One of the many awesome benefits of being a health and fitness Coach is that I get to test out all the top notch programs that they offer to help improve our health, both physically as well as internally through our nutrition, to be a "guinea pig" for others to see how it works! I use Shakeology every day for the health benefits, and try to follow a clean eating diet, but like most people, I had some poor eating behaviors that I really wanted to change. That is why I decided to use the 21-Day Ultimate Reset program!
I have to admit, I was honestly nervous about it because I had some misconceptions about what it was exactly. I thought I would be restricted, starve myself, and find it extremely difficult to follow the meal plan. I wondered how many toxins could I really have, since I follow a healthy eating plan already? But I watched several of my friends do it and saw their results and experience, and I knew I had to try it!
"Even though our bodies are extremely resilient, we have been pushed to the limit by pollution, pesticides, preservatives, and chemicals contained in nearly every item that makes up our modern world. These harmful items can disrupt the normal function of our bodies, which, in turn, can result in reduced energy, weight gain, and a weaker immune system."
It was a bit of a splurge for me to purchase at the time, and I decided on the Ultimate Reset Dual Kit so that my husband could do it along with me. However, he ended up deciding to wait, so I ended up doing it solo.
I want to share with you my own personal experience, my results, and who this program can help! If you have any questions, either EMAIL ME or Facebook Message me.
The BeachBody Ultimate Reset is a scientific 21 Day detox that helps wean your body of cravings for unhealthy foods and prepares your body for change. During the reset, your body will release toxic compounds that are clogging your cells and help restore your metabolism back to normal. The nutrition plan is designed to be nutrient dense with the right amounts of probiotics and enzymes that your body needs daily. Typical "cleanses" can do as much harm as good, by starving your body from the nutrients it needs. With this plan, you can expect to eat better than you ever have eating 3 full meals as well as an optional snack if you feel you need it.
You can be confident in the program, as it was created by the same wellness experts who created
Shakeology, Darin Olien and Isabella Daikeler.
Why I Decided to Try the Ultimate Reset
The day I decided to start was January 2nd, 2017. I literally woke up that morning, with the crazy-brained idea to start! I had the kit for months, waiting for the "right time" to do it, just waiting for the perfect time to start. And like I tell my clients all the time, there's never going to be that "perfect" time, so just do it! So I snapped my before pics, recorded my weight, got my kit out and grocery list, and sent my husband Adam who was sweet enough to make a run to the store for me, and I was officially committed!!!
And besides, I told myself it's only 21 days, and I could do anything for only 3 weeks!
For me personally, I used it for several reasons.
- to help me to stop being emotionally dependent on food,
- get out of the behavior of occasional binge eating and avoidance eating,
- to help me stop mindless snacking,
- to regain discipline with my meal planning and stop the cheat meals that had been happening way too often,
- and to rid my body of the dependency on caffeine.
- The notion of ridding my body of toxins was appealing, as was dropping some unwanted pounds in the process!
- I really just wanted overall, to have a healthier relationship with food and to experience how I would feel at my strongest and healthiest!
My Ultimate Reset Experience: Reclaim Phase
I started my Reset on January 2nd, 2016. The meal plan was essentially a clean eating plan, similar to what I might have normally eaten.
I loved that the nutrition book had everything I needed for my meals, including a week to week shopping list and complete meal plan. So many people just want someone to tell us what to eat, and this program does exactly that!
The first week's shopping list was a lengthy one, with some ingredients I was unfamiliar with, so shopping took awhile. But I found that I was falling in love with cooking again, found some new favorite recipes, and know I'll be making again for life for the whole family!
Day 1 was so much easier than I would have thought. I slipped up and had a cup of the forbidden coffee during the Reset on day one, but that was really the only challenge I had! The above image is my meals for day 1, just missing the toast pictured with my eggs and Miso soup with my salad for lunch. It was a tasty first day! I remembered thinking how surprised I was at the serving sizes of the meals, and felt completely satisfied! I decided against using the optional snack, I just wasn't feeling hungry for it.
I wasn't feeling at all deprived, and surprisingly no caffeine withdrawals from no coffee!
Day 2: I was starting to believe that I could really do this plan! And yes, I definitely had my doubts. If you know me, a life without coffee, wine, and peanut butter is not living. But because it's only 3 weeks, I kept telling myself that I can do this... but forewarning I'm drinking all the coffee and wine🍷annd eating all the PB on day 22!
I was surprised that in the first two days I can honestly say I've had zero temptations!
