About Half way through my Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Day 10, Wednesday

Breakfast

Fresh fruit plate for breakfast with kiwi, honeydew melon, raspberries, half a banana, and a kind of mango that I've never had before. It was a bit smaller than a regular mango. I sprinkled cinnamon, which made breakfast even more delicious! (Here is where I tell you that I haven't entirely watched the DVDs that came with the program. If I would have already, I would have learned that banana and mango are not recommended for the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, because they are higher on the glycemic index. This means that they are converted to glucose more quickly, and therefore cause a quick, high blood sugar spike. This is not very healthy for the body. The guide gives recommendations for lower glycemic fruits, such as peaches, pears, and apples, but you can also look up 'glycemic index' on the internet to find a more extensive list).

I had a quick snack of pitted dates (another mistake, since these are high glycemic, as well), and a few apple slice before I ran to class. It's definitely nice to have pre prepared snacks in case of emergencies. The guide talks about meals that are easier, and take less time, to prepare for various reasons. After all, the Reset has many new recipes, some of which take quite a bit more preparation than others.

It is recommended that the Reset be done at a time in your life where you are able to commit to following the program verbatim. This ensures that you get the best results, and aren't hindered by extra stresses, such as travel where you aren't able to prepare more complex meals. I am practically washing dishes after every other meal, since I go through the majority of our measuring utensils. And that's saying a lot, since we have about 3 sets of both measuring cups and spoons! It's also nice to have some good quality skillets. We recently picked up some aluminum ones at Costco, and they are so easy to clean!

Lunch

I can't get over how filling the sweet potato and roasted red pepper bisque is! I had it for lunch, in addition to an entire Greek salad of romaine lettuce, a whole cucumber, a medium tomato, and 5 kalamata olives. It was delicious! I wasn't a fan of tomatoes before the Reset, but after eating them quite often, I'm able to tolerate them.

I didn't have a snack this afternoon (which was ok, since I had a snack earlier). Also, my lunch was late, and I didn't finish eating until 1:30, so I wasn't starving when dinner came.

Sweet potato and Roasted red pepper bisque

Dinner

The quinoa-lentil salad and steamed broccoli were yummy for dinner. I made a double batch of the salad, since I'll be having it again tomorrow. It definitely saves on time to look ahead for the next days meal, and see if you can cut preparation time by doubling some recipes.

I went to bed hungry, and was actually hungry a few hours before, so I had a cup of white tea, which helped a little. White tea has one of the lowest caffeine contents. When you look for teas, look for 'caffeine-free,' not 'decaffeinated.' 'Decaffeinated' teas have usually gone through a chemical process to remove the majority of the caffeine, while caffeine-free tea has not gone through a chemical process.

By this point, I've already lost 4 1/2 lbs, and I am stoked!!!
Are you ready to get support to prepare for summer with this amazing, gentle detox cleanse? Contact me, and I will answer your questions, and help you get started right!

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

Day 9 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Tuesday

Breakfast

Mashed chickpeas with garlic and lemon wasn't too bad, but only filled me up for about 2 hours, and gave me garlic breath. If I didn't have to go to class and interact with other students, and if my husband didn't have to suffer my dragon breath, this would probably be ok. Also, if I could chew gum, I'd be able to cover it up, because brushing doesn't make the smell go away.

I will be having a snack before I go to lab, because I will be walking to and from class, and I never know how long the lab will go. I can't drink water in lab either, so I can't try to bed my appetite if I get hungry. I've already got my lunch prepared, since I won't have a whole lot of time to eat after dropping my husband off at work.

Lunch

I ended up not having enough time to finish my salad lunch, so I finished it after class. I must have been scatter-brained because I took my Alkalinize supplement at the wrong time. I also forgot to take a picture before I started eating my salad.

Dinner

The sweet potato red pepper bisque was amazing, and very filling. It's nice to look at the notes and suggestions in the guide to think about future meals, so I can easily throw together a double batch at that moment, instead of needing to make a dish again the next day.

