Beachbody's Ultimate Reset Cleanse (week 2)

Typical Week 2 Breakfast

I’ve heard time and time again, “Wow, you have so much willpower!”  Well, maybe I have some willpower, but I read a powerful explanation on the Ultimate Reset website (FAQ section) that really changed my mindset at the beginning and has helped me stick with this program:  “The Ultimate Reset Program is not a diet; it’s a detox program.  So try to view it as such.  (A person who’s on a program to quit smoking doesn’t cheat from time to time with the intent of eliminating the addiction to nicotine, right?)”  When I think, “Oh, I’d really like a cup of coffee with real cream again……” I remember, I’m ridding my body of all toxins to “reset” my metabolism and really re-energize my workouts.  To me, the small sacrifices I’m making now will pay off in another week when I’ll slowly add some of my old foods back into my diet and when I begin Body Pump again.  What I have discovered is that I do not crave some of the same things anymore.  My roasted veggies with homemade sauces, or big bowls of fresh fruit, or the homemade soups I’ve made are much more appealing than many of my old “comfort” foods.

It’s difficult to explain, but I really do feel better overall.  I’ve noticed my complexion got bad earlier in the week (I guess from the toxins coming out) and it has cleared up now.  My skin feels so smooth, like I’m using moisturizer, but I’m not.  Although I was very fatigued Saturday after cutting the grass, I recovered pretty quickly.  I’m not experiencing any aches and pains like I expected, but we’ll see what this last week brings with the new supplement. 

I’ve managed to take the supplements exactly as prescribed which is not easy for me.  I’m not one to take medicines or vitamins regularly, but I keep the chart of what I take and when on my fridge at eye level.  I mark off each one I take so I never forget.  Also, the night before, I load my travel pouch (from Beachbody) with all the supplements I’ll need for the next day.

WEEK 2 RESULTS

Overall, and I’m only 2 weeks in, I believe this is the best program for health I’ve ever encountered!  It’s not a diet because the focus is on removing toxins from my body and restoring my insides to optimal health through proper nutrition (the carefully planned meals Beachbody gives you are simple to prepare and fill you up – you will not starve on this cleanse).  And the supplements are gentle compared to other cleanses I’ve tried.  What a wonderful side effect of restoring my body to optimal health:  weight & inches lost!  And here’s my cumulative results over the past two weeks:  I’ve lost EIGHT pounds, 2” off each thigh, 1.5” off my waist, and 1/2” off my hips.  

All I have to say is wow!  This is the breakthrough I have been looking for.  To be perfectly honest, I was up about 5 pounds before I started this cleanse from my lowest weight (probably January I was at my lowest).  So now those are gone AND I’ve lost more already!  (Since my heaviest weight, I’ve lost just over 45 pounds!)  I’m so much closer to a healthy BMI (below 25 is considered healthy) –currently I think mine is 26.1.  I’ve learned some great recipes that I plan to incorporate in my meal planning on a regular basis.  I’ve found the key with trying these new foods is proper seasonings.  I love Himalayan sea salt and a great herbal seasoning I found at Trader Joe’s.  Also, sometimes just a sprinkle of lemon juice enhances the flavor of steamed and roasted veggies. 

Here’s some excerpts from my food journal this past week:

WEEK TWO

Day 8:  April 30, 2012 Monday

Had 3 cups of fruit (apples, strawberries & kiwi) for breakfast.  Also started the detox packets this week.  Lunch is simple today, salad and avocado, so little to no prep there.  Plus, since I already started dinner, it should only take me 15-20 min to make dinner tonight.  Finally an easy cooking day!  I had more energy today than I’ve had since the beginning.  I feel upbeat and happy!  No problems with snacking today……went to the grocery store and got the rest of the food for this week.  Finding no problems sticking to the plan.  Food is just so good!  Went to bed a little later than usual (10:30pm).

