Editor’s note: This review has been updated to reflect BODi’s current subscription-based access — 21 Day Fix is no longer sold as a standalone DVD set.
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Quick Facts
- Workouts: 28
- Time: 30 min/day
- Level: Intermediate
- Equipment: Dumbbells or resistance bands, mat optional
- Access: BODi subscription
- Best for: Cardio, strength, core, weight loss
21 Day Fix Workout
The 21 Day Fix was designed to take the guesswork out of weight loss. It comes with a 21-day plan using 30-minute workouts and a portion-control eating plan to follow from A to Z. It’s led by Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese.
What to Expect
- 30 minute workouts
- Portion Control Containers
- Beginner Friendly
- Cardio and Weights
- Flexible Meal Planning Guide
- No calorie counting
- 6 total workouts
Don’t Struggle With Weight Loss
It’s easy to be skeptical about what to choose and what’s the best weight loss program for you. My wife has tried the 21 Day Fix program and loves it.
It’s a simple program that breaks weight loss down into a common-sense approach that’s easy to follow.
Who hasn’t struggled with weight gain as a result of the busy lifestyles we all lead? We all work long weeks, some of us have kid schedules that keep us running ragged, and we all have trouble finding time to make healthy meals and time to work out. Maybe you just don’t look forward to going to the gym or spending time on an elliptical machine to lose weight.
If you’re at a point where you’re ready for a change — ready to eat right, get in shape, get your self-confidence back and feel good about looking at yourself in the mirror — this is exactly what the 21 Day Fix program can do for you if you give it an honest try.
21 Day Fix Review — What Is It?
Let’s look at what the 21 Day Fix is and why it works. This program was designed by Autumn Calabrese — a busy mom and world-renowned fitness trainer who’s also the creator of 4 Weeks for Every Body, The 4 Week Gut Protocol, and the Portion Fix eating plan. She’s a certified holistic health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, with certifications from NASM and AFPA. She’s also a cooking fanatic who created the 21 Day Fixate cookbook.
She teamed up with Beachbody, developing highly successful programs alongside titles like Focus T25 by Shaun T, P90X3 by Tony Horton, and PiYo by Chalene Johnson. This program is in great company.
Autumn Calabrese — Your Trainer — Who Is She?
Portion Control Leads to Success
Autumn wanted to take her knowledge and help everyday people succeed in losing weight and getting in shape, and she’s great at making it simple. She developed a portion-controlled eating plan that anyone can master — color-coded containers that represent the different types of food we eat. When preparing your meals, you fit each type of food into the matching container to keep your portions right instead of overeating.
Along with the portion-control containers, she built a meal planning guide to eat throughout the day and lose weight without the complication of calorie counting.
Learning this concept alone and following it will help most people lose weight even before they start exercising. There’s a saying in fitness that “abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym” — and it’s true. You can work your butt off in the gym, but if you don’t eat right, you won’t see the weight loss you’re after.
Why Does 21 Day Fix Work?
There’s no diet software to use, no calories to count, and no points to track. The 21 Day Fix lays it out so you simply use the 7 colored portion-control containers when it’s time to eat.
This really teaches you to avoid oversized portions and then burn fat with a quick 30-minute workout. It’s made simple: follow the meal plan, the end.
You’ll naturally cut down your regular calorie intake. Most of us eat more than our body needs each day, and that’s what turns into excess fat. It was made simple so anyone can do it.
The workouts are effective but not extreme, so anyone can do them. You get a different workout every day that keeps your body guessing, keeps you from plateauing, and keeps you from getting bored. Autumn talks you through each workout as if she’s in your own living room — most of the time you don’t even have to look at the screen because she explains the exercises and reps so clearly.
The program runs 21 days because that’s roughly what it takes to build a new habit — it’s teaching a life skill, not just running you through a workout calendar.
30-Minute Workouts For 21 Days
Along with being a nutrition expert, Autumn broke her fitness training knowledge into 30-minute workouts that anyone can do at any fitness level — similar in spirit to the P90X3 program.
If you’ve worked out for years, you’ll tone up and build lean muscle. If you’ve never worked out or are out of shape, the workouts are built so you can still do them. You just need to dedicate 30 minutes a day and stick with it.
Each day’s workout works a different part of your body using bodyweight exercises, yoga, light-weight strength work, and core exercises.
You get all of this packed into a 21-day plan you can use to reset and start a new routine — whatever your specific goal is.
Simple to Follow Nutrition and Fitness Program?
The program takes the guesswork out of weight loss so you don’t have to count calories — you focus on portion control instead. On top of that, you do a quick 30-minute workout each day, so you’re in and out.
It’s a basic concept backed by real research, not just a marketing claim — a peer-reviewed review on portion control and weight management found that managing portion sizes, especially of higher-calorie foods, is an effective strategy for sustainable weight loss. The color-coded containers are what really set the 21 Day Fix apart from similar programs.
Who Is the 21 Day Fix For?
This is great for people with a deadline — an upcoming wedding, anniversary, or vacation — or anyone who wants something simple to follow for weight loss.
It’s also for people who want flexibility in what they eat. No rigid recipes, no restrictive diet to follow. And it’s great for busy people, since it takes the guesswork out and doesn’t require hours in the kitchen prepping meals for the week.
