If you want to shed those extra pounds extra fast, the Turbo Cycle is for you. Of the four original carb cycles (Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit), this cycle takes off weight the fastest. Unlike the Easy and Classic cycles, which alternate low and high carb days, the Turbo Cycle pits two low carb days against every high carb day. That means you’ll burn fat two days in a row before your body’s furnace (metabolism) is re-stoked on your high carb day, and you’ll lose weight really, really fast!
Even though the Turbo Cycle has an extra low carb day as compared to the Easy and Classic cycles, it is not a severely calorie-restricted cycle that will crash your metabolism. And since you’ll have two low carb days in a row, you may feel less energetic on the second low carb day. But this is okay. These low carb days are powerful weight loss accelerators!
Here’s what a Turbo Cycle week looks like:
- Monday: Low carb day
- Tuesday: Low carb day
- Wednesday: High carb day
- Thursday: Low carb day
- Friday: Low carb day
- Saturday: High carb day
- Sunday: Reward day
Every breakfast—on both low and high carb days—will consist of a portion each of protein, carb, and fat. For the next three meals of the day, you’ll eat either a high carb or low carb meal (depending on which day you’re on). Your final of the day will ALWAYS be a low carb meal. Follow the portion size guide to put all your meals together. And as with the other cycles, you can stay with the Turbo Cycle as long as you want, or you can change cycles at any time. This program is tailor-made to you and you alone!
Learn more about the Turbo Cycle in our book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. And if you’re interested in learning about the Extreme Cycle, check out our book, Extreme Transformation.
And if you’d like some help creating your own meals, there’s a handy “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post!
Note: If you’ve been carb cycling using our book, Choose Lose More, Lose More for Life, you’ll notice that we’ve changed a couple of things since that book was published: You now include a fat for breakfast, and every final meal of the day is a low carb meal. Like with a lot of things in life, the more you do them, the more you learn about how to do them even better!
950 Responses
Hi Heidi, I started turbo carb cycling last week. Weigh in was Saturday and I was down 6.4 lbs. I almost fell off the scale! Thank you to both you and Chris! I did strict low carb on and off for years but my body didn’t seem to react to it anymore and I was so convinced my body couldn’t stand carbs that it took a lot to start the carb cycling way of life! Having the sprouted grains in my daily allowance makes me very happy….even more so when I see the number on the scales ? Thank you to both you and Chris for caring! Xox
Hi Chantel: Congratulations – this is awesome! 🙂
Hey Guys, I have a question. I used this carb cycling method a few years ago and got amazing results. Carb cycling is absolutely right for my body type. However with it being a few years ago I have forgotten my ratios on the days as compared with my training schedule. So I was wondering if you could give me a quick guide to follow. I am probably at 30%-34% body fat right now. I weigh about 175 and I am 34. I do fasting light intensity cardio for 30 minutes 7 days a week keeping hr at 120-125. Two days a week I do MMA, Muay Thai style training, and 2-3 days a week is Tabata or HIIT. I have been taking in 1400 cal a day, but I am starting Turbo carb cycle again. Should I increase my calorie intake, keep it the same, or decrease? And what macro breakdown do I use on the high and low carb days? Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated!!
Hi Kaci: In carb cycling, we really don’t count macros, just portion sizes (and calories if you’d like). You’ll eat 1200 calories on low-carb days and 1500 calories on high-carb days. There’s an awesome graphic in this post (as well as some other helpful info) that shows you how to put all your meals together: https://heidipowell.net/4514. Good luck – you can do this! 🙂
I think this is a silly question… but I will ask anyway! 🙂 I kind of made my own carb cycling up (it fits in my schedule well) and I’m wondering if you think I’ll still get the same results. Will this work?
Monday- low
Tuesday- high
Wednesday- low
Thursday-low
Friday- high (reward meal)
Saturday- low
Sunday- high (reward meal)
Hi Shandi: If you’re comparing your cycle to the Turbo Cycle, it’s hard to tell what results you’ll get since you don’t have the reward day included in your cycle and you have two reward meals throughout your week. Your cycle is kind of a twist on the Easy Cycle (which has reward meals on high carb days). But if this will work well for you, then go for it! And you can change cycles at any time too. 🙂
This is a great resource! Thank you.
