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
Hello! My husband and I have started carb cycling. I love it! This first week I have daily headaches. Do you think I am “detoxing “?
Hi Heather: That could be the case. Just hang in there, and hopefully those headaches will get better. And welcome to carb cycling! 🙂
A couple of things if you could clear them up for me it would really be appreciated loads 🙂
Oats arent on the carbs list and i usually have 40g with 1 scoop whey before my weight training does this mean i have to change it for something else? Also i use Creatine , BCAA’S and
do i need to include them as especially with Creatine there is no breakdown on the tub.
Also if i have a takeaway on my reset day , i have no idea on calories although i do a portion of veggies with two chicken meals.
Also in the “Create your own meals” box at the top. To get five meals with the calorie calculations you get 1,670 for high carb days and 1,470 for low carb days (providing i have worked it out correctly for five meals. Is this right. The high carb days calories i have tallied up is pretty much what i am currently on. Where as the low carb days is about 350 more than i am on currently for non training days.
i just want to get this spot on to get the best results i started carb cycling at the end of july this year and have gone from 12 stone 9 lbs to my current weight of 10 stone 9lb. But i have found now that the low carb days of 1,100 calories too low and then i find myself wanting to eat everything and anything lol.
Do i have to do cardio if i do five days weight training per week and limited on time, i also walk for thirty minutes per day. Brisk walk not a stroll.
🙂 x
Hi Jo: Let’s get you some answers to your questions: 1. Yes, oats are carbs. And supplements usually don’t carry any calories, so you should be good to go there. 2. On your Reset Days, you can eat anything you want during the day up to an extra 1000 calories (for a total of 2500 calories for the day). 3. In general, aim for around 1500 calories a day for both low and high carb days. This calorie total can be affected by the foods you choose, but as long as you’re close to 1500 calories a day, you should be fine. 4. For cardio, 30 minutes is great! If you can get in more (Chris and Heidi recommend up to an hour a day), that’s great too. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve seen the answers to the posts reference a quick list of meals at the bottom of this post but cannot find it…is there a link? I’m very interested in that info for times when I just need to grab something that is quick.
Thanks!
Hi Sabrena: The chart is at the bottom of the post, and it’s called “Quick and Easy Meal Ideas.” 🙂
Hi, I understand the calories and macros for each meal but I’m confused about snacks. I eat the same amount of calories for breakfast everyday but on a high carb day I eat the other 2 meals using the high carb calories? Then what are the calories and macros for snacks? Also the chart above says to not have carbs at dinner on a high carb day but then how do I get 50g of carbs for that meal? Does that make sense? Sorry if it’s confusing. I ordered the book but I want to get started now. Thanks, Kathryn.
Hi Kathryn: On high carb days, your dinner is a low carb meal, so you’ll follow the macros for that type of meal. The macro percentages go for all the meals – both meals and “snacks.” The charts in this post can be very helpful, so I’d refer back to them as much as you can until your book arrives. 🙂
Just got your book extreme cycle, I was wondering what non animal protein alternatives, besides protein powder and dairy proteins or non dairy milks,can a use . Could I use lentils or black beans, please a need alternatives.thank you If a have black beans and rice will they both be consider carbs? Or black beans = protein and rice =carbs
Hi Ali: Here are some non-animal proteins in addition to protein powders and dairy products: Soy protein sources such as tofu and tempeh, and other vegetarian protein options such as hemp, bean, and pea protein. Hope that helps! 🙂
just wondering if you had any ideas for substitutions for dairy. I’m not technically allergic… and can tolerate small amounts, but not everyday. I love dairy, and i even tried, b/c the greek yogurt is so versatile…but it just gives me problems.
any help?
Hi Robin: It can be hard to substitute dairy unless you choose those with less lactose etc. You can substitute any other proteins for dairy proteins if you’re putting your own meals together, and you can do the same with any dairy fats. I hope this helps a little bit…this can be so frustrating!
How do I figure out my macros for low carb day?
Hi Brittany: Here are the recommended macro percentages for all the meals on the Extreme Cycle: Breakfast (EVERY day): Protein: 30%, Carb: 40%, Fat: 30%, High Carb Meal: Protein: 40%, Carb: 50%, Fat: 10%, Low Carb Meal: Protein: 40%, Carb: 10%, Fat: 50%. 🙂
i saw my previous comment was deleted?
can you please answer
Hi Melike: Your comment was not deleted – all comments have to be approved before they post. 🙂
dear team
I have both your books chose to lose and extreme cycle. I am trying to figure out my portions now. 1) when I compare the portions between 2 books they don’t match, let’s say book chose to lose shows 4 eggwhites for 100 cal protein portion but extreme book shows it as 5 egg whites.which should be my base?
2) if I have to look at the table for cal verisons on latest book it says to eat 150 cal protein, In this case should I multiply 100 cal. protein portion by 1,5 ?
lets say 3ounces lean turkey= 100 cal , should I eat 4.5 ounces to meet my 150 cal protein goal?
also if I have to eat 200 cal . carbs,
lets say 3/4 cup oat meal is 100 cal. then should i eat 2 times 3/4 cup of oat meal ?
Hi Melike: There are also 4 calories per gram of carb, so 200 calories of carbs equals 50 grams.
Hi Melike: Since the cycles in “Choose to Lose” and “Extreme Transformation” are a bit different, they will have different components. I’d choose a cycle and then go with how it’s outlined. And as far as figuring out protein, there are 4 calories for each gram of protein. So to get 150 cals of protein, you’d need 37.5 grams. Hope that helps – welcome to carb cycling!
I’ve been trying to find extreme transformation recipes for the upcoming holidays. If I can’t prepare some GOOD clean fall/winter favorites, my family is going to sabotage my efforts, help! Do you have a book of holiday recipes?
Hi Clarissa: Heidi does have several awesome holiday recipes right here on her blog: https://heidipowell.net/category/blog/food/. Here’s one to get you started: https://heidipowell.net/5618/a-powell-twist-on-thanksgiving-dinner/. 🙂