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The 21 Day Fix at-home workout program is still worth it in 2026 and will be for a very long time. I first did this program way back in 2014 when it was first released and recently finished going through the newer “real- time” workouts.
21 Day Fix Review (Update 2026)
Quick verdict: The 21 Day Fix is still one of the most beginner-friendly workout programs on BODi. Its short 30-minute workouts are well-rounded with simple portion control eating system.
- Best for: Beginners, busy parents, or returning to fitness after a break.
- Time: 30-minute a day workouts | 7 days a week | 3 Weeks Total
- Nutrition: Portion container control system with color coded containers.
- Intensity: Low to moderate intensity workouts with a dedicated modifier for every move.
- Equipment: Light & medium dumbbells | Yoga Mat
Below, I’ll walk you through what you get with 21 Day Fix and who this program works best for.
I first followed the 21 Day Fix program after it first came out for exactly as outlined. I then decided to share my thoughts on this at-home workout. Was the promise of losing up to 15 lbs in just 21 days realistic? It…depends.
The 21-Day Fix workout program was originally marketed as more of a quick fix, but I think it‘s so much more than that. Yes, you can definitely drop the initial weight pretty quickly following the 21 Day Fix plan, but I like the program best for those who are also looking to make a permanent lifestyle change while being prepared for some seriously quick weight loss.
Here is my honest 21 Day Fix review of what I loved about the program and what wasn’t necessarily my favorite.
- 21 Day Fix Review (Update 2026)
- My Own 3 Week 21 Day Fix Results
- Who is Autumn Calabrese?(She Created the 21 Day Fix)
- BODi's 21 Day Fix: How the program works
- Portion Fix: The secret to creating better eating habits
- Sample Foods from the Different Color Categories
- Container Level Examples
- 21 Day Fix Container Fundamentals
- 21 Day Fix Workout List: What to expect each day
- The Fix Moves and Following the Modifier
- What Equipment You'll Need for 21 Day Fix
- The Kind of Results I've Seen
- 21 Day Fix Costs for 2026: pricing and new offers
- How to Order the 21 Day Fix 2026 Update
- Another Update: 21 Day Fix Real Time Workouts
- Final Thoughts About the 21 Day Fix
- FAQs
My Own 3 Week 21 Day Fix Results
Sorry about the before pictures being at a weird angle and the German Shepherd at my feet! He was my buddy. But as you can see from my 21 Day Fix result pictures, I definitely toned up everywhere, especially in my shoulders and my abs – you can even see my oblique muscles! My thighs got more definition in just three weeks, which is good for me since that’s where I have I tend to store most of my fat. No more sag or flab by day 21! In the end, I lost 5.3 lbs, which was more than I expected since I did not have much to lose to begin. The only thing I didn’t like is that my legs didn’t lean out as much as I’d hoped, but they toned up so it was an overall win.
I think these pictures tell the story of what you can achieve in just just 21 days following the program. I know I wasn’t big to begin with, but you can see the definition and fat loss.
Who is Autumn Calabrese?(She Created the 21 Day Fix)
Autumn Calabrese is the celebrity trainer and fitness competitor responsible for the 21 Day Fix and now many more at-home workout programs. Joining Beachbody, now BODi, Autumn is responsible for the portion-controlled eating and well-rounded exercise routine. She also has many more programs released over the years, but the 21 Day Fix is where she started.
The mother-of-one brings her own unique training and motivational style to the table. When compared to other BODi trainers I’ve had experience of working out with like Shaun T, Tony Horton, Chalene Johnson and Leandro Carvalho, Autumn is calmer and always reassuring.
I like to think of her training style kind of like your bff, offering words of encouragement. She always has a way of throwing in a motivational saying right when you need it most. For example, when you really want to give up on the move you’re doing, she will find a way to get you to push through.
BODi’s 21 Day Fix: How the program works
The 21 Day Fix is not only designed to get you looking as good as you could possibly look in 21 days, it’s also about teaching you how to eat healthier in proper portions.
