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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 would like to lose weight and it says that I should be consuming 2378 calories. I weigh 248 pounds. Will I be able to lose weight consuming 2378 calories?
Hi Rosy, Yes that should create a overall calorie deficit. Bethany
Hi. Can I walk instead of doing the workouts, and how long would be the equivalent? My fitness pal says 1200 calories a day but my calculations for this says 2000. That is a big difference! Does that sound correct for 220lbs?
Hi KAren, You can do a walking routine with the container portion control system. I’m not sure the amount of calories each Fix workout burns or the equivalent of walking but you don’t need them to be the same anyways. Just make gradual improvements and you will see a difference. Myfitnesspal calculation seems to tell everyone that number, 2000 seems more accurate to me.
Hello, could you please tell me what the estimated amount of calories is per container…. like for the carb container, should it be 80 – 100 cal per serving? I know the whole point of the program is to not have to count calories, but I am finding that many of my foods are not container friendly and it would be really helpful to know about how many calories there are per serving per container. For example, I like to eat a spinach wrap at lunch. They are pretty large and I know 1 tortilla counts as 1 carb container, but these wraps are bigger than a tortilla and I want to know if it should be counted as 2 or even 3 servings. I want to know if I eat a slice of cheese instead of shredded cheese do I need to only eat half or will one slice still count as one serving, etc. etc. ..
Thank you!
Kelsey
Hi Kelsey, I’m not really sure. I would guess a yellow container would be about 150-200 calories, a blue around a 100. You could always do partial container counts too. Bethany
if you weigh your containers in grams
proteins = 4 calories/g
carb = 4 calories/g
fat = 9 calories/g
I am new but not so new to the containers. I understand the concept. But I’m not quite sure how to break them down. Here are my questions:
– Can I use chocolate almond milk for my smoothie and how do I count that?
– How do I count a slice of bread
– I see a lot of healthy ” meals” on pinterest, but how do you count the containers once it is all mixed together?
-I do a morning smoothie but I make my own. I do not use Shakeology. How do you count a scoop of protein powder?
I am having a total knee replacement April 28th and need to get some weight off quickly.
HI ELizabeth, If you are following the 21 Day Fix diet plan how it is laid out, chocolate milk is not an option due to the sugar content. Approved bread is a yellow container. Lots of the recipes you see on pinterest will give you a Fix breakdown of containers or if you need to, you can always measure the ingredients out in your own containers to get a count. Most protein powders count as a red container. Good Luck! Bethany
I am switching from Isagenix because this makes
more sense re whole foods and exercise. However I have a lot of isagenix shakes left that I’d like to use as meal replacements. They have more protein, fat and carbs than shakology. How do I figure out what they are equal to? Also can I have a shakology plus an isagenix meal replacement in one day? Thanks!
Red and a purple maybe or a yellow. As far as two shakes a day, there is no rule against it.
Have you tried this Ali? I’m wondering the same thing
Hello Bethany,
I was doing the 21 day fix & 21 day fix extreme last year for 6 months. My husband and I bought a house and we had some major renovations going on so I stopped the workouts. Now, 5 months later I am still not doing the workouts but I am really motivated to begin the exercises. I’ve found out that I am 5 weeks pregnant and I was wondering if the workouts will hurt my baby. Also, how do I calculate the container amount now that I am expecting a baby and I surely don’t want to loose any weight.
Thanks
Hi Krissi, Congratulations! I have a complete post about the Fix and pregnancy that will answer all of your questions here – https://thefitnessfocus.com/21-day-fix/21-day-fix-while-pregnant Hope this helps. Bethany
I am a long time insulin dependant diabetic and watch my carb totals. Is there anything that I should change or be aware of before starting? My doctor just said that I should know what I’m doing.
Hi Karen, Sorry I really don’t know. 21 Day Fix is not to carb heavy I don’t think. Could your doctor refer you to a dietician for consultation maybe. Bethany
Hi, I have been doing the 21 day fix exercise programme for 14 days now, and find I can’t eat all the food in the containers as I don’t feel hungry, I have found I have lost no weight on my scales at all, I do find my body shape is changing for the better tho , will this be ok
Hi Jane, Sounds like your body is responding. It depends on how many containers you are missing, you do not want to miss to many as you might not be consuming enough calories. But then again you don’t really want to be force feeding yourself either. Bethany
My husband and I are just beginning the 21 day fix. According to the plan we fall in the D category, but that would have us eating a minimum of 2100 calories. We want to loose weight and planned on taking in 1200 calories. What am I doing wrong in my figuring?
