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
Team Powell,
Thanks for answering my questions, it is making more sense. I promise just a few more clarifying questions..
1. Go kashi is ONLY considered a carb, even though it has some protein in it? Is this true? So if I had that for breakfast I would still need to add a protein?
2. On a fat day, would a quest bar satisfy a meal (protein & fat)?
3. If I use my fitness pal and I am not sure about exact measurements of food ( palm size, tip of thumb, etc) if I put in MFP just make sure the macros (40,40,20) and ( 40,20,40)
work out.??
4. The calorie guide measurements in the book is just to let you know what 100 calories looks like and is not related to portion sizes?
5. For the macros should I look at “net carbs” or total carbs and not consider the fiber.
I just need these clarifications to get a full understanding of the program.. Thank you very much
Hi Jen: 1-4. Yes, you are correct. 5. For carbs, look at total carbs. You got this!
If we aren’t looking at “net” carbs but total carbs, then aren’t Quest bars too high in carb for LC meal, and too high in fat for a HC meal? Confused about the fiber grams – counting or not towards total carb count?
Hi Elise: Quest bars are considered the protein and fat portions of a low-carb meal. Yes, they do have some carbs, but the fat grams are higher than the net carbs, so that is okay. It’s very difficult to find any food that is strictly a fat or a carb, since both fats and carbs can be in different foods in small amounts. Hope that helps!
Hi Team
I have done classic cycle in the past and liked it ( i had the book chose to lose). In this book there was a slingshot technique on the 4th week. And brown sugar, honey, milk were on the list of unapproved foods.
So my question is:
1) should we do the slingshot technique in extreme cycle too?
2) is it the fastest weight loss option over turbo cycle?
3) are the approved and non approved foods same as in previous books?
Hi Melike: 1) You can still do a slingshot week every 4th week if you’d like to, and you can double your carb portion at every meal. 2) The new Extreme Cycle is the fastest cycle, but you can also do the Turbo Cycle. Remember – you can change cycles at any time! 3) The approved foods list has changed a little bit from “Choose to Lose.” And honey, brown sugar, and dairy milk are not on the approved foods list. We recommend using unsweetened almond milk in place of dairy milk. Hope that helps! ?
How should the workouts look like for the different days? I was always told low days are days off and cheat days were the toughest workouts.
Hi Amelia: All the workouts are outlined for each day of the 21 day cycle in the book, and you can get more information in these posts: https://heidipowell.net/10506/metabolic-missions/ and https://heidipowell.net/10508/accelerators/.
Hi!
I have a couple of questions. I purchased the choose to lose book and I asked the question before. You gave me the general macro breakout on high/low carb days. How do you calculate that into grams?
Also in the book it says for a woman a carb portion is a fist size or one cup. Is that right? It seems like to much, like 1 full cup of rice or oatmeal for one portion? My fist is not that big! I would think it would be closer to 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup.
For example, if I had lashi go lean for breakfast, does that satisfy the carb, protein and fat requirement. And what would be the serving size?
Hi Jen: To figure grams of macros, take the total calories, multiply that by the recommended macro percentage, and divide that number by 4 for proteins and carbs or by 9 for fats. And Kashi Go Lean counts as a carb, and you’d go for that fist-sized portion. If you’re concerned about the portion sizes, you can count calories (aim for 1200 on low-carb days and 1500 on high-carb days), and use the macro percentages to help you figure out your meals. You can do this!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!
Just to clarify, even though go kashi has protein in it, it only counts as a carb?
Last question! The portion for a fat is the tip of your thumb. What if you have almonds, how many would equal a serving size?
Your clarifications are very helpful. Thank you!
Jen, would you give me macros breakdown you got . I can figure out rest from there.
Hello guys! I have a question about portion sizes and calorie counts. My husband and I are on the end of week 1 of extreme cycle. When I made and preportioned our food I forgot about his sizes/counts being different and made them all the same size. After I realized that he needed bigger portions he ate more but says he felt bloated and didn’t want to eat the bigger portions. Should he still eat them even if he doesn’t finish out can he stay at the same size. Also on my low carb days I’m finding that my calorie counts are just as high as my high carb days just about 1500, should I cut back more on low carb days? I’m trying to prep ahead for the week and it’s going well, I just can’t seem to figure out the calories adding up so much. Thanks in advance
I had two questions that I am trying to figure out as my husband and I are on the extreme plan.
1. When we are creating our own meals I was using the chart listed on day 4 with the number of calories breakdown for each meal/type along with the food chat with categories in the back of the book, but above in the end of Heidi’s post it shows the portion sizes such as palm etc. Which should we be going by??
2. With quest bars I am trying to determine how to incorporate these properly. For example the one I have is 190 calories, 9g fat, 20 g carbs, 14g fiber and 21g protein. I had read in another comment that you said count them as protein and fat for a low carb meal, but my fitness pal says its considered 40% carbs? Also since on low carb meals my husband and I are supposed to have more calories than this….do we just add more from another source?
Thank you for your help, we are really trying to make sure we getting the most out of the program!!!