It’s about learning to eliminate processed foods and make exercise a part of your daily routine – not just for the 3 weeks, but for the rest of your life. A complete lifestyle change.
The Basics Behind This Program
- You work out 7 days a week for 30 minutes with a mixture of strength training, cardiovascular and recovery workouts to get into the habit of exercising daily.
- Portion control diet system: You use the 21 Day Fix-approved 7 color-coded containers to make sure you’re eating the right amount of food in the correct macro-nutrient percentages for optimal health and weight loss.
The Nutrition Plan
The eating plan is for the beginner and/or for someone who struggles with bad eating habits:
- It’s not a starvation diet.
- It’s a well-rounded sustainable way of eating (eating healthy, no eliminating or restricting food groups)
- You can expect pretty fast weight loss in the beginning followed by gradual sustainable weight loss when doing multiple rounds.
The 21 Day Fix workout program was created to help you lose up to 15 lbs in 21 days through simple fitness and simple eating. Its Portion Control eating system and seven, 30-minute workouts each week are designed to burn calories and eat the correct portions of the right foods. The unique aspect of this workout program is not so much the workouts but the simple nutrition plan. If it doesn’t fit into the color-coded container or isn’t listed in the eating plan, you don’t eat it. Simple!
Portion Fix: The secret to creating better eating habits
There’s a promise to help you lose weight or get in shape almost everywhere you look. But for the most part, it’s the same old stuff we’ve all tried and failed at in the past.
The portion control containers are what make the 21 Day Fix program a unique and effective program. It’s also what makes the program easy to follow for anyone.
The containers are simple. Whatever fits into the container from the specific food group is what you’re allowed to eat. It’s better than calorie counting, because if it’s an approved food and it fits, you can eat it. You can even sneak in that glass of wine in exchange for a yellow container, which I just think is amazing for those who love it and just makes it better to know nothing is totally off limits (remember it’s a lifestyle change you can work with).
Here’s the breakdown of containers you’ll receive and what they’re for:
- Green: Vegetables
- Purple: Fruits
- Red: Protein
- Yellow: Complex Carbohydrates
- Blue: Healthy Fats and Cheese
- Orange: Seeds and Oils
Research into portion control shows that eating larger portions of foods and beverages is linked to being overweight. With the use of proper portion control and the consumption of high energy dense foods several trials to improve weight loss.
The 21 Day Fix diet is not just an “eat less” and lose weight approach. There is a real focus on choosing the right foods that supply your body with the nutrients it needs to look and feel your best.
Sample Foods from the Different Color Categories
| Green | Purple | Red | Yellow | Blue | Orange |
| Kale | Raspberries | Chicken | Yams | Avocado | Pumpkin Seeds |
| Spinach | Blueberries | Turkey | Beans | Almonds | Sunflower Seeds |
| Asparagus | Blackberries | Eggs | Wild Rice | Cashews | Sesame Seeds |
| Broccoli | Pomegranate | Yogurt | Brown rice | Peanuts | Flaxseed |
| Beets | Watermelon | Shellfish | Potato | Walnuts | Chia Seeds |
| Tomatoes | Cantaloupe | Fish | Corn | Hummus | Pine Nuts |
| Celery | Orange | Lean Beef | Oatmeal | Cotija | Olives |
| Peppers | Tangerine | Tofu | Pasta | Cheddar | Peanuts |
| Cucumbers | Grapes | Wild Game | Lentils | Parmesan | Coconut |
This is just a sample list of foods. There are lots more foods included in the nutrition guide. There are also oils and nut butters which are measured with a tsp (gray) and a list of free foods you can have without limits.
Depending on your weight and your weight loss goals, you first calculate your daily calorie needs, which sets you up for your plan level. Then you look into how many of each colored containers you get each day depending upon your meal plan level.
Container Level Examples
Below is a quick chart I put together to give you an idea of just how much food you will get to enjoy on this program.
| WEIGHT | <169 LBS | 169-195 LBS | 196-222 LBS | >223 LBS |
| CONTAINERS | 1200-1499 Calories | 1500-1799 Calories | 1800-2099 Calories | 2100-2300 Calories |
| Green | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Purple | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Red | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Yellow | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Blue | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Orange | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tsp | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
What to Love About the 21 day Fix Portion Control System
- Measuring is made simple, no scale or calculations!