Since it's kind of a hassle to pull out the barbeque that we own, I went ahead and used the oven on broil to "grill" the red pepper. I set the pepper on a pan, and being careful not to touch the heating coils, I waited until they were singed a little on both sides.

There is quite a bit of multitasking involved in many of the recipes, but it's fun trying new cooking techniques, recipes, and foods! While I was listening to the team call of one of the coach teams that I'm a part of, and while I was eating my soup, my asparagus was roasting in the oven (since I didn't realize that it was to be cooked in the oven until my soup was done. Very yummy asparagus it turned out to be! My hands still smell like ginger.

Day 8 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Monday

Breakfast

Today is the start of Phase 2, Release, so breakfasts this week mainly consist of fruit plates.The fruit plate filled me up for a little longer than the last time, so I think my stomach is adjusting to the portion sizes.

We brought Isaac's cupcakes, plus, we ended up baking a Minecraft Creeper cake, for his birthday party at school. We ended up staying up until midnight to make the cake. It was so hard to not try it, but there will always be more cakes and sweets in the future. It's worth it to focus for 21 days (which is actually a pretty short time period), and not feel the guilt or fail just because my will power wasn't strong enough! Your health, and mine, are so worth it, and it's important to not let food control our lives.

Isaac's 6th Birthday Cake & Carrot Cupcakes

Also, this week, another supplement is added to the mix, Detox. It's a lemony powder that you stir into 8-12 or so ounces of water, then wait, and stir again after 1 or 2 minutes. It actually tastes pretty good.

Lunch

For lunch, it's just a microgreen salad and avocado, which is different from the microgreen salads of last week. Last week, the microgreen salads were always paired up with other dishes. I foresee the need for a snack today! We'll see, though!

Dinner

I made it through another day! The pinto beans and rice was good with steamed zucchini, and, instead of string beans, I had asparagus. If you are afraid of beans, don't be, and read through your guide. It explains that normally beans will not cause problems, and they haven't since I've been eating them.

I'm hungry now, though, and I believe it may be because I'm still not drinking enough water. I just stated to my husband that I wanted donuts, pizza, and cake! I will make it through!!!!!!

Day 7 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Sunday

Breakfast

I wasn't very hungry for breakfast, but I think it's because of the banana I had before bedtime :/ I swapped out the tempeh, avocado, and steamed spinach for another breakfast: farina with walnuts, apples, and maple syrup. YUM!

We went shopping today after church, and I wished I had brought another bottled of distilled water with me. Drinking water helps to bed my hunger moderately, as well, and since I couldn't eat until I got home, it would have been nice to have the extra water! To make matters worse, I didn't sit down to eat until 1:45, since the Beachbody Ultimate Reset recommends waiting 30 minutes before eating after taking supplements.

Lunch

Quinoa Salad & Microgreen Salad

Quite a few of the dishes are a little overwhelming, and as I realize this, I make annotations in the guide. I plan on using many of these recipes in the future! One of the overwhelming dishes is one I had today; quinoa salad. It was paired with microgreen salad, which has cucumber, tomato, shredded carrot, jicama, baby salad greens, red bell pepper, and sprouts. I grow my own sprouts at home, since I can't seem to find them at any of the stores I've looked at. They are so easy to grow, too!

Homegrown Wheatgrass Sprouts

Dinner

Baked Tempeh for dinner was a little late, but actually quite good. It was marinated for an hour in apple cider vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos, sesame oil, pure maple syrup, and garlic. I hadn't liked it before then, that's for sure! Tomorrow, is my son's 6th birthday, so while the tempeh was marinating, I was preparing his cupcakes for his class. I was actually less tempted to lick the spoon than I thought I would be! Unfortunately, I'm becoming used to eating late, and tonight was no exception, as I ended up eating at 7:30.

