Beachbody Autumn Calabrese's 21 Day Fix - Essential Package

I purchased this program after a lot of research. I am on day 11 of the program and I feel like it is time to share my thoughts. Just a little background, I am 5 ft tall and weighed in at 147lbs. I work 60 hours one week and 24 the next in 12 hour shifts. During my long work week I am toast. I never had any energy so I ate poorly and never worked out. On my short week I would feel guilty and try to go for walks or maybe a short hike every once in a while. After seeing the scale fluctuate from 147 to 150 with no positive changes I decided it was time to try something that I had never done. On day 11 of this program I am down 5lbs and 5 inches. All of those inches came from my biggest trouble areas; hips, santa belly, and chest. I don't think I have ever been more excited or more motivated to keep going. I NEVER believed that I could see noticeable changes in a short period of time. I truly feel like this whole time I was cheating myself out of being successful. Please see my breakdown below, and I hope others can find the success and motivation I have found with this program. The product breakdown: Workouts: I love the workouts. The 7 full 30 minute workouts and 10 minute abs are great. The program comes with a weekly calendar for the order the workouts should be done in. The warm-up is usually the same unless it is the pilates workout. I like that the warm up is the same because it helps you set your intention for the workout to come. I have been told I have workout ADD. Having 7 different workouts with lots of different styles of exercises helps me stay interested. So far I have only noticed one exercise being repeated in all of the workouts. The workouts are a challenge. Many of the moves you do for one minute. The videos always have someone showing a modified version. This has been very helpful to me. When I get too tired to do the move one way, I can step down to a less intense way and still finish the minute. I have touchy knees, and I haven't found the workouts to aggravate them. I do take extra care when doing exercises that require me to land a specific way on my feet, and when I feel uncomfortable the modified version is always easy on the knees. In the description they say you can use a light and heavy set of hand weights or resistance bands. I do not recommend using resistance bands. I tried using the bands for a workout, and many exercises require you to wrap the band around your feet or set it up a certain way so that it will provide enough resistance. My two problems with this were that sometimes they don't show you the resistance band instruction until half the exercise is over, and it takes a lot of time to get set up properly. I felt like by the time I figured out how I was supposed to have the band set up the exercise was almost over. I invested in a regular yoga mat, a set of 5lb and 10lb weights and they are perfect. The eating plan: The package comes with a small 80 page book that educates you about what your nutrition should look like for the next 21 days. The book suggests how many of each container to eat each day based on your weight and projected calorie need. There are some easy equations in the book that help you calculate how many calories per day you can have and still lose weight. I like that there is no actual calorie counting. If your calculation says you should eat 1500 calories, then there is a list of how many of each container you eat each day and that is the end of the calculation. The eating plan also has some recipes, spices, freebies, and fluid intake suggestions. It has also been helpful that it has some suggestions if you plan to do something like have a glass of wine, or a slice of pizza. The book lists how many containers you can trade in for that item. I have done this a couple of times. It has helped me to stay on track knowing that I don't have to eat disgusting diet food or be the one that orders water and steamed veggies if I go out with some friends. That being said eating in the past has been a major issue for me. There were 3 days where I had company and eating out and drinking was involved. I still got back on it, and after 2 days am back on track. This is not a starvation diet, this is not something requiring you to eat the exact same thing every day. There are tons of foods listed in the book for each container. Let me just say, it is eye opening how much you really CAN eat each day. As far as shakeology goes, I haven't tried it. I didn't get a beach body coach or anything like that either. The videos do have a short advertisement for beachbody products before each workout, but I just click through it and go to the workout. They really don't bother me like I had read in some reviews. I guess if you watch the ads every time it would beat the dead horse a little bit, but do yourself the favor and skip to the good stuff! So all in all I highly recommend this product. I felt stuck in a rut. I felt tired and thought I could never fit a workout into my crazy work schedule. I felt like the scale would never go below 145 again. I was constantly comparing myself to other people around me wondering how much they had to torture themselves just to look good. I am doing away with that mindset. Never in my life have I worked out 7 days in a row, and I did it with this and I'm still going strong. Even after my stressful 12 hour shifts I am ready to come home, and let the junk from the day go with a quick workout. Best of luck to you on your fitness journey. Give this a shot. You will not be disappointed.

