Category: ultimate reset

Day 6

distilledjillLeave a comment

I have fallen in love with tempeh.  As long as tempeh exists, I might never eat chicken again.  

Okay, so that might be a stretch.  Maybe.

Before starting the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, I had never actually tried tempeh before.  Tempeh, for the uninitiated, is a fermented soybean patty.  I know, sounds pretty strange.  But I am loving tempeh in the recipes from the Reset cookbook.  From the smokey tempeh in the nori rolls to the baked tempeh from today’s breakfast, I can’t get enough.  The baked tempeh was delicious.  I marinated it overnight (recipe called for 1 hour) in apple cider vinegar, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, sesame oil, garlic, and honey (substituted for maple syrup).  It was served with some avocado and steamed kale.

Day 6 Breakfast

Image

 

Lunch was quinoa salad (I made a double batch the night before) and the infamous microgreen salad, whose ingredients I think I could recite from memory now.

Day 6 Lunch

Image

Finally, dinner.  Dinner took forever.  Start this one early.  Zucchini-cashew soup and a roasted root medley.  For the zucchini-cashew soup, you have to soak the cashews in water for 1 hour.  Yikes!  On top of that, the roasted root veggies (we’re not talking easy choppers here – carrots, beets, yams) need to bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes.  I cooked my veggies for 45 minutes.  Being busy with prep work for the next day’s meals, I didn’t check in on the veggies in the oven, and unfortunately, they got a little crisp.  And by “crisp,” I mean burned.  Luckily, I like charred things, so it wasn’t too bad.  But, you may want to check in on these guys around the 30-minute mark.  The zucchini-cashew soup was pretty awesome – nice and thick, creamy even, for zucchini, cashews, and water as the sole ingredients.  I would make this again, but perhaps with garlic in the soup next time.

Day 6 Dinner

Image

Day 5

distilledjillLeave a comment

Everything that I’ve been hearing and reading about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset says that days 3 through 5 are the most challenging.  Beachbody recommends starting the Reset on a Wednesday specifically so that you can avoid these difficult days falling on work days (Monday through Friday for most folks). 

I am almost done with day 5 and have not really felt particularly challenged yet.  I went into the Reset knowing that I would be saying no to drugs and alcohol for 21 days (drugs = caffeine. Why, what were you thinking?!).  Resisting caffeine and alcohol is more of a psychological shift than a physiological pain for me.  Despite the fact that I would drink at least one cup of coffee during work days and pump up on Redbull on the weekends, I haven’t really experienced any caffeine withdrawal.  While I would like to be drinking alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights (especially outside on nice days like we’ve had in DC this weekend), I can resist it.  I think that days 3 through 5 might be really hard for people who are coming into the Reset with real addictions to things like caffeine and sugar, and for people who are making drastic dietary changes.  Pre-Reset, I normally ate things like quinoa and seaweed (think: sushi, miso soup), and stayed away from sugar and fast food.  So, I’m lucky in that this isn’t that hard (so far!).  The hardest part for me has really been the planning.  

Day 5 breakfast was supposed to include farina with walnuts, apples, and maple syrup.  Now, when I went grocery shopping according to the grocery list the Beachbody compiled for week 1, “rice cereal” was on the list but “farina” was not.  As a result, I ended up buying a hot brown rice grits-type cereal, not actual farina.  I doubt it’s a big deal.  Also, instead of maple syrup, I used raw agave nectar because I opted not to spend the money on maple syrup that it didn’t seem like we really used that much throughout the program.  It turns out maple syrup is used a lot more than agave nectar, so I am kind of regretting that choice.  But, boy, is agave nectar delicious!  Can’t say I mind much.

Day 5 Breakfast

Image

 

Lunch included a quinoa salad and hummus and raw veggies.  I love hummus, so I was very happy to see that the recipe called for a whopping 1/2 cup of hummus!  I was a pretty happy girl for lunch.

Day 5 Lunch

Image

The Reset recipes are slowly taking out animal proteins.  In retrospect, I don’t think that I had any today (unless there was something in the hummus).  It’s really amazing how veggies can fill you up until dinner time, which I will be having soon.

