We Want a Diabetic Alert Dog!

More Than Just a Work Dog, It's A Friend

Long post alert, but it's worth it;)

It has been awhile since my last blog post, and I felt it was past due time to update anyone who may have been following my previous blog posts. In the past I have blogged about a variety of topics, including fitness, nutrition, my time in the navy, as well as my experiences being a mom of a type 1 diabetic.

Do you or someone you love, or know have type 1 diabetes?

Many of you may know that my 6-year-old son, Isaac, is a type 1 diabetic. Type 1 diabetes means that my son's pancreas no longer produces insulin, which requires him to get insulin through his insulin pump that he wears at all times. Insulin is the key to our cells, which allows cells to use the carbohydrates we eat as energy. Without the insulin, and thus, without the energy for our cells, we die.

On September 20, it will have been 2 years since Isaac's diagnosis. It has been a quick 2 years, filled with many good, and many not so good days. We have watched him finally gain weight and height. We have gone from injections, and now are using an insulin pump. It's a little less tedious at times, but still a struggle to change his infusion set every 3rd day (as it still involves a needle).

There have been many mornings where he has woken up with wonderful blood sugars, while other mornings (many of them happening in the past couple of days), in the 50s (his blood sugar range I'd like him to wake up around is above 100, but below 200). It has been rough!

Previously, things were going fairly smoothly with Isaac's diabetes (as smoothly as I could hope, considering). Then, life happens, and it may be (and probably is) a variety of factors that come into play.

Stress, growth, activity, and so much more can affect blood sugar, and boy have we had a lot of stress and activity, but still not a lot of growth. I know that he is growing, and I know that all kids grow at their own pace, but it can be disheartening to see the scale sitting at the same number for months. It is also disheartening to hear this 6-year-old shout 'why do I have to have diabetes?!' For a time, I was checking my blood sugar at the same time that Isaac would check his, and it has helped, but I know that he feels alone in his battle. Yes, I see diabetes as a battle, and what I can do for Isaac is to pray, hope for a cure, and give him my love and support.

Recently, my son attended a 1-day diabetes camp, where he got to spend the day with other type 1 diabetics. They did a lot of fun things like horseback riding, digging for gold, leather working, and hiking. When the day was drawing to a close, parents were invited to meet up with the group at a large park, where we were introduced to some diabetic alert dogs, and their trainer, KC Owens, who is also the founder of Tattle Tail Scent Dogs, which breeds and trains dogs to alert for type 1 diabetics (among other needs, as well).

I got so excited listening to KC talk about the dogs she has trained, and occurrences with her own alert dog. Her passion for these dogs, and the importance of the job that the dogs do made me vow that I would get one for Isaac. Not only are these dogs awesome for catching low and high blood sugars earlier than we could, they are incredible companions! Since they are work dogs, they are able to go just about everywhere.

I truly believe that having a diabetic alert dog would help Isaac in so many ways, not only for his low and high blood sugars, but for friendship! He feels so alone, and depressed at times, and I wish we could afford an alert dog now! Since I'm a student, and my husband works full time (many days he works 12 hours) at a low wage to pay the bills, we are working hard to save as much as we can.

The past couple of months have been the craziest for our family. Not one, but both of our old vehicles stopped working, so we drained our savings to purchase a third, and much more reliable vehicle, all at the same time that we decided to buy a house (since our mortgage will be close to what we are paying now for rent).

Being a Team Beachbody coach has helped me during the past year, but life has a way of allocating my time, so I have not focused on helping others as much as I should. I want to do more! I have goals that I want to achieve, including getting a diabetic alert dog for my son!

I love to help others achieve their goals, and Beachbody can help me to achieve my goals through helping others. I employ you (if you have been touched by my son’s story and our longing for a diabetic alert dog) to step forward if you are ready to commit to your health and fitness.

What are your goals? What do you want out of life? Now, what is holding you back?!

You can help us, while I help to support you, and help you to achieve your goals of losing weight, feeling healthier, gaining confidence, and gaining (or regaining) your health.

Send me a message, friend request me on Facebook (Sarah Biesen (Shull)), or visit my website: www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4. I look forward to hearing from you!

My Fitness Journey: An Update

2012

Since it has been close to 2 years since I began my fitness journey, I decided to update my transformation story.

My serious transformation story didn't begin for any particular reason. I wanted to begin working out. I wanted to get into better shape. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the way I looked. I always felt loved, no matter how much I weighed. My husband never criticized my weight, nor did other family or friends. I was content.