- You’ll eat a variety of foods in the right portions to fuel your energy levels.
- You will not starve! The containers look little but you get to eat multiples of most. In fact, I most often hear how women are unable to finish all their containers.
- It’s all about balance.
Remember the 21 Day Fix is not a starvation diet. It is about eating the right foods in the right amounts to make lifelong changes.
The containers look small, but you’ll be amazed at the amount of food that hits your plate. In fact, one of the most common concerns I hear are those wondering what to do when they can’t finish all their food for the day. This is what happens when you start eating healthy foods that are more nutrient dense and stop filling your plate with empty calories.
Tips for making the most of your containers:
- Track everything.
- Meal prep your snacks.
- Have a list of easy, convenient meals. The FIXATE cookbook is a great help!
- Keep a copy of you tracking sheet on your fridge or where you’ll see it often.
21 Day Fix Container Fundamentals
It’s definitely not rocket science, but it is an effective way to keep track of how much you’re eating and helps you begin recognizing what actual portion sizes should look like. You’ll start seeing that giant oversized portions are everywhere! It’s frightening.
Could you follow the program without the containers? I’m sure. But for the several years I’ve helped others lose weight and keep it off, what people have the most success with is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step system that you can easily incorporate into everyday life. And using containers is super simple.
21 Day Fix Workout List: What to expect each day
The 21 Day Fix has a different 30-minute workout for every day of week. These workouts are designed to burn calories with cardio workouts, tone muscles with strength training, and help you recover with yoga and stretching.
The Workouts:
- Total Body Cardio Fix: This is a total body cardio workout that will send your heart rate soaring and help burn fat. Be prepared to sweat!
- Upper Fix: Get yourself ready to tone up that upper body (including those annoying arm flaps) with upper body targeted resistance training. You will work your chest, back, arms, abs, and shoulders.
- Lower Fix: As the name implies, you will tighten up and tone your booty, thighs and calves while burning fat.
- Pilates Fix: This is your active recovery workout. Like Pilates, this workout strengthens, lengthens and firms up your muscles.
- Cardio Fix: This is another sweat fest. Get ready to burn some serious fat in this heart pumping workout.
- Yoga Fix: This is another active recovery workout that is pretty relaxing compared to the previous day’s workout. I always felt stronger, more flexible, and balanced after this workout.
- Dirty 30: This is the bonus workout. You’ll do four rounds of calorie-blasting exercises to help give you a leaner, stronger physique.
- 10-Minute Abs: This short routine will help you burn fat and carve a lean core.
- Plyo Fix: This workout has 6 rounds of pretty hard core cardio that will help melt fat. This one isn’t technically in the normal calendar, but you can use it in place of another cardio workout.
You can make these workouts as hard or as easy as you need. If you find the workouts too easy, simply bump up the weight and amp up the intensity of your cardio workouts. After all, if you’re not challenging your body, you’re not going to change your body (I stole that from Autumn haha)
The 21 Day Fix Workout Schedule
Plan to work out 7 days a week on The Fix. While the schedule does start on a Monday for easy tracking, you can begin the workouts any day that works for you. The most important part is to stick with the order that the workouts are listed in (no jumping around!)
If you do end up missing a workout, there are a two simple options to get back on track:
- Double up the next day (do the workout you missed before your scheduled workout for the day, separating them if you can).
- Push the entire schedule back one day. Of the two methods, I prefer option one, because then you still complete the program in just 21 days.
Tips to working out 7 days a week:
If you haven’t been working out or have an extremely busy schedule, it can be difficult to stick with a new routine. Here are a few tips to help you get those workouts in:
- Schedule your workouts into your day. Write down when and where you will work out. Example: I will do my 21 Day Fix workout 30 minutes after I wake up, in the living room, before work.
- Prep your workout space. Have your streaming workout ready to play instead of having to search for it.
