21 Day Fix Review

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An honest 21 Day Fix Review with my results, before and after photos and more. I loved the workouts and the focus on portion control.

This edition of Fit Friday is dedicated to my 21 Day Fix review. I was a little hesitant to share my review because I’m actually working on launching my own 28 day transformation program (more info coming really soon on this!) but my program is different and I know many of you are curious about the 21 Day Fix so I want to share my results and thoughts on the program.

I experimented with p90x years ago but it wasn’t until last December when I tried Focus T25 when I started to learn more about the different Beachbody programs. While I found Shaun T motivating and LOVED the short workouts T25 offered, I didn’t really get the results I was looking for. Around the time I was finishing up my 12 weeks of T25, I saw that the 21 Day Fix was coming out.

It appealed to me for several reasons — not only does it include quick, 30 minute workouts but it also comes with a detailed nutrition plan. Most Beachbody plans come with some sort of eating plan but the 21 Day Fix includes an 84 page eating plan/guide and is more heavily focused on following the nutrition plan in order to see results. It also comes with handy dandy little containers to measure your portions.

Knowing that the eating plan was focused on portion control is what sealed the deal for me. As you all know, I eat healthfully on a regular basis — with a few treats here and there. Life (and healthy living) is all about balance for me and it’s what I try to focus on with my health coaching clients as well. That said, I do really love food and struggle with portion control with certain foods. I’m human. 🙂

Knowing that the 21 Day Fix was focused on portion control, clean eating and 30 minute workouts, I thought, “What the heck, I’ll give it a try!”

Woman in green sports bra and black shorts standing in front of navy brick wall with text '21 day FIX' on top.

Oh, and Autumn Calabrese’s abs didn’t hurt either. 😉

21 Day Fix Review

Rainbow food storage containers on counter, two 21 day fix books, and shaker bottle. 21 day fix review in script font on top of picture.

So what comes with The 21 Day Fix:

21 Day Fix Eating Plan

  • A simple eating plan where you don’t have to worry about counting ounces, cups, and calories.
  • You get seven color-coded containers that are different sizes for measuring green = veggies, purple = fruits, red = protein, yellow = carbs, blue = healthy fats, orange = seeds/dressing, teaspoon = oils.
  • You figure out your calorie level, which is based on your weight. There are four different calorie levels and each involves a different number of containers. I was in the 1,200-1,499 calorie range and was supposed to eat 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 4 servings of protein, 2 servings of carbs, 1 serving of healthy fats, 1 serving of seeds/dressing and 2 teaspoons of oil/nut butter per day.
  • You’re encouraged to drink plenty of water, but you can still have coffee and tea.
  • There’s room for treats like wine, oatmeal cookies, trail mix and chocolate as well. <— woot woot! Fair warning on this one, for wine the portion size is 4 oz a.k.a 2 sips. 🙂
  • The book includes a list of food ideas for each container and a few basic recipes.

21 Day Fix Workout DVDS:

  1. Total Body Cardio Fix — Includes moves that keep your heart rate up and your muscles engaged.
  2. Upper Fix — Targeted resistance training helps to shape your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and abs.
  3. Lower Fix — Firms and tone your entire lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves) while you blast fat and burn calories.
  4. Pilates Fix — Strengthens your core, elongates your muscles, and firms your hips and thighs.
  5. Cardio Fix — Gets your heart pumping and your body moving with body weight movements like jumping jacks and burpees.
  6. Dirty 30 — 4 rounds, 8 exercises.
  7. Yoga Fix — Active rest workout that helps to improve  balance, flexibility, and strength.
It also comes with a few extra bonuses like the 3 day quick fix eating plan — Autumn’s secret weapon for losing weight fast before a competition or photo shoot. My package also included the Plyo Fix workout DVD — a tough but awesome workout.
21 day fix results: Two before and after images - front and side facing in red sports bra and black shorts

These before and after pictures crack me up — they were taken right after waking up in the morning or right after my workout. Don’t judge. 🙂

My results:

I didn’t see the crazy results that I’ve seen in some of the 21 Day Fix before/afters online but I think that’s because the plan is similar to how I already workout/eat and I don’t have much weight to lose. This wasn’t about seeing a lower number on the scale for me. It was more about challenging myself, building strength, and firming up my stomach (which is my problem area).

  • I lost 1 pound and 2.5 inches.
  • I gained strength — I can see more muscle definition in my arms, legs and abs.
  • My stomach seems flatter and my waist is smaller.

My thoughts:

  • The eating plan is super easy to follow — especially if you’re already eating healthy and fine with eating simple meals. There are plenty of recipes out there if you want to get creative but I found that keeping things simple made it easier to make sure I was eating the right size portions. We grilled out a lot and I steamed, grilled or roasted lots of veggies. I’d make extra so I had plenty for lunches throughout the week. I also ate a lot of salads and made a few simple recipes like this tempeh and kale.
  • I ate all the same foods I normally eat, I was just more mindful of my portion sizes.
  • Before following the Fix eating plan I was eating way more  fat and carbs than the plan recommended. I was also skimping on my protein intake. The portion size for protein is much larger than the portions I would usually serve myself, where as the healthy fats and carb portions were smaller. Examples: 12 raw almonds = one healthy fat serving. 1/4 cup steel cut oats = one carb serving.
  • Although it’s heavily promoted, I didn’t use Shakeology. It’s pretty pricey so I actually signed up to a be a Beachbody coach so that I can get the discount. I might try following the full 21 days again and incorporate Shakeology to see if the results are more significant.
  • I feel like the plan might be harder for vegans in terms of the protein options. I think you’d have to eat a lot of soy products and protein powder to get your protein in because beans are considered carbs on the plan.
  • I LOVED the workouts! I would buy the plan just for these. Every day you’re doing something different — from weights to cardio to pilates and Autumn is really inspiring and motiving. The workouts are only 30 minutes so the time goes by quickly. I was always sweaty afterwards and found myself sore the next day as well. That’s one big difference between the 21 Day Fix and T25. I was consistently sore with the Fix workouts and never sore with T25. I know being sore isn’t the ultimate goal of a workout but it felt good knowing that I was challenging myself and gaining strength.
  • I like the fact that all you need is the DVDs, floor space, a mat and one set of heavy weights and one set of light weights (or a resistance band) to get the workouts in.
  • I was part of a 21 Day Fix accountability group on Facebook that I checked in with each day. I know accountability is a big factor for me so this was really helpful and made the process of following the plan more enjoyable.