If you’ve struggled with other diets before and want a meal plan that’s actually simple to follow, this is it. Autumn walks you through it day by day to help you build new habits and get back to the lifestyle you want — you just have to take the first step.
What Do You Get With the 21 Day Fix?
The program comes with the 21-day diet and exercise plan — no calorie counting, just colored containers to keep you on track: green for veggies, purple for fruits, red for proteins, yellow for carbs, blue for healthy fats, and orange for dressings and seeds. Oils and nut butters are tracked separately by the teaspoon — you use your own, one is not included in the set.
21 Day Fix Workout Schedule
21 Day Fix used to ship as 2 DVDs — today it streams through the BODi app as part of a BODi subscription, along with the other essentials:
- Upper Fix — upper body resistance work for shoulders, chest, abs, arms, and back.
- Lower Fix — leg workouts to tone glutes, quads, and hamstrings while burning fat.
- Total Body Cardio — an aerobic workout that gets your heart rate up and burns calories.
- Cardio — an all-around cardio routine to burn fat.
- Pilates — strengthens your core and the connector muscles around your hips and thighs.
- Yoga — works balance, flexibility, and recovery.
- Getting Started guide — lays out exactly how to start, along with a workout calendar.
- 21 Day Fix Eating Plan — shows you exactly what to eat and when.
- 3 Day Quick Fix — Autumn’s own approach to make the first 3 days the most effective.
21 Day Fix Calendar
The six workouts rotate through the same weekly pattern for the first three weeks, then Week 4 doubles up two workouts a day for anyone continuing past the core 21-day cycle. This is the classic weekly rotation Autumn built the program around — if you’re on the BODi app, check your own in-app calendar for the exact day-by-day order, since BODi can adjust scheduling by start date.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total Body Cardio Fix | Upper Fix | Lower Fix or Barre Legs | Pilates Fix or Flat Abs Fix | Cardio Fix | Dirty 30 | Yoga Fix |
| 2 | Total Body Cardio Fix | Upper Fix | Lower Fix or Barre Legs | Pilates Fix or Flat Abs Fix | Cardio Fix | Dirty 30 | Yoga Fix |
| 3 | Total Body Cardio Fix | Upper Fix | Lower Fix or Barre Legs | Pilates Fix or Flat Abs Fix | Cardio Fix | Dirty 30 | Yoga Fix |
| 4 (optional) | Total Body Cardio + Pilates Fix | Upper Fix + Cardio Fix | Lower Fix + 10-Minute Abs | Pilates Fix + Total Body Cardio | Cardio Fix + Upper Fix | Dirty 30 + Pilates Fix | Yoga Fix |
Sunday is a rest day for the first three weeks. Yoga Fix still shows up on it — a lighter, recovery-focused session, not a full day off.
How You Start the Program
When you start, you’ll calculate your caloric baseline — how many calories you need to sustain your normal bodily functions while still losing weight. Once you know that number, you’ll know how many of each container you get per day. It comes with a book of recipe ideas, and even treats have easy calculations built in.
The program does aim to get you eating fewer calories than your baseline — typically around 350 fewer. It’s not a miracle program that promises results with zero effort; you need to be dedicated to see the results.
How to Get 21 Day Fix Today
21 Day Fix is no longer sold as a standalone DVD set — it’s included with a BODi subscription. That subscription unlocks 225+ other programs, meal plans, and trainer-led guidance too. BODi has monthly and yearly plans, with a 7-day free trial and a 31-day money-back guarantee, less shipping and handling. Pricing and promos change, so check the current offer on their site before you commit.
The program itself is 28 workouts over 30-minute sessions, rated Intermediate, and works well for cardio, strength, and core. All you need is a set of dumbbells or resistance bands and an optional mat.
What I Liked and Didn’t Like About the 21 Day Fix
What I Liked
- Focuses strongly on both diet and fitness.
- The eating plan is easy to follow — not always easy to stick to on fewer calories, but doable and varied.
- You can still enjoy treats since it’s built around portion sizes, not elimination.
- You learn the real balance between proteins, carbs, and healthy fats — that’s what builds a healthier relationship with food long-term.
- The workouts are varied — you’re not doing the same routine every day. That variety is what keeps you motivated.
- No gym required, and no specialized equipment needed. A resistance band and a set of adjustable dumbbells make the workouts more effective if you have them.
- 31-day money-back guarantee (less shipping and handling).
What I Didn’t Like
- It can be followed by vegetarians and vegans, but it’s harder for them to hit the right protein intake.
- The name is a bit deceptive — it doesn’t promise dramatic results in 21 days. It teaches you that 21 days is roughly what it takes to build a new habit. That’s the real point of the program.
How It Rates
Based on my wife’s experience running the full program, not a lab test.
The Final Verdict
Like a lot of people, I’ve struggled with getting and staying healthy over the years. There are plenty of programs that promise a quick fix, and as attractive as they sound on paper, they’re often inefficient or even unhealthy.
The 21 Day Fix doesn’t offer a miracle cure. It’s upfront that only people who are dedicated and willing to change will see results — but it gets you there by helping you break old habits over 21 days, and by focusing on both diet and exercise instead of just one. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to get healthier and wants a program that’s actually simple to stick with.
