Basically, if you want the simple answer, the 21 Day Fix is amazing! I lost 14 pounds and 6.5 inches in 3 weeks and have never felt healthier. I never imagined those kinds of results without some kind of unhealthy crash diet, but the combination of exercise and proper eating really worked wonders!
Here's the breakdown of why I love this program:
Exercise: The 21 Day Fix exercise DVDs were awesome! A 30-minute workout is totally doable in anyone's schedule and, since it can be done at home, there should be no excuse for not fitting it in. With a different workout every day of the week, you'll never be bored with your workout. There were some seriously challenging exercises, but every workout provides a modified version for any exercise you're not up for. Autumn details every movement, first by showing you how it's done, then by explaining exactly what you should be feeling while you're doing it, taking away the guesswork when it comes to proper form. The added bonus... a 10-minute ab workout that is absolutely killer - I try to do it every couple days, even now that I'm not exclusively following The Fix.
Eating Plan: This is not like any diet you've ever experienced. Let's be honest... we all have a good idea of what's healthy and what's not. The difference here is that this eating plan focuses on how much you should be eating of those healthy foods. The Fix comes with containers you can use to measure your foods so that you're sure you're getting exactly what your body needs. You calculate how many calories you need in a day, which translates to a certain number of each container (there's no guesswork here - it's all calculated for you and you're given a long list of foods that you're allowed to have for each container). For example, when I started The Fix, I was allowed 4 green containers (veggies), 3 purple containers (fruits), 4 red containers (meats/proteins), 3 yellow containers (grains/beans/potatoes), 1 blue container (nuts/cheeses), 1 orange container (seeds/dressings) and 4 teaspoons (oils/nut butters/seed butters). And while the containers appear small, they actually hold more food than you'd think. So, unless otherwise noted, if it fits in the container, you're allowed to eat it. Looking at the containers, I was concerned I'd be super hungry, but was shocked to find I wasn't. The trick was figuring out how to space the containers throughout the day to make sure you were staying as full as you needed to be. So, for example, to keep your belly full throughout the day, you'd want to space out your red containers over breakfast, lunch and dinner so that you had protein regularly throughout the day. I'd have half my veggies and some of my fruit for snacks between meals and would try to save some fruit for after dinner in case my sweet tooth got the best of me. The allowed grains were a little limiting as I'm a huge fan of bread, but I'd try to stick with 1 yellow container at lunch so that I'd still have 2 left for dinner and found that, surprisingly, I never felt deprived.
There were 2 things I found a little difficult at first about the eating plan...
First, there are just some things that need to be cut out - butter, sugar, excess salt... this means there are lots of foods that need to be avoided. On the flip-side, however, this made for an easy transition into cleaner eating and it made me far more aware of the kinds of things I was putting into my body. That's not to say that I've made the switch to clean eating all the time, but I do find that I steer towards the things I know are good for me and save the 'bad stuff' for when I'm out to dinner and it's harder to avoid them. I find I'm eating more fresh vegetables and a heck of a lot more fruit than I ever had before and I'm starting to cook with leaner meats than I used to. I haven't made the switch to all organic or all natural foods, but I'm paying far more attention to nutrition labels, focusing more on ingredients than anything else. I haven't counted calories on anything in weeks and, even without strictly following the eating plan these last few weeks, I've found it's completely changed how I view food. And I've continued to lose weight, shedding another 2 pounds where most people no longer following a diet would usually begin to gain the weight back.
Second, I struggled a little with the transition from filling my containers with boring, bland food to using them to figure out proper portions and making recipes. The truth is, almost any recipe out there can be modified and made healthier. Not all of them end up quite as delicious, but you'd be surprised by how good healthy food can taste when it's made the right way. My first week on the plan I mostly had baked chicken, steamed veggies and raw fruit... super healthy, but not super delicious. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, I found ways of making healthy foods a lot more tasty. For example, I made stuffed peppers using quinoa instead of rice and ground turkey instead of ground beef and found a combination of herbs and spices (all of which are allowed on the 21 Day Fix) to make up for the more bland flavor of the turkey. My meal accounted for 1 green container, 1 red container and part of a yellow container. It was super healthy and delicious at the same time. The trick is finding substitutes for the things you love (and I don't mean cauliflower for potatoes... I don't care what anyone says, those 2 things are so not the same). Here are some of my favorite substitutes that I've found over the past few weeks:
Ground turkey for ground beef (requires extra seasonings in some dishes)
Quinoa for white rice
Greek yogurt for sour cream (it's awesome as a topping for Mexican foods)
Greek yogurt for mayonnaise (add some to shredded chicken, onion, celery, garlic and pepper and you've got a great chicken salad!)
Stevia for sugar
And my all-time favorite: ground almonds & frozen bananas for ice cream (no joke-this is amazing!)
And, now for the big reveal...
I was tempted not to include before and after photos, mostly because I wasn't really interested in having these floating around the internet. However, if I'm going to ask others to take a leap of faith, it only seems fair that they see my progress... proof that this program works. So here you go...
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| Top row: Day 1 Bottom row: Day 21 |
As a side note, I think it's important to point out one other thing about my journey with the 21 Day Fix... Yes, red wine is allowed (a 4 ounce glass is okay up to 3 times per week), but beer doesn't make the cut. However, in the last 5 weeks, I have not cut alcohol out of my diet. I don't drink daily, but when I'm out to dinner or spending time with friends, I can easily consume a few glasses of wine or several beers. We've had lots of activities these last 5 weeks and I have chosen not to hold back at any of them when it comes to drinks. I've also managed several 'cheat meals' when we were out to dinner. The fact that I was still able to achieve these results says a lot of about what good nutrition and exercise can do for your body... even if it's just most of the time :) Imagine if I'd cut those things out completely!?!?
Overall, I think this particular program succeeds where others fail - it helps you tackle your overall health by focusing not only on regular exercise, but on good nutrition. There's so much more to healthy eating than crash diets and deprivation. For anyone not sure where to go when it comes to getting healthy, this would be a great place to start!
If you're interested in finding out more about the 21 Day Fix or any other Beachbody program (T25, Slim in 6, P90X, etc.), go here. I am now officially an Independent Team Beachbody Coach and would be happy to help you on your own Beachbody journey. You can also comment below or email me at erin@clere.us for more information. We've got a great support system where you can find inspiration and advice.
I'm currently in the process of putting together my own Challenge Group. If you have any interest in seeing what these programs can do for you, please contact me. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to taking what I've learned about nutrition and using it during my next venture - today I start T25 - and I'll look forward to sharing my thoughts on that program in a few months. Until then, here's to you and your health!
Beachbody - Decide. Commit. Succeed.
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