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
Hey
I have followed the turbo cycle to tie. Worked out 5 days this week and gained 2 pounds 🙁
Hi Jo: Here’s a post that can help you figure out what’s going on: https://heidipowell.net/12026. If this keeps happening, you might want to track portion sizes and calories too just to make sure. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi! How I measure my carbs? cooked or uncooked?
Hi Kritzia: In any of our recipes, the ingredient list should state whether food is to be pre-cooked or not, so if it says pre-cooked, you’ll measure that food after cooking. If it doesn’t say pre-cooked, then measure that food before cooking. Hope that helps! 🙂
I have a question, just downloaded the App and I thought the calorie brackets were 1200 and 1500 but when I put in my weight it has me at alot higher number than those. Please help!
Hi Jessica: The 1200 and 1500 calorie recommendations that you’ve probably seen in Chris and Heidi’s books, while they do work, are very general recommendations. The recommendations for you in the app are based on YOU and YOUR goals, so they will be different than those general recommendations. And it is VERY common to be surprised at the amount of food you should be eating to reach your goals! Most people have the misconception (and ?old school? mentality) that you have to starve yourself to reach your goals?this is not the case at all. For our approach, we start you at the highest calorie intake possible to boost your metabolism and prime your body, then if you EVER plateau, the program will adjust your portions in a ?step-down? manner, to maximize your results and keep you losing. This is transformation the way it SHOULD be done! Your meal plan is totally customized to you and your goals, and so you can feel confident that if you eat all of that delicious food, you will achieve your goals!
I currently workout at Orangetheory Fitness 5 days a week. I have 10-15 lbs I need to shed, but my weight loss has stalled out for about the past 90 days. Considering the amount of high intensity exercise I’m getting, should I try the turbo or fit cycle? I take a 90 minute class on Sundays, and a 60 minute class on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Thanks!
So can you do the Turbo Cycle while doing 3 full body workouts weekly? or should I only do 2 workouts since I only get 2 high carb days?
Hi Travis: Give it a try! Many people have success on the Turbo Cycle with 3 total body workouts/week.
Hi! I’m finishing week three on the transform app -turbo cycle and I LOVE IT! I’m so grateful for you guys creating something that literally gives you step by step guidance! I have a lot of weight to lose. Is extreme faster/better than turbo? I keep reading your blog and every time I feel like I know which one is best I become undecided again. Any help would be awesome!
Hi Jaime: Both of these cycles are our fastest weight loss cycles, so either can work. I’d start with Extreme, and you can switch at any time – you got this!
Hi Heidi,
I am doing the Turbo Cycle and often have no time to prepare a meal (2 special needs kiddos at home!) I often do a protein shake (usually Premier Protein) as my protein serving, but I noticed that Quest Bars are also approved. I am unsure how to count these. They have 190 cal, 8 g fat, 22 g carbs (15 fiber), and 20 g protein. Do I count this as just a protein serving, Protein + Fat, or Protein + Carb?
Also, I like to count Macros as well as calories since I have portion control issues ;). On a low carb day I read that the ratios should be 40% Protein, 40% Fat, and 20% Carb. So if I did the math correctly that works out to 120 grams protein/day, 53 grams Fat, and 60 grams carbs. Is that correct? Outside if breakfast which is always a carb serving, should the rest of the meals have equal ratios or does it not matter as long as the end numbers are the same? Thanks!
Hi Heather: Quest bars are a great option for a low carb meal replacement (protein + fat). And you are correct, outside of breakfast, on low carb days, the ratios should be the same. That makes it so much easier! No matter what meal you’re figuring, as long as you’re using 4 cals for each gram of protein or carb and 9 cals for each gram of fat, you should have solid numbers to go by. 🙂
Which cycle is best for rapid weight loss? Turbo or Extreme? I just downloaded the app and don’t know which to choose. I have approx 40-50 lbs to loose.
Hi Heather: Both can work! And you can change programs at any time, so you should be good to go!
I purchased the transform you app, and I am doing the advanced physique plan. I am eating according to my macros in the plan for high carb and low carb days but doing the turbo cycle plan. According to that it states low carb should be 1200 calories and high carb 1500. But the my macros in the app are way more. What should I be following? I will also say I’m doing 20 min of HIIT 4 times a week and 2 spin classes a week so I am pretty active. The macros in the app seem sufficient but I want to make sure I see results.
Hi Alyssa: The calorie recommendations in the book are very general, although they do work for weight loss. Your macro/calorie recommendations in the app are totally customized to you and your goals, so you can feel confident they will work! And if you ever feel like you’re plateauing, when you update your progress in the app, you should have an option automatically pop up asking if you want the program to auto-adjust for faster results. Please click YES, and let the program do its work! You got this!
On Reward day i know we are allowed an extra 1,000 calories, so what is our total calories for the day? 1200+1000=2200? or 1500+1000=2500? thanks
Hi,
I just purchased your book today and have read up to “Love it”. I would like to start tomorrow morning but since I just purchased the book today, I haven’t had time to read and make it to the grocery store so, I can’t use the meal plans for day one as outlined in the book which I will be following after tomorrow.
With that said, I’m also having a very difficult time understanding how to calculate how many carbs, proteins and fats I am allowed to have each day.
Can you please help me figure this out. I do know I will be doing the 1200 calories but as stated I don’t understand how many carbs, proteins and fats per day.
Thank you so much for any help that you can offer.
I am enjoying the book so far and look forward to this new journey!
Kathy
Hi Kathy: There’s a “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post that is super helpful, as well as other options for meal planning for “Extreme Transformation.” And you’ll aim for around 1500 cals/day on this program. When you’re putting your own meals together, remember that each gram of protein or carbs = 4 cals, and each gram of fat = 9 cals. Hope this helps – you can do this! 🙂