Today was another beautiful day in the District, so my husband and I went out for a couple of nice long walks.  You are not permitted to do strenuous workouts during the Reset – only walking, yoga, tai chi, or stretching.  Since I am used to doing high-intensity cardio workouts (Insanity is one of my favorites) in mornings before heading into the office, this is a big change for me.  On day 1, I tried the Tai Cheng sample workout that comes with the Reset DVDs.  Tai Cheng is basically a low-impact Tai Chi program developed by Dr. Mark Cheng.  While I could see the value of the workout, it was really putting me to sleep first thing in the morning, and I preferred the 20-minute yoga workout that I did the following day.  The sun salutations really helped wake me up a little bit in the morning, and since I perpetually drag early in the day, that’s essential for me in a morning exercise routine.  Did I sweat?  No.  Did my heart rate go up?  No, not really.  I can’t wait to go back to my normal exercise routines after the Reset.  My goal is to begin with Focus T25, then do Insanity, and then Insanity the Asylum.  I already own and have completed each of these, but I feel like I will really get the most benefit out of them doing them in sequence again after the Reset.  I’d say the next 5 months are pretty well planned.  Can’t wait!

The final meal of today is miso soup (my husband’s specialty!), stir-fried veggies, brown rice, and nori gomasio.  I made an extra batch of stir-fried veggies last night, have a big batch of brown rice in the fridge, and a bunch of nori gomasio, so my evening looks pretty easy!  I’m going to go start prepping for tomorrow now.  No rest in the Reset.

Day 4

distilledjillLeave a comment

This is the winter of the polar vortex.  The winter of cold, depressing, climate zeniths, of crisp, painful winds, treacherous ice, burdensome snow, and hibernation. 

Except Day 4 of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, which was a beautiful, glorious Saturday.  Sunny and warm, with not a cloud in the sky.  If I were not on the Ultimate Reset, I could tell you exactly where I would have been.  I would have been enjoying an al fresco brunch, soaking up the sun, breathing in the fresh air, feasting on eggs benedict and all-you-can-drink mimosas, happy to be alive on a wonderful weekend.

Did I get to enjoy the nice weather?  Sure.  Though, it was mostly walking to and from the grocery store, which was followed by hours spent in the kitchen preparing meals.  Sigh.  It took every bit of strength to remind myself that these 21 days will change my life.  It’s okay.  There will be other sunny brunch days in the future.

Anyway, day 4 was another delicious day.  I have thoroughly enjoyed every meal so far from the Ultimate Reset recipe book, and day 4 was no exception.

The breakfast included a fresh fruit plate with yogurt.  Flipping ahead in the Reset recipe book, I see that the breakfasts for the last week of the Reset are solely comprised of fruit.  No eggs, no grains, no yogurt (animal product) – just fruit.  Knowing that is what lies ahead of me, I am a little nervous about whether I will be satiated until lunch, but that is a hurdle I will have to face when i get there.

Day 4 Breakfast

Image

 

Yeah.  I’m guilty.  I try to make these dishes look pretty for you, dear ready.  Enjoy!

Lunch.  I was so excited to make lunch because the recipes are fairly quick and simple:  nori rolls and lentil-lime salad.  I had made a big batch of brown rice a couple of days ago, so I wouldn’t have to wait the 30 minutes to cook the rice in order to make the nori rolls.  Well, I had my smokey tempeh cooked and I was ready to roll, then I realized I was out of brown rice!  Always make double, triple, heck, even quad batches of your grains, and when you are out, make more ASAP.  Lesson learned.  I fought the grains, and I won.  Too bad these will probably only last us a day or two.

Quinoa and Brown Rice Reserves

Image

I have come to the conclusion that the nori rolls with smokey tempeh and veggies is my absolute favorite meal thus far in the Reset.  I’m really digging the smokey tempeh, even craving it, and kind of sad that I don’t see it further in the recipe book.  I will definitely be making these post-Reset.  The nori rolls were accompanied by the lentil-lime salad that I had earlier this week.

