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
just started reading extreme transformation. I am hoping to get back in shape after having my baby. I just had a c-section three weeks ago and I haven’t been cleared by the doctor to start exercising yet. Do I need to reduce calories per day on the program if I cannot exercise? Thanks
Hi Liz: Congratulations on your new baby – that’s so exciting! You should be good to go with the 1500/day calorie recommendations in “Extreme Transformation.” We wish you all the best! 🙂
I am a bit confused about the calorie restriction vs the “unlimited veggies”. For example, day one for women is 1410 calories (if I added right) for JUST the specified “meals”. That only leaves 90 calories to reach 1500 for the day. Does the “unlimited” veggies have to remain within the 1500 or if we are still hungry, can we go over the 1500 provided its only with “unlimited” category veggies?
Hi Jody: Great questions! Yes, veggies are “unlimited,” but you’ll still want to count those calories. If they put you a bit over the 1500 calories/day recommendation, that’s okay. Of course, you don’t want to go too far over that amount, and make sure you’re drinking all of your water every day also (1/2 your body weight in ounces every day). Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks Team Powell! Im excited about carb cycling…. 🙂 PS tell Heidi! Those abs of hers are goals!!!
Hi there! I’m prepping to go shopping to start this program, however I can’t have yogurt because my daughter is sensitive to the lactose (I’m breastfeeding). Is there anything I can eat instead?
Hi Victoria: If yogurt is a no-no for you, you can replace any meals with yogurt with a meal from the same category (low carb for low carb, high carb for high carb, etc.). And here’s a post from Heidi’s blog that outlines her breastfeeding nutrition program, and I hope it can help you too: https://heidipowell.net/2275. 🙂
Hi Team Powell!
Im new to carb cycling and Im a recovering Chronic Low Carber….. 🙂 So the high carb days are a foreign concept to me. Im excited to try it and hopefully shed some of this body fat. i just got dunked and am about 25.4% i would like to get it into the 18- 19% range. I want to see those abs…. my big question is on breakfast. I generally have 2 whole eggs and veggies for breakfast sometimes with a turkey bacon or just scrambled with spinach and mushrooms. I am wondering do whole eggs work on high carb days. Im not a huge fan of egg whites. or could i do 1 whole egg 2 egg whites. so that would count as a fat, a protein and then my veggies… how do i incorporate my love of whole eggs…. THANKS
Oh and PS im gluten intolerant so is Gluten free breads okay or can i just stick with brown rice, gluten free oats, sweet potatoes…. etc.
Thanks!
Hi Jo: Gluten free breads are totally okay to use! 🙂
Hi Jo: You can use a combo or 2 whole eggs + 3 egg whites, which would count as a protein, then your bacon can count as your fat. Each breakfast on the Extreme Cycle is a protein + carb + fat (and veggies too, if you’d like). 🙂
It sure would be nice to have all the questions from these blogs on a searchable page. (Yes, it’s me again begging for a FB page for followers to join and follow.) Since there’s no page yet, I’ll ask my question which I’m sure someone else has asked somewhere – there is chicken in the ingredients of creamy cauliflower soup, bUT it’s not added anywhere in the instructions. Should it not be an ingrediet or is really added and and then emulsified? Hoping it shouldn’t be there cause emulsified checked sounds a bit ewwwe!
I
i wish there was too! or a blog just for questions lol
Hi Carol: You’re welcome to ask any questions right here! We keep an eye on these comments and reply ASAP. 🙂
Hi Jody: Yes, that was an error in the hardback version of the book, and it’s been fixed in the paperback version. Add the chicken with the chicken broth and garlic in the pot. 🙂
Jody, There is a FB page created for those of us using the Transform app. It is a great community of supportive people.
This program (app) is changing my life. I know it sounds dramatic, but nonetheless, the truth.
It’s called “Transform with Chris and Heidi Powell App Users”
It’s a closed group.
Chris and Heidi are not part of it, just us App users 🙂
Come check it out!
Hi team Powell! what can i put in my coffee?? i usually do a tbl of sugar free creamer (3 times a day yes i love coffee cuz i have 4 kids) is there something else i should use instead? if so how do i account for the xtra calories (should i take something out of meals to accomodate that?)
Thank you!!!
Hi Carol: We recommend black coffee with no calorie sweeteners. If you do add any fats to your coffee, that option is best for low carb meals. And black coffee can count as beverage item, but it’s best to count every calorie you consume. It keeps us accountable! 🙂
Couple questions…
I’m mainly looking at toning and maybe losing a few pounds, especially my midsection. Which cycle would be best to follow? I like the days for the Turbo Cycle, would that be a good one to follow for what I’m wanting to acheive? Also, I’m not sure how fruits need to be eaten. Should any fruit be eaten on low carb days? Should I only stick to high carb fruits on the HC days and low carb fruits on the LC days. One more thing, is the fat percentage calculated for smart fats only or does it include fat for all the food eaten that day?
Hi Brooke: You can choose any cycle you’d like, and you can change cycles at any time. And the Turbo Cycle is awesome! Fruits are carbs, so you’d only want to eat them as part of a high carb meal. And all fats are included in the counts. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi. I am 59 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches, 360 pounds. I am on dialysis right now 3 days a week with end stage kidney failure. I am living in an assisted living home right now and they fix all of my meals. I have been asking for more specific meals now but I am not really getting them regularly. I have to get down to 250 before I can get on the kidney transplant list and I really need to do this. I also a vegetarian and only eat eggs, cod, tuna, salmon and shrimp. Any suggestions for meals I could prepare myself in my room would be very helpful. I do not have a stovetop or an oven.
Hi Patricia: I’m so sorry to hear about what you’re going through. The charts at the end of this post can help you understand how to put together your meals as well as ideas for quick and easy meals. There are lots of great ideas in these charts! We wish you all the best!
Hello I have both books: extreme transformation and choose to lose. I have had them for a while. I watch extreme weight loss ALL the time. I need motivation and help with making the carb cycling plan as simple as possible. I am only 5 foot and weigh 250. Please help!!!! Thank you!
Hi Marsha: There are some great tips in this post that make things super simple! I’d be sure and check out the charts at the end of the post, and just take one step at a time. You can do this!
I’m on day one of extreme. How many grams of carbs and proteins am I supposed to eat? I’m thinking I might do turbo instead of extreme. I have 10- 15 pounds to shed. I workout 4 to 5 times a week at fit body boot camp. Which is better fit turbo or extreme?
Hi Michelle: I’d start with the Extreme Cycle, and all of your macros are figured out for you in the plan! If you’d like to create your own meals, check out the “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post. It’s super helpful. You can do this!