Day 21

WOW! I can't believe it! I successfully completed all 21 days of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset! I must tell you that this is the first time that I have EVER completed a program related to diet or exercise! I always start out strong and then fizzle out! This time was different!
I believe that anyone could do this! Beachbody makes it SO incredibly easy to stick to! Most people said to me, "I don't think I would have any idea where to begin". Well, the great thing is you don't have to know where to begin. Beachbody tells you what to do every step along the way! You get grocery lists, recipes, and a menu for every single meal that you are to eat on the program!
Will power seems to be my issue when it is up to me to decide what I am eating. With this program it wasn't up to me...I just did what the guide told me to do! If you read all of the information ahead of time and prepare yourself you will be successful! Now, I can't say that I never craved anything, but I can say that I wanted to succeed so bad that my cravings never really amounted to anything!
I am so excited to go on from here and continue my journey to completely regaining my health!
I'm down a solid 13 pounds, I didn't take measurements (though I should have) and like I've said before, my energy level is 10 times what it was before and I just feel great! I can't even explain it in words...I feel so different...so good! I'll be posting my before and after pics...ugh, but I know they will be helpful to someone and maybe even me (to remind me what I don't want to go back to)!

Day 20

I can't believe we only have 1 more day to go! So far I am down 14 pounds. I'm way less bloated. I don't have any indigestion. I have way more energy. Overall, I feel super GREAT!!! I am not as worried about what life will look like after the completion of the reset! This has truly changed my life and I don't even think I could go back to my old ways if I wanted to! I feel too good to want to do that to my body again!

Day 17-19

I did it! I managed to stay on the reset while I was out of town with 5 other girls! I have to say it really was easy. I think somehow it might have actually been easier for me than when I am at home! I did go out to eat one night and just ordered a salad. It was arugula, green apples, pecans and cornbread croutons with a peach dressing..I picked off the croutons and used very little dressing.
I would definitely say that the preparation is what made it all possible! Hooray!

Day 16

Today I spent a good chunk of my time preparing my food for my trip. I have it all in little containers and I will put it in the cooler to bring along with me! Since I was making my own food, I also fixed my hubby's food and left his in our frig. I hope he finds it helpful to have it all prepared while I am gone! I am very excited to get away and I'm now not at all worried about how I will do! Preparation is key!!! I think it will even be key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle after the reset is complete!

Day 15

Another day down and doing great! I don't even mind the alkalinize anymore! At first I had to gag it down! Now, I do add a bit more water so that the flavor isn't so pungent, but I can drink it and not gag! I might even say that I kinda like it!!?? :) I guess when you do something long enough, you get used to it?
Anyhow, all is well. Each day I am more and more glad that I decided to commit to doing this reset. It has been so good for my body and mind.
I went to the grocery store today, as I am planning to leave for a homeschool conference tomorrow and will be gone all weekend. Therefore, I want to prepare all of my meals ahead of time, so that I can be successful while I am gone. Anyhow, while I was at the store my shopping experience had changed. I couldn't bring myself to buy anything that wasn't completely natural! I couldn't buy anything filled with sugar. Now, I wasn't buying for myself, because obviously I wouldn't be buying that for my reset meals...I was buying for my kids! It is so amazing once you get a little bit of information how it can change you forever! You know those packages of food that look healthy or even say they are healthy...well so many of them are not! That's right! The claims on the outside of the package are most often misleading! Truthfully, most of the time, you are better off skipping the packaged food altogether! I don't think I will ever look at a oatmeal creme pie in the same way ever again! I used to love those things! Want to see the label...click here. Corn syrup is the #1 ingredient, never-mind the fact that there is bleached flour, hydrogenated oils and red & yellow food dyes in those little delights! If you really want one, you can google "homemade oatmeal cream pies" and lots of recipes will be at your fingertips!
Here is a healthier cream pie recipe...click here. It is still by no means "health food", but it is certainly a much better alternative! The nice thing about eating healthy is there are almost always better alternatives to your favorite prepackaged items. If you look for the recipes and take the time to make them, you can remove a lot of preservatives, food dyes, hfcs(or other unnatural sweeteners), unhealthy oils and white flour from your diet.
It is all about putting forth the effort.

Day 14

I can't believe that we have successfully completed 2 weeks of the Reset! It has been SO good and I am super pleased with the results that I am seeing and feeling! I definitely have more energy. I am waking up feeling well rested and I am even sleeping more soundly. I used to wake up several times a night. Now, I only wake up if the kids wake me up! I also feel so much less bloated than I was feeling. Also, prior to the reset, I was starting to have some acid reflux/indigestion and that has completely stopped! Hooray!