Hi Jennifer: Let’s get you some answers to your questions! 1) Use the calorie guide as much as possible. The portion size guides are very handy when you’re out and about and have to eyeball your portion sizes. 2) You could add in veggies to make up the calorie difference, and your husband could eat a portion of a second bar, or another source of protein and fat, plus veggies if needed, to make up the calories for his low-carb meal. These guides are just that, a guide, and we understand that it’s not always feasible to hit these calorie recommendations exactly. Just do your best!
Thank you… So those bars would be considered a protein and fat then and not a carb?
Yes! ?
I have a couple of questions. My friend and I started January 2 with Extreme Transformation. The first month I lost 7 pounds, this month we both gained a pound back. We have been attending a Fit Body Boot Camp and at least twice a week we do back to back classes. The second month we also cut back on carbs so we really tried to do low carb, but still following the meals from the book for low carb days. Did we really just screw up everything by not carb cycling? Also, should we switch up our workouts and add in cardio days and not class? Do we need a different workout plan?? We are just so frustrated and not sure what to do at this point. And to top it off my body fat % is 41%. It was that much when I was 20 pounds heavier!! Any thoughts or advice will be so appreciated!!! I still have a minimum of 30 pounds to go.
Hi Dana: It’s best to follow the nutrition plan as it’s outlined. The low- and high-carb days are arranged in the way they are for the maximum weight loss, and carbs are very important for not only good health but for weight loss also. As for your workout plan, strength training and cardio are both important for weight loss, and some workouts can qualify as both if your heart rate is staying in a fat burning range during the workout. Chris and Heidi recommend up to an hour of cardio 6 days a week (Accelerators in the book), so keep that in mind when planning your workouts. You can do this!
Hello Team Powell,
I have recently purchased your book, and have a couple questions if you don?t mind answering for me?
1. I am going to try a couple breakfast options from your book, but I also enjoy taking a couple supplements in a shake (ingredients below) and wanted to see if I could alternate between meals and a shake? BUT I do not know what category the ingredients fall under, would you help me?
? Almond milk
? Barlean’s organic flax chia coconut blend
? WelleCo Super Elixir Alkalizing Greens
? Symbiotics Colostrum Powder
? Vanilla Extract
2. What category does PB2 powder fall under?
3. What type of protein powder do you recommend I purchase?
4. On reset days I know there are recipes in the book for clean cheats but I was wondering what the caloric intake limit would be. My husband is thin as a rail and a total foodie, so my reset day would be for us to enjoy going to lunch or dinner and having a burger, pad thai, etc., therefore what are the guidelines for the rest days?
5. How would sushi fit in the 21 day program, as well as soy sauce?
6. For my immune system I drink a few times a week an unsweetened iced green tea with pure matcha powder, would this still be allowed?
7. For sweeteners, the only thing that tastes like sugar to me is Equal which I know is bad. I read on the blogs that you recommend Xylitol, but is there anything else that would taste like sugar? I read the xylitol is harmful to animals.
I thank you in advance for your time and attention.
Hi Nicole: Let?s get you some answers to your questions: 1) Chris and Heidi recommend using unsweetened almond milk, and if you use 2+ cups at a time, this is considered a fat. The Barleans product does have some fat in it, so keep an eye on that. I couldn?t find a nutritional label for the WelleCo product. The other two products should be okay. 2) You can find a complete foods list beginning on page 302 of the book, and this is a great tool for you to use when putting your meals together. 3) Chris and Heidi recommend low-fat, whey-based powders with between 15-20 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving. 4) On Reset Days, you can eat anything you?d like up to an additional 1,000 calories. 5) Low-sodium soy sauce is considered a condiment. Sushi can be a bit trickier depending on the serving size you?re eating. With rice as a part of most sushi, that counts as a carb. Any meats could count as a protein if the portion size is large enough. 6) This should be fine. 7) Chris and Heidi recommend stevia and xylitol as natural sweeteners. And here?s another post that can help you with meal planning on the Extreme Cycle: https://heidipowell.net/10617/the-extreme-cycle-meal-planning-tips/. Good luck ? you can do this!
I just wanted to say I love following you and Chris on Facebook and Instagram! I purchased your book and I was trying to figure out how many carbs/protein/fat in grams I should be eating on high and low carb days! I’m 5’4 and about 120lbs! I crossfit 6 days a week and usually run about 5 miles on the 7th day! I eat 80/20 clean but I would like to lose body fat and get leaner! I’m just wondering if I should still eat 1200-1500 cal per day and if I should eat about 140-150 g of carbs on high carb days? It seems in the book that each high carb day is about 140-150g carbs
Hi Trisha: For the Extreme Cycle, aim for 1500 calories a day on both low- and high-carb days. You can get some other helpful info in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10617/the-extreme-cycle-meal-planning-tips/. ?
Hi, this is my third day of Extreme Cycle, is that ok if everyday I eat my breakfast at different time ? sometimes I have my breakfast at 9:30 am and that means my dinner would be at 9:30 pm ? and at the following day I eat early at 8:40 am ? Or should I eat the breakfast at the same time for the following 21 days ?? Thank you. So far I have lost 0,6 kg! yeayy….
Hi Amelia: Congratulations! ? It’s not necessary to eat breakfast at the same time every day. The important thing is to eat within 30 minutes of waking and then every 3 hours for 5 meals a day.