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
I have lost 80 pounds. I have been working out 7-8 hours a week and my weight loss has stalled out. I have been the same for 4 months. I am on week 3 of carb cycling. The first week I lost 4 pounds. the second week I was up 2 and this week so far I am the same. I do not go crazy on the one free day but do eat out of my normal plan. I love this program but need advice to keep it going??
Congrats on the weight loss – that’s awesome! And please just be patient. You’re trying something new and it might take a bit of time for your body to adjust. Follow your carb cycle exactly, and make sure to do the reward days and slingshot week. And weigh only once a week after the low carb day that’s farthest away from your reward day.
hello team powell,
my only question to you is, i have conjestive heart failure and im going to have a defibulator/pacemaker put in soon. i cant do the vigorous exercise like everyone else so what would you recommend to help with weight loss?
I’d suggest discussing the carb cycling program with your healthcare team so any modifications can be made for your health issues. We want to keep you safe and healthy as you’re working to reach your goals! 🙂
What about should we use on LC vs HC days?
There’s a graphic in this post that will explain low and high carb days, as well as some other great info: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. There are also complete approved foods lists in the book (“Choose More, Lose More for Life”), as well as a detailed outline and explanation of the entire carb cycling program (including exercise).
Hi Heidi! The concept of carb cycling sounds like exactly what I need but I have a lot of weight to lose, probably 140-150 lbs and I am a serious carb loader. I am also one who struggles with diets if I don’t see results. I am unmotivated and unhappy and I don’t even know some days where or how to start. My husband is also a diabetic, so I think ht would benefit from this as well. Any suggestions on how to get started and stay on track? Thanks!
Yes – get the book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” choose a cycle, and get going! And for help with motivation, pay special attention to the part about Promises. Learn more about the process here: http://chrispowell.com/choose-a-promise/. You both can do this!
I did insanity workout but now my back hurts everyday, so im doing the T Focus daily and elliptical 3x a week. I don’t need to lost wt, but my abdomen still not what i want to see. So, what to do to shed the fat in my stomach? Pls help.
You can’t really spot reduce, so it’s important to eat healthy foods and work out regularly, and eventually that fat will go away. Those abs can really be a problem spot for so many women, so you’re not alone. 😉
Good Morning Heidi,
I have a question…I have been doing The Shred for several months and lost 30 lbs from it. For the last month and 1/2, I have plateaued and have not lost a pound. So I ordered Chris’s book, made up my menu, and started this week. I have FINALLY pushed through the plateau and am starting to lose weight again. I must say that I LOVE the recipes in the book. I follow the menu to a T. I am pulling recipes from the book and the Bod-e app and have made them exactly as the recipe calls for. My problem is not one day this week have I met the calories of 1200. I have had to add an extra protein bar or shake to reach it. Even today, with putting my days worth of meals in My Fitness App it says that I will only have 1258, and I am supposed to have 1500. For example, today is a HC day. This is my menu: Breakfast: Denver Omelet with a banana Snack: Turkey Melt (from Bod-e app) Lunch: Roasted Beef and Veggie Stir Fry with Brown Rice, 1 cup of extra veggies, and slivered almonds Snack: Quest Protein Bar Dinner: Italian Herb Chicken and Sweet Potato. So where am I going wrong? What do I need to add? I want to make sure that I am getting enough calories to fuel my body.
If you’re following the portion sizes in the book, you should be hitting the daily calorie count, so I’d double check your portions and make sure your calorie counts are correct. You can also add two fist sized portions of veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) to every meal, so that might help. One thing – on a high carb day, you don’t want to eat almonds as they are a healthy fat. Hope this helps!
Good Morning Heidi,
I have a question…I have been doing The Shred for several months and lost 30 lbs from it. For the last month and 1/2, I have plateaued and have not lost a pound. So I ordered Chris’s book, made up my menu, and started this week. I have FINALLY pushed through the plateau and am starting to lose weight again. I must say that I LOVE the recipes in the book. I follow the menu to a T. I am pulling recipes from the book and the Bod-e app and have made them exactly as the recipe calls for. My problem is not one day this week have I met the calories of 1200. I have had to add an extra protein bar or shake to reach it. Even today, with putting my days worth of meals in My Fitness App it says that I will only have 1258, and I am supposed to have 1500. For example, today is a HC day. This is my menu: Breakfast: Denver Omelet with a banana Snack: Turkey Melt (from Bod-e app) Lunch: Roasted Beef and Veggie Stir Fry with Brown Rice, 1 cup of extra veggies, and slivered almonds Snack Quest Protein Bar Dinner: Italian Herb Chicken and Sweet Potato. So where am I going wrong? What do I need to add? I want to make sure that I am getting enough calories to fuel my body.
Would hummus be an acceptable fat?
It depends on what exactly is in the hummus. Since it’s mostly made from chickpeas, it would qualify mostly as a carb. If it has added fat, it would probably be best eaten as part of a reward meal or on a reward day.
I had been on the Easy Cycle and seemed to get stuck (weight plateau). I switched to the Turbo Cycle and the reward days (even with staying within the 2500 calories) set me back and then I spend the rest of the week getting it off. My weight has plateaued and I’m having an extremely difficult time getting out of it. I have 15 pounds to lose and don’t know what to do. Should I go back to the Easy Cycle? What can I do??
Hi Gena: Check out this post about weight loss plateaus: https://heidipowell.net/5889/avoiding-and-conquering-that-weight-loss-plateau/. Hope it helps! 🙂
Hello! I CrossFit ~4 times a week, train for Olympic lifting a few times a week, and get some gymnastics in on the weekends. I have about 20 lbs of fat to lose to make it down to 21-22% body fat, which would make me much more competitive. Which carb cycling plan should I try? I’d like to get rid of these 20 lbs as quickly as possible!
Hi Shannon: With your workout schedule, you might want to try the Fit Cycle. Best of luck! 🙂