Day 1 -- I Need to Do What?!

Last Night: I heard such horrible things about kale from friends and family after I bought 2 bunches of it. I decided to steam some kale as practice so I could taste it and not be shocked in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised! I liked it so much that I steamed both bunches to store and use for the next 4 days. Yummy!!!


MORNING
This morning I got out of bed without really wanting to get out of bed. My mind played with me a bit. It's garbage day, and the garbage bags were still sitting in the kitchen. I have such anxiety about getting the garbage out sometimes that I force myself awake, even though the garbage men won't be here today until about 10:30 or so.

I got up this morning, checked my weight as the official reset starting weight, took my measurements, and took before pictures. Cameras are always less friendly than the mirror. I spent a good 10 minutes walking my mom through taking her supplements and when she needs to take them throughout the day. 

BREAKFAST
Since mom has to get out of the house to get to work, I told her that I'd cook her breakfast. Breakfast gave me a bit of anxiety. For the last 2 years, I've only been eating egg whites, and when I ate eggs, I always had ketchup. On this program, I need to eat the whole egg without any ketchup. I was very worried about gagging if I thought about it too much.

Meal 1 of 63:

2 scrambled eggs (with herbal seasoning)

a generous portion of kale

2 dry slices of whole grain bread (1/2 tsp olive oil optional, but I refrained)

The eggs were actually very good! The herbal seasoning made it a lot more tolerable than I thought it would be. I wanted to put some pine nuts into the kale, but I couldn't find them! I didn't find its flavor to be too bitter, save for one piece here or there. The one thing that I know I'm going to struggle with is the inability to drink water while eating. The reason we are asked to refrain from drinking water during the meal is because drinking while eating will dilute the stomach acids that are present for the purpose of digesting food. If you drink water (or any other liquid while you eat), your stomach acid will dilute too much and will not be able to effectively digest the food. Makes sense. We are asked to take supplements and drink at least 12 oz of water 30 minutes before eating. After eating, we can't drink water for another 30 minutes. If you eat for roughly 30 minutes, you'll go an hour and a half without drinking water. Try eating 2 pieces of toast with super dry mouth!

The distilled water with Himalayan salt and oxygen is interesting. My mouth tastes salty which is an adjustment. It's not as bad as ocean water or gargling with warm salt water when you're sick. The saltiness is more subtle, and I only notice it when I haven't had water for a little while. We'll see how it goes! Roughly two hours in..

LUNCH
I was barely hungry when lunch time came around. I finished my initial 32 oz of water and also took my supplements with an additional 12 oz of water. Oy! I know this is meant to be a slow process to ease into the dietary changes, but I was barely hungry. I didn't want to skip the meal or sub it out because I know it's only a matter of time until I'm counting down the minutes until I get to eat a meal. I suppose I'm savoring this while I can.

Meal 2 of 63:

microgreen salad

(baby spinach, baby arugula, shredded carrot, tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, radish)

creamy garlic dressing

(extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, raw agave nectar, Himalayan salt)

This could easily be the first time I enjoyed a home-made salad. There was just enough radish that it didn't burn my tongue. The dressing is to DIE for! I think that next time, I need to change the portion size. I think I put in too many baby greens for the salad. The recipe didn't specify how many baby greens need to go into the salad while every other ingredient was measured. It also didn't specify how much 1 serving of dressing was, so I assumed it was a tablespoon as that seems to be generally how to works for dressing.  Overall, very satisfied. There's no way I'm going to need to eat my snack today. 

MID-AFTERNOON

Okay, we are supposed to drink this thing called "Alkalinize" and it is especially disgusting. I've read on the various boards all these different methods that people are using to help them get it down, but I don't know how successful it'll be. It tastes like awful terrible yuck. It's made of various grasses, so I guess if I were my cat who loves to eat grass, I'd be okay. Alison said it gets better. We both drank it together: she was successful I gagged 5 times. She told me not the puke it up, and I barely obeyed. Eww.

