Discussions

Starting the 21 day fix, looking for your experiences,the good,bad and ugly. Any tips or tricks to help us along our journey to a healthier lifestyle and hopefully some weight loss.

I don't think I have heard about the 21 day fix, what is it??

Honestly, the program itself is based on proven science that has worked for years. The nutritional part of the program is based on keeping clean, nutritional food in proper anounts based on your true caloric needs. The exercise part of the program is actually pretty easy to master once you have made it through your own bodies adaptive phase, depending on your current fitness level, and also requires minimal equipment, which is a bonus. Keep in mind that once it gets easy, you must find ways to challenge your body more.  
As a former coach, and someone who has studied fitness nutrition, as well as personal training, I would say it is a great starting point. Keep in mind, the success depends on a lot of factors: current fitness level, age, medications, past injuries, etc. If you are looking for a "magic pill" that works short term, I can promise that you will never find what you are looking for. The key to weight loss is to remember that you have to stay accountable, consistent, and dedicated. Also remember that what is important is the inches lost, not what the weight scale says. At the beginning of any exercise program, weight will not necessarily go down immediately, as your body will begin to gain lean muscle, which will eventually burn fat ( as long as you continue to properly exercise, and adapt your program accordingly). Again, I remind you, it is a succesful program, but there isnt a program out there that will give you the results you are looking for unless you stay on it long term. The strength that you are looking for comes from within. The healthy changes starts with believing in what you can do to continually improve. Never ever give up, always keep moving, and when life hits you, keep getting back up.

Depending on your fitness level, I would recommend finding a personal trainer if you are really serious about fitness. It is one thing to start off a program, but is entirely another to have someone help you on the journey. Performing a move according to what is on tv is okay, but performing a move with proper form is even better, and a personal trainer can help you with that. Jamee George of the Healthy Living Centre is a name that I keep hearing a LOT of great things about. If anything, I would recommend seeing a personal trainer first to have a proper fitness assessment done to make sure you wont have any issues, and to have one help you to learn proper form on movements, and to get nutritional advice from. Either way, you have lots of options, but choice is entirely up to you. Good luck, and have fun!  
 
Edited by Mr B, 2016-01-02 12:01:28

The good, bad, and ugly :  
If you are just starting out with regards to fitness, you will most likely be sore and struggling at the beginning. This will be the result of muscle soreness due to your muscle fibres adapting to the strain put on the from pushing and pulling, and the adaptive rebuilding the muscles go through. Don't let this stop you on your journey, unless you feel there may be an injury. If you are struggling with movements, start off with the modified exercises ( if you dont know what they are, you can find modified versions on the internet). At the end if your first 21 day cycle, I would recommend using a "rest week" before starting another round, to let your body rebuild. A rest week doesnt mean taking it off, it means lowering the amount of intensity, and performing light daily exercise, cardio, or stretching. I prefer yoga, then cardio on alternating days.  
As for nutrition, remember that it is vital to follow proper nutrition guidelines. When you wake up in the morning, have a proper meal for breakfast. After sleeping all night, your body will be starved for calories. If your body is starved, it will start to conserve calories, and you will feel tired and you won't lose weight. Eat proper amounts of at proper times during the day. Eat too many calories than what is needed, your body will store them, and you will gain weight. So, as you can see, proper nutrition and timing is important to success. Don't "drink" your calories. Shakes are great, but not the perfect answer for fueling the machine that is your body. Whether you workout in the morning or night, take advantage of the small window of opportunity you have after exercise to consume prioer calories. I know I have kind of rambled here, but I hope it all helps.

I really like it. The nutrition program is so easy to follow and really makes you aware of proper portions and what you are actually eating each day.  
 
There are apps that can help you keep track of the nutrition stuff - I've found those to be helpful.  
 
I think it's a great program! Good luck!  

The ugly  
-finding my lack of coordination on a few of the simple movements was disturbing - not because they were difficult, but because I had to adapt my body to them.  
 
