21 Day Fix vs. Weight Watchers?
How do you know what program will work for you? Why do I have any expertise on this topic? Why on earth listen to me? You don’t have to listen to me but you will have a better understanding of the differences and similarities of the programs.
I’ve been a Weight Watcher member for years. Off and on for years. The last time I signed up again was in April 2009 right before my 20 year high school reunion. I’ve been through many programs they offer and they all work if you follow them.
I’ve been a Team Beachbody coach since November 2010. I became a customer in August 2010 when I ordered Insanity and it rocked my world. I was hooked on the programs and products because they worked. If you follow the program it works.
weight watchers or 21 day fix
Differences:
21 Day Fix:
•Use color coded containers to determine portions and servings. (Red = protein, Purple = Fruit, Yellow = carbs, Green = Veggies, Blue = fats like avocado, cheese, and Orange = oils and nuts
•You figure out portions and number of containers based on calories needed for the day.
•There are 30 minute workouts included in the program
•No weekly in person meetings. You do all of your interaction online. You do all of your workouts in the privacy of your home.
Weight Watchers:
•Use point values of food to determine portions and servings. Each food has a point value and you track your points. Most veggies and fruits = 0. You look in a book or online to determine the points value and log it.
•You either follow portions on a package or weigh and measure your food to determine the points.
•No workouts included with a WW sign up but you can order them or do your own thing.
•There seems to be more of an emphasis on food and counting the food than moving. Moving is covered and encouraged but not as much as it is in the 21 Day Fix.
•Option to weigh in weekly with others in a meeting located in your area.
Similarities:
1.Both programs encourage clean eating and promote non-processed foods as the way to go.
2.Both programs encourage accountability and checking in with others to succeed.
3.Both programs encourage tracking for success. You are either tracking your containers or tracking your points.
4.Both programs encourage exercise. The 21 Day Fix encourages it more and offers modifications.
5.Both programs want you to begin a healthier lifestyle that lasts.
6.Both programs want you to take measurements and weight to have a benchmark to your progress.
7.Both programs make you aware of your portion sizes and food choices.
8.Both programs encourage you to meal plan and prepare.
What does each program cost?
21 Day Fix: The base kit is $60
and includes the containers, workout program, recipes and the plan. The kit can be enhanced by getting more DVDs (challenge pack) challenge pack and an awesome supplement called Shakeology and can go up to $160 for the kit depending on what you get. The superfood meal replacement = 1 red container so it makes meal planning easier. Plus you know you are putting something great into your body every day for about $4 a meal.
Weight Watchers: It depends on if you pick online only or weekly meetings where you weigh in. There is a one-time signup fee and then a monthly fee. You can choose to pay weekly when you weigh in or monthly auto draft. It costs around $40 a month until you reach your goal weight and then you don’t have to pay. You receive basic information about how to count your points, recipes and tips. You also receive a weekly reader with tips and info. No workouts or supplements included. Weight Watchers
YOU must decide. How dedicated are you to your health? If you follow the program it will work. If you are trying to cheat or find a way to not be on the program then it will not work. We all know that eating clean and non-processed foods is best for us. Yet we try to see how many chips we can have and still lose weight.
Is there an obvious winner here? Not to me. I integrate both programs. Here is how I do it.
I love the 21 Day Fix because of the timeline. I can focus for 21 Days. I know there are proven results and I’ve achieved them. I don’t have to look up points. If it fits in the container then it works. When I run out of containers then I’m finished for the day. I love how it pushes me to eat cleaner. I also love it because it was the first workout program that said you can have wine and chocolate.
I love Weight Watchers because I can count the points of anything. Restaurants, beer, chips and salsa, pizza. The Fix does offer options to count foods like that but it is not as easy to determine. I don’t feel like I’m trapped at home preparing meals. I can plan a meal out of the house and not feel like I’m doing something wrong.
