Day 5

Another post without picture...so sorry!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with walnuts, maple syrup, and fruit (I had strawberries and blueberries)

Lunch: Quinoa salad, hummus and raw veggies

Dinner: Stir fried veggies, quinoa, and cucumber and tomato salad (this was a repeat of last night as tonight's dinner was supposed to be miso soup, stir fried veggies, and brown rice...I had leftovers from the night before)

Today was another day I had to really plan ahead.  I went to the IU basketball game with some friends and knew I would not be home for lunch and would not be able to eat lunch until mid afternoon.  I decided to accomodate the late lunch by having a late breakfast, pushing all my meals back.  I hate not being able to eat with the boys, but eating late worked best for what I had going on today.  I was starving by the time I finally ate my oatmeal.  Didn't love the walnuts mixed in, but I was so hungry, it didn't matter.  Lunch was amazing though, even if I did have to eat it in my car.  I will be adding this to my files for future healthy lunches. 

I didn't drink enough water during the day and ended up with the terrible headache tonight; proving how important water is during the reset.  I am still averaging about 1 1/2 gallons of water a day.  I thought I drank a lot of water before the reset...boy, was I wrong. 

I am proud of myself for not being tempted by the food they were serving at the game.  The popcorn smelled delicious (something I wouldn't normally choose), but I just reminded myself of how far I have come in 5 short days.

Until tomorrow...

Day 4

Breakfast: Cantaloupe and strawberries, plain yogurt with honey, and 1 slice whole grain toast

Lunch: Lentil lime salad and microgreen salad (a nori roll was on the menu, but I omitted)

Snack: Apple and 1T. natural peanut butter

Dinner: Stir fried veggies with quinoa and cucumber tomato salad

Not much to report today.  I went on a walk with a friend because the weather for January was gorgeous.  Nothing strenuous, just a nice walk around the lake, giving us ample time to chit chat and catch up.  Just what I needed. 

Dinner tonight was my favorite thus far...even better than the salmon.  This meal, along with the salmon and black beans and rice were easy enough to adapt to provide a meal for the hubs.  He just added a little chicken to his stir fry.  I found I was quite full after the stir fry and only ate a portion of the cucumber tomato salad. 

I did experience a few body aches today.  I am not sure if they are residual from yoga or from the reset.  Perhaps a combination of both? 

I have had little to no appetite the past few days.  I don't remember reading anything about loss of appetite being a side effect, but food is just not appealing, at all.  I guess that is a positive, as I have not felt hungry at all since starting the reset. Thinking it might be the alkalinize, as the suppression starts shortly after drinking that. 

Speaking of the alkalinize, I have found a secret weapon into "shooting" it down. 

This small medicine bottle, 3 ounces of water, and the alkalinize powder made a nice combination.  3 big gulps and a big gulp of water and I am set without tasting the nastiness!

I am also finding that decaffeinated tea in the evenings helps to cap the night off nicely.  While I haven't had too many cravings for sweets, the tea satisfies me, somehow. 

Signing off as I sip my tea.  Until tomorrow...

Day 3

I haven't been taking picture of all my food, which I am regretting.  Sorry for the "wordy" post.

Breakfast: 2 slices whole gran toast, 2 eggs scrambled with olive oil, and steamed kale

Lunch: Lentil lime salad, microgreen salad with dressing

Dinner: Nori rolls with tempeh, cucumber salad, and miso soup

Today was bad.  I felt out of it, slightly depressed even.  I was nervous going into this day because I would be going outside the box in the food department with the nori rolls, tempeh, and seaweed (in the cucumber salad).  Plus, I had a date with some friends and our kiddos.  Luckily for me, we were gathering at someone's house so bringing meals along would be easy.  I never considered how I would be feeling emotionally. 

Let's start with the fact that I spent the entire morning prepping meals for the day (and some of the following), moving into uncharted territory preparing sushi rolls.  Today was my day off, a day I should be spending with the boys, not making food I had no clue how to prepare.  I was beyond frustrated.  And I just confirmed one rumor to be true...the food prep is insane!  I finished making my meals and off we went to visit friends.  I was still frustrated, stressed, tired and just emotional.  And to top it off, I didn't really like lunch.  The lentil lime salad, at least!

Then it was time for dinner.  I wasn't really that hungry and the thought of eating the nori rolls and cucumber salad made me nauseous.  I mustered up enough energy to start eating the salad and almost vomited.  I could not stomach the seaweed.  Pulling the nori roll out of the refrigerator almost made me lose it again.  It was soggy and smelled awful.  I couldn't fathom taking one bite.  So, what did I do, I decided to have a square of pizza and some wine (probably a quarter glass).  Not the best decision I could have made, but one I have to live with. 

One lesson I learned tonight...I am an emotional eater...hands down! 

Lesson 2: seaweed from Whole Foods is not the same as seaweed you get a sushi restaurant, at least not how I prepared it.

Lesson 3: social gatherings on the reset are not a good idea.

In all honesty, I felt like an entirely different person when I drove home that night.  Yes, I had cheated, but I had a whole new clarity about the reset.  Day 21 seemed so far away, but I know now how to handle each and everyday.  I learned I don't like tempeh or seaweed, which means I will substitute my meals when tempeh or seaweed is involved.  I will go to bed feeling defeated, but excited about day 4.  Tomorrow is a new day!

