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!