Clean eating, no cheats, no temptations. I felt amazing, and totally in control of what I was putting in my body. I knew it was the beginning of me forming new relationships with food, and I also recognized that undoing bad habits wouldn't happen overnight. But after 2 days, I felt proud of my ability to stick with it!
Day 3: On day 3, I started feeling the effects of caffeine withdrawal. My head felt like it was about to explode, so I took it easy and bypassed any physical activity. I worked most of the day from my bed, and took a nap. Meals were point on, and my confidence that I would be able to finish with no cheats started to set in!
It is important to listen to your body, and trust the process. I felt terrible, but at the same time, felt awesome about what I was doing for my body. I was preparing my body for positive change, and releasing the toxins from my system. It helped knowing it was only temporary, and I knew I would push through!
Nori rolls were on my plan for today's dinner...but that just didn't happen. Because of my sporadic decision to start, I wasn't fully prepared with some of the food items I could't find locally (the tempeh was nowhere to be found). So instead, I had the previous evening's Southwestern taco in a salad instead along with the oriental cucumber salad. Didn't really pair all that well but it did the job!
I was proud that I had no cheats, cravings or temptations! I felt completely satisfied with the meals I was having.
DAY 4: So far I was feeling great, not feeling hungry or deprived in any way, and crazy enough I still have not had any temptations. Not for wine. Not for chocolate. Not even for PB or bread or cereal! And prepping my meals for the day right after breakfast made it super easy to grab and go my lunch when I was out.
Day 4 meals : fruit with Greek yogurt. Lime-Lentil salad, with microgreen salad (not pictured). Dinner cucumber tomato salad with quinoa and stir fried veggies. Everything was delish and super easy to prepare!
Day 5: On Day 5 of 21 of the Ultimate Reset, I woke up over 5 POUNDS LIGHTER than I started on day 1!!! Seriously CRAZY with the amount of food I was eating, and I hadn't been working out because during the reset, you are healing your body from the inside out, and it's strongly suggested to let our bodies do their thing without adding additional stress or strain as in working out. By far that has been one of the most challenging things about this plan (besides no wine, cheese, PB, or beers), to not work out.
If you've ever had a headache from caffeine withdrawal, you know how amazing it is to come off of it!! I felt like a new woman waking up. I was SO glad that was over!
The other really awesome thing about day 4 was that I woke up 3.5 pounds lighter than the day I started, just 4 days prior!
Here's a snippet of what day 5 meals were.
- Farina with Walnuts, Apples and Maple Syrup
- Quinoa Salad, 1/2 c. Hummus with cut Veggie Plate
- Miso Soup (not pictured), Stir-Fried Veggies with Brown Rice
I couldn't remember the last time I went 5 days straight without a single craving or temptation. Heck if I'm being completely honest, I don't even miss my coffee or PB. I realized that there is an optional snack option, and I'm eating so much nutrient-dense foods that I'm not even hungry for the snacks, so I hadn't been using them.
My biggest tip is to shift your perception. Start with self-love and train with the purpose of getting healthier and stronger. If you focus solely on your appearance, you'll lose motivation and never be quite satisfied. But fall in love with the process and feeling and you'll never ever quit. And you just might find that the body comes with it!
I made myself unplug for the first half of today to get all my meals prepared for the weekend! This was A LOT of work, I'm not kidding, to make the meals for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
I had travel plans for the entire weekend, but that didn't mean I made excuses to fall of my plan! I wanted to proove that it can be done! When we have a PLAN, following it is a matter of mindset and discipline. When we have a goal in place, and COMMIT ourselves to the action steps it takes to get there, no temptation is worth the cheat.
You might be faced with people who aren't on your side, who don't share the same goals or values as you do. Who try to steer you off track and talk you out of you achieving your goal. But in the end, it's YOU who get to celebrate that victory at the finish line!! So I made that commitment to ME and I was staying the course!
So I nailed week 1 of the Ultimate Reset, and I'm so proud to share my week 1 Coach exclusive results... but never would I have imagined I would have dropped exactly 7.5 pounds in just 7 days!!! Seriously did you SEE all the food I was eating?! I feel amazing, have zero cravings, and coffee has been my only real strong temptation. Hubs has been brewing it every day and the smell is AmAzInG... makes it so hard for me not to just have a cup!
Do you see yourself benefiting from doing the Ultimate Reset? If so, my next online accountability group starts soon! To join me, fill out this short survey and I'll be in touch with you within 24 hours!