DINNER

Like lunch, I was barely hungry for dinner, but it was fabulous! The only problem was that I didn't read the recipe ahead of time, so I didn't realize that the meat needed to marinate for an hour. Ughh. I knew that I needed to plan ahead from reading posts on the boards, but I didn't. Lesson learned!

Meal 3 of 63:
baked chicken (in place of salmon)
(parsley, basil, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Himalayan salt, herbal seasoning)
steamed asparagus with lemon
boiled baby potatoes 

This has been the longest evening in recent history. Mon dieu! My mom and I prepped and worked in the kitchen from about 5:45 until 8:00. The chicken took longer to cook than the salmon did, so we ended up waiting for the chicken to finish while also prepping for tomorrow's meals. I made 3 times the chicken because for lunch tomorrow, we have a Greek salad with chicken. The salad will be so delicious with this chicken!! I remember Alison mentioning how during this process, I am going to identify many habits that I have. The program is a bit strict on not mixing eating and drinking. However, during my prep of each aspect of this evening's and tomorrow's meals, I found myself licking the spoon, licking my finger, or eating the stray piece of corn on the counter. Each time I did it, I thought about it and how that's a habit that very sorely needs to be broken. I would be eating to eat because the food is there. I wasn't hungry when I'd lick the spoon, but it's a habit that we develop from such a young age that we don't think about it.

It's 9:00, and I'm exhausted. I feel like it's back during the school year when I have a 9:30 bedtime. I will easily fall asleep tonight. I have one more minute, and then I can drink more water. I'm really trying to get a gallon in each day. I did really well with this the week before I started, but today it's been more challenging. I still have about 20 oz of water to drink to reach the full gallon.

Cheers!

Shopping and Prepping

Yesterday my mom and I went to Whole Foods to begin purchasing some of the specific items that we need for the reset.

We have (left to right): cashews, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, brown rice (jar), millet (jar), sunflower seeds (jar), maple syrup, coconut oil, salsa, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and nori strips. Not pictured are the refrigerated items (soy tempeh, smokey tempeh strips, and miso paste). While we were there I had some great conversations with a few people. One person I talked to is a raw vegetarian from England who was buying vegan food for his visiting sisters-in-law. He recommended a documentary for me to watch that explores American eating and the benefits of eliminating processed foods while increasing more clean eating. He also recommended a name of "the best juicer" which I have naturally forgotten. Note to self: find out the name of "the best juicer" and purchase it...or register for it.

Today, I ventured out to Shop Rite to buy some not-so-specialty items.

That would be 14 gallon jugs of distilled water. It made me a little uncomfortable knowing that they were right next to the bleach in the cleaning aisle. We also have some whole grain bread, my Vera Bradley satchel, and my Chocolate Shakeology breakfast that I drank while shopping since I had blood work done and needed to fast until 9:00 this morning. (Side note: it sparked a great conversation with my doctor when he saw the shake sitting on the counter behind his laptop. Who brings their liquid breakfast to the doctor's office to consume immediately after getting blood work done? I wonder how often they see that...) The cashier who rang me up asked about the distilled water (because who really buys THAT much distilled water). I told her what I was doing, and two other cashiers started listening in and discussing it with me. All I learned from them is that they would never drink distilled water even if given minerals to add to the water to make it consumable.

Later on this afternoon, I also sat down to do some studying.

I watched the DVDs the program supplies in the package to prep you for what is to come. Although there was some good information in the first DVD, I didn't find it too helpful for me. I have spent so must time discussing this with Alison and reading posts in the support groups in facebook that I just felt like it didn't offer me any new information. I put on the second DVD to watch a chef introduce some of the foods and prepare some of the meals. Again, I think this is really good for beginners--possibly people who do a lot of fast food and not a lot of cooking at home. I know the difference between steaming, stir-frying, and roasting, but I did appreciate the introduction of some vegetables that I am not so familiar with. When I go shopping tomorrow for my produce, I will likely buy some of those items discussed in the video because that woman sold it!

I have a feeling that I am slightly under-prepared. I've been consuming a gallon of water a day, sure, but I have a feeling I'll be shopping for hours and hours and hours tomorrow. Oh, and then I'll be prepping because cooking starts with breakfast on Wednesday. I'll time myself to see how long the shopping actually takes.

