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In this this post, I’ll explain how to figure out your daily calorie/container intake for the 21 Day Fix portion control diet.
Don’t worry you’re not going to starve on this innovative color coded container based diet. Actually, you are probably not going to be very hungry on the plan at all. I hear more often that eating all of the food that the 21 Day Fix diet allows each day is difficult for lots of folks. But we will cover that area towards the bottom of this post.
Containers Explained
The diet is often referred to as a portion control diet, which basically means you get your correct portions of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats each day, without over consuming calories. The portions are broken into seven particular colored containers:
Green container = vegetables
Purple container = fruits
Red container = proteins
Yellow container = carbohydrates
Blue container = healthy fats and cheeses
Orange container = seeds, nuts, and dressings
Teaspoon = oils and nut butters
There is also the free food category that consists of herbs, spices, sauces, extracts, and a few more. You also get replacement food containers that you can substitute for different beverages and treats throughout the week, these are limited but are what makes the diet very livable. :)
What a lot of people don’t know about the portion control diet is that it is also macro-nutrient portioned, meaning you get the right percentage of proteins, carbs, and fats to keep you body running optimally to fuel your body for your workouts and overall health.
The above is covered in greater detail in the 21 Day Fix eating plan, I have created a 21 Day Fix food list and sample diet here for people also.
Calculating Your 21 Day Fix Calorie Level
To match your calorie level to the amount of containers you should be consuming on a daily basis ,you first need to do a little math. But don’t worry – it’s super easy!
This is the equation to use if you’re looking to lose weight on the program:
A. Take your current body weight in pounds and multiply that number by 11 to calculate your baseline calories.
B. Then, add 400 to your baseline calories to equal your daily caloric needs.
C. And then, subtract 750 from your caloric needs – this equals your calorie target.
If you wanted to maintain weight, use this equation:
Multiply your body weight by 11 and add 400 calories.
If you wanted to gain weight, use this:
Multiply your body weight by 11 and add 900 calories.
Very important! If your calorie target calculates below 1200, roundup to the 1200 level. You should NEVER go below 1200 calories in a day – it is not healthy over an extended period of time.
21 Day Fix Calorie Target and Container Chart
Somewhere along the way I saw a very cool chart that showed body weight above each calorie target level and then the corresponding containers below them. Since I can’t find it, I decided to reproduce something similar below.
Helpful Tools for Portion Control Beyond 21 Day Fix Containers
I especially love the 21 Day Fix for its simple approach to nutrition. Over time, you will build the habits to know the right portion size and the food groups you should be eating and those to avoid. This means The color coded containers are not something you’re going to have to use forever.
Below are a few tools to make the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan even easier to follow:
- Glass Meal Prep Containers – While the Bodi portion control containers are BPA-free, they’re not meant to eat out of. Measuring out your food with the containers and then using meal prep containers designed for food storage is so much better. And glass cleans much easier than plastic :)
- Insulated Blender Shaker Bottle – I thought insulated protein shaker bottles would be a fad when I saw them on Shark Tank years ago, but I have to say that being able to keep protein shakes cold for hours really does improve the taste and texture. The worst thing is a warm shake.
- Shakeology 0 Grams Added Sugar – 0 Gram added sugar protein shakes are not a requirement for the 21 Day Fix. However, if you are looking to cut out all unnecessary calories and reduce the other drawbacks of sugar, these shakes or any other shakes with 0 grams of added sugar are a good idea.
Hope these help!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are you available to help?
A. Yes, just leave a comment below, sign up for my emails on the sidebar, or even send me a direct email – [email protected]
Q. As I lose weight, do I need to recalculate my calories?
A. Yes, I would recommend recalculating after every round of the 21 Day Fix exercise program if you have more than 10 lbs to lose or after each week if you have less than 10 lbs to lose.
Q. There is more food than I can possibly eat, what do I do?
A. You could try eating partial containers, or you could rotate the containers you can’t fit in. Try not to skip any containers you only get a single serving of each day or your teaspoons. I know people’s first tendency is to skip their one orange container or their teaspoons, but both are necessary for a healthy functioning body.
Q. How many meals should I eat in a day?
A. It is entirely up to you. Three main meals and two snacks is customary, although three larger meals or five smaller meals are fine too. It’s whatever works best for you.
Q. Do I eat the total amount of containers per day or per meal?
A. The total amount of containers is meant to be distributed throughout your day.
Hi Bethany,
I just have a few nagging questions I would love to have answered.
1- I am Pakistani and so eat a lot of Pakistani food which I am not sure how to categorise or measure, things like curry and roti (Pakistani version of chapatti)
2- how do I measure things like fizzy drinks and tea? And how much sugar and salt should I take?
3- how do I measure things which are difficult to put into containers, like eggs?
