Chris and I have worked tireless hours this past year creating the foundation of our vision to help people live happier, healthier lives?our “TRANSFORM with Chris and Heidi” app is more than just an app. It is literally 5 apps-in-one, and it does what no other fitness app can. TRANSFORM focuses on what you really want?to be led, step-by-step, to your lifelong goals. It’s truly the total transformation experience, and we’ve jam packed it with all of the tools you need to be successful: Custom nutrition programs, full workout plans, mental and emotional coaching, and documentation of every step on your journey?from your journal, to post-workout selfies, to your weekly picture timelapse. It is the full experience, guys!! Like having us right in your pocket.
Now to get YOU moving in the right direction?whether you are using “TRANSFORM with Chris and Heidi” or not?here are some of the basics:
Let’s start with Nutrition:
Carb cycling is the foundation of what Chris and I do every day and with every client, and it is the powerful method we prefer to use for all of our nutrition plans. It is a patterned way of alternating between a high carb/low fat diet (to optimize metabolism and muscle development) and a low carb/higher fat diet (to maximize fat loss). Beyond the physiological benefits, it also allows you to eat a lot of different foods and meal combinations so you can create a transformation lifestyle around foods you truly enjoy. There are 7 different variations of Carb Cycles that we use, depending on you and your transformation goals.
To make it even easier for our MyFitnessPal followers (I am one of them!), we?ve added every single meal to MyFitnessPal for you?to lay that out for you, we’ve input over 2,000 recipe variations, by calorie and macros, inside of the database. Simply search for the name of the recipe and the calories listed for that meal (Example: Pepper Jack Chicken (346 cals)), look for the brand ?Chris and Heidi Powell/Transform,? and you?ll know that?s the meal you?re looking for. Part of the app process was asking ourselves, “How can we simplify the steps along the path to transformation for us AND everyone else?” And we feel that this is one huge step, especially for us macro counters!
Some of my favorite prep tools to keep you hydrated and healthy on the go:
Why are water and hydration so important?
Adequate water consumption is so important to achieving your transformation goals for so many reasons. The medical community typically recommends drinking at least HALF of your body weight in ounces daily as an absolute minimum for a sedentary individual. In addition, you should drink 8 ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise you do. These numbers can get tricky, so instead, it is pretty easy to recommend drinking 1 gallon of water daily, and choose whichever method works best for you! And for reference, 1 gallon = 128 ounces.
TIP: Use our ?10-gulp rule?: Every time you take a drink, you must take 10 gulps before putting the bottle down. Learn to breathe through your nose. 😉
How do I curb cravings?
One of the most common issues we see people encounter when transitioning to eating for transformation is that they are surprised at how MUCH food they need to eat every day. However, sometimes there is a craving for old comfort foods. The key is to effectively stay “full” to manage these cravings as you experience them. Here are some of the best?and most powerful?craving curbing tips:
- Tip # 1: Drink LOTS of water, and always aim to drink your prescribed minimums. It’s kind of crazy, but when we feel hungry, we’re often just thirsty, so drink up!
- Tip # 2: Eat foods that are high in fiber. Fiber acts like brakes on your food so it stays in the stomach and small intestine longer, keeping you feeling full. Studies have found that people who eat high fiber foods are far less likely to overeat! High fiber breads, oatmeal, whole grains, sweet potatoes, and beans are excellent sources of high fiber starchy foods. But one of the best methods is to use tons of veggies to volumize ALL of your meals!!!
- Tip # 3: Chew mint-flavored gum, eat a breath mint, or brush your teeth after meals. The mint flavor is great for suppressing your appetite, and it will hold you over until the next meal.
- Tip # 4: Consume a little fat! Good fats, of course. 😉 Simply eat one tablespoon of your favorite healthy fat, set your timer for 15 minutes, and Bam! You will have conquered your sweet and salty craving. Pretty awesome, right? Keep in mind these have a 100 calorie impact, so plan accordingly!
NOTE: If you absolutely need to have something to hold you over, try these liquid craving-curbing tricks:
- Coconut Water (healthy and effective): Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a cup of warm water. Sip and enjoy! In 20 minutes, you should feel fuller!
- Root Beer Float (not-so-healthy and effective…but delicious!): Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to a chilled diet root beer. Sip and enjoy! In 20 minutes, you should feel fuller!
Fitness and Daily Workouts:
Some of our go-to workout gear:
We understand that each person comes with a different story that requires customization along the way. For every movement, we give modifiers and/or alternate movements to substitute into your workout, and the modifiers and alternates can be found at the bottom of every movement description. If you are dealing with an injury, we encourage you to work around injuries, not through them. Feel free to substitute any movement into the workout that does not aggravate your injury.
NOTE: If you are experiencing an injury, please be sure to discuss your exercise regimen with your healthcare team before beginning any program, and then be sure to follow any modifications they might recommend while recovering from your injury. If you are experiencing any new injuries, be sure to discuss these with your healthcare team if the injury persists past a few days.