Day 13

Today was just about the busiest day I've had in a while. We were on the go from morning until night. I managed to stick to the planned food with the exception of having a piece of fruit in between lunch and dinner, because dinner was going to be later than normal and I was getting really hungry! I'm down 10 pounds, but more importantly, I feel great! I have more energy and more focus throughout the day! Just the fact that I made it through yesterday was telling of my energy level! I also got my hair done...a new color...just adding to the new me :).

Day 12

I'm thinking more about what things will look like after the reset is over. We are almost done with week 2! Time is really flying by! I must say, the way this whole program is laid out makes it really easy to stick to! I think the biggest factor is planning ahead, making sure groceries are purchased and preparing lunch in the morning. That way, I can just pull it out in the middle of the day (since that tends to be the busiest time of day during the week). If I didn't prepare the food in advance, I can see where it would be easier to succumb to temptation.
Anyhow, about after the reset, I think that I'm not anxious to add meat again. Honestly the thought of it kind of grosses me out. I can't explain why, but it is...especially hamburger! I do wish chocolate were a food group though...still thinking about that a lot!
I slept 12 hours last night and it felt so good! I think I'm going to turn in early tonight too. I already fell asleep in my son's room and had a 45 minute nap (not on purpose)!
So, tomorrow is the beginning of a new week and the kids are out of school! My goal is to get up between 6:15 and 6:30 and have my quiet time, get a shower, maybe do a little yoga or pilates (before the shower) and prepare everyone's breakfast before 7:20. I'll let you know how it goes!

Day 11

Just plugging along. I'm feeling good, but craving chocolate or something sweet. I'm down a solid 9 pounds and feel much less bloated in the stomach. I'm getting tired of salads, but am enjoying the fruit for breakfast. I haven't had a headache since the first week. Overall pretty good.

Day 10

I can't believe that I am about half way through the reset! I can do this! I don't think I've ever wanted something so bad! I want to regain my health. I don't want to be a prisoner of medications or even unhealthy food. I know that sounds dramatic, but when my food cravings were primarily junk, I knew that it was starting to control me! Now, I would always have considered myself to be a pretty healthy eater, but the fact of the matter is I didn't think about food in the way that I am thinking about it now. I thought about it as what would make me feel good...you know, comfort food! Now, I'm thinking about what can truly nourish my body! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll still indulge from time to time, but it won't consume me (or I won't consume it regularly ;)).

Day 9

I'm really learning a lot about myself during this reset! It is ever more clear that I was addicted to sugar! CRAZY! Totally crazy! I can't believe how much I think about eating something sweet! I've done just fine avoiding it, but it has most definitely been on my mind every day! I watched a compelling video today about sugar! Here is the link http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n . It was a 60 minutes segment on sugar being toxic! If you have a few minutes, take the time to watch the video. It may change your perspective forever...especially if you have kids!
The other thing I've learned is that I am more of an emotional eater than I knew! I eat when I'm happy, sad, mad, excited...etc. etc.! Now, eating 3 regular meals per day, when I have those emotions I am choosing to drink water.
Finally, I've realized that I often found that when I sat down in front of the tv that I often started feeling the urge to eat! Apparently, that is a habit that needed breaking! Here is another interesting article on that topic! http://therapyinphiladelphia.com/selfhelp/tips/compulsive_eating_watching_television/

Day 8

Feeling pretty irritable today...not sure why. I think it may have been a combination of a bunch of life factors and maybe just a touch of the reset. Again, the food has been great and I don't feel hungry. In fact, I feel like I am eating so much better and sometimes so much more. I am anxious to feel super awesome like some other resetters have reported! I'm still encouraged by the numbers on the scale though! I woke up today being a total of 9 pounds down!

Day 7

Yesterday we completed day 7! I can't believe one week is done! I'm am one-third through the reset! Really this has been pretty easy for me, the eating part anyhow. The fact that EVERYTHING is planned out has been totally perfect for me! I've had some emotional ups and downs, but I think that is normal. Oh, and did I mention that it turned out to be that time of the month for me, starting on day 2!!! Yeesh!
Anyhow, it is surprising how simple it has been to prepare all of the meals and how tasty they have been! I think one of my biggest concerns at this point is what am I going to do after the reset! I definitely want to keep up the healthy eating, as I said in the beginning...my desire was for this to be a complete lifestyle change. I'm just not sure what foods to begin incorporating again. I have to say that I have done just fine without sugar and I definitely think that I was previously "attached" to sugar! So, part of me thinks that I need to keep away from sugar, except for special occasions...maybe? Will we add in any meat or dairy? I don't think I'd really miss the meat to be honest! As for dairy, I do like it, but I just don't know. I'm feeling pretty good and want to keep that feeling up for sure!