Thank you so much for this blog though, it has helped me quite a lot
Hi Nida, I answered a couple of your questions in another comment back to you. As far as eggs, two eggs is a red container. The meal plan lists the amount for odd shaped foods and those that change shape. Bethany
Hi, I know this isn’t the right page for this question but I need to know.
I just bought the containers a few days ago but haven’t started using them since I still need to figure out my meal plan. This is difficult for me as I am Asian and most of the food I typically eat is not on the recommended food list. Things like Roti ( Pakistani version of a chapatti), I don’t know how to measure that and the Pakistani curries that I eat S well.
Oh, one more thing, how are we to measure foods that are difficult to put into the containers? And so e foods which I am not sure what container they should go in. Such as fizzy drinks, amount of sugar to have and tea.
Sry for the long post but these are so e of the things I could not find out I my research of this program so I will be very grateful if you would answer them for me.
Thank you
Hello, Sorry, I’m not really familiar with those foods. I can say this, you should not be having fixxy drinks(soda), you should not be adding sugar to your tea either. Bethany
I am an ICU nurse, who works 4 on and 4 off (12 hr shifts, two days, then I flip to nights for two days). I am into week 2 of my first round of 21 day fix, and I am struggling during my day shifts (I am in the lowest calorie range at the moment). I have done a food plan, and allowed myself three meals and two snacks, with all the healthy fats, etc, that I am supposed to have. I’m finding that I am STARVING. When I work day shifts, I am up at 5am, at work by 645am and then at work until 730pm, then 35 minute drive home, arrive home after 8, workout, eat. This is an example of my meal plan for a day shift:
Get up, have coffee and shakeology with 1/2 banana on my way to work
1st break – Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs and 1/2 a banana
2nd break – Lunch: Spinach/onions/peppers with ground turkey, quinoa, and balsalmic dressing
3rd break – 1/2 bagel with blue container of mashed avacado
Come home, workout, eat dinner: chicken with green beans
I’m STARVING on day shift days. I’m drinking loads of water, but I’m on my feet all day and I’m up from 5am until 1030pm. Please help. I’m not feeling hungry like this except on days I work day shifts. :(
Hi Chelsea, That’s a long day. I would try adding in another snack on your work days. Here is the link to some ideas – https://thefitnessfocus.com/21-day-fix/21-day-fix-snack-ideas Bethany
Hi,
I have hit my goal using 21 day fix meal planning (yeah!!!) but could you explain how you calculate what containers I need to maintain my weight?
Many thanks X
Hi Anna, I would go up one level and see how you do and the adjust as necessary. Congrats on hitting your goal! Bethany
Many thanks Bethany, I am going to try and 3 Day Refresh (wish me luck!) and then go up a level and see how I do x
You’re welcome!
I ‘m in the 2100-2300 range .. I weight 245 but I’m unable to eat all the containers . Can I go down to the next range and still lose weight ? I’m going to start trying to walk at least 15 min a day , have issue with my knees and need to easy into exercise.
HI Tammy, You should try to eat all of your containers. But, you don’t want to be stuffing yourself either. You can do partial containers if you need to too.
Is there a calculation that takes menopause in to account?
I don’t seem to need the calories as my metabolism is low
Hi Alli, You may need to drop down a calorie range, but never below the lowest level. Consulting with a doctor would probably be best.
Hi. I lost 25 lbs. Post menopause in 2015 on the 21 day fix. I was in the lowest calorie bracket as I was 173 lbs. & went down to 148 lbs. It took about 5 months to lose it, which was slower than the younger women in the group from our gym doing it, but it does work if you stick with it. I was doing maintenance for a year & didn’t gain any weight back, however, I gained about 4 lbs. Back over past couple of months. How do I lose it? Haven’t worked out much since gym closed 8 months ago. Also eating more junk I guess lately. Help!!
Hi Karen, Sounds like you answered your own question near the end of the comment. Have you thought of doing a round of the 21 Day Fix again to back on track?
For each of the container colors is there s designated amount (one ounce, 1/4 cup) and if so, how do I find this information?
Hi Debra, The containers measure volume of food. A few foods that are odd shaped or nutritionally dense are measured different. For instance 12 almonds counts as blue container. All of this information is covered in detail in the 21 Day Fix Eating Plan that comes with the program.
I work horrible hours in food retail. I am lucky if I take time for a lunch at all. I do however make poor choices when I try to down something. We have an amazing produce department and unfortunately an awesome bakery too. I really want to do well with this. Trying to be disciplined to take my meals to work is hard when my schedule is not normal. Exercise is very hard to fit is with 12-17 hour days and living an hour from work and being so tired. Which is also because of my excess weight. My question is can I do two shakeology shakes in the same day?
Hi Cerra, You could do the two shakes a day. You could also do one as a meal replacement and then a whey protein shake immediately following your workout.