Yes, my clothes were getting tighter, and I did notice the numbers on the scale going up, but I don't remember being bothered by that fact. I thought I was keeping active enough. After all, I had a 3-year-old boy that I was keeping up with. At least, that's what I thought. Looking back at the pictures, I wonder how "active" I really thought I was.

 

You know the saying "calories in, calories out"-well, my calories in were quite a bit more than calories out. Ever since our son, Isaac, was born, we were told he was small, and we needed to see a dietician. Heck, from the day he was born, the nurses were forcing formula on him, because they were concerned for his health! We continued to hear it up until only a few months ago, at the age of 6.

 

Well, my husband and I tried to remedy Isaac's weight gain predicament by feeding him donuts, and quite a few other fattening foods over the course of about a year. No wonder I had gained so much weight-I was eating as many donuts as Isaac. I wasn't the one who had a medical condition that prevented me from gaining weight-Isaac did. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September 2012. His body wasn't able to use all the sugar that we were feeding him. Looking back, we're saddened, because although the sugar wasn't the cause of his diabetes, it certainly wasn't doing his body any favors. If you want to read more about my son's story, you can find it in previous posts, including this one.

 

Since that summer, I've lost close to 40 pounds, and my husband has lost about 20. About 5 years ago, I began using Jillian Michael's at home fitness programs, but I wasn't very consistent. The habit formed, but fizzled out for various reasons. I just wasn't motivated. I moved on to other fitness programs, and then did some month-long challenges. I did a burpee challenge, and various other challenges that focused on different parts of my body, and I slowly trimmed down.

P90X & Focus T25

Sometimes I would be consistent at working out, but I still wasn't motivated. I found my motivational soul-mate workout in P90X a little over a year ago. In fact, I was so motivated by this workout and my Beachbody coach, that I signed up to coach. At first, I didn't really want to coach others, but then I thought about how many lives I could reach, and how many others I could help to live healthier lives.

Nervous about starting Focus T25

After P90X, I began Focus T25, and faithfully did the majority of the workouts at 5:30 in the morning-before my brain knew what I was doing. The workouts were good, but I missed Tony Horton (even though he is a little annoying). I also enjoyed how short the workouts were, and since I was back in school, 25 minutes was a better length of workout.

 

I like my short workouts

 

Clean Eating Support Groups

Around this time, I began hosting clean eating support groups. With these clean eating groups, I provide clean eating recipes, shopping lists formulated from the recipes, as well as providing support, tips, and advice about clean eating. These groups have helped multiple members lose an average of about 1.5 pounds per week just from eating healthier! It's exciting to see lives changed, and healthy habits established. You can learn more about these groups here. You can also check out some of my other clean eating blog posts, including this one, as well as get more healthy awesomeness at my 'like' page, Sarah's Drive, on Facebook.

P90X3

 

P90X3

I decided to try out P90X2, but didn't make it very far before P90X3 came out. My coach had invited me to join another challenge group with her doing either Focus T25 or P90X3, so I decided to snag P90X3 and go for it! Then, a month into the workout, our car decided to retire, and I hurt my back trying to push the car off a tow dolly. So, after a month of recovery, I jumped back into P90X3. And then, one month into Restart #2 of P90X3, my mom surprises me with the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. So, poor P90X3 was postponed for another month before I restarted it. And now, it's safe to say I will finish P90X3 this time...unless some other unforeseen event interrupts P90X3 for a third time.

 

Food for week 1 of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Beachbody Ultimate Reset

My journey through the Beachbody Ultimate Reset was a life-changing experience for me. I learned a lot about myself, and the unhealthy relationship I had with food at times. After my Reset, I feel more in control of my eating, and I think before I eat. Nowadays, weeks after finishing, I still don't drink water during most meals. Drinking water during meals dilutes stomach acid making it harder to digest.

 

Another tidbit I've learned, not from the Ultimate Reset, but from the research I do almost daily to become a better fitness and nutrition Beachbody coach, is that you should eat your meat first, and then your salad. This is because it's harder for your body to digest animal protein, and your stomach acids will need to work on that first, instead of being diluted with salad first. You can read about my Beachbody Ultimate Reset journey, beginning with my preparation here.

In the months leading up to my Reset, I had gained about 7 pounds, and I definitely wasn't happy about that! I didn't think I was doing anything differently, except that I was probably stressed, and sitting on my behind more than I should have been. I'd also started having some digestive issues. My mom has always had digestive issues, at least for as long as I can remember.

