Should unsweetened almond milk be included as a yellow container or not in 21 day fix? The short answer is no.
The yellow box container is a ½ cup in size and is used to portion control carbs.
In 21 day fix, a full 8 ounces of unsweetened almond milk falls into the yellow box category. This is because in total it contains 30 calories which go towards your carb limit.
However, Autumn Calabrese’s opinion differs. In one instance, Autumn states that unsweetened Almond milk does not need to be counted in your calorie tracking.
In another video, she said unsweetened almond milk should count and be added to your yellow box calories.
Ultimately, unsweetened almond milk contains such a small amount of calories that it does not matter!!
Past video
In Autumn’s first video she clearly states that the small amount of calories included in Almond milk is not going to make any difference overall to your weight loss progress.
30 calories or 8 ounces is nothing, and will not impact your controlling of calories.
She goes on to state that it only makes a difference if your drinking almond milk by the gallons. However, no sane person is doing that. It also contains less than 1 gram of sugar which is hardly anything.
In summary, Autumn has about 4-6 ounce of Almond milk a day and does not include this as a yellow box.
Latest video? Differing opinion..
However, in one of her latest videos, she says specifically that 8 ounces of almond milk should be included as part of the yellow box category.
Her argument is that she only drinks 4-6 ounces and not the full 8 ounces daily. Therefore, if you are consuming the full 8ounces you need to count this as yellow.
This is where it gets a bit silly. Are 8 ounces so much more than 4-6 ounces?
My opinion is that this is all a bit nit picky. I mean you have to ask yourself…
DOES THIS REALLY MATTER!
In her final and third video, Autumn Calabrese says it doesn’t matter!!…
I could not agree more. 30 calories of unsweetened almond milk are nothing and are not going to make a huge difference long term.
In a whole year, you can only expect to lose out on an extra 3 pounds of weight loss.
This is taking into consideration you consistently drink 8 ounces everyday for a year which most people don’t do anyway.
I believe the majority of people do not follow the 21-day portion control plan 100% of the time. There will be times you cheat.
It’s completely normal and human, so don’t go beating yourself up over adding a calorie here or a calorie there.
My personal opinion
At the end of the day…this is why I don’t like following portion control diet plans.
Look at yourself back a year from now.
Having an extra 2 ounces of almond milk is not going to make a huge difference to your weight loss.
You don’t want to be this nit picky. Remember the containers are there as a guide. It doesn’t matter if you go slightly over or under.
Long term weight loss is a lifestyle change and you’re not magically going to see huge results by forgetting to categorise 2 ounces of almond milk as a yellow.
We were not meant to put foods in boxes and get nit picky about every ounce. That’s just not fun.
Diet portion control diet programs any good?
One of the criticisms I have of diet programs is their strict portion control. I know Autumn tries to make it easy. However, I don’t know many people who were able to go start to finish for 21 days without messing up one part of the portion control guide.
You can easily find yourself using the yellow box for one day and than the red box for another and having no consistency.
It also takes a large amount of discipline and planning to hit exactly your expected calorie intake.
Imagine you had to spend your whole LIFE, meticulously planning, and counting. No wonder why so many diets fail.
The most important trait you can do is to use common sense and treat it with the due diligence it deserves.
Intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is where you eat when you feel like eating. It all comes down to timing. For example you feel hungry you going to get something to eat. If you accidentally have an ounce more carbs than your supposed to, don’t beat yourself up.
This is ultimately the best way to make great food choices and a long term way to live a healthier lifestyle.
What worked for me was cooking up some recipes that had some great fat burning abilities. I came across it when learning more about foods and weight loss.
If your bored of the 21 day fix and need something else, I recommend following the amazing recipes in the cooking plan I followed.
I used it myself after I finished the 21-day fix and it was so much cheaper. It is also much more practical. I still use the meal prep tips!
We all find the programs we like. Hope you find yours!
You can do IT!
