What is the 21 Day Fix?
Maybe you're sitting there asking yourself, "to fix or not to fix?" … and looking for a REAL honest review of the program and the meal plan… well you came to the right page ;-)
I felt like it was Christmas morning when I received my package! I truly am beyond excited and stoked about this program. I had been looking forward to the containers and meal planning for so long. As a clean eater I really feel like I am eating the right types of foods but I always tend to over do it with the healthy foods! So this is going to really help me to keep everything in check!
So needless to say, I was stoked to have some REAL accountability WITHOUT counting calories and guessing how much I can have of each food group per day. I had a basic understanding but no REAL guideline.
Low and behold, the 21 Day Fix came riding in like a white knight ;-)
The Containers:
I‘ll be honest. When I first opened the box I thought, “Oh my word. These containers are so small!” HOWEVER I will say, after putting my food in the containers then dumping them on my plate, I was actually very pleased with the amount of food I did get.
So it works like this, you get 1 of each color container: red, blue, green, purple, blue, yellow and two orange (the only that you get two of)
And as you can tell in the picture each container has a specific purpose. You calculate your body weight and do some fun math (you'll see in your booklet) and then you calculate your caloric level .. and then based on your range of calories you're allowed to have you will be assigned a bracket of containers you are allowed daily. For me, I am in the 1,200 to 1,499 calorie range! That gives me 3 green (veggies) 2 purple (fruits), 4 Red (protein) 2 Yellow (starchy carbs) 1 Blue (nuts, ect) 1 Orange (nuts and dressings) 2 spoons (nut butters, olive oil).
Then, each container is broken down in the manual with a list of foods that you can eat. I love it because I can easily pick from each list and create a meal plan for the week. I love that the foods are listed in order of importance. So the higher on the list the foods are the more nutritionally sound they are! Of course you should have a variety of foods from the lists to give you variety of nutrients for your body.
I have not been eating out of the containers, but I measure and pour onto my plate. Surprisingly each time I do that I am amazed with how much food I am still eating.
It's called PORTION control for a REASON --- doing the same thing and expecting different results is called INSANITY.. if you want to find your sanity you have to switch it up.
You do get the option to drink milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut water, coconut milk and fruit juices but you have to sub out a yellow container and you are only allowed them 3x per week! So it does make you re think your drink as well. The best part .. YOU CAN HAVE WINE!!! You just have to give up a yellow container which is a carb for the day. Lose weight and still have wine? SIGN ME UP!
There are also treats allowed as well. They give you a list of treat ideas that replace a yellow container. Recipes! There is a list of seasoning mixes that you can whip up to prepare your food with! There are container recipes for your veggies, protein and starchy carbs as well. I love the recipes for your shakeology and the home made dressing recipes!!! There is an awesome restaurant guide as well. I like that they give you a list of restaurant foods and what containers that they will check off. For example cheese and veggie pizza (1/4 of 12inch slice) is 2 yellow, 1 orange and 1 green! In my opinion that would not be worth it to me! I'm all about getting the most out of the foods that I eat!!!! The one I would go with is lean meat tacos (soft corn) with cheese, lettuce, and salsa (2 tacos) is 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green and 1 blue! Now that is worth it and filling!
So now the hard part is figuring out how to keep track of all this and make it work for you! Luckily we have made it easy for you! On the Team Beachbody site there are tracking sheets that you can put your container allowance at the top and you can tally each meal of the day and check of what you have! This really gives you a visual to follow. For me, I am the meal planner so I made myself a color coded excel spreadsheet where I plugged in exactly what I am going to eat for the week. Then along side of that I have my sheet of paper with my grocery list of things I need to pick up at the store. This way when I am done with the meal plan I can print it off and stick it on the fridge, so I don't forget what I am making. Then, I shop so that I actually have the food I planned for! This makes my life so much easier. No standing in front of the fridge each night wondering what to make!!! So here is a sneak peak of my meal plan!
The Workouts: 30 min. workouts 21 days straight.
Whether your a fitness pro or a newbie, these workout DVDs can work for anyone at any level and honestly hit just about every major muscle group with a few select workouts to target some smaller areas. What I LOVE about the workouts, they're only 30 minutes and you're done. However, you're working out for 21 days straight, but honestly, only doing 30 mins a day of these workouts is MORE than doable. If you want to build a habit, it takes 21 days right?
My favorite DVDs are upper fix, dirty 30, lower fix, and pilates…. I have never done a traditional pilates class but I REALLY enjoyed the video and how it works on resistance and lengthening the muscles. Ladies, if you're looking to tone the booty, hips and core, this workout video is the BEST!
You will need a light and heavy set of weights, I would suggest anywhere from 5 lbs to 15 (if you're feeling good) -- but remember it takes to build up.
In most of the videos you are doing a set of exercises either once or twice through and doing 5-6 different rounds. There's also a good amount of lunges, squats, burpees and some lateral cardio work. So be prepared to sweat, and don't worry--if you're not quite in the physical condition you want, you can always modify with Cathy--who I LOVE in the videos. Because if I'm dying or something doesn't feel comfortable, I follow my girl CATHY! ;-)
Dirty 30
Total Body Cardio
The Trainer:
Oh Autumn. She's so cute, young and refreshing. It was about time we got another female fitness trainer who we could look up to. I will always love Chalene Johnson because how could you not? She's Wonder Woman, but I'm sure it was even nice for her to see another female trainer on the Beachbody team. The great thing about Autumn is she reminds you that " IF YOU'RE SICK OF STARTING OVER, STOP QUITNG" and "DONT WISH FOR IT, WORK FOR IT" She's full of little inspirational quotes to keep her peeps going. I do like her, and I love the concept of her workouts. It can't be easy to hit all the right spots and muscles in 30 mins in 7 DVDs but she manages well!
It's game on!!!! You can follow my results over the next 21 days!!! I'm ready to rock it! Do you want in on my 21 Day Fix accountability and Support?!?! Please email me at tonupgirl@outlook.com or message me on my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/toneupgirl). My first challenge group will begin on August 4th! I will keep you on track to reaching your own 21 day success!!!! The start of a new you, a healthier lifestyle and the body you have always wanted..... THE HEALTHY WAY!!