Day 4 Lunch

Image

Finally, dinner included stir-fried veggies, a cucumber and tomato salad, quinoa, and nori gomasio.  Nori gomasio is essentially a seasoning that you make for some of the Asian-inspired dishes that involves grinding up a toasted nori sheet (which I did on the stove), some Himalayan salt, and a bunch of sesame seeds.  It really made the stir-fried veggies.

Day 4 Dinner

Image

Days 2 and 3

distilledjillLeave a comment

Challenges

I’ve observed that throughout the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, I am going to be presented with a number of challenges to test my commitment, each challenge getting harder than the one before:

  • Challenge 1 / Week 1:  The Reset at work.
  • Challenge 2 / Week 1:  The Reset at a conference.
  • Challenge 3 / Week 2:  The Reset at a retirement dinner.
  • Challenge 4 / Week 2:  The Reset at a 24-hour Oscar-nominated best pictures marathon (in a movie theater).
  • Challenge 5 / Week 3:  The Reset during mourning and a funeral service.

Day 2

Day 2 of the Reset was my first day taking the Reset to my 9-to-5 job.  The experience was surprisingly easy, though the preparation the night before was a little trying.  I am going to be preparing my lunches the night before, and as much of breakfast the night before as possible.  I hate mornings (which is something I hope will improve during the Reset), and really don’t want to set my alarm any earlier that I already do, so I’m trying to do as much prep work the night before as possible.

You are only supposed to drink distilled water (mineralize supplement added) throughout the Ultimate Reset.  I normally keep a Brita in my office, but since that doesn’t suffice, I was on the hunt for a jug of distilled water to bring into work to keep in my office to drink throughout the day.  Luckily, a CVS drug store is right across the street from my office building, and they carry gallon jugs of distilled water (unlike my local Whole Foods)!  I will probably be stopping into CVS each morning to grab my water for the day.

As you may have read in an earlier post, due to technical difficulties associated with day 1, I had to switch the recipes for days 2 and 3.  No big deal.  On the Reset, you can swap meals throughout the program so long as they are the same type of meals (e.g., swapping a day 1 breakfast for a day 2 breakfast) and in the same week.

So, on my day 2, I had the same breakfast as day 1 (2 scrambled eggs, steamed spinach, and toast – pictured in the “Day 1” post).  My lunch was a lentil-lime salad, which was easy to prepare; the rest of the microgreens salad from day 1 with toasted pumpkins seeds; and a dressing of choice.  I chose to make a batch of the Creamy Garlic Dressing to use for salads.  It is really good.  Next time I make it, though, I might add a couple of extra cloves of garlic because I can never get enough garlic.  My day 2 dinner was comprised of nori rolls with tempeh and veggies; a Japanese cucumber salad; and miso soup.

Notes on Dinner:  The nori rolls with tempeh and veggies are essentially sushi.  You are rolling your own sushi minus the raw fish.  Luckily, I’ve taken a sushi-rolling class before, so this was not a big deal for me, but for folks who have never rolled sushi before, I suggest watching a Youtube video on how to roll sushi before attempting this.  The nori rolls were excellent.  I had actually never had tempeh before (that I know of) let alone smokey tempeh.  I think smokey tempeh is supposed to be a vegetarian substitute for bacon.  And while I think that comparison is a bit of a stretch, the smokey tempeh was surprisingly delicious.  Though my sushi rolls did not turn out pretty (notice I’ve taken no picture of them!), the meal was really good, and I look forward to having them for lunch today.  I will try to roll them better today so they can be photographed.  I loved the Japanese cucumber salad recipe, and the miso soup is solid.

Day 3

Day 3 was my second challenge throughout the Reset:  The Reset at a conference.  This day, I attended a conference at a Ritz Carlton Hotel for work.  It started at 8 a.m., and we weren’t scheduled to have lunch until 12:45 p.m. — a pretty long interval.  Before I left home for the conference, I had my breakfast, which was pretty easy to make in a time pinch in the morning.  Breakfast was oatmeal with blueberries, and plain organic yogurt.  The recipe book called for the yogurt to be sweetened with either pure maple syrup or stevia, but seeing the price of maple syrup, which I would only use sparingly throughout the program and don’t really otherwise use in my non-Reset life, I opted only to purchase raw agave nectar to sweeten things.  I don’t know if I’ve ever had agave nectar before (outside of a cocktail), and I really liked it!  Better than honey, actually, and I think I will keep using this for my few-and-far-between sweetening needs post-Reset (as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth).