Overall, this was a fun challenge for me and I liked the program a lot! Although the plan wasn’t too different in terms of what I was eating or the amount that I was working out — it felt good to pay more attention to my portions and switch things up workout wise – I definitely challenged myself by lifting heavier and pushing myself through the tough workouts.

My only complaint about the program is the name, 21 Day Fix. I get it, we all want fast results but it makes it seem like a quick fix or a fad diet, which I’m not a huge fan of. I’m all about changing habits and making lifestyle changes that promote living a healthy, balanced life rather than trying to change drastically for three weeks and then going back to old habits. Overall, the plan guidelines are a bit more strict/regimented than how I eat and exercise on a regular basis but the foundation of the plan is legit — clean eating (real, wholesome foods), watching your portions and working out regularly with varied workouts. At the end of the day that’s the basics of living a healthy lifestyle. I get it though — Healthy Lifestyle Fix doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it. 🙂

If you’re interested in learning more about the 21 Day Fix, definitely check out the 21 Day Fix on the Beachbody website. Like I said, I signed up as a coach to get a discount on their products so if you do want to buy the 21 Day Fix or another Beachbody program, feel free to purchase through my account. I’ll get props for it and I can help you get started if you have any questions. 🙂

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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114 Comments

  1. 55 years old and quit smoking 7 months ago. Have tried to eat a1200 cal diet and counting steps (10000) a day. 0 weight loss. Will this give me any different results?

  2. Hi
    I am in my 3rd day of 21 day fix I am not overweight I just want to lose 8-10 lbs and the only concern is the 4 red containers are too much for me, I have to force myself to eat and it’s a little of confusion on the blue container bc it’s a lot of cheese I like not in the list.
    I also like coffee, what is bad about having coffee? Please explain to me thank you. I am 134lb, have to have 1,200 cals x day I get full easily, I only want to lose 8-10 lbs.

  3. Hi, I did three rounds of the 21 day fix extreme, but I lost 24.5 inches all over my body. It was fabulous. I did bend the diet a little bit, allowing myself alcohol and treats on occasion. However, I have not done the exercising for five weeks and totally did not follow the eating plan due to multiple reasons: vacation, schedules, etc. and I feel horrible. I was shocked by how quickly the weight came back on, how awful I felt, how I felt less strong, and how suddenly my back pain came back. I’m upset with myself for stopping but I am starting another round up today 🙂

  4. when on the 21 day fix are you supposed to weigh out veggies like cauliflower that is large or cut it to size and then see what fits in the container. I just weighed out 8oz one cup which is the serving size and good lord that is a lot of cauliflower lol!!!!

    1. haha. That is good question. I usually cut it and then see what fits into the container, but it’s hard with awkward shaped veggies like cauliflower. Another option would be to cook it and then put it in the container. I feel like it’s not that big of a deal if you eat a little extra cauliflower. 🙂

  5. Hi there! I just started the 21 day fix but I haven’t totally committed financially so I am trying to research as much as I can. A friend of mine just lent me the videos and I understand the portions and their measurements – but will likely buy the containers for ease of reference. My question is – I eat whole foods regularly and I really don’t have weight to lose, just toning and to be feel stronger…so I am wondering if you know of any sites that sell or would you recommend meal plans already done up for my caloric level (1200) to jumpstart me? I spent about 30 minutes today hungry and trying to figure out what to eat – how much to eat and how to divide up my container allowances throughout the day. Any advice etc would be so appreciated…just not sure how to meal plan quite yet on this program. Thank you.

  6. I have a question about the beach body portion containers. I’ve seen some ads that carry a Large Blue (large enough to fit all 7 portion containers in it) container, that in total would make 8 containers. What is the Large one for?
    https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHxN-LvHnzte0E3dKZUCqCLmg0CaC8e7PAOlBbltiHllcHc4z9JDzASc5JnICFg9obEIV9EgY&usqp=CAc

    this is a link to the picture I’m talking about.
    Thank you in advance and God Bless~

  7. Hi my name is Rachel I’ve only just started the 21 day fix diet I’ve only been doing it for 4 days and I can’t see that I have lost any waigh I only eat a egg salad or a tuna salad and a apple chopped up and I have done the exercise everyday how long does it take to see results if anyone can get back to me please thank yo you.

    1. Hi Robin. Totally understand — they are expensive. I’ll occasionally buy a bag of the vegan chocolate because that’s my favorite, but I recently found another brand that compares. It’s called IdealRaw, it’s plant-based, tastes really good and is much cheaper. I really like the chocolate flavor, but the peanut butter chocolate is my favorite. You’ll have to let me know if you try it. 🙂

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