On a not-so-related side note, I stopped by Ali and Don's this afternoon (post-distilled water/pre-homework) who, by the way, both look fantastic as they are finishing up their reset. My nephew (20 months old) had just woke up from his nap prior to my arrival. I love spending time with him--especially now as he's becoming more animated. Super playful. Super adorable. When I was grabbing my stuff to leave, I told him "I'll see ya' later," and he turned to me, waved his hand up and down, said "Adoo," and walked over to me to give me a "kiss." BE STILL MY HEART!!!! He did it three more times before I actually left. He's the best.

BUR??

So what's a BUR anyway?

I don't exactly know how or where this started, but for me, it all started with my sister Alison. Alison had purchased several workout DVDs from Beachbody. She and her husband Don had most recently been working out at home with Les Mills PUMP. I was really excited about it because it was Body Pump (circa high school), but in the comfort of your own home. This was a class that Alison and I would regularly go to, so I thought it was great that she had it at home. Then it continued...

I saw a coupon on Groupon for a Shaun T. workout for $20. Sure! Sounds good. When I got it in the mail, I thought it was a mistake. I saw BEACHBODY written on the side, and I could have sworn it was Alison's. I decided to go to her house and show it to her, knowing that it was likely hers. I was expecting some kind of workout DVD in the mail, but the Groupon made no mention of it being a Beachbody product.

Alison had purchased more from Beachbody, but not those DVDs I received. Those were mine. So now, I unknowingly started my Beachbody experience. That day, she introduced me to the Shakeology protein drink that Beachbody produces. It was fantastic! On this same day, I saw a box sitting on her kitchen counter with BEACHBODY written on the side, so naturally, I was curious. She explained that she was doing this "cleanse." HOLD IT!! When I hear that word, I hear drinking lots of terrible liquids, taking awful supplements, eating no food, starving yourself, and spending hours and hours in the bathroom. Ughh.. Whose totally not interested? Me.

Fast forward another week or so, and Alison and Don both committed to doing this cleanse. I had heard from Alison that she was going shopping for this cleanse, and would be starting it soon. Several days later, I heard through my younger sister Stephanie that Alison really wasn't thrilled with the food options. Food options? Cleanse? I needed to learn more.

I went back to Alison's house, and she shared more about it. This cleanse isn't really a cleanse. It's called the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, and it is more like what it sounds like: a reset.

The whole purpose is to reset your body to it's original setting...the way you were born! At that point, Alison was a good 6-7 days in, and she had already lost 6-7 pounds. Naturally, my interest finally peaked. Alison had me try her lunch that day. It consisted of beans, rice, and a salad. It sounds boring, but it was delicious!!

So to make a long story a little shorter, I decided to buy it and try it. Mom is going to be my reset partner, and Alison is our coach. It isn't a 3 day cleanse, but a 3 week process to help your body readjust to quality, unprocessed foods. During this process, I will be eliminating the terrible foods Americans are so used to consuming. Week 1, I will be reclaiming my body's balance by introducing quality foods and removing the foods that are more taxing on my body. Week 2, I will be releasing all the toxins that have built up in my body. Week 3, I will be restoring my body's natural settings. It will be a reset that consists of limited animal proteins, vegetarian meals, and then ultimately moving toward vegan meals.

I received my BUR in the mail yesterday along with my new vegan Shakeology protein drink. I'm still replacing breakfast with the non-vegan chocolate Shakeology that Alison gave me, and I'm really enjoying it. I've eliminated almost all caffeine (save for the Exedrine Migraine I took yesterday), and I've increased my water intake. I've gone back to the gym the last two days to get a final go of it before my BUR restricts nearly all taxing physical activity. In a little while, I'll be making an appointment with my doctor to get blood work done so I have a pre-BUR idea of where my body is.

This blog is meant for me to write about my daily experience in my prep for the start of my BUR, my progress during the BUR, and my post-BUR experience. If no one reads it, that's fine by me. However, if I can inspire even one person the way that my sister, brother-in-law, and other resetters have in the Facebook groups, then even better!

Stay tuned...