 

I mentioned the Ultimate Reset to my mom, since it's known for straightening out many of the digestive issues that can complicate our lives. I'd also told my mom about the digestive issues I was having, and how I hoped to, some day in the future, go through the Reset myself. Long story short (you can read about the long story in previous blogs), my mom bought a kit, along with one for me! My mom lost over 15 pounds, and I lost 9 (which was about 7% of my body weight). 

 

Now

Since the completion of my Reset, I took up running again, and do that twice a week in addition to my P90X3 workouts. I recently began using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone to map my caloric intake, as well as output. My husband bought me a heart monitor for Mother's Day, so I've been mapping my calories using that. Unfortunately, that heart monitor was having a few issues, so we purchased another one, so I could continue mapping the calories burned from my workouts.

I've completed P90X3, & have since then completed the 3-Day Refresh, which is a 3-day cleanse (kinda like a mini Ultimate Reset), Chalene Johnson's PiYo (low-to-no impact, but amazing sweat with Pilates, yoga, body weight training, & flexibility), and P90X2.

 Yes, I'm a free coach, and I take helping others seriously!

 

new heart monitor!

 

Do you want support?

If you want help getting started on your fitness journey, I would love to help you! Together, we'll help you make a plan, and find what works for you!

 

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

Day 21, the Final Day, of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Day 21, Sunday

I've unfortunately still have pain, and I think it's just gas pain :/ It might also be from quinoa (which is one of the snacks that is allowed during the last week of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. I'll just have to pay more attention the next time I have it.

 

Lunch

Lunch was good, since it was the jicama-avocado salad that I made yesterday. Marinating it overnight was a nice touch.

 

I have my meals planned out for the next 3 weeks, as I phase foods back into my diet. I planned out my meals by writing a schedule down on paper, but you could do it in your phone, or however works best for you. I like to be able to see the game plan, without having to look at a tiny screen.

 

Today, we purchased most of what I'll need this week. I have found that some produce really doesn't even last a week before it gets droopy such as lettuce, spinach, and herbs. I still like to trim the ends of the leafy produce and put them in water like a bouquet of flowers.

 

Dinner

Cucumber-avocado soup and roasted veggies is delicious. I'm glad that I didn't add more of the jalapeno to the soup than I did, because it made it the perfect spiciness! However, after having so many bites, I don't think the soup is as delicious as I first thought. I added a good serving of no-salt herbal seasoning blend, and heated the soup, which made it much better!

 

Cucumber avocado soup & Roasted veggies

 

I stayed up until midnight, and had some chocolate. This really isn't recommended in the guide, which encourages you to continue using the Phase 3 recipes for another week to readjust your body.

 

The day after

I weighed myself this morning....I lost 9 lbs, and I'm in shock!

 

I did not set out on my Reset journey planning on losing weight, but did it! I started my Ultimate Reset at 121.5 and ended weighing 112.8 lbs. That was 7.2% body weight lost in 21 days, just from following this gentle cleanse.

 

I ate about 1500 calories every day, followed the supplement regimen, kept in contact with my mom for the support. My mom lost about 15 lbs during her Ultimate Reset, which she finished up about a week after mine. 

 

It was so worth it to agree to doing the Reset at the same time as my mom (we'd originally planned on starting the same day, but my mom ended up getting the flu the first day of our Reset).

 

If you want support to get started on a journey to a healthier you, please contact me! I'd love to walk you through, supporting you, and holding you accountable to achieving the goals that you set out for yourself.

 

 

Your goals are important! Your health is important! YOU are important!

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

Day 19 & 20 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Day 19, Friday

Breakfast

I decided to try the horned melon, or kiwano, a fruit from Australia. It's really interesting-looking, and tastes better than it looks. It's green and slimy-looking when you cut into it, and reminds me of citrus fruit in how it's made up of little pockets inside. You can't quarter this melon, though, like you could an orange. You scoop out the melon's flesh. It's great in the fruit salad, because it sticks to the other fruit, and not to the bottom of the bowl.

 

Kiwano (horned melon)

 

Lunch

Lunch of hearty vegetable miso soup and microgreen salad was good and filling. Today, I finally admitted to myself that I've been having some digestion problems. My stomach feels like it's cramping. I think it may be from drinking Shakeology, since my body isn't used to so much good nutrition (after all, I'm eating nothing but fruits and vegetables this week). I plan on drinking #Shakeology every day again, once I'm finished, so I will continue to get my body used to it again.