For the blue container, it says Whole Almonds, 12 pcs and lists other nuts. Do I fill the blue container with the mixed nuts or is it where I’m only allowed 12pcs of Whole Almonds?
I’m a little confused.
Hi Jovina, 12 whole almonds is a blue container. A blue container also can be filled with mixed nuts as a serving.
Hi, Clicked on your link for containers and it could not be found. Please tell me how much in lbs and ounces as how much the containers hold please. Thank you
Hi Pamela, Could you please tell me where you received the error. The containers are not based on weight, but rather volume.
How do you know how much food to put in each container. Do you have that on your website? Cups or ounces and etc?
Hi Kristy, I don’t have the exact amount listed anywhere, that kind of defeats the purpose I guess. But, yes the food is measured by volume.
I’m curious about white and red wine. I read somewhere it’s allowed but never have been able to find. It may have been mentioned on the info commercial. Giving wine up at dinner may be hard for my husband.
Thanks,
Carrie
Hi Carrie, It is on page 38 of the meal plan. 4 ounces of red wine can be used as a yellow container up to 3 times a week.
Bethany,
Is the green vegetable container used as a measure of both fresh and cooked veggies? Should I be adjusting my veggie amounts on how they’re cooked?? I can no longer find my book…..
Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi Lori, If you access to Beachbody On Demand you can see which vegetables should be measured cooked vs uncooked. For the most part, the vegetables that lose there shape when cooked should be measured raw.
I looked over the shopping list. Where do I add meats into the meals?
Hi Regina, Proteins are red containers, I would recommend spreading through the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hi Bethany :)
I don’t have shakeology. But I use a good shake I bought from whole foods. I take it right after I do my workout and go to sleep at night. I feel so much better in the morning. Is there any way I can get any samples of shakeology to try because I don’t like the stevia taste or any other sugar taste. I want to try first before investing money in a big container. Thanks :)
HI Taleen, Here is the link to the super sampler that contains all of the flavors.
I am just starting this program and wanted to make sure that I understood the quantity of containers that I am supposed to eat. I currently weigh 310 lbs. So it is 310X11+400-750= 3060 calories per day? That seems like a lot of calories and I would never lose any weight. If it is correct can you tell me the number of containers that would amount to?
Hi Michelle, Yes, you are in the last column on the chart. Bethany
what if i don’t have the colored food containers?
Hi Shelly, Here is the link to order a set of containers if you need them. BEthany
I was looking over the meal plan for eating daily, I workout and after I drink a protein shake, where do I add that in? Do I put it in place of a red container?
Hi Iris, Yes, it is red. Bethany
I have a bad knee could I use thus diet program with the hip hop abs? That seems to be less stress on my knee
HI Jessica, Yes, you can follow the Fix diet with any BB program. Bethany
thank you for the great tips!
You’re welcome Amy! I’m glad you found it useful. Bethany
Hi Bethany,
My calorie target is 2150 and that puts me into plan D. This is my second round of the Fix and I struggled to eat that much the first time. Since I’m so close to plan C anyway would it be okay for me to use that target instead?
Hi Erlinda, If you can’t finish your food I think it is okay to drop down, especially since you are so close. Bethany
Can this work without the workout program? According to my fitness pal I should be consuming 1480 calories to lose 2 lbs per week( I add 500 to this because I am nursing), I weight 256.6 lbs, so this plan tells me I should eat 2472.6 calories per day (almost 1000 calories more than the fitness pal app) so I am guessing the extra 1000 calories comes from the workout program? Would you say this is correct? If I did not want to do the workouts, could I just use the estimated calories from my fitness pal?
Hi Rachael, Since you are nursing it would be best to talk to your doctor about your calorie need and also an exercise program that he or she believes would be a good place for you to start. Myfitnesspal in my experience is a great tool for tracking calories, but some of the recommendations do not consider outside forces that could change your calorie intake number.
Thank you so much I ordered the containers but could understand how to calculate surfed the Webb nothing that made sense until now hopefully a new me for my holiday in August
You’re welcome!
Hi Bethany,
After my calculations it says that my calorie goal is 1267. Is that enough calories to consume while working out?
Thanks
Hi Lisa, Yes that is perfectly fine.
Hi Bethany, Can this work without the workout program? According to my fitness pal I should be consuming 1200 calories per day to lose 2 lbs per week. I weight 250 lbs, so this plan tells me I should eat 2400 calories per day (1000 calories more than the fitness pal app) so I am guessing the extra 1000 calories comes from the workout program? Would you say this is correct? If I didn’t do the workouts, could I just use the estimated calories from my fitness pal?
Hi Donna, 1200 calories seems really low to me. A 1000 calorie burn from a workout is not really feasible. If you are not interested in doing the 21 Day Fix workouts, but want to do the diet you can look at what is called the “portion fix” by Beachbody. It is basically the 21 Day Fix diet adapted to for people who do not want the workout portion of the program. Bethany