Is the 21 Day Fix the right answer for weight loss?

April 11, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

Ever wish you could nix a fistful of chubby inches in under a month?

Sure, it’s totally possible. And, if you hear the phrase “diet and exercise” one more time from Suzy Slender, you might just go homicidal on her and lose a lot of weight – on the prison diet. What’s that mean, anyway? “Diet and exercise”? Everyone seems to know, but no one seems to give you the Cliff’s Notes alongside this vague advice. And, then when they do, it’s coming from people trying to prize a chunk of your paycheck from you.

Like this “21 Day Fix” diet:

See, the idea of this isn’t terrible.

What it is, is this plan an ex-bikini competitor came up with. And, naturally, people latched onto it.

Why? Well, first is the fact that she used to win trophies for having a sick figure. (Better than taking recipes from a chubby cooking show host, am I right?) Second? It outlines what you need to do. (We want easy routines.) Third? When you pay money for something, you tend to try and make it worth your while by making use of it. Otherwise you have to feel guilty for wasting money, or try to justify to the eye-rolling friends and fam how it was a sound financial investment. (Confirmation bias, I think they call that.) All of that hater-shade gets negated when the weight comes off.

Alright, so when you buy this fit chick’s quick fix, what’ll you be dealing with?

In short, a bunch’ve color coded Tupperware cartons – plus workout routines. The former of those things – the containers – are color coded to measure out stuff like your veggies, proteins, and fruits. What you do, ahead of time, is sit down and math-map out your caloric max for each day. After that, you start shoving your face-stuffing material into those containers. Why? Because: portion control. Can’t be going wild on that wild rice or the size of your steak. And what exactly’s going in those containers?

Essentially, less processed slop – and more whole foods.

(“Eating this slower than a turtle trudging through almond butter ’cause it’s all I get for the next five hours…”)

Minus the miniature sizes, of course I adore that idea. (Though, if you’re doing food right, you needn’t downsize as badly as what’s described.) Whole foods, and not overdoing it until you combust like something out’ve a Monty Python skit, is a great way to go. Less easy, though? Reportedly, the perspiration end of it’s less than beginner friendly. The DVD and workout requirements are pretty demanding for someone whose only cardio’s been sofa surfing from the Game of Thrones shores to Big Little Lies island. And, granted, while my tendency’s to go with the ol’, “nobody ever drowned in their own sweat”, I’ve come to understand something crucial during my own fitness expedition: if we loathe either our exercise or diet plan (rather, if we don’t love it), then guess what?

We’re not gonna stick with it.

And that’s actually the issue with this whole thing.

Sticking with it indefinitely’s, not the aim. See, when I think of that phrase, “diet and exercise”, as an answer – I don’t think of a one-size-fits-all plan. I think, “Who’s asking the question?” What drives you? What motivates your health endeavors? When was the last time you had fun working out and what do you love to eat that’s healthy? And – above all – could you see yourself eating and working out in those ways consistently? The 21 Day Fix, on the contrary, isn’t so holistic. It’s designed solely for 21 days. It’s not built to last. And that means the body you’ve built in three weeks… won’t either.

Bummer.

(If you don’t want “before” body status, gotta abandon “before” body habits – and supplant ’em with new ones)

And that’s the even more irksome bit of this fleeting fitness itinerary.

Not only doesn’t it last, but the name implies it does. It’s called “The 21 Day Fix”, insinuating that it’ll fix you in 21 days and then you can quit. I see it more as a 21 day starter kit for your new life. Ideally, it’d come with an aftermath plan. One that kinda guides you through how to utilize what you’ve learned in your 21 days for a more sustainable weight maintenance plan.

We all want weight loss in a hurry. When we’re suddenly behind the 8 ball on a dress fitting or date night, it can’t come off fast enough. And, to be fair, losing weight fairly quickly isn’t always a bad thing. (Within reason.) But you know what is? Doing it in a way we hate. Doing it in a way that’ll result in our metabolic pendulum swinging back to the fatty end of the spectrum the second we stop. And, make no mistake – the moment you quit those cardio videos or revert to non-whole-food, processed, porky portions, that’s exactly what’ll happen. That’s my main concern with this.

In sum, the overall idea of this diet plan’s not awful. It’s great that they take a full three weeks to ingrain a healthier habit. I too have ingrained similar habits. (Granted, on a plant based diet, portion control’s never something I hafta stress over; but I digress…) But the best way for any habit to stick, is if you don’t loathe it. And, between the suffocating Tupperware portions and the hardcore, boring cardio, I dunno if this’d stick. I suppose the question is: what are your goals after a month? Are you planning on expanding this plan past 21 days? Sure, you could tweak the workout routine to include some variety (that you actually like). Sure, you could keep the measuring containers (though your incarcerated gastric cavity might feel so confined by then, that you dine at McD’s the moment the clock strikes midnight of day 22). But, the question is, as you’re entertaining all of these options: are you fully aware that if you don’t – if you return to your old ways – your old body’ll come back, too, probably plus some? For the same price, you could employ the one-time guidance of a trainer or dietician to issue you a more sustainable plan you don’t have to alter later. For less than the same price, you could keep trolling this site for sound advice on how to cherish your flesh vessel, while shedding fat from it.

In the end, habits are hard to make.

But, would you rather invest the mental energy in this fleeting, miserable thing? Or a legit “fix”?

One where you’re not watching a clock – but pounds effortlessly dropping from your body?