Day 6

Today was by far the most challenging! Not in terms of being tempted by food, but emotionally!
It is strange to see how some respond to one choosing a healthy lifestyle. I guess I'm just tender-hearted and am affected more deeply by people's reactions. I'v learned that people's true colors come out in interesting situations! What's really curious to me is that I would never judge someone else for what they choose to eat AND I would never force anyone to do what I am doing...so why are they judging me??? I'm doing this for me, not them! I'm not trying to impress anyone and I'm not reporting to anyone. This is a personal journey! I am grateful, as I said before, that my husband is doing it with me. I find his support overwhelmingly helpful, but bottom line, I want to feel better in my own body each day. I want to have more energy for my children. I want to look good for my husband. I want to live a long life so that I can do things to bless others and this is just one step towards reaching those goals and many more! So, if you ever come across someone that is doing something "different", don't look at them strange, don't try to convince them why the shouldn't do it (unless it is illegal or immoral of course ;)),...just support them...who cares if you don't understand what their thing is all about! People need love not criticism!

Day 5

Still doing pretty well. Rice cereal, strawberries and walnuts drizzled with maple syrup for breakfast. Quinoa salad, hummus and veggie sticks for lunch. Miso soup, stir fried veggies and brown rice for dinner. I can say I definitely enjoyed everything today! The miso soup is growing on me. I didn't really care for it at first, as it just seemed a little bland (though we did leave out the seaweed b/c I just couldn't stomach that). Anyhow, I'm down about 4 pounds already, which is exciting, but today I just feel bummed. It stinks when you have people around you that don't really seem to be supportive. However, I am hugely grateful that my husband is supportive and eating the food along with me!
I'm anxious to see some physical results. Yes, my weight may be down, but I don't see a difference just yet. I know I need to be patient...it's only been 5 days! So, I guess anything you do that ends with significant results won't be easy all the time!

Day 4

Today is done! The food was really good, but I did finish dinner still feeling (or thinking that I felt) hungry.
Really, the biggest thing was I really wanted something sweet! Desserts have always been my biggest weakness! So, I'm trying to just drink up the water instead...to get that hungry feeling to go away!
Yesterday I made sushi (vegetarian) for the first time ever. The big shocker was that my hubby actually liked it! For years I've tried to get him to go get sushi with me, to no avail. Well, I think after this, I may actually be able to convince him to go out and get sushi with me! :) YAY! I think our palates may already be changing!
No big spikes in energy yet, but on the whole I feel good! I think I may also be down a couple pounds...I'll weigh myself in the morning.
Happy Memorial Day weekend by the way! This year it will not revolve around food! We always have a cookout or attend a cookout and eat all kinds of food. I've gotta say, I think I'm glad that I'm not going to stuff myself this year. May this be the beginning of all of the holidays that I don't eat until I think I'm going to pop!!! I'll cheers you some water to that!!!!

Day 3

Nothing really interesting to post today. I ate what I was supposed to and didn't eat what tempted me! I call that a successful day! The only part that I wasn't too fond of was the wakame seaweed...maybe it will grow on me???

Day 2

So far I am really enjoying this program!!! I love knowing what I am eating for each meal. It makes it so much easier for me! In the morning, I prepare my husbands and my breakfast and lunch. That way he can take it to work with him and I can just pull it out of the frig when lunchtime arrives (and only have to prepare my kids lunches)! Today, I packed it with me as I left the house this am, because I knew I wouldn't be back until after 1...that worked great!
My mouth has felt pretty dry, so I've been consuming lots of water, which I know is good for me anyhow.
I think yesterday I ended up drinking 100 oz.!
Well, the kids are all having rest time, so Mama is going to have some as well!

Day 1

Today marks the start of day 1 of the 21 day Ultimate Reset! I'm feeling excited!
I've been doing well with the other things I set out to reset in my life...not perfect, but still a major improvement over the way I had been starting my mornings!
I'll be posting daily from here on out!
Here is a picture of my breakfast! It actually tasted pretty good to me! Now off to consume lots of water! :) My goal is 80 oz.