 

Dinner

Curried cauliflower was good, although I would have liked more flavor. I kept expecting it, too. The lemon-pepper kale, on the other hand, had a strong flavor provided by the lemon. I have no idea why 'pepper' is included in the title, because there is no pepper used.

 

Curried cauliflower & Lemon-pepper kale

Day 20, Saturday

Lunch

The lunch I had planned ended up needing to marinate for an hour: jicama-avocado salad, so I swapped it with tomorrows lunch, Carrot-Seaweed Medley and microgreen salad. At least it's prepped for tomorrow!

I'm still having pain in my middle. I'm going to have an Epsom salts bath to see if I can find some relief. I had mint tea last night, but that didn't help relieve any of the discomfort.

 

Carrot-Seaweed Medley & Microgreen salad

Dinner

Tonight's dinner involved quite a bit of prep work, as there are 3 dishes to prepare. Mediterranean beets bake for 45 minutes, then cool for 30, while baked tempeh bakes for about 25 minutes, and has an hour soak time. These dishes also cook at different temperatures. Coconut collard greens is the third dish. It was a good dinner, however long it took me to make!

I'm ready to be done after tomorrow, although, I'm still going to be having the same meals for the following couple of weeks. On Monday, I'll be finishing up my blogging on the #BeachbodyUltimateReset talking about my last day!

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

 

Mediterranean roasted beets, Baked tempeh, & Coconut collard green

Guest Blogger, Jen Bottom from Behind the Refrigerator Door

Ultimate Reset- YOUR questions, MY answers

The Beachbody Ultimate Reset is a program where you RESET your body to do things it was naturally intended to do. 

With our environment and the foods we eat we take on "baggage" that disallows our body to function at it's full capabilities. 

Anything in italics is from the Beachbody Ultimate Reset Program & Nutrition Guide. 

If it is not italics, it is my answer.

Beachbody Ultimate Reset. To learn more click here.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I am 41 years old. I was a teacher for 15 years. I am a wife and a mother of two teenagers. I spent an entire decade (my thirties) over 40 lbs overweight. I am now passionate about health and fitness and teaching my family and friends all about what has worked for me!

What made you decide to do the Beachbody Ultimate Reset? We recently moved back from spending two years in Beijing, China. After living there I knew I needed to detox with the horrible pollution. The strict meal plan intrigued me about this cleanse. I was not interested in a juice cleanse or anything too dramatic. I liked that it is all natural and healthy eating. I decided this summer would be my "Super Scary Summer Plan" and the UR would be Phase I. Pushing myself to do hard things is something I recently have enjoyed doing. 

Did you feel tired? Yes, I felt extremely tired. I have always required a lot of sleep and this just validated that.

Was it emotional? Not any more emotional than I already I am. I am pretty "needy" during the week before my period (which was around day 13-15 on the Reset). My kids might say I was grumpier. I think that was mostly from not exercising.

Did you miss working out? YES! Exercise, for me, is like a daily "Reset" and when I don't do it, my day feels off and I feel as if my hormones and chemicals are all out of whack. For the first couple of days I did walk and do yoga. After that, I really didn't. I really just felt lazy.

Did you lose weight? Yep! I did! Although I really was not doing this for the weight loss, it definitely was in the back of my mind the entire time. I thought I would've lost more weight than I did.

What did you hate about the Ultimate Reset? At first, I HATED the miso soup. Then I learned how to make it better (blending up the seaweed). At first, I HATED the Detox supplement. You drink it three times a day, beginning in phase II. It is brown with lots of floaties in it. But, I quickly got used to it and just downed it. The "green sludge" a.k.a. Alkalinize supplement I drank daily for all 21 days. It is green and just tastes like spinach. That wasn't as bad tasting for me. All in all, the supplements really grow on you and prove that we can do things that are hard if we are just persistent at it.

I learned I would DO A LOT for my health!

What was the hardest part of the Reset? If it was any longer I would say not eating what others around me were eating. For example, I went to a graduation party where there was just a little bit of fruit and no vegetables. There was yummy meat dishes, lots of creamy pasta salads and desserts.  I had eaten my Reset lunch before we went, and intended to eat my Reset dinner when we got home. We ended up staying at the party longer than I thought and I was pretty resentful about the yummy food that was being eaten around me. Then I got home and my dinner was going to take 45 minutes to prepare. So I just had a salad. Situations like this were doable because I was focused for 21 days. Like I said, I don't think I could've done that for even 30 days and been as successful.

