I recently completed the 21 Day Fix 3 Day Quick Fix meal plan, and Ilived to tell about it! This is celebrity trainer and creator of the 21 Day Fixprogram Autumn Calabrese's "secret weapon" in prepping for bikinicompetitions and photo shoots.
Not by coincidence, the three days I selected to follow the Quick Fix mealplan were the last three days of my eight-week PiYoworkout program and right before Andi and I departed for a lovely kid-freevacation in Nicaragua. My goal was to finish PiYo strong and look damn good onthe beach!
The 21 Day Fix 3-Day Quick Fix meal plan is simple really, but also strict. Meals each day are set as follows:
Meal 1: steel cut oats, egg whites, 1 tsp. extra virgin coconut oil
Meal 2: grilled chicken, steamed sweet potato
Meal 3: steamed fish, steamed vegetable
Meal 4: grilled chicken, steamed vegetable, 1 tsp. e.v. coconutoil
Meal 5: steamed fish, steamed vegetable, 1 tsp. e.v. coconutoil
Meal 6: ground extra-lean turkey, steamed vegetable, 1 tsp. e.v.coconut oil
Seems easy enough, right?
There are a few rules: Seasonings are allowed to flavor foods, aswell as lemons, limes and vinegars ... but no salt. Oatmeal can be flavoredwith cinnamon, nutmeg or stevia zero-calorie sweetener. The program recommendsconsuming broccoli, asparagus, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers or cucumbersas vegetables sources and drinking at least one gallon of water per day(132oz.). Coffee and hot tea are permitted, but the use of creamers andsweeteners is not.
Prepping meals ahead of time was the key to following this meal plan. OnSaturday (one day prior to my 3 Day Quick Fix start date), I made threeservings of steel cut oats, baked six chicken breasts and purchased frozen fishfillets, sweet potatoes and enough broccoli, asparagus and zucchini for 12meals. I also mixed together three different spice combinations from the 21 DayFix guidebook -- an all-purpose seasoning mix, Southwest seasoning mix and aMediterranean seasoning mix (omitting salt from each recipe) to use in flavoringthe food.
So, how'd it go? Here's a run-down of my daily meals:
Day 1 -- Sunday, March 6
Meal 1: (8:00am) Steel cut oats with a sprinkle of cinnamon,egg whites with southwest seasoning, 1 tsp. coconut oil, 8oz. coffee
While the rest of my family and our lake cabin guests enjoyed a colorfulvegetable frittata dish and turkey bacon for breakfast, I dined on oatmeal and egg whites ... or on Turkish prison food, as Andi was cute to point out. I'llbe quite honest, my breakfast tasted the way it looked -- bland. Thank goodnessfor coffee to add some flavor to my taste buds!
Meal 2: (10:30am) Baked chicken breast with southwestseasoning, steamed sweet potato with cinnamon
My body's internal clock is accustomed to eating a mid-morning snack, so I was hungry forthis meal. On a typical day, I'd have likely reached for an apple but a grilledchicken breast with a sweet potato did the trick. Yum!
Meal 3: (12:15pm) Steamed tilapia, seasoned with Mediterraneanseasoning and baked in a foil packet, with asparagus and lemon
Have I mentioned how much I dislike fish? It's, um, not my favorite. Ichoked down the 4oz. fillet for the good of the program. The asparagus wastasty with a nice, lemony flavor.
Meal 4: (2:00pm) Grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli,1 tsp. coconut oil
This meal followed an intense 45-minute workout, and I was thankful for it!It came together quickly with a microwavable steamed bag of broccoli andre-heated chicken breast. I felt satisfied afterwards, but definitely missed myusual post-workout Shakeology protein drink.
Meal 5: (4:00pm) Steamed tilapia, steamed broccoli, 1 tsp.coconut oil
I resisted the urge to eat the pre-packaged treats my kids enjoyed duringour family Ranger ride at the lake cabin, and was happy to have a meal ready toeat upon our return. The fish wasn't so bad this time. I squeezed a generousamount of lemon over the fish and the broccoli to give it more flavor.
Meal 6: (6:00pm) Turkey with sauteed butternut squash,mushrooms and spinach, 1 tsp. coconut oil
Okay, so this meal wasn't completely on plan. Andi and I had fresh-prepared Origin meals in the refrigerator and I didn'twant them to go to waste. Since the meal was Paleo, I didn't feel tooguilty eating it.
Water intake = 144oz.
Thoughts? - Day 1
I didn't feel sluggish or starved like others stated in many of the 3 DayQuick Fix reviews I'd read prior to starting the eating plan. I did think twice(x 10!) about mindlessly throwing back a handful of the kids' breakfast cereal,small pieces of fruit or a graham cracker while preparing meals andsnacks for my family throughout the day. Those little "extras" add upto more than I realize, I'm sure.
Drinking extra virgin coconut oil wasn't a big deal for me. I warmed up ateaspoon of the oil in the microwave for a few seconds to liquify it beforeconsuming. It didn't taste like anything, really.
