So my husband and I are done our 21 day fix! And we lived to tell.... seriously though, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be so we are kind of continuing still on a modified scale.
So the 21 day fix is a series of workouts and a meal plan that you follow. When you buy their program, you're given the DVDs, containers and the Shakeology protein powder. Based on your weight, you fall into a category and you eat the food from the amount of containers allotted for the day. It's basically combining portion control with regular physical activity to eat cleaner and lose weight in three weeks. It sounds super complicated but it really isn't!
Green: veggies, purple: fruit, red: lean protein, yellow: carbs (and cheats), blue: good fats, orange: seeds & dressings and teaspoons: nut butters and oils.
Since lots of the recaps online are by beach body coaches, I wanted to put out a review out there that was unbiased. Here's what I think:
The Pros:
1- I was never starving. I mean some nights I could have eaten double the amount of carbs for dinner but I was satisfied! And you can have a few cheats several times a week.
2- I loved the amount of veggies/fruit/nutrients I ingested daily.
3- The workouts were challenging but doable-- truth be told, I also worked out on my own as I found them a bit easy for me but did the Fix workouts to support D. If you're not used to exercising, they can really push you!
4- I loved the Shakeology shakes. They're the only protein powder that I can handle . I don't like the too sweet or processed taste of most protein powders. They're supposed to be so good for you too. My kids had a bug at the time and I escaped it--- that never happens! And I think that having that chocolate shake at 3 pm everyday helped me not to crave sugar too much.
5- My friend Jenn, D and I along with a friend did it at the same time. The text messages and conversations were hilarious! There was strength in numbers.
6- You get used to the process and it's very doable. My friend Carla is a coach and has been trying to get me to do the Fix for a while and I always pushed back but it's easier than it sounds.
7- I got creative with healthy meals and there were ton of recipes on the beachbody website that I loved and adapted. My favourites were:
Turkey Meatballs (made with OATMEAL)
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai ( I used shrimp instead of Tofu)
Chicken Enchiladas (Jenn made these and shared them and they were YUM!)
Cons:
1- Meal Prep that first week was so tough--- especially packing lunches for D to take... that added at least 20 minutes to my morning-- cutting veggies, measuring into containers etc. I got smart after and cut and portioned out supplies on a Sunday after that.
2- I got a bit sick of having very similar breakfasts (oatmeal and fruit/smoothies) almost daily. Weekends were a bit better as I would have an egg or a wrap.
3- Even though I love it, I got tired of the Shakeology too. Maybe if I had different flavours it would be good but it's expensive.
4- The package is kind of pricy. That being said, you get the containers and the DVDs to keep so you could swap out the shakes for a cheaper brand and repeat the fix
5- I had a couple cheats along the way for a few events with a couple glasses of wine, more cheese than the allotted amount. It's hard when you go to parties or get togethers to eat totally clean. And we ate out a few times too.
And the results.... I lost 5.5 pounds but 10 inches. D lost 10 pounds and 5.5 inches--- funny how our stats got switched around!
I would definitely do it again. And we are! We're continuing it on a modified basis at least until the Thanksgiving weekend. It's been a good one!