Until tomorrow.....

Day 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries and organic plain yogurt with honey

Lunch: Greek salad with Greek dressing

Dinner: Black beans and rice on a corn tortilla with corn, salsa, and guacamole and kale with pine nuts.

Today was another good day.  I still feel fairly normal, which I didn't expect.  I did have a slight headache all day, but I am slightly surprised by.  I don't drink much caffeine, if any at all, on a daily basis.  I gave up diet coke when I started Beachbody in August and don't drink coffee.  I am thinking it might be from the lack of sugar.  With Christmas and "preparing" for the reset, I know I ramped my sugar intake up a great deal.  I am not regretting the sweets though, as the headache is not that bad.  I did increase my water intake today in hopes it would help with the headache.  I have now had 3 gallons of water in 2 days.  3 gallons of water = lots of trips to the bathroom, but it is worth it.  And, I love water! 

I continue to despise the alkalinize supplement, but it did go down easier to day.  It tastes like a combination of blended grass, dirt, and seaweed.  Yummy! 

I did find this website and printed out the Ultimate Reset worksheets in hopes they will help me with timing.  I did plan better and make my meals ahead of time so timing was a bit better today, I didn't feel as rushed. 

On a food note, I did think there was too much lettuce in the Greek salad so it took me over an hour to eat it.  I probably could have left the remaining lettuce, but I was afraid I would be hungry if I didn't gobble it all up.  I think I would decrease the romaine next time to just 1 1/2 hearts. 

Even though strenuous exercise is not allowed on the reset, I find I am really missing doing something.  My sister graciously offered to have a private yoga session for me.  It felt amazing and was beyond relaxing.  I think I will continue this during the reset, if she is willing.

Signing off for the night, until tomorrow...

Day 1

 

Breakfast: 2 slices whole grain toast, 2 eggs scrambled with olive oil, and steamed kale

Lunch: Microgreen Salad with prepared dressing

Dinner: Baked Salmon with asparagus and baby potatoes

 

Day 1 was a success!  I am thrilled I made it through the first day with very few problems.  The food was amazing and fairly easy to prepare.  I am loving the micro green salad and will be adding it to my lunch repertoire after the reset is over.  I also will never buy store bought salad dressing again.  Salad dressing is a cinch to make and tastes great.  Cianara store bought dressings!  I was a little nervous about the salmon because it is one of the very few foods I do not like.  Well, the preparation of the fish was delicious and I think I might have turned the corner on my adversion to poor salmon. 

 

I did have a few problems with the first day that I am hoping get easier as the reset continues along.  The first is timing.  The supplements, taken 4 times a day, are taken 30 minutes prior to eating and at least 2 hours after eating.  That requires a lot of planning and time managment.  I didn't realize how difficult it woudl be to schedule these things out.  I think trying to coordinate this with working and feeding the boys is going to prove to be a challenge.  Tomorrow, I will write a schedule of supplements and eating...let's see if  I can stick to it.  The second issue is the taste of the alkalinize.  IT.IS.DISGUSTING.  I mixed it with about 6 ounces of water today and tried to gulp it down, but it practically came back up.  Enough said!

 

Another thing...21 days seems like a LONG time!

 

I was feeling quite tired toward the end of the evening so I relaxed with a cup of hot tea and enjoyed some trash T.V.!  Until tomorrow...

Gearing Up

 Tomorrow I say good-bye to exercise and Shakeology and begin Beachbody's Ultimate Reset.  This is a 21 day cleanse to restore your body to it's optimal health.  The cleanse is broken up into 3 phases, reclaim, release, restore and is a combination of healthy eating, supplements, and water. 

See ya!

 

H is really upset he won't be having his morning shot of Shakeology!
 

I received my reset kit about 5 days ago and have been preparing mentally and physically ever since.  I have been to 3 different grocery stores to buy everything I need for the first week.  The cost of the food was higher than we normally spend on groceries for a week, but I had to buy some staples I will be using throughout the reset like olive oil, Bragg Liquid Amino Acids, distilled water (the suggested water), lots of lemons, etc. 

Here is a breakdown of my spending for the week:

• Trader Joe's - $101.77
• Whole Foods - $59.25
• Valli - $62.23
• Total - $223.25

Even though there is an increase in grocery bills for the week, I know we will be saving money on eating out and alcoholic beverages, as they are not allowed on the reset. 

Mentally, I am ready... I have been ready for the past 2 weeks.  I know it is going to be tough, but I need to get myself back to healthy eating because I felt amazing when I started the Beachbody program in August.  I am nervous, yes, but ready to go. 

Some of the rumors I have heard about the reset prior to starting (I will confirm if they are true at the end of the 21 days):

• The food prep is insane
• The alkalinize supplement tastes horrible
• You will get headaches
• You will be freezing all the time
• You will breakout
• The amount of water you drink is more than a gallon a day
• You will become a master in the kitchen
• You will feel great at the end of the 21 days
• You will sleep great
• Weird cravings might exist

I am signing off to enjoy my last cookie from Blackberry Market before my sweet tooth gets taken away from me!