Do you OVEREAT HEALTHY foods?

Before I became a Beachbody coach, I exercised, ate healthy foods, I avoided white bread, processed foods, and soda. I ate whole grains, green veggies, lean meats, fruits, nuts, healthy oils, and heap my plate with these healthy foods, most nights at dinner going for seconds, and most afternoons snacking on air popped popcorn, or healthy, homemade baked goods. It was healthy, right?

Do you see my problem?

I didn't understand why I wasn't losing weight. I ate all the "right" foods, I exercised, I was HEALTHY, and proud of it. Rarely did I gorge myself on these foods, but I never realized my portions were too large. A serving of carbs was a bowlful, and with healthy, whole grains I ate as much as I wanted. Fruit, another healthy food, sometimes I would eat four or five pieces a day. Portion control eluded me.

Until, I started the 21 Day Fix.

What the 21 Day Fix did for me, aside from just helping me lose weight, was help me to learn what a correct portion of food should look like. While it was great that I was eating "healthy foods," I was eating too much of it. I lacked enough veggies and protein servings in my diet, and overate it carbs, fruits, and healthy fats. While my body was getting nutrients it needed, this lack of portion control fought my efforts to lose weight.

When I received the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology Challenge Pack in the mail, opened up the package and saw those portion containers I panicked! They are SO tiny! How would I survive on such small portions? I learned quickly that I could have more than one of each container a day, and how much food I could stuff in them. The 21 Day Fix container rule: if it fits with the lid, you can eat it! This means if the corresponding food fits in the color coded container with the lid, then I can eat it.

The 21 Day Fix includes color coded containers for each food group. Instead of counting calories, you count containers. If it fits in it you can eat it. The program comes with a formula, based on body weight, to calculate and determine how many containers each individual person can have in a day. It comes with a meal plan guide book that told me what foods correspond to each of the containers. In addition to all of those containers, I also had to drink half of weight in ounces of water a day and commit to doing the 30 minute exercises each day for 21 days.

Here was my breakdown for my body weight:

• 4 protein servings (red containers) Shakeology counted as one of my reds! Thank goodness because this was my most difficult container to get in each day. I was glad to have one that was easy to make and tasted great!
• 4 vegetable servings (green containers)
• 2 fruit servings (purple containers)
• 2 carb servings (yellow containers)
• 1 healthy fat serving (blue container)
• 1 seeds/ nuts (orange container)

I learned what a portion, one serving, looks like, and when I ate according to the allotted containers each day, I wasn't hungry. The first few days, my excitement motivated me. After the first two weeks, I thought about going back to my old ways, but after the 21 days, these portions became a habit.

It took me two rounds to get the results I wanted. The first round got me on track, and got rid of the bloat and some of the pounds I wanted to drop. The second round I lost a few more pounds, leaned out and toned my body. I did three rounds before I moved on to a new program, but to this day, I still use the container system and this way of eating.


This wasn't a restrictive diet, eliminating certain foods, instead it was a lifestyle change. The best part was it was easy to incorporate this into what my family was already eating for dinners. (I only had to tweak a few things), and this lifestyle allows me to have a few cheats, now and then. It is flexible! It  allows swapping  out a yellow container three times a week for some chocolate, or wine. So, I never feel deprived. Below is an example of one of my meal plans. As you can see I eat a good amount of food, and I get to eat every two to three hours.

If you struggle with portion control and think the container system would be helpful for you, I encourage you to consider joining my upcoming accountability group. You have nothing to lose except the weight you have been carrying around, and everything to gain.

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