Day 9:  May 1, 2012 Tuesday

Day 9 dinner

Woke up before 5am and couldn’t go back to sleep!  Weirdest breakfast ever…..miso soup, avocado, and smashed chickpeas, but delicious -- yes, really!  The new supplement (detox packet) this week has a strange taste, but not terrible.  Glad I made extra dinner last night (rice & beans) so lunch just needs to be warmed up.  Looking forward to the new soup recipe tonight.  Wasn’t hungry, but decided to have one of the snacks.  Weird combo – strawberries & corn!  Strange, but tasty.  Snack portions are large.

Day 10:  May 2, 2012 Wednesday

I love having 3 cups of fresh fruit for breakfast.  This is something kind of new for me….I’ve been so used to either oatmeal, yogurt, or a smoothie, that I’ve never just stopped and had plain fruit.  Love it!  Still feeling extremely full from the portions.  Food is excellent today.  Had a snack (carrots and avocado).  Can’t imagine being able to eat dinner b/c I’m so full still.  Supplements are getting a tad bit easier to take.  Looking forward to tonight’s dinner – another new recipe!  No headache, and I feel good – lots of energy.  Can’t believe I’m already halfway!  

Day 11:  May 3, 2012 Thursday

Had co-op again today – it’s our last day, so I planned ahead and brought my supplements and lunch with me.  I also packed lunches for the kids.  I called it “inside out sushi” – I put all the ingredients that I use in my veggie sushi recipe except the nori sheets into a small Tupperware (brown rice, avocado, cream cheese, cherry tomatoes, carrots, & cucumber).  They were actually excited about it!  (I think giving it a fun name was probably key.)  Not difficult to say no to the treats in the teacher’s lounge today.  I’m feeling really good – almost like I have super powers or something (yes, really!).  Because it was the last day of co-op, my students had a party in class and brought treats.  While they ate rainbow cupcakes, cookies and chips/salsa, I took my supplements!  I chugged down the detox packet with some water and reminded myself how much better I’m making my insides.  Went to bed by 10pm.

Day 12:  May 4, 2012 Friday

Day 12 dinner

Up by 6am.  Had friends for lunch – made grilled cheese for the kiddos, but had salad with my friend, along with hearty vegetable miso soup.  I still have a difficult time eating everything!  Food is very filling and still tastes excellent.   I bought green chai tea at the store and had some today.  It’s really nice.  I put just 1 tablespoon of coconut milk (unsweetened) in it.  Coconut collard greens with roasted Mediterranean beets isn’t something I would have expected to taste so great for dinner, but it did!  I am definitely incorporating these recipes into our regular meal plans.  Went to bed by 9:30pm again.

Day 13:  May 5, 2012 Saturday

Up just before 6am.  The grass needed to be cut, so even though I’ve been avoiding anything too strenuous, I tried to do it myself this morning.  I made it most of the way, but my hubby took over and finished the last small section.  Afterward I was very lightheaded and felt weak.  I can see now why it’s important not to work out during the cleanse!  (I had 2-3 tablespoons of nuts to help give me back some energy.)  We planned to have lunch at a local restaurant downtown with friends today.  I wasn’t that worried, even though it’s our favorite Italian pizza place.  I drank two full glasses of water and had some more nuts to help fill me before we left.  I chose water at the restaurant, and the roasted/grilled veggie sub for lunch.  I subbed out my fries for a side salad that I just put balsamic vinegar on (no oil since my sub had quite a bit already).  I also gave all my bread to my kiddos.  I felt full and it felt wonderful to be able to eat out today!  Tonight’s dinner was fabulous as usual.  The garlic-tahini sauce on roasted acorn squash was another new recipe that I loved.