The Bad  
-Getting used to 'eating clean'. It took about 3 weeks for my guts to get used to the new diet, and a changeover in gut bacteria will make you feel like garbage at first, but in due time, I felt much better for it!  
-You really should stretch more often and more in duration aside from the workouts to maintain flexibility.  
-It took about 2 weeks before I found a good routine with respect to meal planning. After a while, it becomes second nature.  
 
The Good  
-Autumn is easy on the eyes  
-The workouts actually gave me a good sweat.  
-I lost weight without really feeling hungry, and felt good about it.  
-Finally, am I the only one that found humor in mocking some of the background participants in the videos? My favourite was during one of the ab workouts, Kara? completely lies about how many situps she can do. Still makes me laugh.....

thanks everyone for your comments, helpful hints and suggestions. I am doing this with a friend so hopefully we will achieve our goals, maintain our friendship and lose a few pounds! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Kara!

is awesome! And you usually have a beach body coach to help you along the way. You don't even have to be in the same city , you can work out with them & others online. Its a great way to lose weight, and meet new friends that you can work out with, share tips with and y'all can encourage each other. An amazing coach(in B.C.) and just an all around amazing and sweet & encouraging woman(she's my son's step-mama) is fb is :  
http://www.facebook.com/angelamarievp  
You can go check it out and feel free to ask her any questions you have! Trust me when I say that she is super friendly  
 
I hope this helps!  
Cheers

Week one done! I created a daily/weekly menu that I colour coded for meal prep that worked best for me and was easy to follow. At first it was a bit difficult trying figuring out how to fit all the food in with my daily routine and work. Week 2 was a breeze with a better idea of how and what to prep. I do find that I'm very hungry in the evenings, more so then during the day and my "snack" just doesn't fill me up, I wake up at 5 am starving! I'm eating every 2 hrs, feel hungry most of the day but just try to keep busy until my 2 hours are up and can eat again (I drink all my water and then some but still hungry) And, plain yogart is gross! I add either a sweet fruit or Stevia and my must have...coffee every morning with unsweetened almond milk and Stevia.  
The exercise program is going well, I follow the modified program. My legs were killing me after the first 3 days and sitting was a challenge, muscles I never knew existed were screaming at me but I kept going. Towards the end of the week I felt much better, the program is easier to follow and I can keep pace with the program. I'm down 3 lbs, feel good, not tiered or bored with the food or exercises just hungry. Question: 1. should I change my evening snack to a carb/fruit? ie oatmeal to help with the early hunger pains? or is a late night carb bad?  
2. I struggle getting in my healthy oils in, should I add coconut oil to my water?  
3. I have been using can meat(chicken or turkey) at lunch time with my petta/salad. should I avoid these types of meat?  
So after a week, I have a better idea of what's good and what's not, what a cup of veggies looks like or a plate of food with all the fixings. I even went to a party was able to make good choices! Feeling pretty good!  
 

I have had great success with this program. I love the container idea and for me its very easy. I know people struggle with it, but IMHO the people who struggle with it aren't being honest with themselves or putting time and effort into it. It does take a bit of forward planning, but it is AMAZING. I love that they are 30 minute workouts - in and out and got it done!  
 
The ugly for me is I don't find Autumn engaging enough. Our personalities don't mesh well enough and I find my mind wandering. So for me I'm using other Beachbody programs but still using her container method because they work for me!  
 
Full disclosure: I am a coach also, and know these programs work. But more than anything it is your willpower that pushes you! You've got this!

I have just gotten the kit. I really am not interested in shakeology as I do not believe a plan should have a meal replacement shake and I want to cancel the automatic Shakeology payment. My question to users is does this work as well as they claim if you DONT drink the shakes? Just by doing the exercises and the meal portions? Has anyone done it without Shakeology?

I'm currently doing Piyo, eating healthy and not using the shakes and I've lost about 5 lbs in the past week and a half. It's more about nutrition. The shakes just have vitamins and minerals in it plus calories. They're totally optional

programs are tools only for you to use. To get in shape or loose weight that depends of your effort and willing to work. You do not get in shape or loose weight just by swallowing a pill or have a trainer stand beside you.  
HIIT is work.  
I like Shawn T from Bodybeach site. He is not boring to listen to and his voice gives you a boost to keep moving through his exercises.  
Max 30 is intense.