The night before the conference, I prepared lunch – a Greek salad with chicken and pine nuts.  At the conference, while everyone enjoying a nice fancy Ritz luncheon, I ate my Greek salad in the hotel lobby bar.  I got to do some work during lunch, so that was fine.

Since this was Friday night, and I normally stay up much later on the weekends than I do during the week, I really spread my meals out throughout the day.  Breakfast was around 7 a.m., lunch wasn’t until 1 p.m. (due to the conference schedule), I had my afternoon supplements (i.e., alkalinize and mineralize) around 5:30 p.m., had a snack of 1 cup of shelled edamame around 6 p.m., and the dinner was around 9 p.m.  

Dinner was a southwestern veggie taco.  So far, this was the quickest, easiest dinner I have made on the Reset.  Many of the other dinners comprise several dishes (soup, salad, sushi).  This was just one thing – a taco.  

A Note on Portions:  The portions throughout the Reset (week 1 at least) have been out of control.  I have been following the recipe guide’s portions, and some of the meals are just huge.  The southwestern veggie taco was huge.  You are instructed to only use one 6-inch corn tortilla (think: small), and then proceed to stuff this solitary 6-inch corn tortilla with 1 1/4 cup black beans and brown rice and 1/4 cup of corn kernels.  Impossible.  I’m not complaining, though.  I had plenty of the mixture of black beans, brown rice, and corn on the side, which made me very happy to eat after I devoured the taco.  I took a picture of this one, which I understand does not look very appetizing, but believe me, it was good!  Keep in mind all of the extra black beans, brown rice, and corn mixture is not pictured, so there is a lot more food in this meal that you see here.

Day 3 Dinner

Image

Day 1

distilledjillLeave a comment

I have no idea how I have found time to write this post.  The Beachbody Ultimate Reset was a full-time job for me today.  Luckily, I had the day off from my day job.

My mother was in town visiting recently, so yesterday, we went to Yes! Organic Market  and bought most of the groceries that I would need for Day 1 so I could jump on in.  I woke up this morning later than I would on a usual Wednesday, around 10 a.m., and got started.

Day 1 of the Reset starts with two supplements:  Mineralize and Optimize.  Mineralize is some fancy pure salt, and you put 10-30 shakes of the salt in distilled water.  Then you take two Optimize capsules, which is supposed to promote healthy metabolism and effective body functions.  Wait 30 minutes.  Eat breakfast.

Day 1 Breakfast

Image

Breakfast was good:  two scrambled eggs, plain whole grain toast, steamed spinach.  Nothing all that different from what I would normally have for breakfast on a weekend.  I added some Indian spices to the eggs this morning to give them a little flavor and kick.  Normally, before work in the morning, I blend up some Shakeology and head out the door.  Actually cooking in the morning before work is going to be a drastic change for me.

After breakfast, I thought, oh what the heck, I have 2 hours before the next action (same supplements as this morning, wait 30 minutes for lunch).  So, I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods for the groceries for the rest of the week.  The Beachbody Ultimate Reset online portal already has shopping lists prepared for each week of the Reset, so luckily, I didn’t need to waste time flipping through the recipe book trying to compile a list.  Believe me, that would taken hours.

I went to Whole Foods via car.  I live in Washington, DC, and normally just do grocery shopping by foot, but seeing the long list ahead of me, not to mention all of the gallons of distilled water I was hoping to buy, I decided to actually drive my vehicle, which is a rare opportunity.