After 3.5 rounds of the fix, I was down 12 lbs and 3 dress sizes. THREE DRESS SIZES! I'm 26 yrs old and went from a 162 lb blob of fat on a 5'7 frame to 150 lbs on a toned frame. I've turned this into a lifestyle change, because this really is how you should eat anyway. I still drink wine, beer, and eat french fries when I occasionally dine out. I haven't turned my life upside down to accommodate it. It's simply something I've worked into my life and it's completely changed how I view fitness and food. Autumn is adorable and helpful, Kat is the best modifier, and none of the exercises are impossible. Keep that in mind, because if you're really out of shape it can be intimidating at first: I'm strong and determined, but have no history of physical activity in my life, other than gym class in school ten years ago, rowing occasionally at the gym in years past and doing a set of bicep curls once a year, so I was starting from scratch - although I didn't know it. I started off at 100% effort in the Total Body Cardio on a Sunday morning, and had to pause it 8 minutes in because I almost got sick. But I didn't let that stop me. I rested for 15 minutes, then jumped right back in, this time realizing I might need to modify some things. I couldn't move a muscle after the first day - and every muscle in my body was screaming-sore (that's a technical term) for the entire first week. But I kept at it, did what I could, modified what I had to, and next thing I knew, week two had arrived and my body had recovered! I could now do the exercises. After week two, I had biceps. BICEPS! After week three, I was so obsessed with my progress, how awesome I felt, and what I more I could do, I just had to continue. So after 3.5 rounds I am a believer that this is a 21 day fix. Odds are you're not going to get to your absolute end goal (unless you're only trying to lose a few lbs) after the first round, but this program FIXED my fear of exercising and FIXED my lazy, sedentary, junk-food-filled lifestyle. Two things: You can fast forward through the commercials, so you don't need to watch them. There's only a 15-30 second commercial before every workout that you can skip over, then when the workout is over just turn the DVD off. Voila. Every video or movie you've ever purchased has had commercials (previews, anyone?), so why are people surprised when they see them on here? Also, I stopped using most of the containers after the second week. It's pretty easy to eyeball it, or just measure each container (they're all simple divisions of 1 cup), buy some locking rubbermaid containers - they all have measurements on the bottom - and use those to prep & bring your food with you. I've now moved on to T25 to mix it up and take my results even further, but I'm sticking to the eating system here because it really is the easiest way to get your macros right. If you want to get skinny and wiry, diet. If you want to get fit, FIX it! ***********************UPDATE 12/4/15******************* I've been sticking to the 21 Day Fix eating plan, cycling on and off the weight loss and maintenance plans. I did Focus T25 (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma) and I've lost a total of 23 pounds and I'm down to a size 4 and it feels like I didn't even try. I've got awesome biceps, my back looks amazing, and I can't stop staring at my quads. I NEVER thought I'd be able to change my eating habits for anything longer than a month, but I've been at this for seven months now and I'm feeling better than ever. I haven't joined any accountability groups, gotten a coach, or even had a single sip of Shakeology, so I can tell you that it CAN be done on your own. It's so simple and you really do eat what you want, as long as you keep in mind that everything needs to be consumed in moderation and just try to keep most of what you eat simple! I can't eat most raw fruit or veggies, but I find a way around that. I'm on a very tight budget, and I work 60 hours a week so I make a lot of one-pot pressure cooker meals (get one! You'll love it!), put them into single-serving sized tupperware, and I'm set for the week on protein, veggies, and herbs. I got rid of my excuses - there's no reason not to try. I realize that everyone is different and I'm not a nutritionist, but the way I've approached this is that it's not a diet, it's just the way you should eat. As far as the exercises, Shaun T whipped me into amazing cardio shape over the last 20 weeks - but now I've gone back to the 21 Day Fix workouts and while I can now complete all of the exercises without modifying anything, they're still great! Just up your weights (or move a little faster on the cardio stuff) if anything starts to feel too easy - but Autumn tells you that, I shouldn't have to :-)

