Here is the breakdown.
Fitness: Exercise is a very important aspect of any well rounded, healthy lifestyle. It improves memory and brain function, increases energy, boosts your mood, and decreases stress. It tones your body, helps your clothes fit better, and gives people a better sense of self confidence.
- The 21 Day Fix includes seven 30 minute workouts that can be done in the comfort of your own home.
- Advocare does not include an exercise component.
Nutrition: Your diet and nutrition will make up 70-80% of your overall weight loss. Clean eating is crucial in getting your body to function and digest food properly. It also lowers your risk of disease and complications.
- The Advocare nutrition is based around 3 food categories (protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats). The program tells you when to eat from each category and gives you a list of foods to avoid. Timing of food is crucial. The program has two nutritional phases and begins with a 10 day cleanse to rid your body of toxins followed by 14 days of fueling your body with healthy foods to achieve the best results.
- The 21 Day Fix focuses on portion control and clean eating, but you do not need to weigh food or count calories. You get a full nutritional guide with the program that teaches you the right foods and amounts of foods you should be eating for your size and activity level. Everything is done through a container system. You decide which foods you want to eat each day and while it is recommended that you eat every few hours, timing is not crucial to the success of the program. You are allowed treats and swaps such as wine, waffles, and sweet snacks three times a week.
Supplements: Here I will refer to anything other than store bought food that is a part of the nutritional component of each program.
- The 21 Day Fix requires no pills as supplements. The program highly recommends (but does not require) that you drink a super food meal replacement shake called Shakeology once daily while on the program for optimal results. This all natural shake contains no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives and provides you with 6 salads worth of nutrition along with probiotics, prebiotics, phytonutrients that fight off disease, and energy boosting super foods that curb your cravings for junk food. Basically, what Shakeology does is tell your body it has the nutrition that it needs to "let go of the rest." That is why one of the side effects of drinking Shakeology is weight loss. You can check out more about Shakeology here!
- Advocare is a supplement based program, so it it largely based on taking different pills and supplements. The program includes clear instructions on when to take each of the pills, which work together with the food you are eating to help you lose weight. The supplements included in the 24 Day Challenge Pack are the following products: Herbal Cleanse, Advocare Fiber, OmegaPlex, Advocare Spark, Meal Replacement Shakes, and MNS 3, C, or E. The program does not require, but also recommends several other pill form supplements to help you get maximum results. While I was not able to deeply research the ingredients in every supplement it should be noted that Spark and some of the other products contain an artificial sweetener called Sucrolose which is very controversial and in many studies has been linked to different health problems.
Duration and Post Challenge Protocol:
- The Advocare 24 Day Challenge is 24 days long and should only be done once every 90 days.
- The 21 Day Fix Challenge is 21 days in length, but many rounds may be repeated until you reach your desired goal.
Guidance and Accountability;
- The 21 Day Fix, if purchased through a coach, includes a one on one coach and accountability mentor as well as a virtual accountability group that lasts the duration of the challenge (or more in many cases). The virtual groups are largely run on Facebook as a secret group and include food prep tips, motivation, accountability, recipes, answers to your questions, support for your struggles, and a fun atmosphere where you are surrounded by people who have a similar goal in mind. The program is largely based on relationship building and helping challengers make a life long lifestyle change that is family friendly and sustainable, even once you have reached your goal and move into the maintenance stage. Once the challenge is completed, your coach remains your coach and is there to help you with any future questions or support you need with nutrition or fitness.
- Advocare Coaches guide challengers through the program largely through phone calls throughout the duration of the challenge. They provide a guidance call to get you started on each of the two phases and a check in with you every couple days in between. At the end of the challenge they remind you to weigh in and take measurements and congratulate you on your success as well as helping you to establish a maintenance routine using Advocare products and supplements based on your individual goal.
Cost:
- The 21 Day Fix can be purchased as a base kit without Shakeology for $60. The recommended Challenge Pack with Shakeology is typically $160, but often on sale for $140.
- The Advocare 24 Day Challenge bundle can be purchased for $195 - $323 depending on if you get the base kit or add on the recommended supplements.
I would like to close by saying that my goal is never to bash or belittle another company's products. I simply want to educate people on what products are available and what I would personally recommend for overall health and wellness. It is a FACT that the obesity rate is ridiculously high right now in America which is a horrible hazard for our people. The problem is NOT being fat. The problem is that being overweight leads to endless health risks and emotional risks. While both programs were designed with weight loss in mind and a focus on teaching new eating habits, The 21 Day Fix, in my opinion is a much more natural approach and is free of anything artificial. I also applaud that it doesn't require so many supplements for success.
My goal is always to help my challengers improve the quality of their health so that they can lead a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. I want to provide people with the tools they need to sustain healthy change, feel unstoppable, gain confidence and love themselves in a healthy way. Again, my aim is not size, but health and I feel that The 21 Day Fix has yet to meet its match when it comes to getting fit and healthy. Let's focus on feeding our bodies well and supporting each other in healthy lifestyle changes. When we do that, the extra weight will naturally come off.