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
Hi- I have some questions for Heidi. I was hoping this would be the best place to ask. 🙂
I have lost all my weight following extreme transformation, so I am very new to maintenance.
I still carb cycle at 1500 calories/day…I use the turbo cycle I think its called… LLHLLHR.
What I was wondering, is what foods can I eat with the extra 200 calories? Foods from the acceptable foods list only? I have been eating acceptable carbs off that list.
Can we use our daily calories for foods not on the list? or does that matter?
Also, are lifestyle layers part of the 1000 calorie reset calories, or are the layers used as part of your regular allotted calories for the day?
I have been losing weight still and I have not scaled back my exercise. I am addicted to my workouts :). The book mentions that you need to adjust your calories depending on your exercise, but I’m not sure by how much? I have not been using my exercise calories as food, and I am losing still! Most days I am burning 350-800 calories, some days up to 1000. How can I ensure that I don’t keep losing, or lose muscle? Would it be safe to “leave” 300 calories/day on average as calories burned and consume the rest as food? If I am to eat the exercise calories, should it be done closer to my most active part of my day?
Also, now that I have the extra 200 calories on top of my 1300, how important is it for timing of when you eat them? I like blueberries a lot, and have found myself eating them late in the day as a “dessert” after my last meal…(which should be a strict LC meal, right?)….do the carb cycling rules still apply to the extra calories?
Is it ok to introduce the odd new food, not on the list, say, cheerios as a carb….maybe things that are allowed in the plans in your other books, to give me a bit of flexibility?
I am a little confused on maintenance and need a bit of guidance ! Thanks!!
🙂
Hi Cindy: Congratulations!!! Let’s get you some answers to your questions: You can get some great info on how to structure your meals beginning on page 182. You’ll want to stick to the 1500 calories for the first 6 months, but you can add in rewards. These reward layers are explained in these pages. Otherwise, you’ll want to continue to choose healthy foods from the list or like foods (like cheerios as carbs) and continue to do your 5 meals a day following the high and low carb day plan. You can either do all 1000 reward calories for the week on one day, or split it between days as outlined in the book. As far as calories vs. exercise, here’s a post that might help: https://heidipowell.net/10540. And while this post talks about gaining healthy weight, the same principles can be used for maintenance. The key is to keep calories consumed and burned as equal as possible. Hope that helps – it might take a bit of time to figure out what will work for you, but you can do it! 🙂
Is there a more extensive list of foods and the category they belong in I.e. protein, fat, or carb?
Hi Valencia: There is an extensive list in the book: http://amzn.to/2eTGrVy 🙂
Bonjour
Votre livre sortira t il en fran?ais ? J’aimerais perdre environ 30kg mais je ne suis pas totalement bilingue.
Merci
Bonjour, Billy! Malheureusement, je n’ai aucune information sur les langues dans lesquelles le livre sera traduit. Vous pouvez contacter amazon ou l’?diteur de livres et voir s’ils ont plus d’informations.
Question…is there a customized calorie count (should I be weighing my proteins based on my height and weight?) Or are the prescribed meals universal for all men in all sizes?
Hi Gil: The prescribed meals are universal for all men.
Is here a macro count I can follow while still eating off the approved lists? Following a macro count helps me being a busy mom. Thanks!
Hi Darlene: Chris and Heidi have figured out all your macros for you in all of their carb cycles. However, you can figure out macros using the “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post. Each gram of protein or carb = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. 🙂
Would like to know what happened to the APP that was associated with your carb cycling. Lost 30 lbs, a couple of years ago, fell off the wagon and would like to hop back on. I really liked the cycling of low to high carb days and the app help me keep track. what happened?
I wondered that same thing. I loved the app, It was so helpful. I’m really hoping they come out with another one.
Hi Jeremy: That app was distributed by Vemma, so I would contact them with any questions: https://www.vemma.com/our-story/contact-us.cfm.
Hello!
I just purchased Extreme Transformation and I am very excited to start the program in the new year! It is time for a change! I had a couple of questions:
*I did not see coconut oil in the list of approved foods and was wondering if it was allowed and if it was included in the fats group?
* Next, I was looking at that chocolate peanut butter and banana shake. It has the pictures for protein, carbs and vegetables. I was a little confused by what vegetables were included in this since there aren’t any in the recipe?
* Lastly, I was wondering if there was any recipes for popcorn that are program approved.
I think that is it – thanks 🙂
I just realized I had another question – I see what eggs are in both protein and fats – if I eat a whole egg, is it considered protein or is it both? Thanks!
Hi Jody: In my version of the book (the hardback released last year), eggs are not included in the fats list. Egg whites and yolks are separated in the protein list since the yolk has more fat, so I would follow those guidelines.
Hi Jody: Let’s get you some answers to your questions: 1. Yes, coconut oil is an approved fat. 2. While the recipe itself doesn’t include a veggie, we recommend adding veggies to your meals throughout your day. 3. Popcorn (airpopped with no butter) would be considered a carb in carb cycling. Hope that helps – you can do this!
That is great!! Thank you so much for your prompt reply. Happy New Year 🙂
I make this salad I really like. I feel like I could make it into a carb cycle meal, but I feel like it has too much fat and maybe too many carbs in it with both the quinoa and the beets . Could you tell me what I could cut out to make this work for both hi and lo carb day? Also, is there a way to buy just the recipes from the previous books? I am very limited on storage space!
1 cup Arugula,
3oz baked chicken,
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 roasted beet
1 TBS of reduced fat feta crumbles
Drizzle with walnut oil & honey
Hey Chris,
I am 27 years old and I am struggling with losing weight. And I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what I can eat that I will be satisfied through the day without being hungry. What can I make during the day when I am hungry and don’t want to over eat. Do you have any advice for me. Thank you
Hi Dennis: The meal plan for the Extreme Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/10503) outlines what you eat every day and many people find they don’t get hungry! Give it a try!
Hi there. I am just now getting started on the plan but I have a question. I work out at 5 am because that is the only real time that I truly have and it works great for my schedule. Is it a must to eat that early in the morning? I’m up at 4:30 am and at that time I have no appetite for food.
I really want this to work for me and I don’t want to jeopardize my success. Please help, thanks!
Hi Sonia: Here’s a post that can help you figure out what will work best for you: https://heidipowell.net/9194. You can do this! 🙂
I am also a 5:30 am exerciser. After reading the link that Heidi posted, I gave the pre-workout meal a try. Two days I ran 4 miles after eating, the other two days I did an indoor HIIT workout. No tummy troubles, and I felt more energetic…didn’t experience the mid-workout slump that I normally have to power through. I’m hooked! Thank you!