Day 6 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Saturday

Breakfast

Breakfast was a little less tasty than I wanted it to be, so I stirred up the apples, flaxseed, and oatmeal, then put it back in the microwave for another minute. The apples were slightly cooked, I added cinnamon, and it was delicious! The recipes for the Beachbody Ultimate Reset are very stove- and oven-intensive, but I'll occasionally use the microwave, especially for foods (like oatmeal) that I've been cooking for a long time in the microwave. This saves a little electricity and time. Most of the recipes call for water that is heated on the stove to boiling over medium heat. This takes quite a bit of time!

About an hour after I'd eaten my breakfast, I realized I'd forgotten to eat the yogurt that I was scheduled to have with my oatmeal, so I went ahead and ate it. It's sometimes difficult to remember each facet of the meal, as there is a lot of flipping back and forth between the meal plan for the day and the recipes in the back (I have, now heading into Phase 3 today, memorized a few of the recipes, so it's definitely gotten a little easier).

Oatmeal with apples & flaxseed

Lunch

I had my lunch all planned out in advance! I made the quinoa salad, which has, of course, quinoa, olive oil, Himalayan salt, Bragg Liquid Aminos, lemon juice, tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, parsley, and mint leaves. I made the salad about 2 1/2 hours before I had planned on having it, then my parents arrived. I knew they were coming, but not the time. They came to celebrate my son's 6th birthday, so we ended up eating out for lunch, and I ended up having a salad pre-coated in vinaigrette dressing :( and it was just a head of lettuce! It was quite an excruciating meal, as my son had pizza, and it smelled amazing, especially on the walk back home after lunch (since I carried the leftovers home). I've never thought I had a weakness for any foods, but this cleanse is revealing how much I've liked the ability to eat whatever I wanted. This is not to say that I chose to eat everything junk all the time, but that I liked to eat a donut, pizza, or a couple of little cookies every now and then.

I did try a few bites of the quinoa salad I'd made earlier, but the taste of the mint was a little overwhelming. I saved it to have for tomorrow, so we'll see if marinating overnight will help to blend the flavors a little more evenly.

Dinner

Dinner was good, and was called Roasted Root Medley, as well as Zucchini-Cashew soup.

Roasted Root Medley

I'm definitely not perfect, and it's been nice having my husband and mom available for support. Even my son has reminded me not to give up. Last night, I had a banana before bed, because I was so hungry. This journey is stressful, but it will be worth it! If you want to take back your health, strengthen your will power, and begin to take control of your eating habits, this Reset has been doing this for me!!!

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

Day 5 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Friday

Today, I had my first migraine since I started my Beachbody Ultimate Reset. They can be caused by stress (both good and bad stress). Starting a new endeavor, such as the Reset, can be stressful, so it's no surprise that I got the migraine. Also, the fact that I made it to the weekend without killing anyone, may have caused some elation, and, in turn, good stress. I took some ibuprofen and drank some more water.

In other news, this may not be new news to you, but I haven't been doing this for long: since there is so much fresh produce required for my Reset, I've taken to snipping the ends of leafy produce, as well as green onions, celery, and asparagus, and sticking them in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers. This usually plumps them right back up!

All my food during the day, including breakfast farina with walnuts, green apples, and a whole tablespoon of maple syrup deserves an A+ for deliciousness!

For lunch, I had zucchini cashew soup, and while the water was heating up to prepare to make the soup, I was eating my veggie plate with my delicious homemade hummus. A few hours later, I had a banana-peanut butter Tropical Strawberry Shakeology shake for my snack. I was so used to drinking Shakeology everyday before my Reset, and I miss it a little now. It's nice that I can have it for a snack!

For dinner tonight, I had Southwestern Veggie Taco. It was delicious!!! This will definitely be a recipe I will be using after my Reset.

http://myultimatereset.com/iib4 

Day 4 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Thursday

Take a 'Before' and 'After' Photos + Results = FREE T-shirt!