Day 14:  May 6, 2012 Sunday

Switched yesterday’s breakfast with today’s.  It’s strange how my tastes have changed since I began this two weeks ago.  I truly never thought having “smashed” chickpeas with steamed spinach and avocado would be appealing in the morning, but it was filling and tasted great.  Struggled not to get coffee at church this morning, but when the store bought cinnamon rolls went by me, I wasn’t even tempted.  My taste buds must have changed because it didn’t even look appealing to me!  I had to go grocery shopping and decided to go to Trader Joe’s again because it’s so much cheaper.  I had to snack on the strawberries I picked on the way to Trader Joe’s (which are one of the suggested snacks for weeks 2&3).  This trip made for a very late night and I didn’t get my dinner made until 9pm.  Went to bed by 10pm again. 

Beachbody's Ultimate Reset Cleanse (week 1)

WHY DO A CLEANSE?

Currently, I’m studying to become a certified nutritionist.  Hopefully, if all goes well, I will complete my studies and be certified by the end of this summer.  Probably one of the most important lessons I have learned is that our bodies are filled with toxins that we put in them on a daily basis.  By not buying organic, we are introducing pesticides and fungicides into our systems, chemicals our bodies can’t process and that can cause problems inside.  By eating prepackaged foods, we are also putting unnecessary chemicals and other unhealthy ingredients into our bodies.  Even the water we drink (from the tap) has chemicals!  So the first line of defense is to detox the body of these chemicals.

Day 6 dinner

When Beachbody first started talking about offering a cleanse, I knew I wanted to try it.  (You can check out the Ultimate Reset here.)  But when it came out last month and I saw the price tag, I had sticker shock.  It seemed like a lot of money.  However, most naturopaths, chiropractors, and nutritionists offer cleanse programs to their clients.  From just the little bit of research I’ve done, it looks as though Beachbody’s price point is right in line with others on the market.

When my cleanse arrived in the mail, I was so excited.  I wanted to start right away!  I made a trip to Trader Joe’s to gather my ingredients for week 1 and some of the “staples” I needed in my pantry.  This post will give my results after only 7 days (still have 14 to go) and I’ve decided to include some of my daily journaling.  I know it helps me to read what others struggle with when I’m making difficult positive changes, so I hope it’ll encourage someone out there!

WEEK ONE RESULTS

After only seven days, I am amazed at the differences in my body already.  I lost FOUR pounds.  Plus I lost 1” off my waist AND 1” off each thigh!  (My arms and hips have stayed the same.)  I have no more caffeine headache, and I feel full each day.   I’ve tried many new recipes and loved every single one of them, really!  I have to be honest:  Not having dessert and coffee sometimes gets to me.  I really got used to something sweet after dinner.  Overall, I am very impressed with the variety of foods and how well Beachbody has put together this cleanse.  If this is how much I’ve changed in just 7 days, I can’t wait to see how I do at the 21 day mark!

ULTIMATE RESET JOURNAL – WEEK ONE

Day 1:  April 23, 2012, Monday

Followed plan exactly – no straying!  No coffee was tough.  Ended up napping for about 20 min in the afternoon.  Went to bed by 9:30pm.  Drank about 4-5 cups green tea today!  Lots of trips to bathroom because of the extra water I’m drinking!  Made 2 salad dressings.  Made homemade corn tortillas for tomorrow night’s dinner and set beans out to soak until tomorrow.  Everyone loved the salmon dinner except Hannah.  It was tough not to take seconds of what I liked.  Supplements are not difficult to take except for the Alkaline!  That one I just have to chug.

Day 1 breakfast

Day 2:  April 24, 2012 Tuesday

Headache from no coffee.  Trying to drink green tea without sugar.  Loved the pine nuts on my salad!  I’ve never splurged on those before and I really like them.  Excited about dinner tonight:  homemade corn tortillas, black beans and rice along with guacamole, corn & salsa (Mexican is our family’s favorite meal).  Making fresh mint tea (just put 3 mint leaves and one basil in hot water with a pinch of stevia) for something different and it was delicious!  It’s SO difficult to go without coffee…..I have a horrible headache still tonight.  Was really tired today, but didn’t nap.  Went to bed again by 9:30pm.