Did you learn any tips or tricks to make the Reset easier? PREPARE- Shop ahead of time to insure you have ALL ingredients. Read the next days menu the day before and plan out your prepping. 
SHARE- Tell people what you are doing, especially family members. Most dinners I cooked for my family too and just added some more protein to theirs. They really liked the recipes A LOT and it helped me to have their support. I didn't want to feel like I was alone on a desert island. Also, knowing that I was making my nightly Facebook and Instagram posts helped me to be accountable.
WEAR- the bracelet! When I saw the bracelet I thought it was dorky, but I came to rely on it as times got hard. Now I wear it with pride!
SUPPORT- Find and join an Ultimate Reset support group! I can help you find one. This is something you will want to do with others. Your family will not quite understand everything you are going through. I am a "words of affirmation" gal and didn't feel like I was getting that from my hubby, but my fellow Reseters were meeting that need for me!

What did you love about the Ultimate Reset? I loved so many things about this process. First, I love that it is only 21 days! It is the perfect amount of time- not too short that it's easy, but not too long that you are nutso by the end. 
I loved pushing myself and challenging myself. Each time I had house guests, went out to a restaurant, went to parties or packed my food and supplements to go I felt a huge boost of confidence and empowerment. 
I loved have a pre-planned menu and shopping list. I loved having ALL the ingredients for every single recipe at hand. I loved learning new healthy foods and learning how to cook.
I loved being on a food schedule, with supplements thirty minutes before eating. With the supplements I would drink a full glass of water thirty minutes before eating and I would find that I would not be as hungry when it was time to eat.
I loved being in a support group, with others doing the same exact thing. Each day we would post and comment to each other our struggles, emotions, etc. It was really bonding and strong doing it together!


What did you learn from the Ultimate Reset? I learned SO MANY things from the Reset, I could go on and on. Mostly I learned that I eat usually eat for taste, instead of for health. The amounts I would eat prior to the Reset and what I would choose was ALWAYS based on emotion, rather than smart decisions. I have always wondered what it would be like to be one of those people who just "eat to live". Being on the Reset made me feel that way. I ate what my body needed, no more. I ate the BEST choices for my body, not my taste buds...You know what? IT FELT GREAT! Taking the emotion out of eating was so refreshing and I could really focus my emotions on SO MANY other things that deserved them more. For other things I learned click here. 

I used to think my body NEEDED sugar, especially on certain days out of the month. I learned that was just my head rationalizing my wants. 


Did you go up in weight when you started eating again? I ended the Ultimate Reset four days ago and have maintained my weight loss so far. I definitely did NOT go back to the way I used to eat. I will now eat far less meat and sugar.

Why is Shakeology not allowed on the Ultimate Reset, if it is supposed to be the "healthiest meal of the day"? We encourage you to follow the Beachbody Ultimate Reset meal plan exactly as written. You can, however, drink vegan Shakeology as a healthy, delicious breakfast alternative (phases 1 and 2) or snack option (in all three phases). Because phase 3 calls for less protein, we recommend using only a half serving of vegan Shakeology as a breakfast alternative during phase 3. I didn't get my "rear in gear" soon enough to switch my Shakeology order to vegan in time, so I went without it. I really, really regret that because Chocolate Vegan would've been a fabulous treat to have! Next time...for sure!

Why are you not supposed to workout? It is best not to do any strenuous exercise during the next 3 weeks. When you think about it The Reset is already giving your body a serious internal workout. It's important to allow your nervous system to remain in a relaxed state, and to refrain from asking your body to repair muscle tissue at the same time it's cleaning and releasing toxins. But even though you aren't doing any resistance training, you won't lose muscle or lean body mass during the Reset. Plus you'll soon reap the rewards of an internal system that works more efficiently, and a muscular system that's been allowed to rest, recuperate and recharge. 
As I said before, not working out was a challenge for me. However, I did feel achy at time, which justified that it was actually detoxing from my body. This is completely normal and expected.

Would you ever do it again? For sure! Ideally, I would LOVE to do it twice a year. Jan 1st and again in the fall. Two of the people in my support group had done it before and were mentioning that it is easier, mentally, doing it the second time and that you get different things out of it. That was interesting to me. I look forward to doing it again!

What are your favorite recipes? I posted many of my favorite RESET recipes here on the page. Please look under the label "recipes" to find them. Some of my favorites were the salad dressings, Roasted Roots, Roasted beets, Hearty-Vegetable Miso Soup. Jicama-Avocado salad, Coconut kale...there are really so many! I DID NOT like the cucumber-avocado soup.
Here are things that will now be a STAPLE in my house: toasted pumpkin seeds, homemade salad dressings, tempeh, beets, Bragg liquid aminos, rice vinegar, toasted sesame seed oil.

