Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ultimate Reset: The Results

Before I reveal my final results, I will tell you about the final Phase of the Ultimate Reset.  This final week is extremely challenging.  My entire diet consisted of nothing but fruit, vegetables and water.  There were optional snacks that included grain, but I chose not to eat them opting instead for more fruit.  The first week, I didn't really need the snack. I felt full enough to make it from lunch to dinner, but in the final week the snack was absolutely needed.  In addition to this, I took an hour nap every day.  I am a stay-at-home-mom, so that is something I am able to do.  If I were working, I'd have taken a brisk walk to get my blood pumping again.  I felt that my energy was waning in the final days of the Reset, maybe because I was just "over it" or maybe because as filling as the meals were, they didn't last long and I wasn't eating any complex carbohydrates.   If I was working, I probably would have eaten the grains so that I had more energy.

Ok. Enough of that!

ARE YOU READYYYYYYYY?

Here are my final results:

Weight Loss: 9.3lbs

Inches Lost

Bust:    2in
Waist:  2.5in
Hips:    1in
Body Fat:  down 3%

If I'd had time, I would've liked to see the doctor for a physical before and after the Ultimate Reset so I could compare the results of blood work. However, I am really satisfied with these results! I was on a downward spiral in my weight management.  I was under tremendous amounts of stress this winter and spring which made my body very resistant to weight loss.  Add that to stress eating and you've got yourself a recipe for a muffin top of epic proportions. I'm thrilled because I actually lost all the weight I gained, plus a little bit more.  I am seeing a number on the scale I haven't seen since before my oldest child was born! A quick calculation reminded me that I am only 7 pounds away from my high goal weight. With all that I have learned about healthy and clean eating on this 3 week journey, I have no doubt that I can reach this goal and even move beyond it to my ultimate goal.  I haven't felt so confident that I could achieve a goal in a very long time.  This is very exciting!

So after all that, I am ready to ease back into normal, healthy eating that can sustain a workout. Beachbody Ultimate Reset guidebook recommends adding foods that we removed over the course of the 3 weeks slowly.  The plan is to observe how my body reacts to certain foods and decide if they should remain in my diet or not. First is grains, then beans, dairy and then meat.  Basically, you treat your body as though you are a toddler being introduced to new foods and observing for any adverse reactions.  Today I added in chickpeas.  So far, so good!

My next plan is to begin Shaun T's Focus T25 program.  It's 5-days-a-week, 25-minutes-a-day (except for Friday that is 50 minutes).  I'm looking forward to this program with a bit of fear and trepidation, but I think that's good. Gotta keep moving forward!

If you're interested in doing the Ultimate Reset, find out more here: Check out this video 
Ready to commit? Find more info and order here.
Please be sure to contact me so that I can help you through this process.

Friday, August 09, 2013

Ultimate Reset Day 15-17

Well, all my adoring fans, we're in the final week of the Ultimate Reset.  Lemme give you a clue:  it ain't easy!  Week One, I thought, "Hey, this ought to be easier than I thought! The food's pretty good, and even when it isn't, it fills me up."   Sigh. This week, rather these 3 days, have been so challenging.  I haven't loved the food, and it doesn't last long.  In the first two weeks, I didn't really need a snack, but this week, I will cut someone if I don't eat a snack.  4 more days people. FOUR MORE DAYS.

On the upside, Kevin told me I feel skinny when he hugs me.  Oh, yeah!  I am fitting my clothes better and better.  I'll be weighing in and taking measurements next Wednesday to see what my final results are, so we'll know the truth.

The other great thing that's happening is I'm getting rid of all the extra stuff we have!  It's been a job that needed to be done for a long time.  So now I have boxes upon boxes of kids toys, baby gear, and whatever else I can get my hands on ready for either a garage sale next Friday (if the weather holds out) or donation the following week.

How I feel.
One other thing, I'm feeling happy.  Like REALLY HAPPY.  I don't know how to explain it, I just feel.. joyful.  I could cry for joy for no real reason.  I can't explain it.  The guidebook talks about ridding yourself of old emotions and old stuff.  It's a full body/mind cleanse I guess because I feel so good!  Who knew so much good could come from detoxifying your body? 

Want more info? Check out this video 
Interested in doing it? Find more info here.

A Pump of Light into My Shriveled Black Heart

This has been floating around Facebook these last couple of days. I want to remember it.

"I watch the faces of single people in their twenties after I bring up that I ‘have children.’ I imagine them taking a small step backward as if to avoid contagion, with a look of ‘Sorry to hear that’ on their face. Like I naively volunteered to contract leprosy, forever quarantining myself from the world of having fun by having children. Well, why not? I guess the reasons against having more children always seem uninspiring and superficial. What exactly am I missing out on? Money? A few more hours of sleep? A more peaceful meal? More hair? These are nothing compared to what I get from these five monsters who rule my life. I believe each of my five children has made me a better man. So I figure I only need another thirty-four kids to be a pretty decent guy. Each one of them has been a pump of light into my shriveled black heart. I would trade money, sleep, or hair for a smile from one of my children in a heartbeat. Well, it depends on how much hair.” Jim Gaffigan

Monday, August 05, 2013

Ultimate Reset Days 7-13

In case you're wondering, I hate beets!  I didn't know it until last night in the last bite of my dinner, but I hate beets.  I don't know what it is about them, they aren't really that offensive, but something disagrees with my taste buds. I could have substituted them for a different dinner in Phase 2, but I am trying to be precise, so I ate them.  Beets are on the menu 2 more times before the end, but I will sub them for something more palatable.  I know a bunch of people who like beets, so don't knock them until you try them. I've tried them, so I will knock them.

I haven't updated my journey recently because how many times can I say "Things are going well. I feel good. I'm sleeping well. I don't have any wild cravings."  It's all still true!!! I'm having a great time on this cleanse. Beets have been my biggest complaint, which isn't anything to complain about.

Here's a great piece of news: yesterday I tried on a dress that was unfit for public wear 2 weeks ago. Well, it fit so well when I tried it on that I wore it to Mass. I felt amazing! If I looked half as good as I felt, then I looked fantastic! (I'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back.)

I have 2 more dresses that I'm using as a goal. One that fits, but has the most unforgiving fabric ever made. I seriously don't know how it made it out of the dressing room, it's that clingy in all the wrong places.  The other is a beautiful sheath dress in a size too small.  I doubt I'll be able to wear it in public just from the reset, but I'm much closer that I was 2 weeks ago.  It's fuchsia with a black and white houndstooth collar and a skinny black belt. It screams for black and white spectators!   But I digress.

Well, there you have it.  Tomorrow is the last day of Phase 2. I begin the final Phase on Wednesday.  Stay tuned!

Want more info? Check out this video 
Interested in doing it? Find more info here.