You may have heard about the 21-day fix diet, as it's quite popular among many weight loss enthusiasts. The diet principal is fairly simple: determine your daily calorie needs, obtain an individualized meal plan, and create menus using color-coded BPA-free Tupperware containers to measure and store foods. When choosing the 21-day fix diet, you'll have three weeks (or longer if needed) to achieve weight loss results.
21-Day Fix Diet Review
Diet reviews are mixed for the 21-day fix diet, but overall positive. The diet requires time consuming meal prep, daily workouts, and an investment ($60 for the meal planning kit). It's only a three-week diet, which means some people to resort to old ways of eating after the three-week period ends. But many people have lost weight using 21-day fix meal plans and using containers to measure portion sizes means you can nix calorie counting.
Getting Started
The first step when following the 21-day fix diet is ordering your meal planning kit. The kit includes color-coded Tupperware for measuring your food, a tape measure, a healthy eating guide, a recipe e-book, and a 21-day meal and menu planner.
You'll receive a 1-cup green vegetable container, and 1-cup purple fruit container, a 2/3 cup red protein container, a 1/2 cup yellow starches container, a 1/4 cup blue fats (like avocado, hummus, and cheese) container, and a 2-tablespoon orange container for seeds and dressings. Nut butters and oils are measured in teaspoons. You'll also receive a Shakeology container (used to make Shakeology nutrition shakes), and six workout DVDs.
Determining Calorie Needs
The next step in the program is determining your daily calorie needs. You'll choose between the 1,200 to 1,500 calorie plan, the 1,500 to 1,800 calorie level, the 1,800 to 2,100 calorie meal plan, and the 2,100 to 2,300 calorie level. To determine your individualized calorie needs, use the following formula:
- Multiply your body weight by 11.
- Add 400 calories.
- Subtract 750 calories for weight loss (or add 750 calories for weight gain).
Meal Plans
Choose meal plans as follows using color-coded containers, based on your body's unique calories needs (1 scoop of Shakeology shake mix counts as 1 red).
- 1,200 to 1,500-calorie plan: 3 green, 2 purple, 4 red, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 2 teaspoons daily.
- 1,500 to 1,800-calorie plan: 4 green, 3 purple, 4 red, 3 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 4 teaspoons daily.
- 1,800 to 2,100-calorie plan: 5 green, 3 purple, 5 red, 4 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 5 teaspoons.
- 2,100 to 2,300-calorie plan: 6 green, 4 purple, 6 red, 4 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 6 teaspoons.
Sample 7-Day Menu
The following 7-day 21-day fix sample menu is based on the 1,200 to 1,500-calorie weight loss meal plan below.
Breakfast: 1/2 purple, 1 red and 1 yellow
Snack: 1/2 yellow and 2 teaspoons
Lunch: 2 green, 1 red, and 1 orange
Snack: 1/2 purple, 1 red, and 1 blue
Dinner: 1 purple, 1 red, and 1 green
Snack: 1/2 yellow
***Here's a portion size guide:
- 1 green = 1 cup (8 ounces) of non-starchy veggies
- 1 purple = 1 cup (8 ounces) of fruits
- 1 red = 2/3 cup (5 ounces) of protein foods or 1 scoop of Shakeology protein powder
- 1 yellow = 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of starches (cooked grains, whole-grain breads, potatoes, dried beans, peas or corn)
- 1 blue = 1/4 cup (2ounces) healthy fats and cheeses
- 1 orange = 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of seeds and salad dressings
- 1 teaspoon = 1 teaspoon of nut butter and oils
Day 1
- Breakfast: 1 slice of whole-grain toast, 2/3 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and 1/2 banana
- Snack: 1/4 cup pretzels with 2 teaspoons almond butter
- Lunch: 2 cups leafy greens, 2/3 cup grilled chicken, and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing.
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 cup berries, and 1/4 cup cashews
- Dinner: 1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup watermelon, and 2/3 cup tofu or tempeh
- Snack: 1/4 cup whole-grain cereal
Day 2
- Breakfast: 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 2/3 cup scrambled eggs, and 1/2 cup strawberries
- Snack: 1/4 cup black beans with 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Lunch: 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup cauliflower, and 2/3 cup ground turkey with 2 teaspoons of oil
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 cup banana, and 1/4 cup avocado
- Dinner: 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup raspberries, and 2/3 cup hard boiled eggs
- Snack: 1/4 cup cooked oatmeal
Day 3
- Breakfast: 1 small protein pancake, 2/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, and 1/2 cup blueberries
- Snack: 1 small whole grain rice cake topped with 2 teaspoons peanut butter
- Lunch: 2 cups leafy greens, 2/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, and 2 tablespoons pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 cup berries, and 1/4 cup pistachios
- Dinner: 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup melon, and 2/3 cup baked tilapia
- Snack: 1/4 cup soybeans
Day 4
- Breakfast: 1 small whole-grain waffle, 2 hard boiled eggs, and 1/2 cup honeydew melon
- Snack: 1/4 cup corn with 2 teaspoons oil
- Lunch: 1 cup sautéed bell peppers, 1/2 cup sautéed onions, 1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms, 2/3 cup grilled tofu, and 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 banana, and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- Dinner: 1 cup carrots, 1 small banana, and 2/3 cup pulled pork
- Snack: 1/4 cup cooked peas
Day 5
- Breakfast: 1/2 cup cooked whole-grain cream of wheat, 2/3 cup turkey bacon strips, and 1/2 cup kiwi fruit
- Snack: 1/4 cup whole-grain crackers topped with 2 teaspoons cashew butter
- Lunch: 2 cups leafy greens, 2 hard boiled eggs, and 2 tablespoons of oil-based salad dressing
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 cup berries, and 1/4 cup walnuts
- Dinner: 1 cup steamed broccoli, 1 plum, and 2/3 cup shrimp
- Snack: 1/4 cup whole-grain crackers
Day 6
- Breakfast: 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 2/3 cup scrambled tofu, and one small orange
- Snack: 1/4 cup pinto beans with 2 teaspoons oil
- Lunch: 2 cups cooked asparagus, 2/3 cup grilled shrimp, and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 banana, and 1/4 cup cashews
- Dinner: 1 cup sliced cucumbers, 1 orange, and 1 small turkey burger patty
- Snack: 1 small whole grain rice cake
Day 7
- Breakfast: 1/2 toasted English muffin, 2/3 cup scrambled eggs, and 1/2 cup grapes
- Snack: 1/4 cup oatmeal with 2 teaspoons peanut butter
- Lunch: 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery sticks, 2/3 cup grilled salmon, and 2 tablespoons walnuts
- Snack: Blended shake made with 1 scoop Shakeology, water, ice, 1/2 cup berries, and 1/4 cup almonds
- Dinner: 1 cup green beans, 1 cup apple slices, and 2/3 cup grilled salmon
- Snack: 1/4 cup corn
Choosing 21-Day Fix Menus
Using sample 21-day fix diet menus makes it easy to get started with the 21-day fix weight loss diet. It helps you learn to use meal plans to create menus of your own based on food preferences.
