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
Hiya Heidi,
I have 2 questions!
1. My right knee is starting to hurt when doing squats and back lunges. Are there alternative workouts I can do for the legs that avoid putting strain on the knee or what else can you advise?
3. Whenever I have guests, My meal plans get interrupted. Yesterday I missed meal 2. Is there anything I can do to mend this?
3. I have a friend whos interested in buying the book but shes nursing and her baby is allergic to nuts and dairy so was concerned about the recipes. Is there a list of substitutes she can refer to?
Let’s get you some answers to your questions: 1. Since leg exercises involve the knee, you might want to skip these until your knee is feeling better, and maybe have have your healthcare team take a look at it if the pain doesn’t get better. 2. Just do your best! Maybe set an alarm on your phone to remind you to eat or make sure you have food options with you wherever you go. 3. Here’s a post that outlines Heidi’s breastfeeding nutrition program, and I hope it will help your friend: https://heidipowell.net/2275. 🙂
Hi!
When making my own meal structure how many ounces is 2 fists, 1 almost, ect? Thanks and love your site!
Hi Jenn: I’d follow the “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post for putting your own meals together. The portion size guides are helpful if you need to quickly figure out portion sizes and you don’t have a food scale or other measuring devices handy. 🙂
I have been following the Classic Cycling plan for two weeks now and am happy to say I see a gradual weight loss. I just ordered your latest book and look forward to learning more about Extreme Transformation. I do have just one question (for now), I notice in the comments and replies that beans are considered a carb. Does that include green (sting) beans or is it referring to the dried varieties such as kidney beans?
Hi Lin: Green beans are considered veggies. The type of beans that are carbs are the legume-types (kidney, black, garbanzo, navy, pinto, etc.). 🙂
Sorry me again. Hope im not bothering. Your help is awesome and has changed my way of living!
Just wanted to ask what exactly could go wrong if i forget to take a categorie of food e.g forgetting to have my veg or protein in 1 meal?
Thank you!
Hello!
Is there anything wrong with having a ‘hulk shake’ for meal 2 and meal 3 on the same day? Or, a hulk shake for meal 2 for 2 days in a row or everyday for that matter? I love the hulk shake!
Thank you!!!!
No! This is totally okay, but it is a good idea to vary your food choices when you can so you’ll get all the nutrients that a variety of foods can offer. Out of the two options, I’d go for the two days in a row one, but two shakes on the same day will work too. 🙂
Hi Heidi
I’m doing the turbo cycle from the extreme transformation. Just a couple of questions… you list tomato sauce 1 cup is 100 cal. Is stewed tomatoes or canned an acceptable food as well in that case?
How about pork? Centre loin. Is pork too high in fat to be considered a protein? Can it only be eaten on reset day?
I’m doing very well and I’m at 60 minutes cardiovascular and down 40 lbs.
I’ve been creating my own meals for the most part but I have made the strawberry banana quinoa muffins. I have been having them as my breakfast, and adding heavy cream to my coffee for my fat. I literally took your symbols below the recipe as gospel thinking they only had one carb and not enough fat to count as a serving of fat, but I noticed that they are a hc meal..oops. So am I eating an extra carb portion that I shouldn’t be in that case ? ? guess I should re-think my breakfast ?
Hi Cindy: Let’s get you some answers to your questions! 1. Yes, any type of tomatoes are acceptable, and try and use the low-sodium types when at all possible. 2. Pork loin/lean cuts of pork are acceptable proteins and can be the protein portion of any meal. If you’re eating these muffins for breakfast, you’ll just need to add a fat for a complete breakfast, which you’re doing with your cream, so you’re good to go! Each breakfast is a portion each of protein, carb, and fat. You can do this!
Great! Thank you for the quick reply Team Powell!
Onward and upward ?
Hiya Heidi,
Can u please tell me how many recommended calories should I be having per day as a female aged 30 and weighing 238lb? I dont know how to work it out. I have been substituting some meals and some of them came up to 500 calories so I’m very worried.
Thank you so much!
On the Extreme Cycle, you’ll eat around 1500 calories a day. If you follow any of the other cycles (Easy, Classic, Turbo, or Fit), you’ll eat 1200 calories on low carb days and 1500 calories on high carb days. Hope that helps!
Hiya
Can you please tell me what categorie does Lamb fall under? i.e Is it a protein etc
Thank you!
Lamb would be a protein, and look for the leanest cuts you can find. Hope that helps!
Hello I am French and I would want to know if books are translated into French because we do not find them in France
Hi Sarah: I’m so sorry, but I’m not sure. You might check your Amazon, and hopefully they’ll be there!
Just finished the first 7 days of the extreme cycle. (Today is my reset) I have been trying to lose the last 10 pounds of stubborn baby weight and was hoping this would be the key to getting those last pounds off. I weighed in this morning and I was up 3 pounds on the scale! Any advice? I work out 5-6 days a week alternating strength training and 45 minutes of cardio. I didn’t cheat and ate only meals from the book weighed and measured to be sure of portion sizes. Also drink 75-80 ounces of water per day. Help!
Hi Hilary: It sounds like you’re definitely on the right track to achieving your transformation goals! It can take your body a bit of time to adjust to a new way of doing things, so gaining weight the first week, especially when you’re so close to your goal weight, can be common, so I’d give the Extreme Cycle a few more weeks. If you’re still not seeing the results you’d like, I’d try the Turbo Cycle for a few weeks (https://heidipowell.net/2724). And since weight loss is your main goal, I’d incorporate more cardio (aim for 6 days a week, 5 at least, 60 minutes each time if possible) so you’re burning more calories to create a greater calorie deficit. Please check back if you have any more questions – you can do this!