a low carb meal. Hope that helps!
Something I have run into in the past with following a program that provides plan with a calorie count and amount at each meal, is being able to consume everything I am supposed to. Is this something that someone who has had a weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve) can follow effectively? Or is it ok to spread it out more in the day (breakup meals)?
Hi Des: I’d discuss carb cycling with your healthcare team and then follow any modifications they might recommend. You can do this!