So far, so good. I started the food plan last weekend as a "trial," to get used to the containers, what to make etc. I did not want to start if "full on", as I had company visiting during the week and knew it would be too hard to completely stick to it. To my delight, I lost about 2 pounds in 4 days. I loosely followed the next few days, but am starting clean today and counting it as Day 1. I'm revieiwng early with the thought that if I commit to providing an update..it will help keepe me motivated. Oh, and so far I did the lower fix, upper fix and pilates. I work out regulary but found all challenging enough that at times I had to switch to a lighter weight, modified version, or sneak extra rests in. However, muscles adapt quickly, so while these are great workouts to integrate, I think in time you also need to add other type of strength and cardio workouts to keep seeing results. Update I am now "unofficialy" on week 2, and more stricly 7 days in...and 4.4 pounds down. Initially I thought the fee was a little steep, but with the amount of workouts, etc. I take that back. I do wish they gave another set of containers to allow for when in diswasher, etc. I often take another reviewers tip and put baggies in them to use for measuring instead of use, but sometimes just more convenient to pack it and take it. My disc 2 isn't working so havent tried all the workouts yet, but so far so good for at home days, but I still like to mix in the gym. I think the meal plan is just what I needed. At 49, I have always had to watch my weight and knew had to do so until the last few years, when I got sidetracked with rebuilding my house after Sandy (not cooking, eating junk on the run, not time or energy for workouts), reduced metabolism and becoming a victim of diet plan overload. I tried low carb and it didn't work for me at all. Not only did I not lose weight, but had severe dizziness the entire time and ended up with a hosptial visit (culprit: low blood sugar). While adding carbs back in got rid of the dizziness, in combo with the "fat is ok" mentatily I was going overboard on both. I just didn't know how or what to eat anymore! (And I'm vegetarian, so that adds another level of complexity This one allows some carbs plus fruit, so no dizziness, and teaches you how much is ok. When I first saw the containers i was like "Really???? They are so small, I'm going to starve!" But guess what? I"M NOT! I guess eating the right kinds of food in right combo really does keeps you mostly satisfied. Mind you, it takes some work to keep stocked up on good items, cook, bring to work, etc....but nothing is easy right. Overall though I got used to the plan pretty quickly and not that I suggest this, but I'm not even writing everything down now becuase I know how much of what I get and am mentially following it...which to me makes an ideal situation for a long term plan....most people wont write down everything for ever. Oh, and while I'm working out, I havent been 6-7 days a week and I'm still getting results. Will do another update next week ater week 2! I'm hoping for another 2-3 pounds!

This is the first exercise program I have stuck with and had good results. My started this on 3-14, my husband started a week later. We did not follow everything exactly as specified. I tried to follow the food plan but it was more food than I could really eat each day. We did do the 30 min exercise every day. Week 3 you are supposed to do 2 per day, we did not. Easter fell during the 21 days and we had out of town guests, so lots of touring the city (DC) and eating out. We did walk 5-8 miles per day seeing all the sites so sort of justified some of the extra food/drinks. In spite of all of that, we have continued doing the 30 min a day now for nearly 5 weeks. I have only lost 6 # but muscle does weigh more than fat. I have gained strength and toned up. I measured when I started and then again this morning. I have lost 4.5 inches in my waist alone. 11 inches overall, hips, etc. Legs and arms real have not changed size wise but are better toned than they were. The first week I was very sore, out of shape, I tried to follow Autumn but had to modify most of the exercises. The second week I was able to do most everything without modifying, except for cardio, too much jumping, hard on my knees. the third week and beyond it gets easier but you can up the weights and push yourself further to continue to challenge yourself Day 1 Total Body def works the whole body Day 2 Upper Body Day 3 Lower Body Day 4 Pilates recovery day Day 5 Cardio toughest one for me, my least favorite Day 6 Dirty 30 another total body workout Day 7 Yoga recovery day ( my cat likes to stretch with me on yoga day) i like that there is something different everyday. I guess I had the hardest time with learning the yoga since I had never done it. If you are unfamiliar with the poses like me you should watch first then do it. It is impossible to do most of the poses and see the tv at the same time since your head is down a lot. I really enjoy all the exercises except for cardio, it is okay but I do have to follow Kat and do the modifications on the exercises that require jumping. I am 52 yr old, 145# , 5'3" my knees just can't take the jolting. We are going to continue doing this program. We feel so much better, more energized when we get up and work out first thing in the morning. The fact that our clothes are not quite as snug anymore is a definitely a plus! I have tried quite a few other programs and ended up quitting because most run 45-60 minutes, had more exercises that were hard on my knees. I like that you get a good varied workout in only 30 min with this one. If you want to work out longer and have the time you can always do 2 a day or more but this works perfect for us.