Day 3:  April 25, 2012 Wednesday

Only had ONE cup of tea today!  Headache is gone – kind of surprised it only took 2 whole days to get rid of it; I was expecting it to last at least 3 days. I haven’t noticed any difference in going to the bathroom or aches and pains.  Loved the lentil salad for lunch today!  Made the Ginger Miso dressing for my salad at lunch and really liked it a lot.  Still following the plan exactly.  Kids loved the homemade miso soup and nori rolls with tempeh (fake “bacon” was something new for me in my sushi).  What is most difficult about the cleanse, is the amount of cooking and dishwashing I have been doing the last few days.  Tomorrow will be first day “out” during this cleanse (we attend a homeschool co-op once a week).  I hope to avoid the snacks in the teacher’s lounge and stick to just a cup of tea and bring my own snack.  Too complicated to try to bring lunch with me tomorrow, but I do have most of it prepared because I’ve made double batches of some of the meals. 

Day 4:  April 26, 2012 Thursday

Today was challenging.  I teach at a homeschool co-op every Thursday and don’t usually get home until after 1pm.  Usually, I eat the treats in the teachers’ lounge and enjoy a cup of coffee, but instead I made myself a cup of caffeine free herbal tea.  I’ll be honest, it was a tad bit tough avoiding the baked goods in there today!  Didn’t have a snack at all today because I was running around all afternoon.  (Snacks are allowed but optional on the cleanse.)  It was difficult to pass up the candy and granola bars at the checkouts during my errands today because I was so hungry, but I made it.  Dinner wasn’t on the table until 8pm!  It wasn’t complicated to make, but I didn’t get home and get started until after 7pm.  All the meals were excellent today and I felt very full after eating.  I think because I wasn’t at home, I wanted to snack more today (even though I didn’t give in).  By the time dinner was finished, I felt very tired, achy and sore all over.  I went to bed by 9:30pm.

Day 5:  April 27, 2012 Friday

Up by 6am again.  I need to stop weighing myself daily.  That just seems to irritate me watching numbers go up and down daily.  Oatmeal tasted really good this morning!  I made extra the other morning, so I just warmed it up in a pot with ¼ c coconut milk.  Looks like lunch should be easy, as will dinner because I’ve made extra this week and can eat the leftovers for the planned meals today.  I like that it’s saved me time!  Feeling very sore & achy today.  Got my Shakeology in the mail yesterday, so I asked the FB group how it can be subbed in to the cleanse.  This is the response I got:  “Although we encourage you to follow the prescribed Beachbody Ultimate Reset meal plan, we do allow Shakeology Vegan as a convenient, healthy breakfast alternative for all three phases. However, since phase 3 calls for less protein..., we recommend you take only a half a serving of Vegan Shakeology.”  Here’s one recipe they gave me that’s approved for the Beachbody Ultimate Reset:  "Kiwilicious:  Blend 1 serving Shakeology Tropical Strawberry, 1 cup distilled water, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, and 1 kiwifruit peeled."  (You can purchase Tropical Strawberry Shakeology here.)

Day 6:  April 28, 2012 Saturday

Made it to the Farmer’s Market this morning, downtown.  I love talking to the farmers and vendors there about how they grow their food.  It was tough to turn down the homemade cheese samples, and the man with baked goods really stayed on me to buy his strawberry pies!  Meals went fine, just a lot of time to prep each meal still.  Finding it difficult to keep up with all household chores with the extra cooking and cleaning of dishes.  Food was amazing!  I’m definitely going to start incorporating many of these recipes into my regular menus after the cleanse is over.  I also want to start growing more veggies at home. 

Day 7:  April 29, 2012 Sunday

This was a difficult day!  I had church and a potluck picnic all day long.  I had time to make breakfast, but lunch had to be brought to the park.  Bringing my soup was not easy!  Then looking at that long table of chips, cookies, brownies, etc. was somewhat of a challenge.  I just kept reminding myself that it’s only 2 more weeks to go……

Stay tuned for weeks 2 and 3.  I will keep journaling daily and post my results along with the condensed versions of my journal entries for you all to read.