Today, was another good morning of being able to pretty easily get out of bed! And, I finally had my husband take my 'before' picture. These are so important! The scale can only speak numbers; it doesn't tell you if your skin has cleared up, or your tummy, butt, or arm fat has slimmed out a bit. Also, and I didn't realize this until a day or 2 before I started my Reset that I will get a free T-shirt for finishing this program, too! If you own a Beachbody fitness program, you can enter the Beachbody challenge, and submit your 'before' and 'after' photos, and results on TeamBeachbody.com for a chance to win money, and you will get a free T-shirt. I enjoy wearing my P90X and Focus T25 shirts, and am looking forward to wear an Ultimate Reset one, as well!

"Before" the Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Breakfast

For breakfast this morning, I had a fresh fruit platter consisting of cantaloupe, honeydew melon, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I also ate 3/4 cup of plain low-fat yogurt sweetened with 1/2 tsp. maple syrup! It was a delicious breakfast, but it only filled me up for about 1 1/2 hours. If you have been working out quite a bit prior to starting, like I had been, then you'll have more muscle to burn calories. It takes a little while, but my stomach is adjusting to the reduced calories. (I promise, as I'm writing this when I'm actually on Day 9 ;) your will power will get stronger!!!)

Snacking

The best thing I've done, and the guide recommends, is to drink water when you begin to feel hungry. Also, if you feel like you need a snack before dinner, wait at least 2 hours after you eat lunch, drink water, and if you are still hungry, they have a list of recommended snacks for each week. I also set alarms for myself, especially around the time I can have a snack. Then I gauge what will be going on before dinner, such as if an activity will delay my dinner, and if I feel like eating as late as a snack would cause me to eat. The guide recommends waiting 2 hours after you eat a snack before you can  eat dinner. I had to have a snack before lunch today, because I was studying hard for an exam, and couldn't concentrate without brain food!

Because of the hectic day I had yesterday with meal planning, I had the majority of my lunch and dinner already ready for today! I recommend reading through the directions for each recipe, since some of the require anywhere from only a few minutes to overnight for cooking or marinating. I'm hoping that today will be a time to relax after my exam is finished!

Lunch

I tried making the Nori rolls, and they are disgusting, nor would they stick right! It's like a seaweed sushi roll with tempeh...I hate tempeh, and can't get over the smell (although, later, I did find the Baked Tempeh dish from Day7 to be quite tastey!)! I've had tempeh before, when I was doing the fitness program Focus T25 and following it's nutrition guide, but I couldn't remember how it was supposed to look. I almost threw away an entire slab of tempeh, because it looked like it had mold growing, but it's not mold (I compared it with an unopened package, to make sure). I ate about half of the Nori roll like a hot dog, and then threw the rest away. The dish that went with the Nori roll also wasn't that great: lentil-lime salad. The flavor was really overwhelming, and I only ate a few bites, and saved the rest for later.

Dinner

I had the stir-fried veggies (you can read about my first time having them, and see the picture here) again tonight, and I loved it! They were cooked in coconut oil, which I'd never used before I started the Reset. It is so delicious smelling and tasting. It also leaves my lips feeling soft. I will be making this stir-fry a lot when I'm finished with my Reset! In a large skillet, on medium-high, heat sesame and coconut oil, then add carrots for a few minutes, then add broccoli for about 5 minutes, add the red pepper and zucchini last. Stirring constantly, so nothing burns. Tonight, I decided to leave off the Nori Gomasio, and instead, opted to eat a whole tablespoon of it! It wasn't the most pleasant experience, but it gave me some good vitamins, I'm sure :)

Temptation

My son requested to watch Willy Wonka today, which was a little painful, especially when Willy Wonka starts shoving an entire chocolate bar into his mouth. It didn't help that it was the part of the movie where they're in the room where you can eat just about everything! I wanted some chocolate!!! Now, my son is talking about his class's Valentine's Day party that I helped out with, and how we had donuts, and now I want donuts! Then, he said, politely: "but you're not going to be having any, until the end of your challenge." I will get through this!!!

