21 day fix = too few calories??
symba1130
Posts: 248 Member
HI - I am new to this group but I am on my 2nd round of 21day fix. During round 1 I lost 3.5lbs and 6in. My coach felt that I should have lost more.
A bit of background. I am 5'6, 145lbs (now), started at 151 five weeks ago. I have been on MFP for 4 years and previously have lost about 35lbs. I am in that last 10-15lbs wanting to loose phase. Before 21day fix I ate about the same as I do with the fix, although more carbs, (not much) and a daily treat like a low fat ice cream.
When I consulted my coach she asked me to take photos of my food for a few days and she checked in with HER coach and their response back was I was eating too much! I did get the shakeology and instead of using a full scoop for a meal replacement I was making a dessert shake at night with 1/2scoop + 1P with ice and water. They said this is a NO NO...and probably why I am not loosing. They also recommended I take out ALL yellows.
SO...for more data for my own purposes I started filling my containers and then weighing them so I can properly track on MFP for further info for myself. After 3 days of this, I have found that I am under 1100 cal a day and this is before exercise is added in. I do the videos daily and some days I do a 1hr workout class (Barre or Spin) plus a DVD.
Any thoughts?? Does anyone else use the containers as well as weigh/measure their food to see what the actual calorie intake is?
TIA! I have scoured the internet and although do like the program (not trying to bash it, I swear) I didn't find anything that showed people compared containers to calories and noticed they are lower than the daily recommendation.
A bit of background. I am 5'6, 145lbs (now), started at 151 five weeks ago. I have been on MFP for 4 years and previously have lost about 35lbs. I am in that last 10-15lbs wanting to loose phase. Before 21day fix I ate about the same as I do with the fix, although more carbs, (not much) and a daily treat like a low fat ice cream.
When I consulted my coach she asked me to take photos of my food for a few days and she checked in with HER coach and their response back was I was eating too much! I did get the shakeology and instead of using a full scoop for a meal replacement I was making a dessert shake at night with 1/2scoop + 1P with ice and water. They said this is a NO NO...and probably why I am not loosing. They also recommended I take out ALL yellows.
SO...for more data for my own purposes I started filling my containers and then weighing them so I can properly track on MFP for further info for myself. After 3 days of this, I have found that I am under 1100 cal a day and this is before exercise is added in. I do the videos daily and some days I do a 1hr workout class (Barre or Spin) plus a DVD.
Any thoughts?? Does anyone else use the containers as well as weigh/measure their food to see what the actual calorie intake is?
TIA! I have scoured the internet and although do like the program (not trying to bash it, I swear) I didn't find anything that showed people compared containers to calories and noticed they are lower than the daily recommendation.
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What? Your coach doesn't . . . ugh . . . I don't know. I'm biting my tongue here. (Gotta love that she and her coach both seem to think they know more about how many Ys you should be having than all of the scientists and nutritionists beachbody has working for them designing these programs and food plans. Okay. Biting my tongue again.)
A healthy weight loss is, we all know, about 1 lb per week. Up to 2 lbs per week is fine but more than that is unsustainable, especially when you don't have a lot to lose. Yes, you may feel like you have a lot to lose but you're not even trying to lose 50lbs so your healthy weight loss should be slower and more gradual.
Geez! I'm sooooo grrrrr . . .
Okay. Here's what Autumn does say.- Eat your yellows with breakfast and your morning snack. (By lunch at the latest.)
- Remember that the tsp = all healthy fats so if you cook with oil (like your morning eggs) use oil in a stir fry then you've already used your tsp and, as much as you may love your peanut butter, you can't have 2 tsps of peanut butter on top of your cooking oils.
- Autumn also encourages eating your P & B by lunch or your afternoon snack. I forget which.
- Also, on page 76, Autumn (and beachbody scientists!) say that you should move up a food bracket if you do more than just 21DF/X. So guess what? On the "some days" when you do Barre and/or Spin, your body needs more nutrition, more food. (And get another Y too boot.)
So my thoughts? Well, I'm still biting my tongue but my feeling is that if you tweak when you eat your containers and celebrate every pound lost as a victory, you'll be fine. As I said, you aren't trying to lose 50 lbs so at this rate you'll reach your goal weight before this time next year.
PS: Beachbody actually makes it perfectly clear to anyone thinking about being a beachbody coach that you do not have to be a professional nutritionist or personal trainer to be a coach. And any coach that would dismiss over 1 lb a week as inadequate weight loss . . . .
grrrrrrr
PS: Yes I have compared the containers with the calories and it is often on the low end of things but usually I fall within the bracket, except when doing the 3 Day Quick Fix. Then I am below the calorie goal I have for myself.
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Thank you SO much for your feedback! Like I said, I have been tracking on MFP so that I can show them over the course of a week what my intake is by weighing food and not just trusting the containers.0
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Heck if I try to finish logging when I'm under 1200 calories (and trust me that is seldom..haha) I get this great big warning from MFP that consuming under 1200 cals. Is not good for you....so your coach says what???? I think I'd rather stick with my coach that only sent one post card than with one like that...I agree with @SatiaRenee . ..grrrrrrrrr ! !!!