Should I still work out if I’m really sore?
Soreness is very common the first few weeks of beginning a new program. If it is extremely painful, then 1) do your Accelerators/light cardio instead of your workout until the soreness goes away, or 2) do your workouts focusing on body parts that are not sore.
Massage, Epsom salt baths, and ice baths have also been shown to help reduce muscle soreness and speed recovery so you can get back into the groove as soon as possible!
When should I weigh myself?
Weigh yourself as much as you like, but your official weigh ins should be done once a week (after a low carb day), first thing in the morning before eating or drinking. Keep in mind that it takes roughly one to two weeks to get a truly accurate change on the scale, so this is why weighing at the end of each week can keep the number much more consistent and reliable.
Other than pounds on the scale, what are the ?signs? I need to watch for when losing weight?
- Clothing and inches: Pay attention to how your clothes are fitting?they are an incredible gauge of your progress!
- Energy levels and body temperature: These will fluctuate as we cycle our nutrition from high to low carb days. You will notice a nice boost of energy and a body temperature rise on high carb days as your body consumes higher quantities of ?fuel.? Low carb days (low ?fuel? days) will result in decreased energy and decreased body temperature. Don?t be alarmed if you feel your energy zapped and a bit foggy-minded without all of those carbs. This is normal, and it?s only temporary!
- Water retention and flushing: Here?s one more reason NOT to rely only on the scale. If you insist upon weighing daily, you will notice that your weight fluctuates with your high and low carb days. Our bodies will naturally retain water during high carb days, and they?ll flush water during low carb days. As a result, there will be some noticeable fluctuations on the scale. You may find yourself up 4 pounds after a high carb day, then down 5 pounds after the following low carb day.
Do I have to take pictures during my transformation?
While you don?t HAVE to, we highly recommend it. One of the most wonderful gifts you can give yourself during this transformation is the proof of progression. Not only will this memorialize where exactly you came from (and it will serve as a constant reminder to never go back), but it will also give you a more ?objective? perspective of your own body so you can see the true results. Naturally, our eyes play tricks on us?what we see in the mirror is NOT reality!
If you choose to, you can share your transformation pictures across any of your social networking platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) from the TRANSFORM app. Your transformation will give hope and inspiration to everyone around you, and it can help them choose to change their lives for the better too!
Now, if you are following the app, you don’t have to worry about much of this at all. We will guide you every step of the way…even sharing our tried and true Life Lessons that have proven to be the magic ingredient to thousands of lasting transformations over the years.
On that note…come TRANSFORM with us! Click below to Download:
Xoxo,
Heidi
Related reading:
10 Tips to Crush those Cravings?For Good!
It Really Is All About the Promise
Meal Prep Tips and Tricks You Need to Know
A Weight Loss Win: It?s More Than That Number on the Scale
Our Transformation Mantras + Top Tips for Success
6 Secrets to Success: How to Reach Your Goals This Year
Avoiding Road Trip Road Blocks!
601 Responses
Loving the app and plan! I lost total of 4pounds. Weigh in day today following reset. Weight was back at start. Is this common? 0possiblynsee a drop over next few days? I adjusted reset day to be Sunday’s instead which will be 4 days prior to weigh ins. Is this ok?
Hi Kelly: We’re so excited you’re loving the app! We recommend you weigh the morning of your reset day since your weight can go up a bit on your reset day (but it will totally go back down – reset days are super important for success!). Hope that helps!
Does the grocery list change every week? If so, when will it be available for us to see so we know what we will need the next week?
Thank you
Hi Beverly: The grocery list is formulated based on the meals you choose for your meal plan. You can look ahead to the next week for planning purposes by going to the Nutrition page, then click on the next week towards the top of the page. 🙂
Once your prior meals “roll off” and you’ve created your meal plan for the next week your shopping list will update. If you do your meal plan for the next week on Saturday and also shop (that’s what I did today) know that the ingredients for Saturday and Sunday are still on your shopping list, just make those adjustments and it’s easy to grab what you need for the next week. Plus you may have some things on your list that you bought the week prior and still have plenty of, so you would just cross those off and use what you already have. 🙂
Good afternoon!
I downloaded the app and really love it so far! I have one question. I had gastric sleeve surgery three years ago. I’ve lost almost 100 pounds, but still need to lose about 80-100 more pounds and have been at a standstill for two years. My doctor has already approved the food on the carb cycling plan. That is not an issue. My question relates to the calorie count. There is no way that I am able to eat the amount of calories listed. My doctor advised me that I may eat the food listed, but just eat the quantity that I am able to. I believe this will end up being approximately 2/3 the amount of calories that are listed. I know that you usually respond to weight loss surgery patients advising them to ask their healthcare provider. That is why I wanted to mention that everything is fine with the doctor and the food itself. I just wanted to make sure that I am not required to eat the recommended calories for the carb cycling to be beneficial. Will this still be beneficial if I am not eating the same amount of calories listed, but I am eating the recommended food in the meals and doing everything else that is suggested in the app? Thanks for any assistance!!