I have experimented with different diet products over the years looking for one that could fit my lifestyle, is easy, and actually works. I love food. I am a stress snacker, I am active and exercise regularly, but I've learned that diet is the most important thing in maintaining a healthy weight. I have to say I was drawn to 21 day fix because I thought a portion size diet would make my life a lot easier. However, I didn't realize there were so many restrictions. I guess if your goal is to obtain a body like Autumn Calabrese, I mean the girl has ZERO fat on her body, then this is the diet for you. I personally have trouble with restrictions, because sometimes I need the pasta, or the brownie or the cookie. There are "cheat" snacks offered, but honestly they don't do it for me. There is also a restaurant listing in case you go out to eat which I thought was great. Even with the restrictions, I completed one cycle of 21 day fix, three out of those days I did the 3 day fix that was included. I downloaded the app. I used the workouts which are definitely challenging. I found recipes for 21 day fix on Pinterest. I restricted myself as instructed except for coffee creamer. (I can't live without coffee creamer.) At the end of the 21 days I lost 4 lbs and 1.5 inches from my waist. This is a huge success!!! But I really can't live with the restrictions long term. I think someone like me would be more successful on a diet like weight watchers that offers a little more freedom. But if you are a person that can handle the restrictions, then this program will give you great results!!

Okay where do I start? First Shakeology,Shakeology,Shakeology that is what this program crams down your throat constantly. During the workouts, before the workouts, after the workout and in ALL the reading material which is a joke by the way! No. I don't care how good you say the shakes are, I'm not spending over 4 bucks per serving per day. Thanks, but I'll take a multi vitamin and eat clean whole foods, K that's more than sufficient. Moving on to the plan. You can get all this information and MORE on pinterest for FREE. The PEOPLE that embraced the plan went above and beyond anything Autumn C. did that's for sure.She's selling a cookbook now, recipes pirated from her fixers. You can get your container size/how much they hold, colors =food category, meal plans, food list, you're little check off sheets to keep track of the containers, and recipes that rock by the way, totally free. Granted some pinners, they'll try to coach you if you go to their sites with little "contact me, buy the stupid magic life changing expensive shakes, but whatever, just copy what you need and move on. Multi level marketing at it's finest. It is beachbody after all. Oh and ANYONE can be a coach. You can be 300lbs and mix your shakeology with ben and jerry's. Beachbody doesn't care, as long as you SELL SELL SELL you get to represent them. So there you go. This is overpriced for what you get in the box for $72.00 and they are constantly selling you something. It's not simple, kinda complicated and not very well thought out. You really need to search 21 day fix on pinterest to fill in the huge blanks in the program material. Like what do I do for a recipe? How many containers if it contains just a small amount of each color? Lots of spinach and a little quinoa in that one so is it a yellow or a green or both? That is NOT explained, common sense says do math. Right? Break it down and figure the portions and deduct from the colors.Well she didn't bother with that. It's just fill the cups and go. But, it's not that simple unless you want to eat out of the cups and build your plate. One tiny sentence says fill a green for portions. Okay.... and what am I marking off? Guess that's where the coach comes in to tell me if I'm not drinking shakeology I'm going to fail. That's the answer. I also just can't stand "fix approved" lingo. Like really? Thanks, glad you're on board with grilled chicken and steamed kale. No kidding. Just little things that irritate me.I've researched this for so long and was bombarded with in your face marketing just left me a little annoyed.. I really thought I was going to get MORE information and recipes in the box but it was the opposite so I returned it. The workouts are pretty good, however it's 30mins for the first week then you're required to do 2 workouts=60 mins a day, everyday after that. So that whole 30mins and done... no, not so much. So if you're doing the program every day you're getting 4 infomercials before,during,after to "make sure you drink shakeology, the healthiest meal of the day". : ) I'm not adding my dollars to this chick's empire. Choke on the shakes Beachbody, until the next fad, or a lab tests your shakes and finds they're saw dust like the vitamins at Walmart that was just exposed. Like they care. So with that being said. The fundamentals of the program are good. Good nutrition and portion control, no brainer. Just go get it for free on the internet and if color coded containers make you happy just buy them. You'll be looking up a lot of stuff anyway because you're not getting what you need in the box. Or buy her cookbook with recipes already out there.