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Oh man....another grrrr from me. Could not agree more with everything @SatiaRenee said!!! 6 lbs is a great loss at your size and it's not supposed to be a race anyway.0
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@symba FYI, I had a protein shake with fruit last night because I was falling short on my containers and it was the easiest way for me to squeeze them in. And guess what happened? I lost weight between yesterday and today. Now, I'm a huge believer in every body's body being different and what works for one person won't necessarily work for everyone but I can say with 100% confidence that having a protein shake with some fruit in it at the end of the day is NOT going to make or break your diet. With or without peanut butter. Okay. I'm moving my soapbox to another place because my husband and I are bickering and I need it to at least debate things with him eye-to-eye. :P1
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Hahahaha enjoy your soapbox!! I'm sure you're right, whatever the argument is
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Lol jp0
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I too was under 1200 calories a day when I tracked my containers. I didn't loose any weight. I stopped using containers and bumped up my MFP goal to .5 a week (1450 calories) and I've lost 4 lbs in 3 weeks. I'm sorry, but Beachbody coaches have no real nutrition training. Anyone can be a coach to get the discount. Take their advice with a grain of salt.0
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You've lost (a lot) of weight successfully! You know what works for your and your body! Six pounds is A LOT of weight .... you're so close to your goal weight, it will be harder to get it off .... it's a lifestyle change, not a race to get there because staying healthy is the key!0
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Your coaches sound... insane.0
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HI - I am new to this group but I am on my 2nd round of 21day fix. During round 1 I lost 3.5lbs and 6in. My coach felt that I should have lost more.
A bit of background. I am 5'6, 145lbs (now), started at 151 five weeks ago. I have been on MFP for 4 years and previously have lost about 35lbs. I am in that last 10-15lbs wanting to loose phase. Before 21day fix I ate about the same as I do with the fix, although more carbs, (not much) and a daily treat like a low fat ice cream.
When I consulted my coach she asked me to take photos of my food for a few days and she checked in with HER coach and their response back was I was eating too much! I did get the shakeology and instead of using a full scoop for a meal replacement I was making a dessert shake at night with 1/2scoop + 1P with ice and water. They said this is a NO NO...and probably why I am not loosing. They also recommended I take out ALL yellows.
SO...for more data for my own purposes I started filling my containers and then weighing them so I can properly track on MFP for further info for myself. After 3 days of this, I have found that I am under 1100 cal a day and this is before exercise is added in. I do the videos daily and some days I do a 1hr workout class (Barre or Spin) plus a DVD.
Any thoughts?? Does anyone else use the containers as well as weigh/measure their food to see what the actual calorie intake is?
TIA! I have scoured the internet and although do like the program (not trying to bash it, I swear) I didn't find anything that showed people compared containers to calories and noticed they are lower than the daily recommendation.
Your coaches are insane!
If I were you, I'd go back to what you did your first round, and stick with it! I didn't even eat strictly to plan my first round, and I lost 3.6 lbs. My second round, I was a little more confident, but only lost 2.4 lbs. I'm half way through my 3rd round and I've only lost 1lb so far, but I anticipate losing a few more pounds before the end.
I've tracked my containers on MFP a few times during previous rounds, and I hit pretty close to my target of 1800-2000 calories a day.
I agree that you might want to bump up a bracket on the days you do more than one workout. I found out through personal experience that less is not always better. My weightloss stalled on 1600-1800 calories, but started back up at 2000-2200.
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Wanted to follow up with everyone here and Thank You ALL for your words and advise!
So I just completed round 3 and I am now down a total of 10.5lbs. I am calling this success!
After a while I got used to knowing that a purple container of strawberries was about 150g so I used containers and logged. If I used only 1 yellow a day, I was closer to 1200cal and was still losing, but not happy! SO...I added in more carbs and did use a few of the "treats" from the book to keep myself from feeling deprived. I still lost, just not as fast as others in my group.
The other thing I have discovered over the last 3 months is that I personally didn't make a drastic food change from before 21df to now. ALL the other people in my challenge group DID! My coach herself went from 12 diet cokes and NO food a day to clean eating, no coke, etc. And she lost 30lbs in 5mths.
Just goes to show we are all different. The plan may be one size fits all, but we as people are not! We all react to these things differently so take that into consideration.
I am awful glad I decided to listen to my own gut and add the carbs back in. Im a MUCH happier person!!0 -
@symba1130 thank you so much for the follow-up and for sharing your great news. Congratulations on your success...and not just the weight loss. Sticking to what works for you and shutting out the "noise" isn't easy at all, but you did it. And you have fantastic results to show for it!! Really interesting observation regarding the drastic change in eating habits, and a very good point. My daughter and I always joke that we wish we drank 2 liters of Coke a day so we could stop and lose tons of weight. Anyway, awesome work and congrats again!!!!0
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I just read this string and I still have some questions if someone can help me out. I just started the plan and I'm trying to understand the relationship between the containers and calorie goals. This is my first day, so I logged all of my planned meals (using the container counts for +169) with a calorie goal of around 1600. When I logged my food my calorie count for the day is under 1100! Not counting a workout today. Yikes! Should I focus more on calories or container counts?0
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I focus on containers...based on what you eat your calorie count will vary. Think 1 cup of spinach (7 calories) vs 1 cup of string beans (31 calories)...over 4 times as many calories but same container count (1 green) - hope this helps.1
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I just count the containers on my phone app. I found tracking both drove me nuts. As long as I am not hungy (I never am), I dont track my food on MFP for that reason1
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I have now started logging my food and exercise as my dr. Wants me to see a nutritionist as my health plan covers wellness visits.0
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