- Lay out your workout clothes next to your bed if you’re working out in the morning or have them waiting for you when you get home.
- Just do it even if you don’t feel like working out. Tell yourself you’ll just work out for 5 minutes and if you don’t want to continue after 5 minutes, stop. 90% of the time, you will finish your workout.
Once you create the work out habit, it is very hard to break. When you do end up missing a workout, you’ll feel a little lost without it (or disappointed in yourself) and get right back to your workouts.
40+ Tip: Don’t let the “21 days” fool you. I found the real value isn’t just the 3-week program itself; it’s the fact that the 30-minute workouts actually fit into busy schedules and great way to create the workout habit. If you miss a day, simply pick up where you left off, consistency beats perfection every time.”
The Fix Moves and Following the Modifier
I was completely blown away that the 21 Day Fix is full of combination workout moves I wasn’t familiar with. Renegade rows? Who knew they could be so effective?! But one of the most challenging moves for me were the side plank leg raises….yikes!
I definitely had to follow the modifier a lot during my first week. That’s because the moves are designed to hit your muscles from head to toe.
Make sure to listen to how she explains the moves when she first introduces them and watch her demonstration, because there are a lot of background people in the workout videos who will not being doing the same move at the same exact time or the exact same way.
If you didn’t pay attention, you might get a little confused about who best to watch with many of them performing the moves in slightly different ways based on their fitness level and ability. Re-shot 21 Day Fix real time workouts are much better (covered below).
There is always a modifier!
Think you’ll have a hard time keeping up with the 21 Day Fix? Don’t worry!!! There will always be someone (Kat) who is doing a less intense version than Autumn. If you’re having trouble keeping up or have bad knees, make sure to watch how that move is done.
What Equipment You’ll Need for 21 Day Fix
You will need a few different sized weights or an exercise band and a yoga mat to do the 21 Day Fix. If you’ve been away from exercise for a while, you may be able to get away with using your own body weight as resistance for a couple workouts. But you will need the added resistance to help will help tone you up and build strength.
For beginners: 3lb, 5lb, and 8lb dumbbells or a resistance band
For intermediates/advanced: 5lb, 10lb, and 15lb dumbbells or a resistance band
A yoga mat or core comfort mat will also be of use to you when you do the floor moves. It’s not a necessity, but it’s a great investment especially for the comfort of your knees and back.
The Kind of Results I’ve Seen
Will you really drop the amount of weight that is promised in three weeks? It depends on a lot of factors. If you have more than a few pounds to lose and follow the included 3 Day Quick Fix, you could do very well. I was surprised to lose 5.3lbs when I didn’t have a ton of weight to lose.
The most weight loss I’ve seen others get with this program are from a man who lost 14lbs in three weeks, and a woman who lost 11lbs in three weeks. Both of these individuals stuck to the plan exactly, drank Shakeology every day, never missed a workout, followed the doubles schedule during week 3, and they followed the 3 Day Quick Fix the final three days of their first round. It should also be noted they had more than 30lbs to lose.
21 Day Fix Costs for 2026: pricing and new offers
How to Order the 21 Day Fix 2026 Update
It’s been ten years since the launch of the 21 Day Fix, and it’s still just as good of program as it was then. But instead of DVDs, you get a couple of online options to get started with the program.
- 21 Day Fix Digital Purchase about halfway down the linked page with perpetual license. This allows you to access the purchased program and all of its content through the digital platform. Plus it’s yours to keep with nothing else to buy.
- A BODi Membership that allows access to over a 140 workout program that keeps growing. This plan comes with a free 7-day trial to help you get started. I’m not going to go through all the options here because there are so many.
If the current BODi discount doesn’t apply automatically at checkout, use code BETHANYS4BODI to ensure you are getting the best deal.
Getting two for one is not the only change since the original release of the 21 Day Fix, you can now also stream the 21 Day Fix workouts and all other BODi workouts (and get all the included guides) with BODi. And to even make it better, the workouts of the Original & EXTREME were re-shot in real-time for 21 days each (42 workouts).
