I’m trying not to write much about the 21 Day Fix and Fit2B programs that I am currently doing until the end of the month when I can give a good synopsis of them, but people have written me with quite a few questions already, so here are a few bullet points in the meantime!
Fit2B
- Fit2B (which I’m doing to help with my diastasis recti which contributes to the post baby belly pooch): It doesn’t feel like much when you’re doing it, but I can already tell that it’s helped me to be more aware of how I hold my body throughout the day, and when I’m doing the 21 Day Fix workouts, I’m being much more conscious about my posture and holding my abdomen in and protecting & strengthening those transverse muscles. I like it so far and definitely recommend it if you have any diastasis recti problem postpartum.
- The intro workouts are around 10-15 minutes, and I’m trying to do them almost every day. Once you get further into the program there are 20-30 minute options as well.
21 Day Fix – Nutrition
- The amount you eat each day on the 21 Day Fix program is determined by your starting weight. When I did the calculations, it put me in the 1,200-1,499 category which gave me a certain number of each type of food container that I was allowed each day. If I follow the guidelines, I should be at roughly a 40/30/30 split of carbs/fats/protein.
- I eat the equivalent of 3 cups of protein, 2.5 cups of fruit, 3.75 cups of veggies, 1 cup of carbs & starches, 1/2 cup of healthy fats (avocado/cheese/nuts), 2 Tablespoons of seeds & dressings, and two teaspoons of assorted oils. They give you a food list of the best foods to eat in each category for maximum nutrition and lower sugar content.
- You aren’t supposed to count calories with this program, but out of curiosity I did for the first few days, and after 4 days I’ve averaged 1307 calories per day and a split of 35.5% carbs / 31.25% fats / 33.25% protein.
- I do try to make sure that I eat all of my containers that I’m allowed, simply because I think that 1300 calories is already pretty low, especially when I’m working out every day.
- I have no idea if they suggest doing this while breastfeeding, but I’d certainly make an allowance for the extra calories needed for that if the child was under one year old. If it was a nursing toddler… I don’t now. For me personally, my kids only nursed 2x/day after a year for the most part, and I don’t think it was all that much milk they were getting at that point. A rough rule of thumb is 10 calories for every ounce pumped/drank, so if you think your kid is still nursing 5 ounces a day, I’d say it’s fine to add in that extra 50 calories to your diet. You know, like one extra bite of each food group basically. 🙂
- I’ve read the no carbs after 6pm guideline somewhere, but it’s not part of the regular 21 Day Fix program as far as I’m aware (I think it’s for the “extreme” version maybe?). Honestly, we try to eat dinner by 6pm anyway, so I hadn’t really thought about it as it doesn’t really apply to me. Ha!
- Recipe Ideas: I’m not much of a Pinterest person, but it definitely seems like the easiest way to compile recipe ideas, so here is my board if you’re interested!
Quite honestly, I would never eat this few calories forever, but the whole point of this program is to jump start my health and fitness journey, and the program is clear that the goal is a 750 calorie deficit per day which equates to a 1.5# loss per week. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how full I’ve been anyway since I’ve been eating very nutrient dense, healthy foods. For years I’ve tried to hit the 40/30/30 split, and this is much closer than I usually get. I tend to be low on carbs and high on fats/proteins, I think because carbs tend to be my trigger foods (cheetos, crackers, pasta, etc) so for years I have tended to avoid them altogether…you know, except for beer carbs, which are pretty much the worst ones out there. Oops.
21 Day Fix – Exercise
- So far I’ve been getting up at 5:30am to work out each day, which has been difficult only because I hate the morning so much. Once I’ve done it though, I feel great, and I’ve always found it easier to eat healthy when I’ve started the day with some heart pumping exercise that got my muscles burning. There are 7 different routines you do with the program I’m on, and you repeat them each 3 times during the 3 week program. I’m loving that they’re a combination of cardio and resistance training, all done in 30 minutes.
So there you go! I’ve taken my official before pictures for the program (on Day 4, oops), and I’m excited this time to post my “after” photos on May 2nd as well! There aren’t my official pics, but I snapped them in my bathroom on Tuesday morning, just so I could remember how far I’ve come when I look back. 🙂
