Chris and I have been so excited and touched by the positive feedback we’ve received on our new book, Extreme Transformation! We seriously poured our lives—and lots of blood, sweat, and tears—into this book with the hope that it would help you begin and achieve your transformation goals, whatever they may be. And…we included 21 days? worth of amazing meals in this book after so many of you asked for a daily meal plan. We aim to please! 😉
Many of you have loved the daily meal plans, but we’ve heard that some of you are a little overwhelmed with all of the shopping, prepping, and cooking involved with some of the amazing recipes in the Extreme Cycle. We know it is a lot to take in all at once, and we did not mean for this new way of doing things to be a “do it all now” type of experience. We recognize that it takes just small baby steps to begin to incorporate new healthy habits into your lifestyle, and that’s exactly how we expect it to be with this new carb cycle. That being said, here are five options we’ve laid out for you to help simplify your meal planning on the Extreme Cycle:
Option 1: Follow the 21 day’s worth of meal plans as outlined in Extreme Transformation.
We’ve outlined the shopping list, meal prep, and other tips for you to use to prepare and cook your meals for 21 days. We tried our best to include a variety of recipes each week, because variety is huge when you’re trying to incorporate new habits into your life.
Option 2: Follow the daily outline of low- or high-carb meals in Extreme Transformation with some substitutions.
If you find a day’s plan that works well for you, do it again! You can double up the same meals during the week to cut down on meal prep (eat the same dinner on Monday and Thursday, for example), or swap meals (high-carb for high carb, low-carb for low-carb, clean cheat for clean cheat, breakfast for breakfast) to make meal planning and prep easier. If you find that some recipes are easier to prepare than others, then go for those!
Option 3: Use other high-and low-carb recipes.
If you have our other books, Choose to Lose and/or Choose More, Lose More for Life, you can use any of the high-carb and low-carb meals from these books in the Extreme Cycle. And if you have your own low- and high carb recipes, you can use those too.
Option 4: Put your own meals together.
We know there are times when you’re out and about and need a quick, healthy meal. Or you need a fast ‘n easy meal made in 5 minutes or less, and simply don’t have time to put one of our recipes together. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for some guides straight from Extreme Transformation that will help you design your own meals!
Option 5: A combination of the other 4 options.
We want this meal plan to be very user friendly, which is crucial to long-term carb cycling success, so do what works best for you and your schedule! If cooking is your thing, we’ve got you covered for 21 days! If meal prepping and cooking different meals doesn’t fit into your life, then bulk prep meals. You can even freeze many of our meals for a quick option later. If you like to put your own meals together, that works too. And it’s always a good idea to keep quick options with you wherever you go so that you don’t derail your eating plan because you don’t have healthy options available. And what about eating out? Our guides in option 4 will help you navigate any menu so you can make the best choices for your goals.
And no matter which option you choose, remember that this is a life-long journey! You’re not expected to do everything at once—perfectly. One of the best things about any transformation journey is all the things we learn along the way, so it’s 100% okay—and absolutely normal—to encounter some bumps on the path. With practice and patience, you will figure out what works best for you!
If you have any other questions about meal planning on the Extreme Cycle, please leave me a comment below. And please share what’s worked for you so we can all learn from each other!
Xoxo,
Heidi
Related reading:
Carb Confusion
The Power of Protein
Protein Powder: It’s Not Just for Shakes Anymore!
Ask the Powells: How Can I Structure My Meals?
Pre-Workout Problem: To Eat or Not To Eat?
Avoiding Road Trip Road Blocks!
Are you ready to begin your own Extreme Transformation? Grab a copy of our book today, and let’s go!
640 Responses
I am finishing my second extreme cycle and have only lost 7 pounds. I am 50 years old, 100 pounds overweight, working out every morning with 30 minutes on the treadmill and the workout for the day in the book. I have looked over my diet and feel it is on track with the book. I am stronger this time through and can see my body shape changing. Why is the weight not coming off? I know I am gaining muscle but 7 pounds in 6 weeks is not the number that shows the work I am putting in. Thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Judy: It sounds like you’re doing awesome! I’d try and gradually increase those 30 minutes on the treadmill and make sure you’re keeping your intensity up to where you can talk (a little breathily) but not sing. The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume, so any extra calories you can burn throughout the day can add to your weight loss. You can do this!
