21 Day Fix

I know PLENTY of very diligent clean & healthy-eaters, and active women who do the 21 day fix. People fixate on the name far too much. It is actually a good plan for lifelong eating with some minor tweaks.

Don't you just hate when people tell you "everything in moderation" and "just change one thing" like you haven't already tried that and have seen no results? Sigh...

Back to your question...a few colleagues and my sister are big fans of the food plan, strategy and workouts. It's a great jump-start and a very intense program with lots of support. For a lot of people, being told what to eat, how much and when is really needed and welcomed. If you are one of those people, this could be a great fit for you. And if it doesn't work, you at least get a nice set of storage containers out of it ;-)

I don't mean to sound harsh, but wouldn't it look just as bad to your kids to see you yo-yo diet? I think you should lead by example and cook/eat real foods and work on being more active to lose weight. Get the kids involved too. Everything in moderation, plus, it's more likely to stay off!

My daughter does them or something to that effect. Hubby and I are not fans of this style but here is what I know about it.

She works out at their gym and does a boot camp like work out. Goes to the white board and does so many burpees, so many Sally squats, so many push ups, etc. She is on their prescribed/suggested diet plan, but she prepares it. So the diet says that she cannot mix proteins, and can only have so many carbs, proteins, fruits, etc. She has to check in with before and after photos and email her weight at different time frames. It is working. Our problem with it is that we don't like her losing so much weight in a small amount of time and moving up and down in weight.

On the other hand, I don't diet and my weight hasn't changed. Perhaps she is more motivated than I am. I hate to start something I cannot continue. I am not sure which is best. I think they are both poor habits.

My younger daughter works out in a similar fashion. Her goals are different. She works out for strength. She could stand to lose a few pounds. We have made some changes to her diet, however, not much has changed in terms of weight. Again, I am not sure which is best.

I recently had to lose some weight. It happens periodically even though I am generally very healthy and exercise a lot. I mainly adhere to the "Fit For Life" eating style (from the 80's book by Diamond) and that eating style REALLY WORKS to lose weight rapidly AND stay slim naturally by eating all real, healthy food. When I first used it, I lost 20 pounds in ONE MONTH with lots of exercise. I actually had to slow down with it by exercising less and being a little less strict. Then I stayed slim easily (first time ever in my life and I'm 45 with three kids) for the following three years. Over this past winter though I went off track, got an IUD, had hormonal issues blah blah GAINED 20 POUNDS. Urgh. I did a 2 month Piyo challenge with workout DVDs and cleaned up my diet (didn't go strict FFL for whatever reason...) and STILL could not get rid of last 10 pounds seemingly all ON MY BELLY. So for the first time in....25 years?? I kept a food journal for a day on what I thought was a good, healthy eating day. Holy COW I put away so many more calories than I realized!!!!

So I kept up the exercise and healthy eating, but reduced my calories to 1400-ish in mainly fresh fruit and veggies, and the weight is coming right off of course. I can't believe I was that out of tune with how much I was actually eating.

I did not research what "the 21 day fix" is, but if you exercise and eat 80% fresh fruit and veggies and 20% healthy carbs and proteins daily and keep your calorie intake at "weight loss" for your BMI (lots of online calculators for that) for 21 days, you WILL lose weight-probably about 6-10 pounds and model good eating!

***Is the 21 day Fix the Beachbody thing with containers and workouts? It's probably great!

It's a good jump start towards a healthy diet, but not a permanent fix. I have a friend who loves it, but it works for her because she changed her lifestyle. That's the key word. I have lost 38 lbs on WW and it works for me because I changed my life style. Again that's the key word.

If you really want to set a good example for your kids, change your lifestyle.

I've watched a friend on Facebook do it about 4 times now. She loses a bunch of weight, and then gains it all back.

For some reason, many have been brainwashed to think that losing weight is a complicated thing. It isn't. Think of the most unhealthy thing that you're doing and just change that one thing. Do that for 2 weeks and see how you feel. Then think of the next unhealthy thing...change it. Continue for 2 weeks. Lather, rinse, repeat. If you want to make life-long changes, don't flip your life upside down to do it. Take baby steps.

I suggest that you make your own structured program. It doesn't need to be complicated. Wake up in the morning and go for a run/walk. Don't eat processed foods. Drink only water and coffee. Those simple changes are an excellent start and don't cost a dime.

I'm working with and have worked with a number of people who have done or are doing this program. It's not a cleanse/detox/etc. It's a portion controlled eating plan and workout program. You don't starve - in fact, I have many people who say they can't finish all their containers because they're too full. It just helps people rethink their eating. Can you do it without the program? Of course, but some folks just like having a helping hand. Nothing wrong with that. And when the 21 days are over - well, you just keep going. I have yet to have had anyone not enjoy this program and if you hate it - send it back for a full refund.

BTW - you eat real food.

I think it's a lot of money to buy containers of food, when you can eyeball the proportions pretty easily (more veggies, fruit & protein). There's no magic to being sure you have protein in every food serving, for example. I'm not a fan of Shakeology because I don't see the food science basis for their formulations. Supplementing, absolutely - but balanced, patented, etc. so it's comprehensive and proven that what's on the label is in the product. Per the AMA in 2002, our diets are insufficient in terms of nutrients due to farming techniques and depleted soils etc., so we definitely can't get what we need from our regular food. That's the ideal, but it's not manageable nowadays because we don't eat locally/organically year round, and even the fresh food is so nutrient-deficient that we actually keep eating because our bodies crave the missing nutrients, trace elements, etc. Doctors, nurses, and nutritionists supplement at much higher levels than the general public.

Instead of wasting money and engaging in behaviors you don't want your kids to emulate, learn about the foods you really should be eating and how much (and be sure to include healthy fats - too many people leave out these vital nutrients!), and incorporate that with a top of the line comprehensive supplement with a high absorption rate. That means skipping the standard multivitamins which don't have nearly enough of what you need and are just eliminated from the body as unabsorbed, unusable "expensive urine" (as many doctors call it).

And you have to have much more realistic goals than 21 days. That amounts to a cleanse, which is extremely hard on the body and can cause immediate problems or a rebound effect.

Basically, any program that requires you to buy something (pills, branded food, products, etc.) is a scam to some degree.

If you want a program that will give you steps to follow look up 'The Harcombe Diet'. Other than the book, if you can't find it at the library, there is nothing you need to spend your money on to follow it. You eat real food without gimmicks. It works very well. My goal was to lose some mom-pounds but it worked better than expected. The initial weightloss in the first month is fast, then it slows a bit and might plateau. After a couple months it starts up again though. All told, after 6 months I was down 25% of my start weight, which was more than I'd planned.