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
Turbo cycle on PG. 86 of Choose More To Lose More For Life I see that the recommended calories per day on this cycle for women is 1,200 cal. I do not see that high carb days are different than low carb days. I am afraid that The way the book is set up has me chasing my tail. I cant find specifics on this. Can you please let me know if the calories on these days differs. The comment you made yesterday leads me to believe I have already been doing this wrong by keeping appx. 1,200 /day every day. I really appreciate the help. I have been doing great so far. I’m dedicated to this process, I just don’t want to do the wrong thing and find out I have been doing it wrong the whole time. THANKS!!!
P.S. I am impressed that you are able to answer my questions so quickly. I am stressed starting something new without having a better grasp on this.
Sorry I used the reply button earlier. I’m learning.
Day 25, but I don’t know where to look up this info. (see above) ALSO: Is there a preferred place to ask questions? I am also confused that the recipes say 1 chicken breast is a serving when I believe 4 oz raw is a correct serving according to your book– much less than 1 chk breast. Also– in the calorie count chart pages oats are listed (steel cut cooked) pg 194 as 3/4 cup and page 195 as 2/3 c. thanks fpr the clarity! 😀
It?s 1,200 calories on low carb days and 1,500 on high carb days for women.
Hi! I recently got Choose More Loose More for Life. I grew up as a top athlete and became a fitness instructor. Now, at 48, am having difficulty doing an easy push up and weigh just over 242 lbs. (5’7″) I just started the TURBO CYCLE!!! I am having a difficulty figuring out if starchy veggies are considered a starch replacement. If not, when is one allowed to have them? I also don’t know when one is allowed to have fruit. I need to be adding Blood Pressuring lowering fruits and veggies and these seem to be blueberries, carrots, and other things….. I do not want to be using recipes as I despise cooking …. when you say carb, 3/4 c oatmeal is what I have. If you say veggies–2 cups that is what I have. but you never said fruit or veggies in the plan so I don’t know where to put healthy root veggies, fruit etc. Please help. This is my first week and I’m on day 3. I keep it simple and stick to it, but need to know these in’s -n-out’s. Thank you!!!!!!!!
P.S. I also am confused about where beans fit in. I love beans as a protein, but you dont have them as a protein and they dont seem to fit into the plan at all. Thanks.
Hi Jennifer: We count beans as carbs in our carb cycling plans. 🙂
Hi Jennifer: Great questions! We count all fruits and root/starchy vegetables as carbs as well as legumes, grains, etc. Here’s a post that can help: https://heidipowell.net/4514/ So, you can have any of these carbs as the carb portion of any meal. You got this!
Hey Team Powell, I need your help. I want to start with carb cycling. I’m 30 years old, 190cm and have a weight of 89 kg. I got from calories calculator 2533 daily calories. I thought 2100 is a good value. Can you help me with the macros for low carb, medium carb and high carb. If I understand it right. The proteins and fat is always the same. I got 222g proteins and 30g fat. It looks like fat is to less. I have no idea how to integrate the macros on a food plan with this less fat. Thank you for your help.
Best regards
Markus
Hi Markus: There?s a link to an awesome macros calculator in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. This calculator won?t break down your calories into low and high carb days, but there?s a ?Create Your Own Meals? chart in this post that can help you figure out low and high carb days: https://heidipowell.net/10617 Just remember that each gram of protein and carbs = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. We also offer a customized nutrition program in our app, The Transform App (http://thetransformapp.com), which adjusts as you progress towards your goals. The app has several amazing workout programs too! Hope this helps!
One more question now, soon is the Ist rewards day. It said this is important to re-set the metabolism…. not to skip it as a REWARD day. Do I keep the same schedule? What are the rules of reward days. I do understand that the more treats the more work to get it all off, So have– but limit. I just don’t know what the rules and structure should be. Thanks for helping. So far– so good!!!
Hi Jennifer: For your reward day, you’ll eat 750 calories more than a high carb day. Those calories can be treat foods you crave during the week, healthy foods, or a combination of both. The important thing is to eat the extra calories. We do recommend your last meal of the day is a low carb meal when at all possible. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve been doing the Turbo cycle for 6 months. The first 2 months were great, and I was able to lose 25 pounds. However, in the past 4 months, I have only been able to lose 7 pounds. At first, I thought maybe I was just going through recomposition, but the inches are slow to come off, as well. I pulled up an article from Heidi about weight loss plateaus, and started measuring my food, drinking half my body weight in water, and increasing the time and intensity of my workouts. I have done two slingshot weeks, as well. However, for the past two months, I have been staying the same weight. I’ve used Turbo cycle with great success in the past, so I am at a loss for what is happening. Any advice for what I can try next?
Hi Amy: What calories have you been following for your low carb and high carb days? How much more weight are you wanting to lose? Please reply, and we’ll go from there. 🙂
Thank you for the reply! I aim for 1200-1300 calories on a low carb day and 1500 calories on a high carb day. I hope to lose at least 70 more pounds.
