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 have a question about calories.
It seems that you can eat ANY breakfast on any day no matter if it is High Carb or Low Carb day, is this correct?
I am a 5’6″ male that currently weights 205 and about 33% body fat. I am looking to get down to about 175 with considerably less body fat. Are the calorie intake plans in the TRANSFORM app generic or per individual? It seems that mine is currently set for 2300-2500 calories and I am worried about gaining weight with that kink of intake.
This sounds like a great app. I have bought into it but I did have one question. The meals look great and I do know what I have to do now. What about the expenditure? What is my expenditure compared to how I am eating? 5-6 Times a week.
Hi Claudia: The number of calories you’ll burn during your workouts depends on your intensity, time spent working out, and current body compositon. In the app, you’ll do weekly progress updates, and your program will be adjusted as needed based on your updates. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hey, I just bought Extreme Transformation and I am excited to get started. However, I am very concerned about calories. I have tried a lot of diets, but my problem is that when I am working out and dieting, I think my metabolism slows. I currently weigh 250 lbs and probably have over 100 to lose, and I am worried about having the same calorie intake as someone who weighs 100 lbs or more less than I do. Should I add extra calories so that my body doesn’t kick into starvation mode or something? Thanks for any suggestions, and happy holidays!
Hi Team Powell, I just bought a copy of Extreme Transformation and I can’t wait to get started! I’ve being looking through the recipes and I have a question.
I don’t like Avacado or Peanut Butter. Please can you recommend some substitutes? Thank you.
Hi Abi: You can sub any nut butters in the recipes, and you can also repeat recipes as outlined in this post. So if there’s one with avocado, choose a like one instead. 🙂
Are the recipes in extreme transformation for one person? I believe they are but now I?m questioning myself. I?m about to make the creamy cauliflower soup and want to make sure it?s just the serving size I?m suppose to eat. And not more and then I?m eating five days worth of soup in one sitting I:e lol
Hi Dori: Yes, the recipes in “Extreme Transformation” are for one serving. Enjoy! 🙂
I am curious if u can still see results if one is unable to do the exercises. So only following the meal plan.
Hi Tanya: Since 80% of weight loss is nutrition, yes, you can achieve results without exercise, but it is a good idea to get in any exercise you can to speed up your results, build muscle that you need for every day life and continual health (as we get older, our muscle mass tends to decrease), and for cardiovascular health too. Hope that helps! 🙂
So can I eat the same meal everyday if I wanted to as long as I’m staying within the high carb low carb days and portions. Example cinnamon French toast from extreme transformation every day and so on lunch snacks dinner the same. Thx.
Hi Tanya: Yes, you can totally repeat any like meals in the program: breakfast for breakfast, low carb for low carb, high carb for high carb, and reset for reset. Hope that helps! 🙂
I am a bit confused. In your create your meals chart it says a high carb meal for women it says the carb can be 200 calories. But yet in other charts it says one portion of carbs. In your book it lists acceptable foods in 100 calorie portions in appendix d. So at a high carb meal can I have one cup of rice? Because a half is listed as 100 calories and the chart says 200 cals at each high carb meal? Or can I have two pieces of bread because that would equal 200 calories ?
Hi Lesley: The 100 calorie guide is only to be used as a reference, and these amounts are not equal to a portion size. If the “Create Your Own Meals” chart says to eat 200 cals of carbs, for example, then you could double the 100 calorie portion of a carb in the 100 calorie guide. Use the chart in this post, and you’ll be good to go! 🙂
Hi Heidi and Chris,
I was just wondering if you had a couples rate for the Transform App or do we need to purchase individual plans? Thank you!
Hi James: We don’t have a couples rate for the app. We hope you love the app! 🙂
If I but the app do I still have to buy the book or I can find the diet and the workouts in the app ?
How I know what can of cycle to follow ?
I’m 46 female 5,2 125 Pounds and I do not want to loose weight. I want to get ride of my belly fat and gane muscle.
I’m vegan , soy ,corn and gluten free.
Can I still do this diet ?
Hi Sonia: Everything is figured out for you in the app, so no need to buy the book, and we have meals that will fit your dietary restrictions also! And all 3 programs have the goal you’re wanting to achieve, and here’s a post that outlines the 3 programs: https://heidipowell.net/12104. And you can change programs at any time too!