I would love to give you the support you want to achieve your goals! Let me know how I can help!

http://myultimatereset.com/iib4

Day 3 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Wednesday

I was a little tired this morning when I woke up, but it was mainly due to interrupted sleep. My husband does extra hours sometimes, coming home around 1 am. I'm usually able to sleep through him getting in bed, but this time I wasn't. I also spent way too much time on the computer before going to bed, which can also disrupt sleep. The computer time left my thoughts whizzing for an hour or more, before I was able to finally go to sleep. I do feel, however, still feel refreshed this morning, even if I am tired!

My refreshed feeling lasted through breakfast (scrambled eggs, steamed spinach, and toast), and a little while after, until I saw what I would be having for lunch and dinner: lentils and Nori rolls. I was willing to try both, for the sake that they'd be good for my body, but when lunchtime came, I hadn't planned out the production of the lentil-lime salad very well! When I read through the recipe, I realized that it was going to take 2 hours for the salad to marinate before I could eat it. Fortunately, the Reset allows flexibility between the week's meals, so I scoped out some other the other meals. I saw that the quinoa salad would take a few hours to marinate, as well, so it was nice to know for the future! Fortunately, I'd already had the Greek salad, so I knew I'd be able to throw it together fairly easily with the remaining salmon from Day 1.

After eating, I got the lentil-lime salad ready for the following day. Then, for dinner, I ended up swapping out the Nori rolls with stir-fried veggies. The stir-fried veggies were delicious cooked in sesame and coconut oil! The coconut oil left my lips feeling soft. The Nori gomasio that I put on the stir-fried veggies, however, was too fishy for my taste. Nori gamasio is a blend of sesame seeds and Nori seaweed. Also, the amount of dressing for the cucumber tomato salad I had with the stir-fried veggies, was a little strong. I would cut the ingredients measurements in half, if I make it again. It was delicious, just a little overwhelming!

Stir-fried veggies & Cucumber-tomato salad

My cat is certainly enjoying the foods I'm eating. After giving him a few tid bits of salmon from my Greek salad at lunch, he was stalking me for more fish at dinner, even though I only had the Nori gomasio. Seaweed is so fishy smelling!

The Reset guide talks about the first 3 to 5 days, being the hardest, and today was! I also thought I was doing better not fantasizing about eating everything in the kitchen, but I seriously almost cried when I was getting my son snack of chocolate bunny crackers!

Day 2 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Tuesday

It was day 2 of my Beachbody Ultimate Reset, Tuesday, and last night I went to bed around 10 pm last night, because I was pretty tired. I was however refreshed in the morning, and had no problems waking up at 5:50 this morning (which hasn't been that easy in awhile)!

I noticed that my desire to snack was different from Monday's! I wasn't visiting the kitchen wanting to eat all the food like I was on Monday. I did, however need two snacks today, since I had to make it through a long lab. Another thing I've noticed is how chapped my lips have been, which I'm trying to combat by drinking more water. It's a little bit of a challenge at times, but I'm working on it! I'm experiencing fewer headaches than I did yesterday, too! I finished off another gallon of water today!

Meal planning has been a little bit of a challenge, since some of the meals require a bit of work. I was so ravenous when dinner came around, because I was trying to get my black beans soaked. I think they may be a little too old, though, so I swapped them with pinto beans. Then, when I was trying to get the rice cooked, all the water boiled off, so I had to add more, which usually results in more mushy rice. Another thing that delayed dinner, was that I had to change my son's infusion set. It's a needle, tubing, and insulin reservoir that connects to his insulin pump. It takes about 15 minutes, so by the time I sat down to eat, it was 8 pm! It's a good thing I'd chosen to have a snack at 4 pm!

