I’m a slave, for you…

A slave to my kitchen that is! Its day 7 of the Ultimate Reset. I’m almost done with phase one which was the reclaim phase. Its only noon so there are a lot of hours left but I am confident I will make it through. At the moment I’m having lunch… micro green salad and zucchini cashew soup (which is making me gag actually)…

So first things first, I feel like I’m living in the kitchen these days. It’s kind of cool that all of our meals have to be freshly prepared; we’re definitely learning new things and bonding over the food prep process! The downside is that it takes A LOT of time! And a LOT of cleanup! We’re definitely getting our money’s worth out of the dishwasher. Sunday I spent a full 2 hours standing in the kitchen making dinner, prepping Monday’s breakfast and making Monday’s lunch. I know it was 2 hours cause we watched a movie from start to finish at the same time.

Yesterday, day 6 I felt like crap! It was warned that day 3-5 or so would be difficult. So I was fully prepared to have the weekend to get over that slump but since I felt great on those days I was hoping I skipped that part all together and was in the clear. Not the case! I woke up yesterday, Monday of all days, feeling incredibly exhausted and crabby. Mostly exhausted. I was drained and miserable the whole day at work. And I was very, VERY angry at my micro green salad. See the salad, which is very good, is on the menu for lunch just about every day, and I’m already SICK of it. Yesterday all I wanted was to toss it and run to Chipotle for a steak burrito bowl, extra steak! I was a bit over emotional. My job passed out chocolates to all the employees and I just about cried because I wanted to eat them! All I wanted to do was get home and sleep. After work I went to whole foods and treated myself to a snack, a handful of almonds with coconut and sweetened with organic pure maple syrup. All allowable ingredients this week so I thought why not? It was just a handful and it felt like a small cheat, had those with some fresh strawberries and it made me smile.

Today, day 7, I woke up very drained again but I’m in a better mood overall. I just need to get past the slump; I know I will feel great again very soon. And back to today’s lunch, the DREADED micro green salad which I am making myself eat, and soup, which we had for dinner and it was good but today I’m just not feeling it.

I’m holding steady at 4.2 lbs lost. I actually was at a little over 5 lbs but I gained 1 back and it’s been the same for 2 days. We’ll see what happens when I start the next phase, phase 2 is the colon cleanse… eek… As long as we are on that topic, I haven’t had any stomach cramps since day 1 which makes me VERY happy and shows me that my IBS is really diet related! For someone who’s dealt with IBS and almost DAILY painful cramping for 9 years, this is very eye-opening.

Still craving steak… Till next time!

Ultimate Reset Day 4

Ok so lots of people said that day 3-5 are the hardest and to be prepared to feel like crap, tired, sore, crabby, etc.  I will say that aside from the headaches on day 1 and 2 I feel amazing!  I'm following the meal plan just as it's laid out and I'm down 5.4 lbs in 3 days.  I've lost more than Syed at this point which is a little weird cause I way a lot less than he does.  We're thinking it might be the fact that I've accidentally been drinking almost 2x as much water as it calls for.  Oops, but it seems to be working!

I feel very much alert, not hungry, if anything I can't even eat all the food that the plan calls for.  It's so much food!!!  I woke up today at 7 am (exactly the 8 hour mark) wide awake and wanting to get out of bed.  But I thought, who am I?  I love to sleep and I don't have to be anywhere so why not take advantage of this.  I made myself go back to sleep until 10:30 when Novali came and got me.

Syed and I did some stretching with Insanity Asylum's Relief dvd, that felt great.  Afterwards and for the rest of the day my legs were very achy so that was a little uncomfortable.  We spent all day relaxing, watching movies, cooking, and just feeling very content.

That's the one thing, there's so much cooking involved!  All meals need to be prepared fresh, so our kitchen and dishwasher have been getting A LOT of use.  The hard part will be continuing with this AFTER the 21 days are up!  I'm feeling so good I've had NO cravings and when I even think about the things I usually eat as take out, it doesn't even sound appealing.  No Cinco de Mayo indulgences for us!

Here's to good health!

All about cravings...

I wrote this as a reply to an email from a friend, and I thought it would make a great first post!!!  The questions were: 


How do I handle food remorse and cravings?
How much water is too much?
How do I stay motivated to work out?

Food and my diet are my biggest struggle.  I’ve never been one to crave sweets.  Instead I crave salty and crunchy foods.  Heavy comfort foods.  Especially when I am tired or overwhelmed, which is a lot of the time.  And I used to be totally addicted to Coca-Cola.  First of all I stopped buying it at home. I used to get it a lot when I ate fast food.  Now I’ve trained myself to get water, the occasional soda, but overall I have really stuck to not drinking it.  It was hard at first but little by little I just got used to it.  Now, often when I drink it, it tastes disgusting and I only end up having a few sips.   I have my days when I can be really good and I have days where I crave everything bad.  And I have issues with stopping when I am full.  Once I start, it’s a little more and a little more, and before I know it I’m stuffed and I feel nasty.  I also have major food remorse.  I use that remorse to remind myself that I don’t enjoy the feeling.

I sometimes literally argue with myself, esp. on my way home from work because that is my opportunity to stop and buy food.  It’s like the little angel and devil on my shoulders.  The little devil makes EVERY excuse in the book.  For me it’s really about constantly reminding myself of how far I’ve gotten.  And that often when I eat bad, I physically feel sick afterwards.  I don’t want to feel that way.  So I try to remember how bad I felt the last time I indulged.  It’s all about building a habit.  I am good more often than not, and when I’m on a roll it’s easier to stick to it.  When I let myself overindulge it snowballs.

And seriously, Shakeology is helping A LOT.  After I drink it, I feel satisfied and I don’t crave bad stuff.  It’s like once you do one good thing for yourself, you build momentum.  I also suffer from IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome and it’s helping me with that.  This past week I wasn’t consistent drinking it every day, and the past few days I’ve had the worst stomach aches and I’ve been sluggish.  When I was drinking it consistently for a few weeks, I felt so much more energized than usual and I wasn’t feeling as sick to my stomach.  I wasn’t even drinking coffee, which is HUGE for me.

So it is all about just building that momentum and being patient.  And not beating yourself up.  Your body really starts to reject junk food after a while and not even crave it anymore.  And have someone to help you stay on track.  When I’m tempted I text my bff and she yells at me LOL.

As for water, unless you are drinking gallons a day, there is really no such thing as too much.  Water is the best thing you can give yourself.  I forget to drink water sometimes during the day and then I wonder why I’m so tired and sluggish.  I always have a reusable bottle with me and I fill it constantly and sip all day.  You should be aiming for 8 – 8 oz cups a day, right before, during , and after your workouts.  I used to chug 2 tall glasses at least during Insanity!  And headaches are often caused by dehydration.  If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

As for motivation with my workouts, I have them scheduled into my calendar.  As soon as I get home, I get dressed into my workout clothes.  No matter how tired I am, I do not let myself sit.  If I do, forget it.  I just jump right in and once I start, I feel great.

Last but not least, surrounding myself with like-minded people is helping me.  The biggest challenge is holding YOURSELF accountable.  I don’t want to give advice to others if I’m not following my own advice.  So again, it’s like my conscience telling me to be good!  I have surrounded myself with so many motivated people, I’m constantly being reminded of my goals and learning new tips and tricks.  Most of us have the same struggles, so having the support of others is key.  Sharing my experiences is helping ME more than anything!!!