My Ultimate Reset Experience: Release Phase
All animal products are eliminated from the meal plan, and toxins are released, both physical as well as emotional. The detox supplement helps support healthy liver function and digestion. My goals heading into this week were:
- To continue my no-cheat streak for another week
- To release the negative hold food had on my emotions for comfort or procrastination, and replace it with empowerment and control
- To be in tuned with the toxins leaving my body
- To practice several relaxation and meditation sessions throughout the day
- To drop a few more unwanted pounds
A healthy life is all about balancing a nutritious diet and active lifestyle, and plant protein can help you maintain that balance! Did you know that reducing the amount of animal protein in your diet, and emphasizing plant based foods, such as whole grains, soy, fruits and vegetables, has been linked to lower heart disease risk, lower blood pressure, decreased risk of cancer and healthy weight maintenance? In fact, studies show that those who eat diets with reduced animal protein weigh 15 percent less than their more carnivorous counterparts, have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and live an average of 3.6 years longer! It's no wonder I felt so amazing!!
I thought I would miss a source of protein, but honestly I didn't in the least! These meals make me seriously believe that I could easily eat a vegetarian meal plan no problem!
Week 2 consists of The Release Phase of the program. Again, I loved having a simple grocery shopping list for each week! Week 2 wasn't as long as the first week, and some of the items I had left over which helped cut costs a bit.
I am really loving the fresh fruit in the mornings, and the Microgreen salads are especially delicious! This was my first time using toasted Pumpkin Seeds on a salad. I highly recommend!
Day 8 of the Ultimate Reset was a breeze, the meals were incredible! Dinner was Pinto beans and Rice, steamed zucchini and green beans with lemon and EVOO.
I honestly found the recipes completely satisfying and delicious, and I know they will be a staple in my meal plans going forward!! This bisque soup was so simple, I know for SURE it will show up at least weekly! The fresh ginger was amazing, and I started falling in love with how using fresh herbs tastes in my foods!
I was happy to have the Sweet Potato Roasted Red Pepper Bisque soup on the menu again on day 10. It was incredible! I was so proud of making it 10 days with no cheats, no cravings or temptations. At this point of being almost half way finished, I started realizing that I will complete the program no problem, no cheats.
Hearty Miso soup and quinoa with collard greens for dinner on Day 11 of 21! No cheats, vibes on overdrive, feeling completely in control! It's crazy to me that I don't miss animal protein in my diet at all (only with the exception of eggs)!
Days 12-14 were spent on the road, so I took a half of a day to make meals to pack along with me in my cooler. I also took my daughter out to eat and brought my Microgreen Salad along with me and ate it there. The restaurant staff was awesome about it, and totally understood! Our waitress was just finishing up on a detox herself, so we got into a great conversation about it.
I was amazed at my 2 week progress!! I was officially 9.4 pounds down from day 1, just 14 days prior, and even more importantly to me than the pounds lost, was:::
- I feel I am 110% IN CONTROL of my binge eating
- I am no longer using food as a way to procrastinate or to avoid doing something I need to do
- and I no longer use food as a way to cope with my stress and anxiety!
I have overcome the desire for "cheat meals" or in my case, some days "cheat days". I have [NOT "CHEATED"] on my plan once, not even during the last 2 weekends of traveling overnight. I took the time to plan and prepare all of my meals and packed them in a cooler with me so that it wouldn't hold me back from following my program.
I can see and feel my momma pooch from giving birth to 4 amazing kiddos shrinking and tightening, like it was before I had Maren, and that feeling is AWESOME!
The other point to make is, I have not worked out consistently, which I do miss and cannot wait to get back at it. But during the detox, it is recommended to let our bodies heal and not cause additional stress by doing intense workouts.
One week remaining, and I cannot wait to see my end results!!
WEEK 3:
My final week was much easier than I anticipated it would be. My mindset was already shifted, and I was 100% committed and ALL IN. There was NO way I was cheating on my final week. Here is the meal plan I used:
Trust me, I know what you're thinking. "There is NO way I could eat fruit only for breakfast, and how can that keep me full till lunch?!". I thought the same thing! But you have to trust me, and trust the process, that your body has exactly what it needs to heal and detox. I felt so good on the plan, I actually didn't want to stop after the 3 weeks were up!
Here were my final results, and I can honestly say that I know with 100% certainty I WILL be doing this again, and every year in the spring. I loved every day on this plan, and loved my transformation even more!!
My clothes fit so much better, after just 21 days I dropped an entire pants size. The other thing I was afraid of was losing definition and muscle mass with not working out or lifting weights. As you can see, I kept my definition for the most part, and jumped right back into my program when I was finished.
Do you see yourself benefiting from doing the Ultimate Reset? If so, my next online accountability group starts soon! To join me, fill out this short survey and I'll be in touch with you within 24 hours!
