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! I’m reading extreme transformation right now and of course I’m loving the book! I’m also doing the diet bet this month and using your turbo carb cycle to help me meet my goals. I’m wondering if the extreme carb cycle will work better than the turbo carb cycle? And I’m also wondering if it’s okay to use a little bit of gat on high carb day ( to bake some chicken in)
Thanks!
And by gat I mean fat?
Hi Stephanie: It’s best to not eat fats on high-carb days. You can use cooking spray for cooking. The Extreme Cycle is the newest cycle and includes all the things Chris and Heidi have learned through working with their contestants on the show over the past few years. Any of the cycles can work, and you can change cycles at any time. You can do this! 🙂
Hello,
Happy New Year!! My husband and I are going to begin the turbo cycle tomorrow. I am a little confused on what we eat for breakfast. I know we do a carb every morning. Do I include the leafy green and a fat? What I had in mind was…egg whites protein, bell pepper carb or oatmeal carb, a leafy green, and cheese for fat?
Also on high carb days do I include a fat?
Does every meal include leafy greens?
Thank you!!
Hi Leslie: On the Turbo Cycle, every breakfast contains a portion each of protein, carb, and veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type). So for your suggested breakfast, you can eat the egg whites (protein), a carb, and up to two fist fulls of veggies, which could include the pepper and leafy greens. And you can have two fist fulls of veggie with any meal on any day. Hope that helps – you got this!
Thank you for the quick response. Do we include a fat at breakfast everyday?
Also, do I work out before I eat breakfast or after.
Thanks again.
If you’re following the Turbo Cycle, then you do not include a fat with breakfast. If you’re following the new Extreme Cycle, then you do. Hope that helps!
Hi Heidi and Chris!
Just bought extreme transformation!
One question, I will be following the 1500 calories a day plan. How many calories am I allowed on the rest day?
Hi Stephanie: With the Extreme Cycle, on your Reset Day, shoot for up to an extra 1,000 calories.
Hey Heidi,
I am in the middle of reading your new book and love it! Can’t wait to start carb cycling. I am wondering if the turbo cycle will help me lose weight faster than the extreme cycle?
Hi Tara: The Turbo Cycle is the most updated cycle, and it can help you lose weight the fastest. As with any of the cycles, you can change cycles at any time. Good luck! ?
Hello Heidi!!!
I am 50 years old and I am a Fitness Instructor– so I workout all the time. I just got the book and am planning on starting out with the Turbo Cycle. Here is my question– I don’t eat within 30 mins of waking up. I teach morning classes and my body can’t handle the food before my workouts. My goal is to just get rid of that stubborn 5 lbs of fat that is in my mid section. I am only 4’9 tall and I had a hysterectomy when I was 40. I am not a big eater — so this eating 5 times a day is going to be rough . So can the every 3 hours start after I have my first meal?? Thank you for your help and all that You and Chris do to help everyone to get healthier!!! Happy New Year!!
Hi Heidi,
I am following the turbo cycle. I like to eat veggie burgers for a meal, however when I look at the nutrition facts most of them are high in carbs. Can I eat them on a low carb day? Is there a certain typo of veggie burgers that are better than others?
Great question! Would you please tell me how many grams of protein and carbs are in your veggie burgers so I can help you figure this out? Each one can be very different.
Heidi,
I recently finished reading Chris’s book, Choose to Lose. I have decided to start off with the Classic Cycling and may eventually be brave and move into the Turbo cycling ? My hubby bought me a juicer for Christmas and was wondering if there is a way for me to incorporate that into carb cycling or should I save it for my free day?
Thank you!
Heidi,
Can carb cycling be used successfully for weight loss surgery patients?
Hi Randall: You’ll want to discuss carb cycling with your healthcare team just in case they recommend any modifications due to your weight loss surgery.
If I’m following the turbo fire how many calories should I aim for on Reward day? Also, does it make a difference if I make Saturday Reward day instead of Sunday?
Hi Shandi: On your reward day, you’ll eat 2500 calories (1000 extra calories). You can make it Saturday instead of Sunday, then your week will begin on Sunday (day 1). You can do this! 🙂
Hey guys! Thank you again for all that you do here to help us. I have a question, I have been following the Turbo cycle very strictly for 8 weeks now but have not lost any weight. To sum it up, I’m 23 weighing 125 and just looking to “cut” 5 pounds or so. I do a combination of weight training and cardio for an hour 6 days per week. Since I’m active and following the Turbo cycle is there any way to get off this plateau? Thank you in advance!
Hi Sarah: You might want to try the Fit Cycle (https://heidipowell.net/2719/carb-cycling-the-fit-cycle/) since you are so active and have a few pounds you want to lose. Give it a try – keep doing the reward days, daily calorie recommendations, and slingshot week every 4th week, and you should be good to go! And you can change cycles at any time too, so please keep that in mind. You can do this! 🙂