Hey Challengers!!!! So you are starting a new fitness routine and have these color coded portion control containers that you aren't sure what to do with. On these programs we don't count CALORIES, we count CONTAINERS!! One mistake people will make is by not eating all of their containers. On these programs we are definitely not left hungry. Most of the time there is more food than I can eat in a day, and I LOVE to eat. However, it is very important to get in all of your containers. If you can't get in all of these containers don't completely skip a container, at least eat a portion of all containers for healthy weight loss and the best results! Skipping a yellow can actually cause you to have less energy, making your workout hard to complete. And, if you have eaten all of your containers and are still hungry, add an extra green or red container to your day!
Here is a quick breakdown of what each Container means and what it should contain.
Green: Veggies
Purple: Fruits
Red: Proteins
Yellow:Carbs
Blue: Healthy Fats
Orange: Seeds and Dressings
t: Oils and Nut Butters
FREE FOODS: Eat as many of these as you want:
- Water
- Lemon and lime juice (not lemonade)
- Vinegars
- Muustard
- herbs (fresh and dry)
- Spices, except salt
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Hot Sauce (Tobasco or Mexican)
- Flavor extracts (pure vanilla, peppermind, almond, etc.
- 21 Day Fix Seasoning Mixes
Okay, so that's great.. but now HOW many should you be consuming each day? That number is going to be different for each person based upon their caloric needs. To find your specific calorie bracket you should be following.
1. Take your current weight in pounds, multiply that by 11. That is YOUR CALORIE BASELINE.
2. Take your Calorie Baseline and add 400 and that equals your calories for MAINTENANCE. If you are not looking to lose weight, you would stop here and that would be the calorie bracket you should follow to maintain your current weight. If you are looking to loose weight, go to step 3.
3. Your maintenance calories - 750 = your Calorie Target.
If you are pregnant, complete add 500 calories to your calorie bracket to find the bracket you should follow. If your number falls below 1200, move up to the 1200 calorie bracket. Eating any less than 1200 calories a day is not suggested for anyone. We need to nourish our bodies!
Here are the different Calorie Brackets for each plan. Determine your plan, and follow the options for how may containers of each color to consume a day.
Alright, so I know not everyone is going to carry around these containers everywhere they go and everywhere they eat. In the begining you are going to want to measure everything until you get a REALLY good feel for what each serving should be. I can't tell you how easy it is to use bad judgement on your containers and either get too much of one item or not enough of an item. MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE until you feel REALLY confident you have the portions mastered. But, if you need a good idea and don't have your portion containers with you, here are the sizes of each container to give you a good idea.
Okay, so now that we have or calorie bracket and containers figured out, the next step is to make sure to take your BEFORE pictures and measurements. This is SO important. You may not notice a huge difference on the scale in the beginning. You may lose fat and gain muscle when you start a new fitness program. Muscle weighs more than fat so keep that in mind. You might go down in pants sizes, but stay at the same number on the scale!
How to take your before pics and measurements? Take your photos wearing as minimal clothes as possible that you are comfortable wearing. I typically wear a sports bra and shorts so I can get a really good visual of my progress in areas such as my thighs and love handles. Those are the areas I am working on the most, so its important they are showing in my pictures so I can see my progress. Here is an example of my before pictures.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me! I can't wait to see the awesome results you have with this program!
-Melissa Nielsen