I mowed my dinner down, and completely forgot to take a picture of my meal, Southwestern Veggie Taco. It was delicious, with corn, rice, beans cooked in chili powder, coriander, olive oil, Himalayan salt, and cumin, mashed avocado, and salsa on a corn tortilla. Delicious!

I'm keeping up with my journaling, even though I'm behind with my blog posts! It is helping when times get tough! I'm going to keep on keeping on. Unfortunately, I found out that my mom got the flu, so she'll be a week behind me when she starts up on Saturday. It still helps to text message her, though.

The First Day of My Ultimate Reset

Monday, March 31, 2014

I began the first morning of my Beachbody Ultimate Reset by weighing myself, then took my Optimize supplements with 16 oz of distilled water. The Reset comes with 6 different supplements, including Mineralize, which is basically Himalayan salt, a pretty pink salt. I take the different supplements at specific times throughout the day, and I found that setting alarms on my phone really helps! I have to wait a certain amount of time after taking Optimize before I can eat my meals, so I use that time to prepare my meals.

Distilled Water

The guide recommends putting a certain amount of shakes of Himalayan salt in 12-36 oz of distilled water, but they also give the option to put a 1/4 tsp of Himalayan salt in a gallon, then shake it up, and that's what I do, to make it easier. Also, pretty much all of the baking I do that involves water, I use distilled water. Distilled water is basically cleansed of all the stuff that is in regular tap water (which, believe or not, is also what's in most bottled waters that you buy at the store). It contains pretty much only the oxygen and hydrogen molecules that make up water! Even a Brita and other brands of pitcher filters are not purifying enough, and they recommend that, if you do have to get water from another source (because you're traveling, or you run out of distilled water before you have a chance to go to the store), you use a reverse osmosis or carbon filtration connected to your faucet, and that you use it sparingly.

I went through a whole gallon of distilled water today , because they recommend that you take your total weight, in pounds, divide it by 2, and that's the minimum amount of ounces of water you should be drinking each day. I think I still need to drink more water, because my lips are fairly chapped. Water is a big deal, because it is so good for your body in so many ways!

Over the past few weeks, snacking has become a thing for me. The problem with this, is that I was over-snacking! I would constantly be visiting the kitchen, and I really saw that today, as I'm trying to limit myself to 1 snack per day. I must have visited the kitchen 10 times yesterday, and temptation was really there; enticing me to grab a little handful of this or that! I prevailed though, and stuck with it the entire day, it just took a little will power, and remembering what I was doing. Also during times like this, I also remind myself that it is only for 21 days, which helps me focus a little bit more.
 
Yummy Food!

I purchased the bulk of my produce (for the first 6 days) on Sunday, and let me tell you, I am going to be consuming so much healthy goodness (more than I really ever have in my entire life) over the next 21 days!

The meal plan is actually pretty delicious, although I think I will be reducing how much Wakame seaweed I add to my miso soup! The program is set up into 3 phases: Reclaim, Release, and Restore, with the first phase allowing for meat, while in the second stage, I will be eliminating meat and dairy, and by the third stage, I will primarily be eating a vegan diet. In each phase, you can mix or match (within the meals from that phase) what you want to have on a specific day. I stuck with the meal plan for today's meals, and will probably continue to do so for tomorrow's. It just makes it a little easier that way!

My favorite meal was dinner, which consisted of steamed asparagus, baked salmon, and baby potatoes. It was delicious!

I ended the day with some restorative yoga, which involved deep breathing and light yoga stretches! Unfortunately, I think I spent too much time on the computer studying last night, so it was a little harder to fall asleep, but I am feeling a bit more rested in the mornings! (As I am actually writing this Wednesday morning :) )

I'm keeping a journal, because I think it's so important for the next couple of weeks to continue to journal throughout the day! It helps me unpack, so to speak, everything that is going on, especially the feelings I experience. It makes me feel as though I burden is released; like I've told a good friend my problems, and I don't need to hold on to them as much!

You can see what I did to start preparing for my Ultimate Reset, by clicking here, for a previous blog post!