To test the success of the programs I’ve been doing both at the same time. Counting points and tracking containers. So far they seem to be matching up. The number of proteins required and limit on fats and oils. The number of points used seem to be the same as the containers used.
I lean heavier toward the 21 Day Fix because of the higher emphasis on working out and the more obvious emphasis on portion control vs eyeballing it.
If you are like me then you get bored easily. You hit a certain goal and then cross the finish line and ask “what is next?” I love to keep myself guessing and challenged so I don’t give up. It is so boring counting points. It is so boring measuring lettuce for a salad. Maybe not boring but tedious and monotonous. Over and over again. Meal plan, look up points and containers, repeat every meal, every day, every week. Picking a program and making it fun works for me. Change it up.
What do I recommend?
Pick a program.
Pick both if you want.
Put your health at the top of your list.
Don’t say you can’t afford it. You either afford to be healthy now or you HAVE to afford to be sick later. Choose wisely.
Find a buddy or buddies. Tons of people on facebook, Instagram and more who are looking for people just like you. Reach out and do it together.
I have support groups running all the time. Reach out to me and get in one of them.
Friend Me and get into one of my groups today.
What do you think? Are you a Weight Watcher fan? Have you tried the Fix?
Tell me what you think.
Thanks. This was very helpful!!!
I’ve done weight watchers twice. I’ve recently looked Into the 21 day fix but I’m worried the amount of protein and carbs might actually are me gain weight. If I counted the nutrition plan in ww points, there’s quite the difference. What are your thoughts on that?
I did both programs side by side and they match up pretty close.
For example: Most veggies and fruits are FREE with WW. With the 21 Day Fix they are counted with colored containers. You get more veggies than fruits. Carbs would be counted with points and with the Fix it is a yellow container. Chicken breasts, eggs would be points and with the Fix it is a red container.
With both plans you must figure out your current weight and what your activity level is to know your calorie range or containers to use. If you want talk more privately we can. I’m happy to explain more. heatherdietelfitness@gmail.com
What if you are breastfeeding. Do you recommend one over the other?
Breastfeeding can be done on either program. With WW you would add more daily points and with the 21 Day Fix you would add more containers. I think the Fix makes you focus more on clean, whole foods and fewer treats. WW is great but it allows too much room to fit in chips, and 0 point items.
Great thanks for the advice!
With the new WW program, they are finally promoting more movement and less sugars. Some foods that used to be free now have points. I am doing both programs, but modified. How do you convert the 21 day fitness program to WW fitpoints?
I’m going to do more research on the updated program before I respond. I did see there is more of a focus on movement and I love that. From what I understand you must determine the rate of effort to figure the fit points. Are you breathing heavy? Are you at low, medium or high intensity? The yoga workout may not have as many fitpoints as Total Body Cardio Fix or Dirty 30. It should be based off of your level of effort.
Hi Heather, any chance you’ve taken a look on the WW Beyond the Scale program. I read on a blog that they seem to be moving towards more movement, however seems the old members are not crazy about the new idea. Seems strange that one would not want to feed the inner body as a healthy way of life, yet here I sit not doing anything to improve it myself.
I am going to try the 21 day for the first time starting tomorrow. Keep in mind, I have owned the program for over a year and have never actually committed to it. Yes, I should be ashamed.
Thanks for all the information you placed here. So, So honest!!!
Esmie
Thank you for being honest. Don’t be ashamed! We all are doing our best. Great job on stepping up to do it now. Take one day at a time and don’t worry at all. If you have a mess up then move on. I don’t want to bash WW at all. I’ve been a fan for years and they helped me. After attending meetings for years it seems that the majority of people (at least at my location) were older, retired, or not really into working out. Exercise is a habit to build. It is proven to help boost our moods. Just trying to change your diet to lose pounds may get you to a weight on the scale but you must look BEYOND it. There are so many non scale victories.
I’m doing WW and the 21 day fix workouts. I’m having trouble tracking the workouts on the ww fitness tracker. Any suggestions on the easiest way to do so? I feel like entering each and every exercise would be tedious.