I must have spent a couple of hours at Whole Foods.  This was a daunting task.  I had to multiply all of the quantities by two (since my husband and I are both doing to Reset, and math is not my forte).  I was frustrated to find that many of the items on the shopping list only required a small amount (e.g., 2 oz. of Mirin, a Japanese cooking wine), but I had to purchase an entire 12 oz. bottle of the stuff.  I was able to find just about everything on the list (except the jugs of distilled water I had hoped for – crazy!).  I had to be creative in a couple of instances, though.  The grocery list called for only 1/4 cup of guacamole (1/2 cup for two people), and it killed me to have to turn down Whole Foods’ guacamole, which I am guilty of eating with a spoon while watching television.  The guacamole portion that they sell is WAY more than 1/2 cup, and I could not bear to see the rest of the guacamole go to waste.  That could lead to a dangerous temptation situation where I end up devouring the remaining guacamole.  And that’s no good.  Instead of purchasing this wonderful guac, I opted for an avocado and a guacamole packet instead.

Week 1 Groceries (Not All Pictured)

Image

When I arrived home, it was definitely time for my next serving of Mineralize and Optimize.  Wait 30 minutes.  Lunch.  Lunch was a huge microgreens salad and miso soup.  I had never made miso soup from scratch before, and it was pretty easy.  Unfortunately, with all of the time that I spent at Whole Foods, lunch was not done until 5:45 p.m.!  And I had a meeting at 6 p.m., so I had a bowl of soup, a little bit of salad (not nearly the full serving that I was supposed to have of either), and ran off to the meeting.

After the meeting, I had a mini-breakdown.  I had 5 hours of supplements and meals left in the schedule, but only 3 hours left before bedtime.  The Ultimate Reset was not off to a good start.  I opted to take the next set of supplements immediately, wait an hour, take the next supplements, then wait 30 minutes, eat dinner.  The new supplement that was added after lunch was Alkalinize, which helps maintain alkalinity.  You mix a packet of green powder with 2-4 ounces of distilled water, and drink it.  I have heard reports of this supplement tasting horrible, like swamp water, and people have had to mask the flavor with lemons (query the appropriateness of that considering the acidity) or cinnamon.  I thought it tasted just fine – kind of like liquid steamed spinach.  No big deal.

Since I didn’t really have lunch, there is a huge salad left (probably 90% of the portion).  To ensure the salad does not go to waste, I have decided to swap day 2’s recipes with day 3’s recipes, so I can have the salad tomorrow for lunch before it goes bad.

Before my late dinner, I took the last of the supplements – Mineralize, Optimize, and Sooth (helps reduce inflammation and enhance digestive health).  I actually felt very hyper before dinner, but the energy is now starting to dissipate after eating dinner.  Dinner was amazing, and it was a meal that I could definitely see myself cooking again post-Reset (a world that feels all too far away).  Dinner was baked salmon that I marinated for an hour (recipe only calls for 20 minutes) in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, and parsley; boiled potatoes (wonderful to sop up the salmon marinade); and steamed asparagus with olive oil and lemon.  Sorry, no pictures.  I was in a rush to eat that meal so I could post this before bed.

Day 2 tomorrow will test my ability to handle the reset during the 9-to-5.  Here goes nothing.

Transformation Eve

distilledjillLeave a comment

Things that I have consumed over the past 5 days:

  • Blue cheese with apple cider fluid gel, celery leaf salad
  • Steak tartare with pickle salt kettle chips, foie gras mustard aioli, fried quail egg
  • Snapper, fingerlings, saffron air, roasted fennel, dill, chive oil
  • Carbonated raspberries, raspberry sherbert, pistachio sponge cake, cloudberry jam, white port syrup
  • Wine, wine, wine
  • Sandwich of hot pastrami, corned beef, chopped liver, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, potato latke, on rye bread
  • Fig-infused Irish whiskey
  • Bento box of baked salmon, steamed spinach, ginger cucumbers, and brown rice
  • Green tea
  • Trout mousse, barbeque eel, red cabbage salad, and wasabi
  • Belgian frites with a trio of homemade mayonaisse
  • Wild mushroom waffle, porcini, enoki, and oyster mushroom
  • Grilled vegetables with black garlic dressing
  • Mac ‘n cheese
  • Beer, beer, beer
  • Fried green tomatoes in cornmeal batter, herb goat cheese, and Green Goddess Dip
  • Two baby cheeseburgers, chili dog, pork ribs, potato salad
  • Apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream
  • Chicken schwarma
  • Sherry
  • Dangerously delicious hot rod potato pie
  • Cocktails, cocktails, cocktails
  • Forthcoming: Indian cooking class tonight

I normally do not eat this unhealthy, but considering the Beachbody Ultimate Reset begins tomorrow, I have indulged.  Needless to say, I am ready for the Reset to begin tomorrow!