Can you please clarify the calories for a woman? If I add up all the daily calories, it totals more than 1500. For a 39 year old woman, 5’2″ 140 pounds looking to lose 10 pounds, what should I be aiming at reaching each day (high carb and low carb days)? I purchased the Extreme Transformation book but I am a little confused. Please help!!!
Hi Andrea: The daily calorie recommendations for women are around 1500 a day for the Extreme Cycle. This will fluctuate a bit from day to day, and this is totally okay. You can do this!
Thank you for your quick reply! Would 1500 be the same for High Carb and Low Carb days?
Yes! 🙂
I track all of my vegetables, which have carbs, so on low carb days should I be eating vegetables (Brussels, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower)? I get discouraged when I see a higher carb percentage even when I know most of the carbs are from veggies and breakfast
Hi Laura: Yes, you can eat any of the non-starchy/non-root type veggies for any meal, both LC and HC. The carb counts from these veggies are so low, and the nutritional value is so high, that going a bit over your carb count for the day with veggies is okay.
Do you have any tips and substitutions for someone who is gluten & dairy free? thanks!
Hi Amy: Chris and Heidi have extensive food lists in all their books, and these lists include both gluten-free and dairy-free options. For gluten-free, you can also choose gluten-free products that have similar nutritional values to their gluten-containing counterparts. Hope that helps!
I track all of my vegetables, which have carbs, so on low carb days should I be eating vegetables (Brussels, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower)? I get discouraged when I see a higher carb percentage even when I know most of the carbs are from veggies and breakfast.
Thanks
I have a hard time digesting whey or soy protein powders and have been using pea protein powder shake formulas. Is that okay to substitute?
Yes, that should be fine. Look for powders with between 15-20 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving, and you’ll be good to go! 🙂
If I am comfortably full after eating my protein, carb, and fat for breakfast (or any other meal) do I need to still force down two fist fulls of vegetables or is that only if I’m still hungry? Thanks!
Hi Kari: No, you can skip the veggies for breakfast if you’re full. 🙂
hi team! So after doing extreme ive swifched to turbo but not losing much (its so hard for me to lose!) anyway, i track my calories and grams and i run 4 miles and do piyo every day, do i need to worry about calorie deficits etc while doing this plan or just stick to the 1200/1500 recommendation regardless of my activity level?
Hi Carol: Your rate of weight loss can be slower the fewer pounds you’d like to lose, so if you’re down to only a few to lose, even a 1/2-1 lb loss a week is awesome, and I’d stick to the plan as it’s outlined. If you still have quite a few pounds to lose, I’d stick to the program also and know that a slower rate of weight loss means you’re incorporating all of these habits that are going to stick for good!
Hi,
Today is my first LC day, but it doesn’t seem as LC as it should so I am hoping I am not doing anything wrong. I took all of my meals (with the exception of one) from the Breakfast and LC/section of the book but still have logged about 80G of carbs for the day. My average for HC days has been about 145-155G, so it is lower than my HC days but is it low enough to be considered LC? The carbs have come from some veggies (spaghetti squash/brussel sprouts) as well as greek yogurt and the oats/banana/flax seed breakfast I had. The one meal that I created was just chicken, brussel sprouts, and a tablespoon of beans and fat free cheese.
Thanks
Hi Laura: You’re doing awesome! One thing – beans are carbs, so you’ll not want to include them in a LC meal. 🙂
Oh!!! Thanks!!! No more beans on LC days!
Anybody doing this as a vegetarian? I am just starting and am trying to compile recpies for my meals. Some i will substitute fake meat. If anyone has recipes or suggestions to help me get started, i would be so grateful! Thankfully some of the recipes included are vegetarian, I’m just worried about getting enough protein in my other meals. Luckily for me, i love cottage cheese and greek yogurt! Looking forward to joining this amazing community of people who have changed their lives!!