Hi Amy: Thank you for reply! 🙂 I believe your body has adapated to your current calories, and with your low carb days already being so low, and with 70 lbs to lose, we don’t recommend you go any lower. Our app, The Transform App, offers you a customized calorie/macros plan, over 550 meals, several workout programs (from no equipment needed, to at-home, to gym-based), and the app will adjust your calories/macros as you progress. If you’d like to try the app for 14 days for FREE to see if it will work for you, go here: https://transformhq.com/chris-powell-14-day-free-trial/ And just be prepared that since the app is customized to you and your goals, it will suggest you eat more calories than you are currently. We ask that you trust the process because it works! You got this!
I missed the part– (which page in the book?) where high carb days were more calories. I thought each day was 1,200. How did I miss this?
Hi Jennifer: You’ll aim for 1500 calories on high carb days and 1200 calories on low carb days. Hope that helps! 🙂
I need meal ideas for the turbo cycle. Just want to make sure I?m eating the right food.
Hi Erin: For the turbo cycle, every breakfast will be a protein + carb + fat, each high carb meal will be a protein + carb, and every low carb meal will be a protein + fat. There’s a chart in this post that can be helpful too: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. For vegetables, non-startchy/non-root types work. If you’d like over 500 recipe and meal ideas, you can check out The Transform App free for 14 days! https://transformhq.com/chris-powell-14-day-free-trial/ And here are some free helpful resources: https://transformhq.com/freebies/ You can totally do this!
Hi, I just received a couple of your books and I?m really enjoying them. I can?t find this answer anywhere though. I?m carb cycling and wanted to know on low card days do you count net carbs (subtract fiber from carb total= net carbs)? Thank you so much for your help.
Hi Amy! We always count total carbs. We hope you continue to love the books and carb cycling! 🙂
I am 57 yrs old 5’4 and 214lbs. I have been on the Turbo cycle for 3 weeks and I have only lost 3 lbs! Shouldn’t I have lost more? I’m so disapointed. When I did keto last year I lost 7 lbs in the first week and 2+ lbs every week after that. Is it possible that your plan is just too high in carbs for me? I see in the comments you keep telling people to give it a chance to work – but after 3 weeks and and facing a slingshot week I am feeling as if this is not for me. Any thoughts? BTW – I am exercising 6 days a week and I don’t have a thyroid problem.
Hi Sara: Actually losing 1 lb a week is a very healthy rate of weight loss. We are after long-term, healthy results, not short-term, quick results which often lead to gaining your weight back. We recommend giving a new plan 4-6 weeks to work before making any changes/adjustments, and we recommend following a plan you can use for life, not short-term. Slow and steady weight loss is much more likely to stick long-term. After all, transformation is a marathon, not a sprint. You’re doing awesome!
I am doing the turbo cycle. I?m following the book but I don?t understand how to track macros along with carb cycling. What should my macros be on HC days and what should they be on LC days if I?m aiming for 1500 calories a day? I don?t know if I?m supposed to go extreme on HC days, like 65-30-5. Then on LC days am I supposed to do like 5-35-65?? I am so confused. How do I know what percentages to stay within for each macro each day?
Hi Lyn: There?s a link to an awesome macros calculator in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. This calculator won?t break down your calories into low and high carb days, but there?s a ?Create a Meal? chart in this post that can help you figure out low and high carb days: https://heidipowell.net/4514. Just remember that each gram of protein and carbs = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. We also offer a customized nutrition program in our app, The Transform App (http://thetransformapp.com), which adjusts as you progress towards your goals. The app has several amazing workout programs too! Hope this helps!
I have read Extreme Transformation but didn?t see how many carbs I?m supposed to stay under on low carb days, or how many grams of fat I?m supposed to stay at under on high carb days. Can you tell me where to find that information in the book?
Hi Lara: There?s a link to an awesome macros calculator in this post: https://heidipowell.net/10990. This calculator won?t break down your calories into low and high carb days, but there?s a ?Create a Meal? chart in this post that can help you figure out low and high carb days: https://heidipowell.net/4514. Just remember that each gram of protein and carbs = 4 calories, and each gram of fat = 9 calories. We also offer a customized nutrition program in our app, The Transform App (http://thetransformapp.com), which adjusts as you progress towards your goals. The app has several amazing workout programs too! Hope this helps!
Hey! I just signed up through your transformation app and going through the carb cycling. When tracking my meals through bar code, I notice it?s counting my carbs with my veggies. I remember reading I can eat unlimited veggies. If I already reached my carb quota for the day, can I continue to eat veggies even though it?s carbs?
Hi Aleisha: The app will track everything you input into it, although you can still eat the “free” veggies (the non-root/non-starchy ones) if you’d like. Hope that helps!