I LOVE this program. However, it worked for me so that has a lot to do with it:-) What I mean is - the nutrition plan, portion control, and exercises were totally doable for me - but when telling a friend about the nutrition plan she said if she had to pay that much attention to her portions etc she'd be a total mess and just super anxious all of the time - so I definitely think it has a lot to do with your personality. That being said, if you feel you can follow a plan, plan out your food ahead of time, eat every 2-3 hours, and comfortably eat from all of the food groups then this program might just be for you. Last Fall I did weight watchers for like 5 months and thought that was "the way to go" because it was a plan I could follow. What I didn't realize is that while I was losing weight with WW, I wasn't necessarily eating healthy - I was just counting points that were comprised of the junk food I liked to eat. On this plan, you actually learn proper nutrition - to eat from all of the food groups, making sure your body is getting the proper nutrition for weight loss and optimal health. That's a plan I can continue long-term. I'm writing this having already completed one round of 21 days. I actually did not weigh or measure myself before I started because I'm much more motivated by non-scale victories (how I feel, how my clothes feel, etc) versus what a number on the scale tells me. I can tell you that after 21 days I felt stronger, leaner, healthier, and more ready than ever to continue following a healthy eating lifestyle - because that's what the 21 day fix really is - it's a way of eating, a healthy eating lifestyle - not a diet. Never at one point did I feel restricted or starving (again that's just me, everyone is different) but I drank 80+ oz of water/day, spread out my proteins throughout the day, got all of my veggies... and really for the first time in my life felt like I was eating to fuel my body; not feed my face. In my humble opinion, the 30 minute workouts are just icing on the cake (sorry to mention cake). The meal plan alone is worth every penny of the $70 or $80 that you spend. I do really enjoy the workouts however [well most of them!] The format is 60 seconds of work with 15-20 seconds of rest between each - by the time you start to feel like you really can't do an exercise anymore, that exercise is done and you're on to the next. I also really appreciate that there's a participant in each workout who shows you modifications you can do in case you aren't *yet* strong enough or flexible enough. While this is called the "21 day" fix... I plan on continuing this program for the foreseeable future. When my first round ended I immediately started a new round the next day so now I'm on day 8 of round 2... as I said though, I don't really see this as something I have to do - something I'm dreading - or something I'm just trying to get through - I really just see this as a new way to live - eating healthy and exercising. If you are thinking about buying this or have already purchased it - make sure you run some searches on Facebook for 21 Day Fix groups - there are great groups for motivation/support, and recipe ideas!

**I am putting my update first! I am just starting my second round of "The Fix"! In the first round I lost 7 pounds and 14 inches overall. THAT IS AMAZING! I was 161 when I started so I still have about 20 more pounds I would like to lose but at this rate... I am all for it! Here are my thoughts... -Meal prep- I am on week 4 of prepping my meals and it is a time commitment. I spend 1-2 hours on my weekend prepping my food for the week. I like to pack all of the food on the weekend. I put each day's food into one lunchbox. This way I know exactly what I can eat on each day. This works well for me. -Workouts- I LOVE THEM! Every one of them is great! Autumn is so fun! -You should research the acceptable foods and the container sizes before you start. There is a limit on each food group and it is restricting. I have just completed week one of the 21 Day Fix. I am a serious sweet lover and was very hesitant to buy this product. I was freaked out about not being able to really eat sweets at all... but then I told myself... its only 21 days! About me: I am 26 and I have about 15 extra pounds so I am not super overweight or anything. My sister is getting married this summer and I am getting married in 9 months and I was desperate for something that would work andddd be MAINTAINABLE from now until my wedding. So I began my venture! So far I have not weighed myself but I can tell my stomach is less flubbery. I did my measurements today and this is what has changed in one week... Arms- down .5 inches each Waist- down .5 inches hips- down 1 inch Legs- Down 3 inches each... yes... 3 inches! Whoa! I have lost most of my sugar cravings. I did eat one cookie this week during a bake sale. I instantly regretted it but it was ok... it was only 1 cookie in a week. Huge improvement. PROS: -I am not hungry almost ever! Its plenty of food! Sometimes I don't even eat it all! -Exercises are manageable... not too hard but hard enough to sweat and hard enough that your muscles hurt after! - There is a lot of choices for the different food groups you can eat -You are clean eating! -The containers make it easy to measure the food so the eating plan is easy to follow CONS: -Meal prep takes a lot of time- 1-2 hours a week- I do all my meal prep for the week on Sunday. I put all the food I plan for each day in a lunchbox so I know exactly what I can eat on each day. -Carefully plan your grocery list -No drinking -No added sugar and very little sea salt I am going to continue this program through my 21 days and then I will do a second round... after I go out to dinner with my fiance! HAHA!