What I Learned

What I've leaned since completing The Ultimate Reset:

~clean eating is the way to go

~clean eating is the difference between feeling energetic and focused as opposed to sluggish and tired

~cheat meals are not for me while still working on weight loss

~the 3 Day Refresh an awesome way to get back on track

~nothing tastes better than healthy feels

~the way I feel and the positive changes I'm experiencing prompt me to share with others

~some are interested; some are not

~change comes with desire

~it took me awhile to make my own change, but it is for life. 

~to successfully meet my healthy goals, clean eating, exercise, and accountability are a must - 

~I'm thankful for my Beachbody family and their constant support

Before, I would continually tell myself that I was doing the best I could. A lie. I might have been doing a bit better than before, but not the BEST I could. From this point forward, my best only. I will still falter and stumble, but I have people around who will help me to find my footing and keep me moving toward becoming the best person (inside and out) that I can be. :) Hopefully, I can do the same for others in the future. 

Living life one day at a time. 

Pizza and Clean Eating?

First blog since completion of the Ultimate Reset. And I can honestly say that the advantages of
eating clean are continuing to reveal themselves. The past few days have not been a leap back into bad eating habits, just the opposite. My eating habits overall have become geared towards clean eating; however, there were a few times I added "white" carbs or sugar. I could almost immediately feel a physical difference. And gained back some weight. Lesson - if my goal is to continue to lose weight and gain a healthier lifestyle, then I must stick to the clean eating. Any deviation will need to wait for the time when my weight goals have been achieved.

On the positive, I am able to exercise again, and it feels fabulous. I am using Chalean Extreme for weights and CIZE for cardio. Am also continuing to prep food for the week and discovering new clean recipes. Yesterday I used the embedded video to make quinoa pizza crust. Quite tasty.

Gluten-free or not, this crunchy quinoa crust is out-of-this world delicious and completely guilt-free: http://trib.al/WGapgel
Posted by Cooking Light magazine on Monday, July 13, 2015

Finished But Not Final!

Day 22 of the 21 day Ultimate Reset! And my body truly feels reset and refreshed. What a wonderful experience: one that will impact me for the rest of my life. My results took me to the third shelf (picture at left) during the 21 days. But I'm not done. I really have 30 more to lose. So I'm looking to move beyond the bottom shelf (imagine the second and fourth shelves combined). Knowing that accountability is my friend, I am going to continue blogging (ups and downs/good and bad/ positives and negatives until I hit my goal weight loss. A second form of accountability will be our BB coach group for the month of August. I am committing to 31 days of the 21 Day Fix workout, continued clean eating, and drinking Shakeology and checking in daily to comment and support many of the other coaches on our Beachbody Arete Team. Of course, I will be incorporating CIZE as well! Can't wait to get started! May even dance some this evening. Going to begin exercising with Fix and Engergize in the morning. The Recharge should be here soon. Will drink that before going to bed.

Reset Results:
  LOST -
     Weight loss - 15 pounds
      Hips - 5 inches
      Waist - 4 inches
        Overall - 20 inches
       A sluggish, foggy feeling
        The need and desire for napping
         The heaviness and digestive issues accompanying weight gain and poor eating


   GAINED -
       Confidence in ability to make commitment and follow through (this has not always been the case)
       Desire to eat cleaner
        Ability to enjoy vegetables and fruits with recipes to give variety and taste
         Desire for water more than any other drink - a love for water and its effects on the body
        A healthy system

         A feeling of energy, well being, and focus - a desire to keep these feelings strong

Helped my daughter move this weekend. The energy and ability to work for long periods of time - invigorating! The ability to go to sleep later and still be up early - exciting!
 
Until tomorrow and my August challenge.

Ready to take on a challenge of your own? Here's a possibility -

Future Days

Ultimate Reset - Day 19, Phase 3

Tempeh is marinating - Baked Tempeh for dinner (recipe at end of blog entry). Thinking some curried cauliflower and one other veggie as well. It is what I don't automatically think about for dinner that highlights the change most - not fast food, bread, white pasta, white rice etc. (I am still nurturing a desire for dark chocolate and Justin's peanut butter). I am amazed by the number of nut and seed butters available. I am amazed by the number of tasty healthy recipes I never took the time to try.

At one point this afternoon, I thought I needed a nap, but once I got around to it - NOPE. Not tired! Such a wonderful feeling for someone who used to spend many hours a day napping, especially on weekends. Parts of my life definitely suffered for it (especially grad school reading). The changes I am experiencing are giving me something infinitely more valuable

than being "skinny." Time.  More time awake, more time feeling healthy, more time feeling positive, more time with family, more time on study, more time focusing, When I am tempted to eat something that taps my system of my energy, I just need to remind myself of how wonderful it feels NOT to
crash from a sugar high.

So now I begin concentrating on the days beyond the Ultimate Reset. I am not yet where I want to be and am sure the pounds won't drop as quickly after Saturday. But I have a plan to keep myself heading in the right direction.

*My coach accountability group (checking in daily and supporting others as well)
*BB's new Energize to support morning workouts
*BB's 21 Day Fix for daily exercise (and it's only 30 minutes each day)
*BB's new Restore to drink in the evening before bed (helps sleep, muscle recovery, and curbs the appetite
*CIZE to dance several days after school (hoping some colleagues will join me)
*Shakeology daily (meal replacement or snack)
*LOTS and lots of water (should drink half your body weight in ounces daily)

But most IMPORTANTLY, I will create a schedule of meals each week, plan accordingly for shopping, and prep food on the weekend so that lack of time in the evenings or at school won't become the enemy. The best way to avoid eating what I shouldn't is to always have something I should. And it can still be tasty!

Two more days!