I would agree that the 21 day fix eating plan put me about 8 to 10 points over what I should be on WW. I found I lost some inches on 21 day fix bit the scale didn’t budge. I know I’m building muscle etc but if you google it, it seems to be a common problem for people on 21 day fix. I think the overage is coming in through the healthy fats. However I do love the 21 day fix workouts, they are varied and keep me interested. So my plan is to follow the workouts of 21 day fix while following the weight Watchers points and see how it goes.
I’ve been doing 21DF for 4 rounds now. I love it. The Shakeology from BeachBody is a miracle drug, if you ask me. My mom is doing WW. She’s lost 16 pounds in 4 weeks. But she has a lot more weight to lose than I do. I have 30-40 pounds to lose. She has closer to 200 pounds to lose. But I do see a lot of similarities in the programs. I workout. She does not. She can, but makes excuses that she can’t. So I leave it alone. Currently doing to 21DF eating program with a mix of Country Heat workouts in there. I am also a BB coach.
Awesome job! Keep it up. Great for your mom too!
Thank you for your comments Heather.
I am starting Nov…when camping season is done.
This is a must do for me. No reason at all that I should weight this much. 5’5″ @217.
Sore knees need help.
I have only been successful one time dieting….years ago. I had amazing determination. Now I have sore knees if I walk too much. I want my belly gone, I want and need to be thinner…..I am 66. Still young and active.
So I am trying to pick the plan I can stick with. I am newly retired from a administrative assistant job..money is different now. So I must choose wisely.
I was not successful with WW….but maybe u did not give it my all either.
Your comments or others are welcome!!
Thanks
Pat A
PA.
I am deciding between the two programs and I am finding it difficult to decide. My mom has done WW and she had a lot of success. I also like the aspect that I don’t have to meal plan as much and only have to count points. When I go out to dinner it is easier as well. For 21 day fix, I like that it includes workouts (which they have a deal on demand currently). What is your opinion on use the beach body on demand and the the WW diet?
I am in the third week of 21 day fix. I’m thinking of using weight watchers on the next round doing the exercising every day that came with 21 day fix exercise program CDs. I’m bored with containers and list of foods with the containers and found it was easier to track on weight watchers and eating out is an easier calculation. My daughter is a 21 day fix coach and she is not too eager for me to move in to the weight watchers food program. I don’t know what to do. I am 59 years old, weigh 132 pounds, and I am 5’5″. But being in my late 50s I don’t like the Pucci belly. I am seeing inches with the 21 day fix. It sounds like the foods compare.
I am at a lost of what to do. I do beach body workouts now but have issues using the containers Bc it seems like so much work. I wondering if the points system would be better for a busy mom. I have 60 to loose and have been doing hammer and chiesel. I know it’s food that’s slowing me down. I have so many things I don’t like for example I don’t eat eggs and sea food anything spicy. Quinoa I can only have so much. Oh and only mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
This was a great article. I too have done both Weight Watchers and 21-day Fix. I lost weight on both. However, when I lost the weight on WW, it was many years ago when I didn’t have the food restrictions I now have. I now have to be gluten and dairy free. When I did the 21-day fix with Shakeology I lost weight. I could not do the exercises that were with the 21-day fix – too strenuous. I have too many physical restrictions. I do better with brisk walking, swimming and walking DVDs (like Leslie Sansone). I am 59 years old now and need to lose about 40 lbs. I had to stop using the Shakeology and found a better protein shake called Vega One that is gluten, dairy, soy free and non-GMO. I do better with this. I still have the colored containers and trying to decide if I should just do the 21-day fix with the containers or Weight Watchers. It’s just really hard when you have to be dairy, gluten, and soy free. I also cannot eat red meat. Which do you think would be better for my restrictions? Weight Watchers or 21-day Fix? Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.
Really appreciate you taking the time to write this article. 😊