This 21 Day Fix Container Guide has everything you need to know (colors, foods, calories!) about your 21 Day Fix containers.
Hey, Fixers! Let me preface this guide a bit (because we’re jumping right in today!):
Recently in the 21 Day Fix support group that I co-host on FB (ok, so that makes me sound a bit like a game show host – You’ve just won a new lifestyle! – but you get the picture), a LOT of people have been asking how many calories/ fat / carbs / magic go into each container for the purposes of choosing store-bought products like bread and such. It’s also great information to have if you’re trying to turn your own recipe into containers and it uses something that maybe isn’t explicitly in the book (like flour, for example). So I offered to do the work of figuring it all out and to write a post about it, but I really struggled with whether or not to post this and let me tell you why.
The 21 Day Fix isn’t only about calories, but also fats and carbohydrates (macronutrients, if you will). Calories are not the end-all be-all of nutrition or weight loss, the same way the numbers on a scale don’t give you the whole picture on your health and fitness. I worried that having this info might prompt some of you to start counting calories (defeating the whole purpose and basically just making everything more complicated).
So please, please, please don’t start counting calories just because the calories are here. This program works because it’s SO much easier than that. I do hope, however, that this post will help you make good choices at the grocery store and even convert your own recipes into the 21 Day Fix masterpieces that would make Julia Child green with envy (Don’t roll your eyeballs at me, I totally have faith in you.).
Free Printable!
Print this PDF and throw it up on the fridge for quick reference (PDF also includes container sizes!)
For a full updated list of approved foods, click here!
Ok, peeps. Here are all of your container deets:
♥ Green Container
- 1 Cup
- Calories: between 30 – 50 per serving; 40 calorie average
Foods include: tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, onions, snow peas, zucchini, butternut squash, homemade salsa (1/2 cup!), vegetable broth (2 cups) etc..
Surprisingly excluded: corn (yellow), regular sweet peas (yellow), pumpkin puree (purple)
♥ Purple Container
- 1 Cup
- Calories: between 50 – 100 per serving; 75 calorie average
Foods include: cantelope, apples, bananas, pumpkin puree (2/3 cup), strawberries, unsweetened applesauce (3/4 cup), grapes, mango, etc..
♥ Red Container
- 3/4 Cup
- Calories: between 100 – 200 per serving; 145 calorie average
- Protein: 15 – 25 grams per serving; 21 grams of protein on average
- Fat: 2 -12 grams per serving; 6 grams of fat on average
Foods include: chicken, turkey, duck, fish, pork tenderloin, lean beef, shellfish, game, eggs, tofu, tempeh, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, etc…
Vegan note: in the new(ish) Vegan plan (found here) beans, lentils, edamame, peas and nonfat refried beans are also included.
♥ Yellow Container
- 1/2 Cup
- Calories: between 90 – 130 calories per serving; 115 calorie average
- Carbs: between 15 – 30 grams of carbs per serving; 22 carbs per serving on average
Foods include: Sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa, beans, lentils, sweet peas, corn, whole grains (such as barley, millet, etc.), whole grain bread, whole grain pancakes/waffles, etc..
Important flour note! 1/4 cup of whole grain flour or whole grain pastry flour is equal to 1 Yellow. Want more info on how to count homemade baked goods? I give a little lesson in my 21 Day Fix Cornbread post!
Another important note! Beachbody recently changed the yellow treat and beverage swaps – here is their info on that.
♥ Blue Container
- 1/3 Cup
- Calories: 100 – 160 calories per serving; 120 calories on average
- Fat: 8 – 16 grams of fat per serving; 10 grams on average
Foods include: avocado, nuts, hummus, canned coconut milk and cheese
♥ Orange Container
- 2 Tablespoons
- Calories: 50 – 150 calories per serving; 120 calorie average
- Fat: 4 – 16 grams of fat per serving; 10 grams on average
Foods include: salad dressings, olives, seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, unsweetened shredded coconut
♥ Teaspoon
- Calories: 32 – 40 calories per serving; 35 calorie average
- Fat: 3 – 5 grams of fat per serving; 4 grams on average
Is there an approximate weight for reds? Like X oz. of chicken breast?
Yep! It’s usually about 4-5 oz raw.
Hi! Do you have the approximate weight by color container? I live in an area where it will be difficult to get the containers, so I’m trying to measure using weight and cups. 4-5 oz of chicken breast is super helpful. It would be great if I knew the others, too! I know it varies by ingredient, but anything you can offer would be helpful!
