Saturday, August 4, 2012

Ultimate Reset Journey



I started my journey on the Ultimate Reset full of high hopes and conviction that the only issue would be my addiction to coffee. Oddly enough my coffee addiction only reared its head once or twice, and really as a desire for the comfort a warm cuppa brings and not for the jolt.

The first week was easy. Got used to the schedule of supplements. The food was fabulous and easy to prepare. It took some juggling, but I managed the time even when things didn't go according to plan. I didn't experience any of the mood swings or exhaustion I was counting on. In fact, I was peppy and filled with energy. I figured I had this licked.

Then I missed a supplement on day 8. I figured I would just keep going and get back on track at lunch, which I did. I discovered that this week was not as easy in terms of food preparation, but I made it through the week with the help of my Facebook community and through strength of will. No way was I going to give this up at this point.

At the end of week two and beginning of week three, the exhaustion and mood swings started. When I spoke to my doctor at my follow up appointment to blood work, she mentioned that since hormones are stored in your fat when you lose weight they are released. (Note: this is my interpretation of our conversation.) This made perfect sense to me since at that point I had lost 7 1/2 pounds in two weeks. It wasn't pretty, but the everybody is pissing me off feeling left after a few days. The exhaustion stuck around though through most of week three. This might have been helped by my absolutely insane schedule at work. Other than these two things, week three went well enough. I had to substitute or repeat more meals during this week as I found that making all the aspects of a meal were often to much food. Stayed within that weeks menu plan, though. No straying from the vegan lifestyle.

So here I sit three days post-Reset having successfully eaten dairy and not so much success with a piece of turkey. Wondering where this leaves me in the grand scheme of things. I think that what the Reset did for me was show me where I can be more purposeful in my eating. I wasn't eating badly before, but I have places where I can make changes including in my beloved oatmeal. I have cut way back on my intake and I am actually eating fresh fruit and using natural sugar. I, also, learned that I need to measure more deliberately and not just eyeball things. What I used to think was two tablespoons of dressing really isn't, and honestly I don't need more than the two called a serving.

I am a changed woman in more than the physical ways. It is internal as well. This was a definite growing season for me.

3 comments:

  1. Thoughtfully written. So many factors involved in losing weight or changing habits that it isn't so obvious...which makes the journey frustrating for most. Thanks for blazing the trail.

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  2. I'm in awe as I really don't think I could pull this off. Mainly because I'm so picky about what I eat. I'm also trying to get my food back on track and have been inspired by several blogs to start photographing my lunch and to start using containers that fit the portion size. Hopefully, you'll take what was gained with these three weeks and keep going.

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  3. I have been. I have, also, discovered that I can live on smaller portions and that it is so much simpler than I though. :) How's it going for you?

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