Day 1 Groceries

image

Day Zero

distilledjillLeave a comment

Healthraiser?  Why healthraiser?

Ever hear of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset?  It’s scary.  I’m horrified.  It’s only appropriate to name this blog, which will document my progress through the 21-day presumed horror that will be the Ultimate Reset, after a classic horror movie.

Based on what I’ve heard about the Ultimate Reset, it could easily be classified as the “demon to some; angel to others” that “will tear your soul apart.”  Okay.  Enough with the regurgitated cheesy “Hellraiser” taglines, what is the Beachbody Ultimate Reset?

As its Program and Nutrition Guide describes it, the “Ultimate Reset is not just a cleanse or detox . . . It’s a no-starvation, multifaceted, life-changing, cutting-edge, ‘this-is-the-real-deal,’ inner-body tune up.”  It cleanses your body, helps you eliminate waste, naturally and gently detox your body, and helps maximize energy production within your cells, and improve your ability to process fuel from nutrients.  Its three phases over 21 days include daily meal plans full of organic and unprocessed foods, a strict supplement regimen, and nothing else to drink but distilled water.  In the end, you’re supposed to feel better and be healthier than you ever have in your whole life – energized and renewed.  Sounds great, huh?

Yes, except it’s the process of getting there that scares me.  I am a foodie, and I love trying trendy new restaurants and avant-garde meals from celebrity chefs.  I love caffeine in all of its many forms – coffee, tea, No Doz, you name it.  Another love?  Alcohol.  Red wine, white wine, craft beer, craft cocktails, champagne, tequila, gin, vodka – shake it, stir it, blend it, shoot it, all of it.

Despite these damning indulgences, I am no stranger to health and nutrition.  I do not eat much processed food or fast food.  I avoid things like butter, sugar (I am blessed not to have much of a sweet tooth), and pasta; and instead regularly eat things like quinoa and kale, and drink Shakeology every day.  I try to balance my unhealthy habits with super strenuous exercise and fitness regimens (ever hear of Insanity?).  And while I have lost 40 pounds since graduating from law school about 3 years ago, my body is not where it should be. I crave more energy and mental clarity.  I drag in the mornings, and my brain constantly feels fuzzy (and no, it’s not from alcohol, I don’t normally drink during the week).  I’ve struggled with my metabolism my whole life.  I also know that I need to take better care of myself due to family histories of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  That’s where the Ultimate Reset comes in.

Here is me before and after Beachbody programs.  The left photo is from law school about 3 years ago.  The right photo is me today after Shakeology and Insanity:

Image

No red meat, no alcohol, no caffeine.  I keep telling myself it’s only 21 days.  I can do it.  The Program and Nutrition Guide tells you exactly what to eat each day.  I just got to make it and ingest it.  There are three phases, each one week long:

  1. Phase 1:  Reclaim.  You remove foods, such as red meat and dairy, that place stress on the digestive system.
  2. Phase 2:  Release.  Fully vegetarian diet.  You release the toxic compounds that are stored within your tissues, clogging your cells, and blocking proper nutrient absorption.  This phase includes a gentle colon cleanse.
  3. Phase 3:  Restore.  You restore your metabolism to maximum efficiency and eat mostly fruits and veggies.

During each phase, there are supplements that you take.  These include Detox, Revitalize, Alkalinize, Mineralize, Optimize, and Soothe.

Image

My Start Date:  Wednesday, February 17.

I will try to document as many days of the Ultimate Reset as possible.  My husband will also be joining me for the Ultimate Reset, and I will be sure to post stats and comments about both of us.  My hope is that my journey through the program helps others decide whether this is something appropriate for them, and also to inspire others to take control of their health.  Wish me luck!