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 Team Powell,
I’ve purchased the Extreme Transformation book and I’ve been doing the extreme cycle for 8 weeks. My body fat has gone down from 22% to 19% while my weight has stayed basically the same or gone up. I’m recovering from mono/mold illness so my workouts are limited to 2-3 strength sessions per week due to lethargy on many days. I took a week off from the cycle, but I’m starting back this week. I need to know how important it is to have 5 meals per day The entire time I did the carb cycle before, I had a difficult time with meal 4 because it’s right before my only time to work out. Could I wait to have it after my workout and only have 4 meals a day and get the same/similar results? Maybe eat every 3 1/2 hrs instead of every 3 hours? I appreciate your help.
Hi Sheri: You’re doing amazing! Here’s a post that can help you structure your meal schedule in carb cycling: https://heidipowell.net/10556. And just do the best you can! 🙂
For breakfast, can steel cut oats and berries qualify as being both my carb and my protein? Or do I need more protein than what is in the steel cut oats?
I’m needing to be dairy-free. So I’m struggling to find more protein ideas without having eggs at every meal 😉
Hello!
I was wondering if you could tell me if the Transform App is similar to the Vemma App? I followed the Vemma plan and had great success. I was bummed when it went away.
Also, is there a free trail for a week or so to test it out before purchasing it? I would be very appreciative if there was anything like that available.
Thank you so much
Texcean Krebsbach
Hi Texcean: The Transform App has a complete nutrition and workout program, and it’s customized to you and your goals. As you progress towards your goals, your nutrition and exercise program changes to help you progress even further. There really is nothing like it on the market! You can sign up for as little as a month to check everything out. We hope you love it! 🙂
Hi!
It’s been a few years since I tried carb cycling. When I did, I was super successful using the Turbo Cycle. Now, a few years later, I have found myself in a terrible rut again, and in dire need of some weight-loss, carb cycling again! I was planning to just do the Turbo Cycle again (because that is what I am familiar with), but now I am hearing about the new Extreme Cycle. Can you tell me which cycle would be best and fastest for me to lose weight? I am a creature of habit and it’s hard for me to “accept” that eating MORE carbs will be faster to lose weight! I am 35 years old and have 60 lbs to lose. Thanks for the help – love you guys!
Hi Lis: I’d go with the Extreme Cycle – it’s awesome! And don’t forget to make and keep those small, simple daily promises to yourself, and here’s a post that can help with those: https://heidipowell.net/8679. You can do this! 🙂
Hello, I’m new to carb cycling and have been researching though your site. I am 5’4, 47 yo female and weigh 200. I plan to continue weight training as well as some cardio. I’m confused as to which cycle I should use, the turbo or extreme. Which has been proven for maximum weight loss? Also, what is the lb loss difference between the two?
Hi Connie: Welcome to carb cycling! I’d start with the Extreme Cycle as it’s outlined in this post and in Chris and Heidi’s book, “Extreme Transformation.” As far as a rate of weight loss, that depends on your biometrics, exercise intensity/frequency/duration, and how well you stick to the nutrition program. We recommend a 10% weight loss goal in the first 90 days. You can do this! 🙂
HI i live in Northern Ireland is ur recommended to get ur book? Or is it American based? Foods etc?
Thanx
Verona
Hi Verona: Most of the foods should be available in your area. We try to keep them as simple as possible. 🙂
Can I change the sequence of the meals on Low Carb days? Would it be okay to start my first meal as protein and fat and my second meal consisting of what would be the breakfast meal with protein, fat, and carbs?
Hi Mel: Since each type of meal (breakfast, low carb, high carb) has a specific role in Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program, it’s best to keep them in the order they’re outlined each day. 🙂
Hello Team Powell,
I have been doing the extreme transformation. Even though the recipes in the book are delicious I’ve been on the Extreme Cycle for awhile and want to start planning my own meals. On day four (page 107) I see the guidelines but am a bit confused. what does the <30 calories on high carb days and the <30 calories on low carb days mean? Your help is very much aprreciated.
Thank You
Hi Gigi: Each gram of fat = 9 calories, and each gram of protein or carbs = 4 calories, and you can use this info to put your own meals together. For example, your breakfast will have 150 cals from protein, 100 cals from carbs, and 100 cals from fat. This equates to 37.5g of protein, 25g of carbs, and 11g of fat. I hope this helps!
At the moment I am currently doing the Turbo Carb Cycle, after reading Choose More to Lose More… I’m wondering what I should do for excercise on this plan. Right now on the Turbo Plan I’ve been losing fat (not muscle), just fine, but I would like to build more muscle which is why I figured I should give this a try. Should I continue doing 9 minute missions and the hour long cardio session that is described in Choose More to Lose More, and then do my own additional resistance routine, or should I cut out the missions and just do my own thing? Thanks!
Also, do I still need to do a slingshot week every 3 weeks or so?
Hi Ryan: We recommend doing a slingshot week every 4th week. 🙂
Hi Ryan: You can definitely do your own resistance training in place of the 9 Minute Missions if you’d like to!
Can I do my resistance training routine in addition to my 9 minute missions in the morning, or would that not be a good idea?
Hi Ryan: If you have your own resistance training program, you can skip the 9 Minute Missions altogether. 🙂
I’m 43 and starting to get back in shape. It is not as easy to shed the fat and replace it with muscle as it was at a younger age. I’m not a weight conscious person. I eat balanced and healthy. I’ve always been able to maintain my weight and don’t diet. This time, however, I feel like I need a boost to push my body to change. I’m running 30-40 min 3-4 times a week and doing weight training 3 times a week, sometimes more. I’m feeling firm but this time around my fat, especially obliques and back in general, is holding its ground. I’d like to try carb cycling but not sure if I go with fit or another for 7 days then change to fit? Please advise.
Hi Jennifer: You’re doing awesome! I’d begin with the Extreme Cycle, and up to an hour of cardio/day (6 days a week) + strength training are already included in the way the program is designed, so you should be good to go! You can do this!