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 just got done with Chris’ Choose More, Lose More book. Both of you are great inspirations – first for showing us true love and what good honest people look like when they truly have their best friend as their spouse, and second for the amazing inspiration of health.
I am starting on the Turbo Cycle today. I am finding it very difficult to find good resources through the book, or even the Vemma site. It looks like the app has been removed from the US iTunes store and finding examples for the meals and the workouts is not easy to find. I don’t understand why it is so difficult to find the step-by-step examples.
Do you have any suggestions on where to go and get started? Mainly looking for the workouts you want me to do and some example meals by the week so we can get them prepared ahead of time.
Hi Dave: All the workouts are outlined in the book, and you can use the recipes and food list at the back of the book to plan and put your meals together. We don’t have a day-by-day meal outline for the cycles in “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” There’s an awesome graphic in this blog post you can use as a quick reference for putting your meals together: https://heidipowell.net/4514. I hope this helps – you can do this!
Hi, I read your book extreme transformation but I’m not sure that cycle is for me and just wanted some advice. I am a crossfit trainer and I’m in pretty good shape. I would just like to shed a little excess fat and tone up. I know you have other cycles mentioned in your previous books. Would the fit cycle be better or even the turbo?
Hi Jennifer: Since you are so active, you might begin with the Extreme Cycle as outlined in “Extreme Transformation.” And you can change cycles at any time too. You can do this!
Hey guys,
i have another question for you. I was unfortunate to get really sick this week which is also my second week of turbo cycle. I had to break my diet just for the sake of eating something that would stay in my stomach. My question is do i start again on monday with first week or do i make some other arrangements ?
Hi Stella: I hope you’re feeling better! Just begin Monday with week two, and you should be good to go!
Hi Heidi!! I just ordered your new book from Amazon! I’m very excited to start. I’ve been eating clean for almost 2 years now after having my second baby, and unfortunately I’ve been plateaued for a while….like a year;( Still want to lose around 5 or so pounds, but wanting to add some muscle too. I’m 5’3 and 133, size 2. I really want my belly to shred some more because I am still clinging to the “mommy pooch” (lower abs). I’ve been staying around 1300 calories and am just stuck! I do HIIT training around 2-3 times a week and run 2-3 times a week. I am about to run my second half marathon. I’m wondering if I’m not eating enough calories? or if it’s because I’m trying to stay low carb for too long? I’m hoping this plan helps!!
Hi Casey: In the new Extreme Cycle, in “Extreme Transformation,” women eat around 1500 calories a day, so you might not be eating enough calories for your level of activity. While you’re waiting for your book to arrive, here are the basics of the Extreme Cycle to get you started: https://heidipowell.net/10503/carb-cycling-the-extreme-cycle/. 🙂
Hi! I’m on the turbo carb cycle and I must say I’m really enjoying it. On low carb days I eat about 1200 calories and on high carb day 1500. I’m wondering about my workouts…. if I work out about 2 hours and I burn like 800 calories…. do I need to eat more? So do I need to up my calories to 2000? Thanks for answering!
Hi Stephanie: No, you don’t want to eat back any calories you burn. Those calories burned go towards your calorie deficit, which leads to lost pounds. It goes like this: Calories consumed – calories burned = calorie deficit (lost pounds) -or- calorie surplus (gained pounds). Hope that helps! You can do this! ?
We just bought your book we have been paleo for 3 yrs has anyone had results with this but also staying paleo ?
Hi Steve: You’ll have to make a few substitutions, but it can be done. And you can substitute any high-carb meal for a high-carb meal (the same with low-carb and clean cheat meals), and you can also put your own meals together. Whatever works best for you!
Hey Heidi and team,
I have to ask for advice cause my working hours are pretty specific. I work 12h day shift (08-20) next day 12 night shift (20-08). Im off the day i get off night shift and the next day. For most part anyway sometimes it shifts in a way that im only off the day i get off night shift. My question is how to fit my meals around night shift. I usually wake up around 9 and then have a nap at 16-18.30 or so. if i eat my last meal at 9 pm id prolly be kinda hungry at night. Is there a way to modify this to suit me in some way. Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Stella: Get some great tips in this blog post: https://heidipowell.net/10556/ask-the-powells-how-can-i-structure-my-meals-2/. Hope they help – you got this! ?
Hi!
So i want to switch from the Extreme Cycle to the Turbo Cycle. Can I still use the menus in the Extreme Transformation book. For example…do the low carb days in the book correlate to the correct meals needed for the low carb days in the Turbo Cycle? Just wanted to check before I make the switch!
Thanks.
Hi Danielle: Yes, you can use any of the recipes in any of the books. 🙂
I’ve been reading through all your responses and they’ve been very helpful! One question I haven’t seen asked… is it okay to skip the reward day or is that necessary on the plan? I was looking into starting the turbo cycle, but I’m currently doing a whole30 (strict paleo for 30 days) and a reward doesn’t really fit with that. Of course I could probably come up with something if I needed to. I think I saw mentioned above to take in an extra 1000 calories on the reward day. Any info would be helpful, thank you!
Hi Sam: Yes, the reward day is a big part of carb cycling success, but you don’t have to eat “reward”-type foods on this day. You can eat anything you want, including healthy foods, up to 1,000 extra calories. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for your speedy response! I should’ve also asked, is that 1000 calories over the 1200 low carb day or 1500 high carb day?
Hi Powell Team,
I generally work out in the late afternoons with meal 5 falling as my post workout meal. I read that I shouldn’t include carbs in meal 5 to burn more fat during the night but should I be adding carbs to this meal since it’s post workout?
Thank you!
Hi Tish: Great question! Since you’ll have veggies with this meal, and they are carbs, you should be good to go!
Sounds good, thank you! What are the recommended calories for women on high carb and low carb days? Also are there macros we should be trying to hit on each?
It’s recommended that women eat 1200 calories on low-carb days and 1500 calories on high-carb days. And we don’t have macro counts – if you follow the portion size guides you’ll get all the macros you need. Hope that helps!