Hi Amanda: You should be fine! The most important thing is for you to follow your doctor’s recommendations, and make sure your eating the same amount of the food (2/3 or what you find that works best for you) across the board so you’re getting all the nutrients you need. 🙂
Is there a way to add your own meal?
Hi Loreen: We’re working on adding that option to the app, but in the meantime, you can sub one of your own meals with what’s on the app, but be sure to try and eat the same amount of calories and macros for that meal. Hope that helps!
Hello Team Powell!
I’d like to tell you how much I’m loving the Transformation app! I’m using it in combination with your Extreme Transformation book. I Love how the app really breaks down macros and calories based on weight and goals. I do have a question regarding the reset day (I’m doing the turbo cycle). I understand the importance of starting the day within 30 minutes of waking with a healthy breakfast. I have been loving the breakfast fruit smoothie in the app. My question is this, am I able to switch around the higher calorie meals for my last meal of the day? I would prefer to have a higher calorie meal for dinner, so can I switch these around? For example, the app says that I can have up to 550 cal for my three middle meals of the day. Then my last meal should be around 220 cal. Can I trade them around as long as I start the day with the healthy breakfast? Thanks!
Hi Amanda: It’s best to follow the outline in the app whenever possible since that meal plan is programmed into your program. 🙂
Is there a place to find where the macros are for the high and low carb days and calories for the physique and cross fit apps? Just wondering if I should be tracking Macros or calories and where my range is if I don’t eat what is on that particular plan or meal? Also, how many times a day can we do the HIIT or the 10 minutes workout?
Did my first work out today and I am loving this app, loving the food plan too!! Thank you so much for all the hard work and time spent on it! ?
Hi Jaime: If you’d like to sub your own meal for any of the meals, try and choose one that is as close as possible to what’s in the app. Otherwise, you can add up your recommended calories and macros for the day and use that number, keeping in mind that it’s best to follow the meal pattern each day (breakfast, low carb, high carb, etc.). And you can do your workouts as many times as you’d like, just be careful to not overdo it! Hope that helps!
Firstly, I love the app so far, and I’m already seeing some results, so THANK YOU!
I was wondering if there was a way to report issues or suggest improvements for the apps technical functions? It seems to have some minor – but irritating quirks that could be easily fixed if your software people were aware. One example would be, When planning a menu for the next week, no matter what screen you are on, when you change something it takes you back to today. No big deal once or twice, but five meals for seven days makes it a time consuming issue, that could be fixed with a line or two of code.
Again, I love the app! And I think using the users to continue to improve it makes sense.
Hi Cynthia! Yes! Please send any feedback or suggestions to our support team: [email protected] 🙂
I was wondering if we can switch our meals, say for instance I want to switch my Breakfast and morning snack around. I am wanting to do this because I get up at 5 and start my workout around 5:30 – 5:45 and workout for an hour. I am used to not eating right away, but I am finding it hard to fit 5 meals in not eating right away in the morning. Also the breakfast meals are to much for me to eat and then workout. I feel to full this is why I would like to eat my morning snack, lets say a protein shake and a marshmallow dream bar and then workout versus a protein shake and two pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Would it be OK to switch these around in the mornings only?
Thanks!
Hi Shandy: Here’s a post that can help you figure out how to work in your meals around your workouts: https://heidipowell.net/9194. And it’s best to leave the meals in the order they’re outlined since breakfasts, low carb, and high carb meals are made up a bit differently. Hope that helps!
Thank you the video was very helpful!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a question about the low carb lunch that includes shredded chicken, almonds, cheese and almonds. Would it be okay to add strawberries ?
Hi Beverly: A low carb meal is made up of a protein, a fat, and veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type), so you won’t want to add a fruit/carb. Hope that helps!
thanks and that makes sense.
i weighed myself this morning and in just two days of following food plan and exercise plan, I’m down 2 pounds. I know that you shouldn’t weigh daily but it’s the only way I can keep myself motivated
Hi Beverly: Yay!!!! 🙂
I Signed up for the App on my Iphone, can I not get it on my Ipad? Its asking for another payment? I dont want to be charged twice but it would be nice to see a larger screen for workouts.
thanks
I am having the same problem — wish I would have done it the other way around, as it is much easier to do the workouts with the ipad. Is there a way around this??
Thank you!
Yes and now it keep asking to confirm another payment after I have already done so?
Hi Jessica: You should be able to log in to your Transform account on your ipad since you already have an account. If this doesn’t work, please contact our amazing customer support team, and they’ll be happy to help you figure this out! [email protected]
same problem