Hey Sarah! Aside from the protein container (and that really only refers to the meats in the protein container), there’s really no way to give you a weight for the others because the ingredients can differ so much. If I were you I would just stick to measuring everything in cups and go by the measurements I have listed in this post. Honestly, the whole idea behind 21 Day Fix is that you DON’T have to weigh anything or count calories. It’s so nice to be able to keep it simple! Good luck!
I’ve been searching for this! Thanks for putting in all the effort to make this!
You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s helpful!!
Hi. I just received my 21 day fix program. I am so excited to start! My question is thst my Doctor told me i have to reduce my carb intake to lose weight (i am pre-diabetic).
What yellie container options can i eat that are lower in carb grams? He said to stick to about 100 grams a day.
Thanks
Hey Naty, I’m not sure off the top of my head, but I will say that each yellow averages about 22 grams of carbs, so depending on how many you get in a day, you could be fine with any of them. If you get more, you may have to look up the carb count on your favorite ones so you know specifically how much you can have.
I am a type 2 diabetic. Can the21 day. Fix help me ? I am obese. Thank you
Hey Deb! I’ve heard other people say that they are type 2 and have used it and it helped them. I would definitely ask your doctor what he or she thinks and go from there!
Hi! I don’t understand what the teaspoon is. Can you help? Also, is this only for 21 days or does the plan change once your weight changes after the 21 days?
Hi Cindy! The teaspoon is for nut butters and oils (actual butter and mayo are also included in the teaspoon list). Everyone gets at least 2 per day depending on your bracket. I don’t have the brackets listed here (though you could probably find them somewhere on the internet, but if not, it’s with the 21 Day Fix program materials), you’ll get more than just one of each container, but it depends on your weight. And yes, after 21 days, if you’ve lost enough weight to be in a different bracket, you’ll switch to the new bracket. I hope this makes sense! If you don’t have the program yet, I definitely recommend it!
I really appreciate this, but I’m a bit confused. If you total up the containers by max calorie allotments, and add all the containers you’re allowed for the lowest calorie level, it adds up to over 1,800 calories! That’s about 300 more than the max you’re supposed to have in the lowest group. So, I guess, if you’re eating a food in the higher end of the calorie spectrum in one container, you need to eat something in the lower end for your other containers to balance it out? Adds another level of complexity…
Hey Allison! It’s HIGHLY unlikely that you’re going to choose the highest calorie foods from each bracket in a single day (in most categories, there were only 1 or 2 items in that category that had calorie counts on the higher end). If you go by the average calories for each bracket, it’s right around 1400 for the day. When I’ve checked my own daily calories, I’m almost ALWAYS really close to 1200 and I’ve never been over 1400. This is set up in ranges so that there isn’t the complexity that you’re worried about. Keep it simple, follow the containers, and I know you’ll be successful 😉
Thanks for this blog. just started the 21dayfix. I hope it will work. If I understand correctly no carbs (yellow) for dinner?
Hi Vicky! I’m so excited for you! As someone who’s done it and has watched SO many others do the program, I can definitely say that it’ll work if you work it! Also, with the 21 Day Fix, you can eat your containers whenever you like, it really allows for a lot of flexibility. Good luck!
Hi Stephanie! Thank you so much for sorting out the breakdown of each container. I’ve just started the Fix myself and will be working with my mother to help her as well, and this background info will help a lot with explaining the concepts to her as well as how to translate packaged foods into the Fix method. I was literally about to figure out these caloric averages myself when I found your blog -so thank you for doing this heavy lifting and taking the time to share it!
Absolutely!! I’m so glad it’s helpful. I know I personally refer to it all the time! Good luck to you and your mama!
Hi! This is so helpful, but I can’t find any information anywhere about carrots! Are carrots considered a vegetable or a carb with 21 Day Fix? Thank you!
Hi! Carrots are a green, they’re in the book, you must’ve just missed it! I just double checked mine to be sure 🙂
Hi! I saw that yellow corn was down for a vegetable, but according to the book it is said to be a carb. Is there an updated version that I missed?
Hi! Maybe I need to clarify in the post, but what I was saying is that corn is EXCLUDED from the green list, meaning it isn’t on it. I have the word “yellow” next to corn in parenthesis to indicate that it is a yellow container instead of a green. Sorry for the confusion! Goodness I wish they were a green though!!