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! When you’re on the Extreme Cycle for three weeks, do you do the Turbo cycle or slingshot for the week then go back on the Extreme Cycle? Thanks!
Hi Connie! After 3 weeks on the Extreme Cycle (or any of the cycles if you’re following the cycles in the books), you’ll do a slingshot week. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hello! When you are on the Extreme Cycle for 3 weeks, then have a slingshot week, then do Extreme Cycle, its like have 11 days of high carbs.
Is that right?
Hi Connie: Yes, you are correct, with a slingshot week and then going back to the Extreme Cycle, you will have 11 days total of high carb days. 🙂
Hello!
I started the Extreme cycle this past week and I gained 2 lbs. I workout 6 days a week: 3 days of cardio, and 3 days of strength training. I’m wondering should I do the Turbo cycle this week. I just don’t want to gain any more weight, I want to lose 10-15 lbs. Thanks.
Hi Connie: This an be very normal, and it can take a couple to a few weeks to see results when starting a new plan, so I’d stick to the Extreme cycle for at least a couple more weeks and then go from there. We don’t recommend changing cycles or taking adjustments too often as it can stall any progress you can make. Be sure you’re drinking all of your water every day too (1/2 your weight in ounces every day) also. I would also recommend you take your measurements weekly because you can often see progress there when you’re not seeing it on the scale. The scale is only one progress measuring tool. You got this!
Hi guys!
I have a question. Is turkey bacon considered protein or a fat? I notice you mentioned sausage and bacon is a fat. Thanks!
Hi Connie: We consider all types of bacon to be fats. 🙂
I notice oats are not on the list. Why?
Hi Connie: Oats are on the carbs list. The list shown in this post is only a partial list. 🙂
When I do my macro count it gave me 127 carbs , 173 proteins, 39 fats and 1600 calories to lose weight. So what would this number change too on high carb days? Or is that my high carb day and I go lower on my low carb day?
Hi Susan: Great questions! For carb cycling, it’s best that you work with a macros coach who can formulate the correct macros for both low and high carb days for you based on you and your goals. We do calculate your carb cycling macros in the app (http://thetransformapp.com), so that could be a great option too! 🙂
Hello,
I purchased two of your books on amazon, kindle format, I am looking for a pdf of the shopping lists as it?s much easier to cross off what I have at home this way. I was able to print the one on this post but it cuts off at the carbs section. I?m just starting the 21 day transformation and wanted to request a pdf of the 3 weeks shopping list. Thank you!
Hi Kristel: Unfortunately, we don’t have PDFs for the Kindle books – I apologize for this. We hope you’re loving the books! 🙂
Hi Powell team,
i overthink everything..haha question. I am starting out and have been a macro gal for a while,but want to carb cycle. I crossfit (3-4 days a week) and walk everyday. I am wanting to do the extreme and I am also reading on the high crab days for gym days. So i usually go mon tues thurs and friday to crossfit..should those be high days? or do I just do the 4 high days and two low no matter what i Am working out? I will also throw in a sat or sunday too. Thanks hope this makes sense. I need to lose 50 pounds just fyi!
Hi Robyn: Since your workouts are figured into the high carb and low carb day recommendations, you should be good to go to follow the plan as outlined. I’d make sure your day 1 is on Monday, then since you’ll have just done 4 high carb days (Monday-Thursday), your Friday workout should be fine. You can totally do this! 🙂
Thanks!!!!
Can I substitute out cottage cheese and use ricotta instead?
Hi Kelly: You can substitute anything for anything, but you’ll need to make sure the macros are very similar. Ricotta cheese is quite a bit higher in fat and carbs than cottage cheese, so you’ll definitely eat less of it than you would of cottage cheese to have similar macros. I hope that helps!
So for the Extreme Plan, on High carb days – At dinner, since you are eliminating carbs for that meal would you shoot for 100 cal protein, 100 cal fat and <30 cal carbs? And Low carb days dinner would be 150 cal protein, 100 cal fat, <30 cal carbs?
Hi Amy: No matter which day you’re on (low or high carb), every dinner is a low carb meal. So you’d aim for 150 cals protein, 100 cals fat, and <30 cals from carbs. Hope that helps!
Hi Team Powell!
I just have a question about calculating my macros. How accurate is a fit fit in calculating Calories burned because mine say’s I burn anywhere from 2000-2400 usually 2200 on average but the numbers have me just over 2000 I believe. Should I not go off of a fit bit at all. Some days I feel like I burn more and I’m not eating more so, I am confused!
Hi Brittany: Great question! As with any device, the correct results can vary. However, it is a great tool that can be used in combo with other tools to help you achieve your goals. 🙂