Oh my goodness, was it important to be close to a restroom! I'm a big waterdrinker (typically 90-120oz. /day) so I knew I wouldn't have a problem downingthe recommended 132oz. I'm not sure what the difference was in Day 1 of this program overthe usual -- the streamlined meal plan? the coconut oil? -- that worked toefficiently flush toxins from my body, but I urinated at least 20 times the first day of the Quick Fix. Crazy!
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Day 2 -- Monday, March 7
Meal 1: (7:00am) Steel cut oats with a sprinkle of cinnamonand stevia, egg whites with southwest seasoning, 1 tsp. coconut oil, 6oz.coffee
I seasoned my steel cut oatmeal with cinnamon and added stevia which madeall the difference in the world in terms of flavor! I also heavilyseasoned my morning egg whites with the southwest blend I'd prepared, whichalso helped to amp up the flavor of this meal. I'd clocked an early morningworkout, so breakfast hit the spot on Day 2. Two thumbs up!
Meal 2: (10:30am) Baked chicken breast with southwestseasoning, steamed sweet potato with cinnamon
The kids and I drove 1 1/2 hours from our Wisconsin lake cabin to the TwinCities on this morning, and I opted to wait and eat meal #2 upon arrival home.This was a mistake on my part because I was super hungry by the time we gotthere. I only had a few minutes to heat up my meal and eat it on the go as werushed to the kids' gymnastics class. The food itself tasted great (especiallysince my stomach was growling!), but it wasn't the most convenient thing to eatin the car.
Meal 3: (12:30pm) Broiled pollack, seasoned with Mediterraneanseasoning, steamed asparagus with Ms. Dash seasoning and lemon
Goodness, I thought the tilapia on Day 1 was bad. Blech! This mealwas my least favorite. I gagged down the fish as quickly as I could andpromptly brushed my teeth afterwards.
Meal 4: (3:30pm) Grilled chicken breast with all-purposeseasoning and steamed broccoli, 1 tsp. coconut oil
I lost track of time, and consumed this meal later than I would've liked. Bythe time I ate, I was in a bit of a panic I was so hungry. Meal prep to therescue! I re-heated a chicken breast and microwaved a steamer bag of broccoliand had Meal #4 ready to go in under five minutes.
Meal 5: (4:00pm) Steamed pollack, steamed broccoli, 1 tsp.coconut oil
Yuck! More fish. I mixed bits of fish with each broccoli bite to maskthe taste. It helped ... a little bit.
Meal 6: (7:00pm) Pan-fried turkey burger seasoned withsouthwest seasoning, asparagus, 1 tsp. coconut oil
I'm not 100% sure a turkey burger could be classified as ground turkey asper the meal plan, but I had some frozen burgers that needed to be used so thisfit the bill. I would have also preferred to grill the turkey burger, but wewere out of propane so cooking in a skillet had to do.
I was pleasantly surprised by this meal, and it was a nice change from chickenand fish. Paired with a side of steamed asparagus, I called meal #6 a win!
Water intake = 180oz.
Thoughts? - Day 2
First and foremost, I noticed a big difference in the way my stomach lookedon Day 2 -- flat and toned; precisely the results I was hoping for!
Otherwise, my thoughts concluding Day 2 could be summed in one word ...boredom. Having food prepped and ready to re-heat made meal time easy, but Idefinitely didn't enjoy the food I was consuming. I developed a newappreciation for the wonderful foods I am fortunate to eat on a dailybasis. I started to crave toast with peanut butter and my favorite crispy coconutchips. Hot tea helped add some flavor to my palette, but my enthusiasm for themeal plan was wearing thin.
Interestingly, I consumed more water on Day 2 and used the restroom lessoften. Perhaps most of the toxins were flushed from my system on Day 1?
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Day 3 - Tuesday, March 8
Guess what? I threw in the towel. Bah! I know, I know ...
I consider myself a fairly dedicated person, but I just couldn't do it anymore. On the morning of Day 3, I finished the last workout of my PiYo programand weighed myself for the final result. I was down three pounds since Saturday(wahoo!) and down 0.8 pounds since I began the PiYo program in early January2016. I felt satisfied with my results and quite honestly, I felt ravenous. Idesperately wanted to eat a breakfast with fruit and peanut butter toast, sothat's what I did. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my peanut butter toastand bowl of plain Greek yogurt with mixed berries, homemade granola and adrizzle of honey.
Yes I quit the 3 Day Challenge a day early, but I'm also pleased with theresults I achieved in two days of strictly adhering to this plan. I will admitthat once the doors opened to "regular eating" again, I desperatelywanted to devour bowls full of fresh fruit and bread, so I had to check myselfa little bit. A "normal" day of meals doesn't mean I can eat anythingand everything! In retrospect, I think that's what makes the standard 21 DayFix program so great -- I never feel like I'm missing out on foods I enjoy. Ieat a well-balanced menu of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and leanmeats which is the perfect lifestyle choice for me.
Now, I'm off to the beach! Let's hope my bikini-ready body sticks arounduntil I get there!
Finally, would I do the 21 Day Fix 3 Day Quick Fix again? Absolutely. Itwas a great way to get myself beach-ready and finish my workout program at mybest.
