21 Day Fix Containers: Colors, Sizes, and How to Use Them

Editor’s note: BODi’s programs are app/subscription-only now — no more DVDs in a box — but the containers are still sold separately, and people keep using them long after they’ve moved on to a different workout, or none at all. Worth knowing before you buy: the ASIN this page has linked for years is actually a third-party compatible set, not an official BODi product — see “Official Set vs. the Compatible Alternative” below.

The 21 Day Fix portion control containers are a great way to organize your meals throughout the day to the exact portion of food you need to eat. Take the guesswork out and make it easy on yourself. They also work well for other workouts — I use mine on PiYo too.

Because I’ve seen them work firsthand on myself and my friends, I want to share how they work. By focusing on portion control, rather than counting daily calories, you know that what you’re eating is always the right amount based on your diet goals.

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Sizes, Colors, Oh My

The purpose of breaking the containers into different sizes and colors is to make your meal planning as simple as possible. Your day can be hectic, and asking you to calculate every calorie is time-consuming enough that many people quit before they even start.

You might feel a little intimidated when you first see these containers — all the colors and sizes, what does it all even mean? All you have to do is calculate your target calories one time, and then the sizes tell you how much to eat and the colors tell you what kinds of food to eat. That’s why these containers are so amazing — they take away any guesswork. Here’s exactly what the different colors mean.

Container Sizes

Color	Size	What It’s For
Green	8 oz (1 cup)	Vegetables
Purple	8 oz (1 cup)	Fruits
Red	6 oz (¾ cup)	Proteins
Yellow	5.3 oz (½ cup)	Carbohydrates
Blue	2.7 oz (⅓ cup)	Healthy fats & cheeses
Orange ×2	2 oz (2 Tbsp) each	Seeds & dressings

That’s 7 containers total — the set doesn’t include a separate one for oils; those are tracked by the teaspoon instead, using your own kitchen teaspoon, not a container from the kit. Your main focus is getting nutritious fruits and vegetables, along with high-quality proteins and carbohydrates. Instead of cutting out things like fats, you simply portion them accordingly — a super strict diet is not only miserable to undertake, it causes a lot of people to cheat. Remember, the key is portion control.

Official BODi Set vs. the Compatible Alternative

Worth being upfront about: the set I originally linked on this page for years is a third-party kit, not an official BODi/Beachbody product. It’s still color-coded to the same sizes and works the same way, and it comes with a few extras — a printed guide, a meal tracker, and a recipe ebook — it’s just not the BODi-branded version. If having the real branded containers matters to you, get the official set above. If you just want the same sizes and colors for less money, this one does the job.

How Do I Know How Much to Eat?

While you don’t need to calculate calories each day, you will need to do it once to get started. It’s not hard — here’s the 21 Day Fix formula:

• Your current weight (lbs) × 11 = your baseline
• Your baseline + 400 (the Fix calorie burn) = your caloric need
• Your caloric need − 750 (calorie deficit) = your target calories

Let’s see my own example: my weight is 175 pounds. 175 × 11 = 1,925 (my baseline). 1,925 + 400 = 2,325 (my caloric need). 2,325 − 750 = 1,575 (my target calories). Not hard at all. A 750-calorie deficit like this lines up with the CDC’s own guidance on losing weight at a steady, sustainable pace — roughly 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Two things worth knowing that I hadn’t mentioned before: if your number comes out under 1,200, BODi’s own guidance says to round up to 1,200 — that’s the floor, not a suggestion. And your target calories sort you into one of six calorie brackets (labeled A through F, roughly 1,200 to 2,800 calories), which is what actually sets how many of each container you get per day. That day-by-day breakdown is in the program’s own materials, not something to guess at here.

Nutritious, Delicious, and Filling

The worst part of losing weight is that creeping hunger pang that settles in after eating half an apple for lunch. With these containers, not only do you get an easy way to portion out your food, the portions are genuinely filling — just fill your container all the way up and eat throughout the day. You’ll go through multiple containers per day, so there’s no “empty stomach anxiety” that comes with most diet plans.

Lightweight and Practical

Who wants to lug around a bunch of clunky food containers everywhere? That’s the beauty of these sizes — they’re lightweight, compact, and practical for everyday use. Enjoy them as a quick snack at your desk or right after the gym, whichever works for you.

Planning Is Key

How many times have you walked into a grocery store intent on buying healthy things, only to leave with sodas, ice cream, cookies, and other junk food? Maybe you went in hungry, or maybe you just couldn’t resist. There’s a way to overcome this: planning, and following the 21 Day Fix schedule.

Once you know how much food you need to eat and have your containers, you’re ready to start. To really make this happen, plan your grocery shopping before you walk into the store — otherwise you’ll be tempted to buy things you know you shouldn’t. How often you shop per week is up to you, but try to go enough times to keep fresh fruit and veggies stocked in your fridge.