So my wife and I have been following the recipes and guides within the Chris and Heidi Powell's Extreme Transformation carb cycling book that was released last month.  We started the plan on 1/2, the same day the Chris Powell DB allowed weigh in.  The results are, to use a word, EXTREME.

My body's response has been tremendous.  I've lost more than EIGHT POUNDS and I'm eating more food than ever.  I am also working out at least once, and sometimes twice per day.  In the morning I'm swinging kettleballs (35lb, 150-200 swings), and most evenings we're going to the health club and I've done various activities, but mostly the elliptical (setting 16 of 25) for an hour.

My wife's response has been lackluster.  She has lost little weight and is wondering if this is going to work for her.  Since she disclosed this to me, I've cut the number of meals down from 5 to 4 (because we're just not hungry enough to eat the fifth meal anyway).  Note that she does not work out in the morning, and has missed two of the workout sessions.

The analysis I come up with is this: many men experience faster response to any change in diet and exercise, so I am encouraging my wife to continue.  She had the same problem when we lost a lot of weight on Nutrisystem, where my graph was more or less a straight line down, and hers was a curve with ups and downs.

I will say this about the book recipes: It is a ****load of chopping, cooking, preparation.  WAY MORE EFFORT than I would want to do on a daily basis indefinitely.  I'm looking for compromises to make this easier.  It may be meal substitution (like a salad for meal #2 or 3), or better linked meals where you prep two or three days of meals in a few hours.

But I LOVE my body's response, and I'm HOPEFUL that she experiences the same.  Therefore, I RECOMMEND buying the book and following the extreme carb cycling recipes enclosed within.

Thanks, Chris and Heidi, for doing the research and publishing this book!  I think I will reach my goal in less than six weeks total and FINALLY get back into pants I fit in two years ago.