If you remember, about 6 weeks ago, I posted about starting the 21 day fix. Two rounds later, I am finally ready to give you my honest to goodness review of the program. If you are just skimming through your blog feed, I’ll keep it easy: I loved it and if you are thinking of doing it, do it. Lost 10 pounds, lots of inches, and developed some really healthy new habits.

Well, that was easy…..

Okay, now let’s really talk about this.

Me Before 21 Day Fix

I started the 21 day fix 7 weeks post partum with my second child. Unlike my first pregnancy where I was trying to prove something to someone, this time I really did take 6 weeks off to let my body heal (last time I did a triathlon at 8 weeks and a half marathon at less than 4 months post partum- stupid!!!). During my pregnancy, I was very active and pre-pregnancy, I was very active. But I was not active for at least 8 weeks straight. Like I didn’t even go for a walk until I was 5 weeks post partum.

Eating wise, I did nothing to diet for 6 weeks post partum, but my family and I follow a non-processed diet. We don’t eat anything with chemicals. However, I was buying way more salad dressings, crackers, and snacks (all whole food), than I normally do. I also really didn’t pay attention to portion sizes.

One other important factor- I am a Beachbody coach and have been for 5 years. I am not very active in it, but my husband and I are huge believers in the products and we are not only used to working out at home but we have trained our toddler to be used to it. She’s been working out with us since she was 6 weeks old. Does this mean it’s always easy? No, it’s a challenge sometimes, but she can play while we workout and a lot of times, she’s trying to do it with us. So, working out at home is the normal in our household.

My Thoughts on the Diet Plan

I was shocked at how much food you could actually get into the containers.

21 day fix containers

They look small, but there were very few times that I felt cheated out of food. The only container that I gave up on counting was the one for vegetables. We put all our meals on top of spinach, so I didn’t sweat it if I went over on veggies. It was more of an effort to “save” my veggies for dinner. 

It really came down to planning but not the crazy planning you see on all of the Pinterest pages and blogs out there. I wasn’t preparing all my snacks and meals ahead of time, or even planning them that far ahead. It was more about being aware. Aware that if I have a piece of toast with breakfast and a half sandwich for lunch, I can’t have wine or any other grain at dinner. Aware that if I put goat cheese on my veggie burger and avocado in my smoothie, I may be out of cheese/hummus/avocado at dinner.

The nutrition plan did make me re-think how I was adding flavor to my food. You can eat as much mustard, vinegar, and spices as you want, so I learned to add a lot of flavor without adding fat. That was huge for me. Non-fat Greek yogurt became my other condiment of choice because it was a protein and I also had a lot of protein to use throughout the day. Other favorites? Goat cheese. You don’t need a lot of goat cheese to get a lot of flavor. 

The Workouts

Having done p90x, P90x2, P90x3, Insanity, Asylum, and Max30; I didn’t have high hopes for getting a good burn from the workouts. I was totally wrong. The workouts are the real deal. If I had to describe them, I would say they were very old school. We are talking crunches, squats, lunches, all stuff I did in middle school and high school. But here’s the thing, those old school moves really work.

I know a lot of people try to do the 21 day fix and sub in some other workout, and I would say that it’s a big mistake. At least for the first round or two. That being said, I am switching to Body Beast and running as I continue with 21 day fix, so I am a prime example of doing what I say others shouldn’t. Maybe a more accurate take, sub the workouts ONLY if you doing something more intense and that involves weights and cardio, and you should be working out at minimum, 30 minutes a day. A 5 or 10 minute fitness app is not going to give you results. Lifting weights changes your body. And you need to workout every day. My motto is that working out should be like brushing your teeth-you do it every day. If you are working out less than 5 days a week, you may as well just throw yourself down the stairs for all the good it will do.

I think if you are new to working out, the workouts are perfect because the exercises are simple enough to do, but as you keep going, you make it worthwhile by adding more weights and intensity. The other random thing I LOVE about the workouts- the modifier looks like a real person. It is so nice to see a workout video that actually has people who need to lose a little weight. 

The Results

I lost 10 pounds.

I didn’t track my inches until the last week of the first round. I lost 2 inches the last week around my waist. I suspect I lost at least 4 inches total, and possibly 6 inches. I had drastic results each day the first week. It was crazy! I couldn’t believe how fast I could see my body changing and I really regret not measuring the first day. The second round I lost two more inches around my waist, two inches around my thighs, and two inches in my chest area. And all of this was over Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. I was not perfect people.

Overall Assessment

If you are considering doing the 21 day fix AND you are willing to put the time into working out, I say go for it. And if you are really interested, let me know. I would love to put together a group of people who are all doing it, or doing another BeachBody program, so that we can support each other. It would be a great way to start 2016.

As for me, I am continuing the diet plan, but want to take it to the next level so I just started a round of Body Beast- an intense weightlifting workout and running on a regular basis. I plan to rotate in workouts from 21 day fix on off days and I love their yoga workout so I plan to continue to do that once a week.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite 21 day fix recipes….

 

 


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