Until tomorrow ~

BAKED TEMPEH
(makes 1 serving)

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1½ tsp. sesame oil
1½ tsp. 100% pure organic maple syrup
½ clove garlic, chopped
4 oz. tempeh, cut into ½-inch strips

Directions
Combine vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos, oil, maple syrup, and garlic in a small bowl; mix well.
Place marinade in a shallow dish; place tempeh in dish and turn several times to coat well on all sides. Marinate for 1 hour, covered, in refrigerator, turning once after 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn over and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until golden brown.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Ultimate Reset - Phase 3, Day 18

Second day of work today. Lots of energy while at school; however, once I came home (both days), the tiredness set in and naps ensued on both days. They were great, and I woke up with energy to spare.

Busy weekend ahead of me. Will be interesting to see how that effects me. Also the last three days of the Reset.

Interestingly, today I have some cravings: dark chocolate and peanut butter. No idea where that came from. :) I have some little packets of Justin's almond butter - may have to use it on Sunday.

Otherwise, another good day. My future goals include eating at least 80 percent clean each day. Planning on running a free clean eating group once school begins. Would so love to help others feel as great as I do! Will also
continue each day with Shakeology. That part will be easy. Absolutely love it as a meal replacement or snack.

Enough for tonight. Be sure to take time to play each day.

Until tomorrow ~


ROASTED ROOT MEDLEY
(makes 1 serving)

Ingredients
¼ medium yam, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ medium carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ medium beet, cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ medium onion, peeled, cut into large wedges
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt (to taste; optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine yam, carrot, beet, onion, and oil, plus salt (if desired), in bowl or dish; mix well.
Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, turning once or twice, or until tender.

"Water, Water Everywhere"

Ultimate Reset - Phase 3, Day 17

Waiting on the squash to finish. Tonight's dinner along with green beans. Last night's dinner is pictured on the left. Curried cauliflower. Delicious. Cauliflower is easily becoming one of my favorite vegetables - so much that can be done with it. Going to try pizza with cauliflower crust when Reset is finished. See end of blog for curry recipe.

Two days of in-service (today and tomorrow). A little tougher following the regimen (supplements and all), but it was doable. And  I was able to avoid all of the chocolate on our table (for me that is BIG). Also, stuck to a salad at lunch. Vegan Shakeology for a snack. Took my gallon jug of mineralized water with me to school and kept refilling my smaller jug, so I managed to keep my water intake up. Will do the same thing again tomorrow.

Felt good all day. Upbeat and energetic. I did come home and take a nap for about an hour and half. Until I started the Reset, I would have trouble sleeping at night and that was after I finally managed to fall asleep. Lately, I lay down thinking, "Here, we go," feeling as if I am once more going to have difficulty again, and the next moment, I'm waking up. So many positive changes. I keep having to remind myself that I have not had refined carbs, meat, or dairy for almost two weeks. The Reset ends on Saturday - final results on Sunday. My CIZE dvd's (Shaun T) came today. Will start using them next week! Can't wait.

Until tomorrow ~

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER
(makes 1 serving)

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ to 1 tsp. curry powder
½ medium head cauliflower, stems removed, trimmed into large florets
¼ tsp. Himalayan salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Heat oil in small skillet over medium-low heat. Add curry powder; cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 30 seconds, or until fragrant, taking care not to burn. Remove from heat.
Combine cauliflower and curry mixture in glass baking dish. Add salt (if desired); mix well.
Bake, stirring gently 2 to 3 times, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

Serenity

 Yesterday - Phase 3, Day 16 (Ultimate Reset)

Since a friend of mine requested yesterday's blog, going to knock out two today. (Hi, Jennifer. ;))

Yesterday I had to get out and take care of some school business, and I felt really good! Less stressed and able to calmly consider all information that came my way. That sounds ominous. Nothing major happened, all good going into the new year! But I have changed - for the better! I don't feel nearly as uptight or unfocused. Tackling whatever comes seems doable. Almost as if time as slowed down a bit, and I don't feel like everything has to be done RIGHT NOW. Doing well with the fruits and vegetables. The plan allowed for some grain yesterday, so I had a small bowl of brown rice with dinner (curries cauliflower and sauteed green beans - recipe tonight). I have a full day of meetings today, so it will be interesting to see how it goes (will I still be able to slow down and appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of the awesome people with whom I work). Life is too short. Today will never come again.

I woke up early this morning - 5:30 - on my own - no alarm - very refreshed! Going to have half a banana, frozen grapes (taste like candy), freshly squeezed orange juice, and cantaloupe.

Will add a recipe since I have a little extra time this morning.

Not sure if I shared this before, but it is one of my favorites. Will be making much more of this especially this winter! I know there is a picture on a previous blog from when we made it the first time.

SWEET POTATO and ROASTED RED PEPPER BISQUE
(makes 1 serving)

Ingredients
1 sweet potato (aka garnet yam)
¼ red bell pepper
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger root
1½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. miso paste, diluted in 1 tsp. hot water
Tamari or Bragg® Liquid Aminos, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning (to taste)

Directions

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, roast a whole red bell pepper on gas stovetop or grill, turning frequently until evenly charred on the outside OR in your oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or until skin is charred.

Put pepper in bowl and cover with towel for 10 minutes to steam. Clean off skin and seeds by running under cool water. Remove seeds, cut in quarters, and chop one quarter into ½-inch cubes. (Set remainder of pepper aside for another use.)

Place sweet potato, pepper, broth or water, ginger, oil, and miso in blender. (If you want chunky soup, set aside some chunks of pepper.) Blend thoroughly, adding more liquid to achieve desired soup consistency. Transfer to a pot and gently heat on low until hot. Add tamari or aminos, salt, and seasoning as desired. Serves 1.

Recipe from Beachbody's Ultimate Reset

Have a great day!