How does the 21 Day Fix eating Plan differ from Piyo?

So after doing the21 Day Fix eating plan for the last six months I decided to switch to the Piyo eating plan. I wanted to highlight the differences and then give you my meal plan for this week.

 

The calculation of calories is slightly different between the two programs. The 21 Day Fix assumes a calorie deficit of 750 where the Piyo program has a 600 calorie calorie deficit. This difference is due to the difference in the programs. Each has a specific formula of categories you can eat from and these categories are slightly different.

For the 21 Day Fix I am in the 1500-1799 calorie range being pregnant. For the Piyo workout I am in the 1600-1799 range. For the 21 Day Fix my allowed containers are: 4 greens, 3 purples, 4 reds, 3 yellows, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 4 teaspoons. For the Piyo program I have 6 servings of primary vegetables, 2 servings of secondary vegetables and grains, 3 servings of fresh fruit, 6 servings of lean protein, and 4 servings of healthy fat.

The lean protein in the Piyo program is like the red container for the 21 Day Fix. The portion size however is about half that allowed with The 21 Day Fix. The green container in the 21 Day Fix is like the primary vegetables in the Piyo program. I do get two more serving of vegetables with the Piyo eating plan. The Purple container is like the Fruits in the Piyo program. The yellow container is like the secondary vegetables and grains. The blue, oranges and teaspoons seem to be all wrapped up into the healthy fats for the Piyo program. Most of these healthy fats that would have been considered a blue container in the 21 Day Fix are half the amount of the blue container in the Piyo program. For example one serving of hummus in the Piyo program is 1 Tbsp where in the 21 day fix the blue container is 4 Tbsp.

Given these smaller differences the program meal plans aren’t actually that much different. It may look like you are eating 6 servings of protein on the Piyo eating plan but in most cases it is equivalent to three red containers on the 21 Day Fix plan. You do have more vegetables in the Piyo meal plan. For my calorie range I get two more servings of vegetables than that of the 21 Day Fix but I get one less serving of the yellow (Secondary Vegetable) container (category) with the Piyo plan.

For this week I am going to try the Piyo meal plan. Below you will see a copy of this week’s plan.

 

10 20 14 Piyo Meal Plan

Since I am pregnant (or if you are breastfeeding) I need to take into account that I need to eat an extra 300-650 calories a day. It is recommended that some of these extra calories come from a protein. Also while breastfeeding adding another yellow or secondary vegetable is a great idea as it helps with milk production.

I think next week I will switch back to the fix meal plan as there aren’t many differences and I’m just used to and comfortable with it. It also gives me the protein I need to continue growing a baby.  I also have a challenge group starting Monday October 27^th with a few ladies doing the 21 Day Fix so it will be easier to walk them through meal planning when I’m doing it right there with them. The 21 Day Fix containers also make it easier for me to see portion sizes and have portion control. I now know what a portion looks like so it makes it easier for me to use the 21 Day Fix plan.

I hope this blog post was useful to all those that were curious of how these two program’s meal plans differed.  I hope you have a  blessed day.