- The Workouts: The seven workouts are all around 30-minutes long, which really fit well into your schedule no matter how busy you are.
- The Portion Control System: This is the tupperware-looking color-coded containers that make eating healthy foolproof. You’ll get one green, one purple, one red, one yellow, one blue, and two orange containers.
- Shakeology Shaker Cup: To mix up your protein shake.
- 21 Day Fix Eating Plan: An easy-to-follow, portion-control diet plan with plain and simple recipes. Think make-your-own spices to put on top of chicken breast.
- 3 Day Quick Fix: To jump start your weight loss or end with a bang, this is a 3-day diet plan designed to maximize fat loss and get you well on your way to a leaner, sexier you.
- 24/7 Online Support: This is something useful that comes with any BODi product you purchase. It’s great for whenever you’re looking for support and/or motivation to keep you going when things get tough.
Another Update: 21 Day Fix Real Time Workouts
I touched on this a little bit above. Both the original workouts and extreme workouts were redone. This means you won’t have to repeat the same workout twice in a single round. I also do like the real time workouts a little more than the originals that were put on DVD (there’s a lot more energy).
Final Thoughts About the 21 Day Fix
The 21 Day Fix is beginner-friendly at-home workout program that will definitely get you in the habit of eating healthier and recognizing how much food you really should be eating at a sitting. It’s not the most exciting workout I’ve ever done (other people LOVE the workouts…just see the comments below!). I will admit that the workouts are VERY effective at getting you in much better physical and cardiovascular shape – and will help you lose weight.
Whether you’re getting ready for an upcoming event or getting on the right track to reaching your greater weight loss goal through a lifestyle and habits change, the 21 Day Fix is definitely a program to consider.
Have a question or experience with the program? Please leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to respond within 24 hours.
FAQs
It is possible to follow the program without the containers but the containers are ensures you not only eating the right amount of calories but also getting the correct amount of macronutrients without weighing food.(you learn quickly what correct portion sizes are)
Yes, all the 21 Day Fix Real-Time, and Extreme workouts are on BODi for streaming, nutrition guides, and workout materials are included with a standard BODi or “The Autumn Subscription” to get access to all of her workout programs.
Results will vary a lot depending upon your starting point. With following the workouts and nutrition plan closely I would say 5-15 lbs.
Most definitely. It teaches both the basics of nutrition and working out. It is great at creating both the habit of working out and the right way to eat not just diet.
Aside from the exercises that are with the program, should I be aiming to do a certain amount of steps or anything with the program? I’m more sedentary right now than I usually am with the quarantine in effect.
There is nothing in the 21 Day Fix program that says you need to be walking a certain amount of steps with that said there is nothing that says you can’t either. Getting outside during times like these is certainly not a bad idea, even just for our mental health.
I started the 21 day fix 12 days ago. But I also did a 6 week program right before. Literally nothing is happening. I eat pretty clean, every so often I fall victim to my job where they are always provided free, junk food snacks and catering. But I do really well there. I have recently added intermittent fasting to the mix, my boyfriend and I are starting to jog 3 days a week next month and I am starting to obsess. I can see a few things changing, like my arms. But other than that, my body looks and measures the same almost 2 months later. Help please.
Hi Olivia, Sounds like you are little frustrated. Change will come and it does not happen at the same speed for everyone. Are you using the containers to measure your food or just winging it? I also noticed you mentioned a boyfriend, if he is working out along side you, it can be extra frustrating as most men have a genetic advantage of building muscle and losing weight faster than we do. Photos are another good way to measure progress, I can almost guarantee you there is changes that the scale and/or measurements are missing.
I have been just kinda winging it. I have the containers and I base my meals loosely on them. But I don’t follow the portions to a T. Should I start my round over? It’s been on my mind to start it over and follow them exact.
I would try doing your first round as close to possible as the program suggests. Then after that you will have more of a feeling for what works and some things you may want to change. I don’t necessarily think you need to start over, I would just try and really use those containers and try not to skip any either, they are all important. :)