Advice for those considering the Ultimate Reset? Get your Vegan Shakeology ordered in time! Also, you can do this! If I can do it, anyone can. I am someone who used to consider myself a "quitter". With that being said, you will want to do it at a time when you can fully commit to it. There WILL NOT be constant trips to the bathroom, BUT you will be spending more time prepping your foods and your body will need rest. So consider WHEN you will do it. Set yourself up for success by working with a coach who has done the Ultimate Reset. The more support, the better.

Any more questions? Comment below and I will answer them for you! If you are interested in doing the Ultimate Reset, please contact me at jenlbottom@gmail.com or facebook.com/jennifer drake bottom.

I would LOVE to help you through this amazing process!

Day 17 & 18 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Wednesday, Day 17

Breakfast
 
Having fruit every day can kind of get boring, and I had planned on having Shakeology for breakfast this morning, but didn't feel like using the blender. I will probably have it for a snack later. Shakeology is allowed during the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, and is recommended as a breakfast or snack replacement. During this third phase, Restore, it's recommended to only have half a scoop of Shakeology. This stage focuses on reducing protein intake.

Lunch

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Spring Salad Mix

I loved the Moroccan carrot salad over spring salad mix for lunch! I was spicy thanks to the cayenne pepper. Now, I'm having vegan Tropical Shakeology for a snack. It's blended with distilled water (of course), but also a dash of coconut water, distilled ice, a few frozen strawberries, and peaches. It's got the consistency of a slushee! It's delicious, and I miss having my Shakeology every day!

One of the drawbacks of eating quite a bit of homemade dressings, is sometimes the amount of garlic that is often used. Now, I love garlic, but it seems to permeate the air around me. When I dropped my husband off at work, he told me I should stay away from the garlic. I used to solve this problem by chewing gum, but gum is out of the question right now. On the other hand, at least I know I'm getting the antifungal defense from all the garlic!

Dinner

Roasted Acorn Squash with Green Beans & Lemon

The Roasted Delicata Squash and green beans with lemon combined had a bit too much oil and lemon, but was still a good taste. I used an acorn squash instead of a delicata.












Thursday, Day 18

Breakfast
 
Fruit bowl was good this morning with red and green apples, strawberries, a banana (yes, higher glycemic, but I haven't eaten them often), 1/2 plum, honeydew melon, and cantaloup, blueberries, and raspberries sprinkled with cinnamon.

Spinach Salad

Lunch

Lunch was also good: spinach salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jicama, and creamy garlic dressing. I also had a baked yam with olive oil, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning. Delicious!









Dinner

Roasted Fennel Bulb with Lemony Asparagus and Broccoli

Dinner was surprisingly good: lemony broccoli and asparagus with roasted fennel bulb. Did you know that anise is another name for fennel? I could have saved money having known this ahead of time! Unfortunately, I don't think my fennel bulb was 1/2 lb, which was the recommended size. Nor do I think my broccoli was a medium head; more likely a large. I also almost didn't prepare enough asparagus. I weighed out the asparagus, because the guide thankfully included the weight in the ingredients list. However, they didn't include the weight of the broccoli.

Guest Blogger Coming Soon!
There will be a guest blogger, Jennifer Bottom (behindtherefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com), coming soon. She will be sharing about her journey through the Beachbody Ultimate Reset.

Day 15 & 16 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Monday, Day 15

Today, is the start of phase 3, Restore.

Breakfast

4 1/2 cups of fruit for breakfast, low glycemic, of course, for the remainder (1 more week + another week after) of my Beachbody Ultimate Reset.

Lunch

Miso soup and Asian Cabbage Salad for lunch. The salad was a little strong-tasting. I know that the next time I have it, I will be halving the amount of dressing I make for it. It was good, although strong.

Miso soup & Asian Cabbage Salad

Dinner

Dinner was a baked sweet potato and garlic veggies. I think my sweet potato was a little too big. Some of the ingredients the guide gives a size estimate in pounds for, but not the sweet potato. It would be more helpful to give ounce- or pound-wise measurements, rather than small, medium, or large, too. Obviously my sweet potato was a large one, but I ate it all anyway. I wasn't sure how hungry I would be in the morning if I didn't eat all my dinner, and it was a good meal! Oil, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning for the potato. Garlic, lemon juice, and Braggs Liquid Aminos for the garlic veggies.