Hi Myra, If you cut to many calories to soon you will lose weight to begin but this often plateaus and is not sustainable. To create long-term weight loss and be able to keep the weight off it is better aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Bethany
Hey there! I am going to start the 21 day fix on Monday. I’m not sure what my calorie intake should be. I am nursing and pregnant and 170 lbs. how much more should I eat? Thanks
Hi Penny, This is probably a question for your ob or doctor. With breastfeeding you are already burning extra calories so there a few factors that would need to be taken into account. Bethany
If i have the portion fix containers but i don’t intend to do the work out should i still add the 400 calories or reduce them? thanks
Hi Sharon, It depends ona few factors, what level are you at for instance?
How do I determine what a serving is? For instance, chili, I understand it’s 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, but how much do I eat once it’s made?
HI Cindy, If you are making your own recipes, I find it easiest to make note of the total amount of each container used while making it and then determine the amount of containers per serving. For instance, if you make chili with 10 red containers. 20 green. and 5 yellow. This batch could make 5 servings(split the chili into 5 single servings), each serving would be 2 red, 4 green, and 1 yellow. Hope that makes sense. Bethany
I have 21 day fix and meal prep for my husband as well. He weighs 280. So 280×11=3080+400=3480-750=2730. That’s way out of the 2100-2300 bracket. Is that the one I keep him in? Or is there one higher than that he should be following. He is looking to loose weight if that makes a difference.
Hi Jamie, I would use the calorie chart from the extreme program which goes up a couple more levels. At 2730 the containers would be 8 green, 5 purple, 7 red, 5 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 8 tsps. Bethany
I am on the lowest calorie count and I can’t finish the food? Is it okay if I don’t finish all of the containers? I have never been a big eater. My weight is from birth control so I’m just doing my best to get off as much of it as I can.
Hi Katie, You’ll want to do your best to try and get all of the containers in. Eating below 1200 calories daily for an extended period of time is not ideal for your weight or organs.
I’m 140 lbs and my calorie count is 1190, which isn’t on the chart. Should I just follow the first column?
Hi Tiffany, Yes, you round up to the first column. Bethany
Hello,
I just ordered the containers and I am a lacto- ovo vegetarian. I was wondering if I can eat paneer? It’s kind of like a firmer version of ricotta cheese and fresh mozzarella cheese.
Hi Zinal, I would count it as a blue container. I had never heard of it before, it does sound tasty.
Does this calorie intake take into consideration exercise? Mine calculates to 1,960 calories, which seems like an awful lot to loose weight. Thanks!
Hi Hope, Yes it takes into consideration the 21 Day Fix workouts. As long as the body creates a calorie deficit weight loss will occur. Remember the 21 Day Fix is setup to create a gradual weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week, this is the recommended amount of weight to lose weekly as it should be mostly fat loss and is more likely to be kept off. Bethany
I am waiting on my package coming in. I have been watching what i eat and moving regularly. I am excited to start the workouts but i also love to walk and go frequently either outside or just on my treadmill. Will it be okay to continue this, or should i add in extra calories since i will be doing more activity?
Hi Mallory, You should not need to add in calories, but if you feel lack of energy or just plain blah you may want to then add in a container or two. Bethany
Hi Bethany, according to my weight (199lbs) when I started, I should be in the third column of the plan. I now weigh 195.4lbs on my third day of 21DF. Can I just move down to the column below it? 1500-1799? I should note that I had already started watching what I eat a week or two before I officially started the 21DF so that may have contributed to the difference in weight. Meaning I may have been less than 199lbs when I officially started the 21DF.
Hi Daisy, It is up to you. I would probably continue at the third column until you see your weight loss stall or the end of your first round comes to an end. Bethany
Hi Stephanie,
I just started using myfitnesspal to track my containers and the food I put in them because I have not been losing any weight on the fix. I’m in my second round last week. I’m doing the exercises daily. The first round I lost 2 lbs and inches. This is my second start on the fix. Anyhow my question is related to the calorie deficit and total calories in that I should be seeing at the end of my day without the exercise.
I am in the 2100 – 2300 bracket and after eating all my containers and teaspoons I’m seeing on average ~ 1800 calories in. So I would assume I’m not eating enough. Not sure where I go from here and what I need to do to make up this deficit. Any suggests? I appreciate your time and expertise!
Jess
Hi Jess, Hmmmm, maybe you could try going up a bracket and seeing how many calories you are eating at that level. Losing 2lbs and inches is still good, congratulations! I would just try to do some tweaking and see how it goes, it sounds like you are on the right track though. Bethany
I have the containers. I am in the last column however if I don’t work out should I do the thirsd column to consume few calories since I’m not burning anything because I’m to lazy to even walk? #babysteps
Hi Jen, I would stick the bracket the program says to use, it should still create a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit will cause weight loss adding exercise would create more of a deficit and help tone your muscles.