I’m super EXCITED about completing the Ultimate Reset for the second time! I was in need of something after the holidays. I was in a bit of a slump, the scale wasn’t budging, I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted from my fitness programs and my thyroid was out of whack. The beginning of January seemed like the perfect time to get things cleaned up and cleaned OUT!
READ ABOUT MY FIRST RESET EXPERIENCE HERE!
The first time I did the Ultimate Reset, I was coming off a week long vacation in Nashville–yikes! I was feeling totally ready to detox my system after that! Along with the Reset, I completed Country Heat, which had just been released. I lost 12 pounds and a ton of inches in my midsection mostly. I felt amazing!! After completion, I KNEW this was something I would do every six months. It’s just such a great way to get dialed in and really force yourself to follow a meal plan/game plan for 21 days. It was definitely challenging, and I experienced some detox symptoms; headache, body ache, dizziness, brain fog. But those symptoms subsided within the first 3 days or so. The rest of the 21 days were a breeze, I didn’t find myself craving anything or wanting to “cheat.”
This second time around was much more difficult for me! I think it has A LOT to do with the time of the year. Living in Wisconsin, we sometimes don’t see a lot of sunlight in the colder months, and sometimes this causes me to get a little seasonal depression. There were bitter cold days, rainy days, icy days, then we had ZERO snow for a long time. Typically I’m active outdoors, running, hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, etc. but I was not able to do ANY of those things during the Ultimate Reset. I spend a lot of time indoors, causing some cabin fever and boredom, and like most people, when I’m bored, I want to munch on food, BUT I COULDN’T! I feel like I thought about food a lot, thought I was hungry, but really I was just bored. I didn’t have too many moments of feeling actual hunger pangs.
I experienced similar detox symptoms the first few days, but they subsided. It seemed like the symptoms were a lot less severe this time around. My biggest craving was for coffee, not because of the caffeine, but because it’s been so cold here!! My weight-loss was much slower this second time around, which left me feeling a little frustrated. But by the end of Phase 3 I was down 11 pounds, close to what I lost the first time. During the 21 days, I also completed the 3 Week Yoga Retreat on Beachbody On Demand. My flexibility improved A LOT and I got rid of some sciatic pain that had been bothering me. I won’t lie though–I missed my sweaty cardio sessions and snuck a few additional workouts in when I had the energy.
The food was as amazing I had remembered! I finished every meal feeling completely satisfied. This second time around, I stuck to the meals I liked the most and provided the most convenience. The next week, I plan to stick to eating recipes from the Reset, but am going to incorporate almond milk, almond butter, and a few other things back into the mix. I also read the book “A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health With Food That Tastes Great” by Marco Canora, and plan to incorporate many of these recipes into my meal plan. This book is fantastic, by the way! It’s very educational, provides grocery lists, the recipes are simple, few ingredients, etc. Check it out!!
In closing, the Ultimate Reset is a challenge! It really tests your willpower and you learn a lot about yourself, your emotional attachment to food, and your triggers. But I think it’s so important to prove to myself that I could stick to something and be dedicated–it’s very rewarding (not to mention, the health benefits are CRAZY good too)! I already have my kit ordered for Ultimate Reset 3.0, scheduled for Summer 2017.
If you are looking to get a complete tune-up for your body, or want to jump-start a new fitness routine, definitely consider the Ultimate Reset! I would love to answer any questions you might have about it, just email brownellbootcamp@gmail.com and we can chat.