Garlic Veggies & Baked Sweet Potato

Tuesday, Day 16

Breakfast

One thing I do when preparing my fruit for breakfast is add up the cups the guide recommends, so, just as I had yesterday, I'm having 4 1/2 cups of fruit for breakfast today.

Lunch
 
I had a snack of quinoa and avocado before class this morning, then a microgreen salad with pumpkin seeds and creamy garlic dressing for lunch. It was yummy, although I'm used to pairing my salad with another dish (as has been done for the past 2 weeks of the Reset.

Dinner
 
I ended up eating some of the apple slices that my son's daycare had for snack, when I went to pick up my son. This was cause for postponing my dinner. I had my supplements, then ate about 8 p.m., and I did a horrible job making my dinner! I added things at the wrong time and burned a few things. Even though the recipe called for the burner to be on high, it was too hot. The smoke detector went off!

Dinner was Asian stir-fry which called for coconut oil (which I love cooking with now), garlic, ginger, carrot, broccoli, red bell pepper. bok choy, sesame oil, and Bragg Liquid Aminos. Now, the bok choy cracks me up, because when I finally got around to watching the DVDs that came with the program, I realized that the chef starred in the cooking class DVD, holds up the Napa cabbage and calls it bok choy. Well, it's funny to me :)

Day 14 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Sunday

The last day of Phase 2!

Breakfast

I'm having mashed chickpeas with a little bit of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, and 1 clove of garlic. I also had a cup of steamed spinach and 1/4 avocado. It wasn't too bad.

This journal entry was extra short, but I did take some pictures of what I had for lunch and dinner.

Lunch

Lunch was Coconut-Kabocha Squash Soup with a microgreen salad.
 

 
Dinner

Dinner was Edamame and Roasted Corn Succotash and Lemon-Pepper Kale. Although, I don't know why they included the 'pepper' in the title of Lemon-Pepper Kale, because there was no pepper added to that recipe.

My husband thinks I should contact Beachbody about all the typos I have found in the guide. This guide has seriously seen better days! One of the things that helped me out a lot, was putting sticky tabs at some of the vital spots in the guide, including the snack list, the supplement schedule for the phase I was in, and extra tabs that I moved around each day within the recipe section.

 

Day 13 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Saturday

For the past 2 days, I've been waking up a few minutes before my alarm goes off. I don't know what that means, unless that's part of the Reset. I didn't even get a full 7 hours of sleep last night, either.

One of the hard parts about the Ultimate Reset is what to do when you attend events in other cities a ways away from home. It's even harder when you are traveling with someone who isn't doing the Reset, because when it comes time to eat, unless you've brought a lunch, you're probably eating at a restaurant.

Lunch

This morning, my upline coach and I went to what's called Super Saturday. It's sort of a training event for Beachbody coaches and those who want to learn about Beachbody. After the event was over, we headed to a BBQ restaurant, and I ordered a Caesar salad with the dressing on the side. It came with a delicious-looking corn muffin, a couple of croutons, and that was it! All for $8! The waitress brought it out to me. and announced it as a plate of lettuce. What a rip off salads are at restaurants, but I did what I needed to do. At least I had packed a serving of Mediterranean beets, which I ate along with my plate of lettuce.

Home! Now, to plan my shopping list for next week! I use pin and paper for planning out my lists. I write the name of the item I need, then as I go through the recipes, I put a tally or tallies next to each item. I also annotate how much of each item I already have.

One of the ingredients that I will need this coming week is hummus. It turns out that it isn't too hard to make. I made my own tahini for the recipe as well, and I will also need tahini for dinner tonight. Below are the recipes for the hummus and tahini. I chose to omit the lemon juice from the hummus. It was delicious!!! Making your own hummus may save you money, too, since you probably won't be having it more than once or twice for the rest of the Reset. So, you may consider making a smaller batch, too, unless you have someone available to finish it off for you. 

Homemade Lemon Hummus
Taste For Life test kitchen
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked garbanzo bean (chickpeas)
½ cup sesame tahini (see recipe below)
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
Juice of 2 to 3 lemons
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
salt and black pepper

Directions:
Combine beans, tahini, oil, water, lemon juice to taste, garlic, spices, & salt & pepper to taste in bowl of food processor or high-speed blender. Process until smooth & creamy, pausing to scrape sides w/ spatula. Chill until ready to serve.