I am an avid runner, recently completed a marathon, but I want a new challenge. Although running has made me physically fit, cardio wise, it has not given me the physique I would like.
My plan is to start doing strength circuits three times a week and to scale back on my running, but to still have long runs on the weekends. If I carb cycle, do strength circuit training, and still run 4-5 times a week, will it be possible for me to get lean?
Thanks!
Tara
Hi Tara: Yes, this is totally possible! You might also look into the Fit Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/2719/carb-cycling-the-fit-cycle/), and you can change cycles at any time. Good luck! 🙂
Thanks so much for the reply! I’m excited to try this out 🙂
I started working out with a personal trainer in February. I am about 5’2″ and 250 pounds. I started out three times a week and have since added in two boot camp/cross training classes with the same guy. So, monday-friday I work hard for one hour at the gym. My diet is not working. I have lost little to know weight. I work in a very sedentary type of job (hospice nurse practitioner driving around all day). I am looking at carb cycling but how do you work that when you are working out monday-friday? I have a couple reasons for gettin g healthy.. Not just for me but also to hopefully encourage my brother that is obese to the point he doesn’t want to leave his house. I love the gym and feel like I am doing good in that area and I love love love weight lifting and would love to reincorporate some gymnastics in to my life but I need the weight to come down. I would love any help or advice I can get. Thank you 🙂
Hi Jennifer: Carb cycling could work very well for you! The plan has you doing cardio (we call it Shredders) for up to an hour (or longer, if you’d like) Monday-Friday, so this fits into what you’re already doing! And you can change cycles at any time – it’s totally up to you. You can do this!
I started carb cycling today, as I’ve always loved the show and respect what you and Chris do for others. Your own journeys are very inspiring as well. For Turbo Carb Cycling, is there a set number of carbs for low carb days? Or an overall macro guide for this style of cycling?
Hi Will: In carb cycling we don’t count grams of anything, that makes it easier. There’s an awesome graphic in this post (as well as some other helpful info), that shows you how to put all your meals together. If you follow the portion size guidelines (like in the graphic), you’ll get the correct amount of macros you need. Hope that helps!
hi, just wondering if those dried bagged veggies, the dried snappeas etc, with sea salt, what category do the fall in,it’s processed and baked, but still a veggie, it’s a great crunchy snack
Hi Tina: They would be veggies, just watch the sodium content and the calories. Dried foods usually have a smaller portion size. 🙂
Hi Heidi,
Just another question, please. I have been using My Fitness Pal to keep an eye on my calorie count. In the book, If i read it correctly, it says you can have as much approved veggies as you want.. do you count all the veggies in the intial calorie count as well? Just want to make sure I am doing this right… Thank you!!
Yes, you’ll want to count any calories that you consume. 🙂
Where can i find a list of foods good for low and high carb days?
Hi Jen: You can find quite a few options within this post (be sure and follow the links in the post too): https://heidipowell.net/2713/carb-cycling-101/. And you can get a complete list of approved foods in Chris and Heidi’s book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” http://amzn.to/1rhkPaQ. Good luck – you can do this!
Hello Heidi, I’ve just ordered Chris’s ‘Choose to Lose, 7 Day Carb Cycling Plan’ book and while a part of me is excited at the prospect of its arrival, another part of me is rather scared, as I’ve tried to lose weight so many times before I’ll feel awful if I fail again!
I’m 58 and have around 28lbs to lose. I’m limited on the exercise I can do at the moment, as an accident knocked my pelvis out of alignment and it’s painful much of the time. However, the good news is that my osteopath says this is ‘fixable’ and I should be more mobile in a couple of months. But I don’t want to wait that long to start my carb cycling. Can I still lose weight on if I can only walk 15 to 20 minutes twice a day?
And, to add insult to injury (no pun intended!) years of low carb eating (unsuccessful because I was too hard on myself so it wasn’t sustainable) has knocked my faith that I can eat carbs and still lose weight. Please help. Debs.
Hi Deb: Yes, you can still lose weight even though your activity might be a bit limited. A huge part of losing weight is good nutrition, so you should be good to go there with the nutrition part of carb cycling. Move as you can as directed by your healthcare team, make sure your nutrition is spot on, and you can reach your goals!