Apparently I have a tough time with strict weight loss challenges. I made it a whopping 2 full days on the 21 Day Fix Extreme (21DFE)! There were a few things I just wasn’t prepared for when starting 21DFE, especially with the holiday weekend only 3 days into the challenge. You would think having accountability partners would help but it didn’t stop me from slipping up all weekend.
1: Eating Out
Rob and I tend to eat out a lot on the weekend because we are always on the go. I mentioned that the booklet has a Dining Out guide but that is only in the original 21 Day Fix. I guess 21DFE is supposed to be more strict and assumes you won’t eat out for the full 3 weeks.
The dining guide for the original plan suggests taking your green cup with you to measure portions. I want to make permanent changes in my life and that does not include bringing measuring cups to restaurants. I did my best trying to think about what would fit, but I usually couldn’t get the right number of each container by the end of the day (usually too many blues and not enough yellows).
2: Alcohol
I really don’t drink that much but with the holiday, I had a few more than normal. 21 Day Fix allows you to swap a yellow container for a glass of wine 3 times per week (and not all in one day!). Again, this was an abnormal weekend but I didn’t like the guilty feeling like I was cheating. I don’t want to feel guilty about enjoying myself.
3: Scheduling Conflicts
Again, Rob and I are always on the go on the weekends from the time we get up to the time we go to bed. We don’t plan it this way, it just kind of happens. With the three day weekend, I missed 2 workouts because I just wasn’t home! We often meet friends and family for breakfast so doing it before we leave the house sometimes isn’t even an option if I want to get 8 hours of sleep. This is why I usually schedule my rest days for the weekends, or just try to get enough walking to make up for the lack of a strict workout.
4: Low Fat Nutrition
I am a big fan of low carb, high fat diets and am planning on going full on Low Carb as soon as I can clean out my cabinets. It goes hand-in-hand with the Paleo/Primal diet that I have been researching for years and encourages increased fat loss.
The nutritional plan that came with 21 Day Fix is not low carb. Each level includes 3 cups of fruit per day! I also get 4 carbohydrates/starches per day, sending me even higher. Additionally, fat is reduced due to the fact that I can only have 1 blue per day (healthy fats like nuts, cheese, etc.) This is completely opposite to how I normally like to eat and actually has been causing my afternoon headaches and drowsiness to return.
5: Lack of Wiggle Room
I understand that this is the 21 Day Fix, but it is often emphasized that you can repeat it as many times as you have to in order to lose all the weight you need to. It also gives plans for weight maintenance so it is obviously implying that it could be long term. With the strictness, I couldn’t see me following it for more than a few days at a time. I want to lose weight but I also want to live and enjoy life!
I know a lot of the things I listed are personal struggles that not everyone will have with 21 Day Fix Extreme. I am just pointing out things that I didn’t expect to be so hard so quickly. Also, if I saw it as a simple 21 day thing and not looking for long-term solutions to weight maintenance then I might do better with the restrictions. I am going to continue to play with the containers and try all of the workouts (I actually really like them so far!). I will keep you all updated, including what I enjoy about it! Coming soon!
What is your biggest struggle with healthy living?
Check out my 5 Positives of 21 Day Fix Extreme!
continue reading
