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21 Day Fix Review

By Brittany Mullins

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Published May 16, 2014, Updated Nov 18, 2021

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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!”

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

21 Day Fix Review

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.

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. 🙂