Homemade Tahini
greek.food.com
Makes 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups sesame seeds
1/8 to ¼ cup canola oil

Directions: Spread sesame seeds on shallow baking tray, and cook at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes shaking pan frequently. Add sesame seeds to food processor with oil. Process to smooth paste (about 5 minutes), add more oil if needed for thick pouring consistency.
Store in fridge.


Dinner

Garlic Tahini-Filled Kabocha was a little strong, even though I realized afterward that I only used half of the tahini mix that the recipe called for.

Day 12 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Friday

Breakfast
 
I had another delicious fruit  bowl again for breakfast. I recommend, as the guide does as well, variety in the fruit you have. I love fruit, but I don't want to be bored! By the third week, I'll be having a fruit bowl every morning, if you see my dilemma. I was also reading in the guide about the weeks following the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, and the steps to take. I'll be having fruit for another week following the Reset, as well!

Lunch

Lunch was the hearty vegetable miso soup and a microgreen salad. It was a beautiful day outside, so I ate outside until my son decided it was too warm, and time for use to go back inside.

I had a snack of snap peas, carrots, and cauliflower with dressing. After that, which I also ate outside, I spent time prepping our garden pots. It was a good distraction, along with the laundry my son helped me fold and put away.

I got a little discouraged today when I was reading about what to expect the 4 weeks following the Reset. I won't be back to my normal routine, not even yogurt or eggs from weeks 1 and 2, for a few weeks. Then, the 4th week following the Reset, I can begin to reintroduce meat.

I'm not an alcoholic, but I do like a drink every now and then, but that's another thing I will be waiting a few weeks for, as well. I really wasn't living an unhealthy lifestyle prior to my Reset, nor did we eat out often or eat a lot of junk food, but I do enjoy pizza, donuts, and a vodka cranberry every now and then.

I'm definitely not complaining out the cleanse, because so many dishes have been amazing, and I plan on continuing to make many of them after the Reset! Also, the way my body is changing for the good, has made this Reset so worth it!

What Fruit Should You Have?
 
I do regret buying the fruit I bought earlier today, when I said I wanted variety. I bought mango, bananas, and pineapple. I regret this purchase, because when I finished watching the DVDs that came with the program, it isn't recommended to incorporate those fruits into the program. They are higher on the glycemic index, so they are broken down into glucose much quicker than lower glycemic fruits like pears, plums, peaches, or apples.

Dinner

Dinner was Mediterranean Beets, coconut collard greens, and millet. It was fairly delicious. I believe I was trying to prepare too many dishes at once, and got some things crispier than others. When they say 'don't let the millet burn,' you should realize that it will quickly burn if you really aren't stirring frequently, and adding water when you should.

Mediterranean Beets, coconut collard greens, and millet

Day 11 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Thursday
What do you consider half way through 21 days?

Breakfast
 
I still feel refreshed, regardless of the restless night, although I am pretty hungry. I'm really glad I opted to make my breakfast fruit plate into a fruit salad (fruit cut up and mixed together in a bowl) last night. Now, I'm waiting a few more minutes before it's time to eat.

 

Today, I'll be shopping for some more ingredients. Also, I weighed myself this morning, since I'm halfway through my Reset. I'm down 4.5 lbs in 10 days!!! That's about 0.45 lb loss per day! My body is getting rid of the extra baggage, for sure!

Lunch

I'm all prepped for lunch! I'm having quinoa-lentil salad and cucumber-tomato salad with avocado. I cut the dressing part of the recipes in half, as it is pretty strong. One thing I continue to do is annotate next to the recipes about how I feel about certain recipes, especially if I need to change quantities. I also make sure to read if a meal only calls for half of a recipe serving, or if that recipe is going to be used the next day (then I get a chance to cut my prep time by making double, and the amount of ingredients I use versus waste if I accidentally make too much).

 

This morning, I noticed my spinach was getting droopy, so I snipped the ends and put it in water. I've been doing this with herbs too. It makes produce last quite a bit longer.

Dinner
 
Unfortunately, my peppy attitude from this morning is gone. Dinner was ok, although I still hate wakame seaweed, and I'm not used to miso paste yet, because I think it leaves the soup tasting weird. The Swiss chard was ok, as was the quinoa. I'm just in a crabby mood. Darn life changes. At least I know things will get easier, as my body adapts and improves!

If you are interested in learning more about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, and use a few of the recipes, May 7 I will be hosting a free and private week-long support group on Facebook. Comment below, or send me a Friend Request on Facebook, and you'll be added to the group! The Ultimate Reset did wonders for not only my body, but my mind, as I took back control of my eating habits!

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4