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 just found your website and I?m so excited to dig into all the info! I?m wondering if I should be subtracting my fiber from my carbs to calculate my macros? Also, is there any info on how many grams of carbs should I have on low carb and high carb days?
Hi Jenifer: We go off of total carbs, so we don’t subtract anything from the carb number when figuring macros. As for figuring your macros, there?s a link to an awesome macros calculator in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. This calculator won?t break down your calories into low and high carb days, but there?s a ?Create Your Own Meals? chart in this post that can help you figure out low and high carb days: https://heidipowell.net/10617 Just remember that each gram of protein and carbs = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. We also offer a customized nutrition program in our app, The Transform App (http://thetransformapp.com), which adjusts as you progress towards your goals. The app has several amazing workout programs too! Hope this helps!
HI… I am 42 year old (female) and 5’2′ tall. I weight 230 pounds gained from baby fat and compulsive eating… I am new to carb cycling. What program would you recommend I could use to start my weight loss journey?
Thank you in advance for answering my question.
Hi Chinita: I would recommend you begin with the Extreme Cycle. You can totally do this! 🙂
I just bought the book and am excited to try cycling but I?m concerned about food substitutes. I hate eggs and seafood. (But I do love tofu!) If I see something like French toast is the egg essential because of the protein??
Hi Lauren: You can eat any source of protein as your protein. For the recipes in the book, you can sub any like recipe for one you don’t want to eat as long as they’re in the same category: sub low carb for low carb, high carb for high carb, etc. Hope that helps!
Hi!!!
Let?s talk ?reward day?! What can we eat on sundays? ?
I love you guys! Thank you so much for this ??
Hi Leslie: For your reward day, you can eat anything you’d like to up to 750 calories over your “regular” day calories. If you’re carb cycling, you’ll eat 750 calories over your high carb day calories. We do recommend your last meal of the day be a low carb meal AND that you still get in all your protein, but you do what works best for you!
I used to have the acceptable food list years ago and now I can?t find it. Do you have a copy of this that you can email me?
Hi Mini: Unfortunately, we don’t have that list available any more. You can find it in “Extreme Transformation,” Chris and Heidi’s latest book. You might be interested in these resources too:
? The Foundation 5:
Discover what we make ALL our personal clients master?one at a time. The Foundation 5 are small daily commitments that make all the difference in your weight loss and transformation journey!
https://transformhq.com/foundation-5-ebook/
? Transform in 5:
FREE 5-Day Challenge to jumpstart your transformation & weight loss. Each day of this 5-day course you’ll receive one nutrition tip, a 5-minute workout (you can do no matter what level you are), and a short thought to help you conquer the mental game!
https://transformhq.com/transform-in-5/
? Transform at Home:
This FREE 28-Day Transform at Home Program will give you EVERYTHING you need to transform in just 28 days from the comfort of your own home. Get a FREE 300+ page eBook, customized nutrition program, video workouts with Chris + Heidi, and MORE!
https://transformhq.com/transform-at-home/
? Macro Counting 101:
Counting macros gives you the flexibility to EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT and lose weight, gain muscle, or sculpt. With the Macro Counting 101 eBook, you’ll learn about the magic of macros and discover the easiest way to count macros.
https://transformhq.com/macro-counting-101-ebook/
When you are ready to take your transformation to another level, Chris and Heidi have created some of the most powerful tools to guide you all the way to your transformation goals:
? TRANSFORM with Chris & Heidi (http://thetransformapp.com):
The TRANSFORM App is the most comprehensive transformation experience ever created in an app, and it contains Chris and Heidi’s complete mind, body, and food program. These are the same tools they use on the show and with every client. They work! Fully equipped with nutrition, exercise, AND Life Lessons, this app is sure to help you achieve your goals. It?s available on both iPhone and Android.
Hope these help!
Hello! Which of the cycles in the app are equivalent to the extreme cycle? I want to follow the extreme cycle but I don’t know which cycle to choose in the app. I am wanting to lose more than 20lbs. I have Extreme Transformation book and I would like to follow it while I am using the app. Thanks.
Hi Gwynn: The Extreme Cycle should be one of your choices in the app. To change cycles, go to Me, then Program, then Nutrition Plan. We hope you love the app! 🙂
Thank you! I must’ve overlooked it originally, but I see it now! Yes, I’m loving the app!
Is there a mistake on page 265? It says caddage but I cant find how much I’m supposed to use.
Hi! I tried to order your book in a Kindle format but it seems it’s not available. Will it be back soon?
Hi Magda: Great question! I’d contact amazon to see if it will be available on kindle again. 🙂
Hi! I try to eat as close to a plant-based diet as possible, however, I include egg whites! I know quinoa is a complete protein, does that count as a protein or as a carb? Other seeds such as flax, hemp and chia seeds also can be good sources of protein, but are these considered fats? Do you guys have any additional protein recommendations for a kind-of vegan? Also, are berries allowed on low-carb days?
Hi Kelsey: Great questions! Quinoa counts as a carb, and any seeds count as fats in carb cycling. And since berries are carbs, you’d only want to include them as a carb for breakfast on low carb days. Here’s a post about carb cycling for vegans/vegetarians that can help too: https://heidipowell.net/12054 Hope this helps! 🙂
Hello! I am new to this sort of diet. I have tried just eating healthier and it hasn’t worked. I have PCOS and I would love to lose 20-30 lbs before we do IVF in June. I know thats probably not realistic but any weight lose will give be better hopes for IVF. My husband is going to do this with me and neither of us like Salmon or seafood. So, I was hoping to find an alternate
option for the meals that require these meats.
Thanks!
Hi Brittany: You can sub any lean protein for any seafood in the meals! And we wish you both the best of luck! 🙂
I want to lose 10lbs. when you’re counting Macros, but at the same time I’m weight lifting and want to build muscle. So, my question is when I’m calculating do I use the build muscle or lose fat macros?
Hi Connie: With so few lbs to lose, this can be a bit tricky, and it can take a bit of time and patience to find your “sweet spot” as far as macros are concerned. Here’s a post that can help you figure out what will work best for you: https://heidipowell.net/15538 You got this! 🙂
Hello. I did low carb for many years depriving myself of healthy carbs. I am now 48 and I have gained over 30 pounds in the last ten years. Despite trying many other diets and exercising, I can’t seem to lose weight. I am certain I messed up my metabolism and thryroid function after doing low carb for so long. I recently bought your book and I have started doing the turbo cycle and I am wondering if you have any suggestions for when I do the slinghsot week. I have read about how carbs affect estrogen so I am wondering if I should do the slingshot week during a specific week of my mestrual cycle. Thank you!
Hi Jody: For the program in the book, we recommend doing the slingshot week every 4th week, and unless your healthcare team recommends something different, you can do the slingshot week whenever you’d like to in that every 4 week plan. 🙂