The Ultimate Reset - Week 3

The last week!

I am a little behind in writing about my last week.  Maybe I was just too happy to be done with the Reset to sit down and write about it.  Just kidding.

The final week was tough.  I really missed having a cup of coffee in the morning.  It wasn't that I needed the caffeine.  Actually, one of the changes that I've made is that I switched to half decaf and I eliminated my afternoon coffee.  I'll talk more about this later when I tell you about the changes I've made after the reset.

 

Phase three is meant to restore your body by restoring your metabolism to maximum efficiency.  Your body can now properly use the nutrients, enzymes, and pre and probiotics it consumes.

So what was new in week 3?

 No more Detox!  Although I didn't hate taking Detox, after the full week I was tired of it.  Instead of Detox, we started to take Revitalize.   We still took Alkalinize, Mineralize, Optimize and Soothe.  Revitalize is a capsule and although you have to take it three times a day, it was a cinch to take.    

 

So, what did I eat?

 

Just like week 2, week 3 is totally vegan.   Once again, breakfast is either 3 cups of fruit or vegan Shakeology -- but only 1/2 scoop.  Most days I opted for the Tropical Strawberry shake with some blueberries and strawberries.  As an active mother of 2 kids, I needed more energy than fruit alone was going to provide.  I thought having the half a shake with more fruit than in week 2 was a good compromise.

 

This week was the strictest.  There were no grains except for 1 serving that was meant to be optional.  I really didn't want to lose any weight so I always opted for the grain snack.  However, instead of having it as an afternoon snack, I incorporated it into a meal.  So when the meal was roasted veggies, I served it with 1/2 cup of millet.  This was actually quite tasty!  What I also did was switch lunches and dinners a few times.  In other words, I had the scheduled plan "dinner" for lunch and the "lunch" for dinner because of time constraints like meetings after work.  Sometimes it was just easier to have a salad for dinner. 

 

I will also admit that I got a bit creative with the meals in week 3.  It was very hard for me to have a dinner of baked sweet potato, a side of millet and kale.  So I made a sweet potato hash with kale. Corn was an allowable snack so I roasted some cut up sweet potato, added some red peppers, onions and corn. Mentally, this was different.  It seemed more like a meal.  One time I cheated and added some black beans.  I really needed the extra energy that day and I had to listen to my body.  One of the goals of the reset is for you to learn what your body needs so I think this modification is acceptable.

 

Some of the meals in week three were: mix greens salads, greek salads,  Zucchini-Cashew soup, Sweet Potato-Roasted Red Pepper soup, veggie stir-fry, roasted veggies and brown rice, roasted butternut squash with tofu (I don’t like tempeh, which is what the Ultimate Reset Menu includes) and millet. 

 

You might not think of a plate full of veggies as dinner but if you prepare them in an interesting way, especially roasting, they are satisfying.

 

So, what did I learn?

 

I've mentioned this several times -- there are many lessons that I learned during this experience.  First, it is ok to be a little hungry.  At the first sign of hunger, I used to eat.  I learned that a little hunger is ok, so long as I know I ate as much as I should have at my last meal and that my next meal is not far away.  When I was hungry between my afternoon snack and dinner, I would drink a glass of water and wait.  More often than not, my hunger went away.  However, there were certain days when I know I didn't eat enough at dinner for my activity level that day and I had to have a snack after dinner because my hunger was real.

 

Another lesson I learned was about mindless eating.  Often I found myself reaching for some food and I could picture myself popping it my mouth.  I would reach for a cookie, jelly beans, chocolate chips, cheez-its, a french fry, etc.  All these things add up.  It was also interesting that I associate going to certain types of places with eating.  In the first week I took the boys to Old Sturbridge Village.  It was chilly and I really felt like I should be sipping a coffee and eating some type of pastry.  I wasn't hungry but I felt like that was what I should have done -- crazy.

 

The most amazing thing I learned is that I do not need caffeine.  This is different from coffee.  I need my coffee because I love how coffee tastes and I love having a mug of a hot drink in the morning.  Before the Reset I used to have several cups of coffee.  I would have 1.5 to 2 cups in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.  Sometimes I had one midmorning.  Now I've eliminated all but my morning cup and that is mostly decaf.  My husband and I also decided every third day will be all decaf so we don't rebuild our dependence upon caffeine.  Normally I don't like decaf coffee much but Starbucks decaf tastes just like regular.  So this is a change I know I will stick.

 

Overall I am happy I did the Reset.  I feel great.  I am sleeping better.  I actually think my skin looks better.  If I could do it all over again, would I still do it?   Yes, I think it was worth it.  It wasn’t easy mostly because of our busy lifestyles.  I cook healthy meals for my family all the time but every once in a while it has to be PB&J for dinner because someone has cub scouts or baseball or a meeting and there just isn’t time to cook.   It might not be for everyone but if you really need help in changing your eating habits and you are relying on “food” that probably shouldn’t be considered food because it has an ingredient list longer than my son’s Christmas list and most of the ingredients are impossible to pronounce, then this might be a good idea.  The “but” is that you really have to want it.  If you really want it and know why you want it, you will stick through the hard parts and succeed! 

 

If you have any questions about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, just let me know or check out: www.myultimatereset.com/katsquest.