I am combining two posts into one because honestly, the last two days haven't been very exciting.  I'll start with my food choices, because that's the whole reason I started this blog!  I'm sorry if some of my posts have been rambling, but I just wanted to give a real-time account of how the Reset was affecting me.  
 
I had fruit for breakfast both days.  It actually wasn't so bad.  The trouble I have with fruit is that it takes a long time to prepare.  You have to wash it and then, depending on the fruit, it can take forever to cut, take out the seeds, trim the bad spots...I know I am exaggerating, but that's how it feels to me.  

I ate lunch at the breakfast reataurant both yesterday and today.  I had a salad with a side of black beans both days, anddd I maybe stole a few bites of pancakes.  And hashed browns.  And maybe a decaf almond milk latte.  And I don't think it actually ended up being decaf today, as I had the shakes all afternoon.  That's what I get for cheating ha!

Dinner was leftover vegetable miso soup both days.  Not too exciting, but still really good and filling.  If you've ever made soup at home, you know how it gets better the longer it sits.  Yesterday I paired it with a leftover sweet potato.  Today was a side of coconut collard greens.  I definitely was craving something more hearty, but both dinners were surprisingly filling.

I also had a work event to go to, which of course involved both food and alcohol.  I was good and stuck to a bottle of water, even though the whole room was filled with the smell of bbq.  YUM.  I did have one moment where we were all doing a toast and somebody ended up handing me a glass of champagne.  I carried it around for about 15 minutes and went back and forth in my mind about having a sip, drinking the whole thing or not drinking any.  I actually ended up not drinking any of it, but decided to have a bite of a cookie...I guess that shows you where my priorities lie!  

I have finally figured out why I am pretty much over doing the Reset.  It's not because I am just really craving eating bad food again.  I actually don't necessarily want to do that.  It's has to do with my "why."  The reason why I decided to do the Reset was this: to get back on track with my diet.  I had been eating out too much and drinking too much and I just felt blah.  Well, after week two, I felt like I had reached that goal!  I am eating healthier and feel better than I have in a long time.  I have more energy and would like to keep up with the no caffeine and reduced sugar diet.  I think because my brain feels like it has reached that goal, it thinks that I don't need to stick with the plan!  On top of that, I really want to start working out again, which I am not supposed to do during the Reset.

Now that I know what my mind is thinking, I can tackle the problem!  Also, it's the last three days, so I am going to really try my hardest to follow the plan exactly.

I'm excited to share my final results in a few days, along with my plan for once I'm finished!  More on that tomorrow.

Never enough sleep (or maybe enough, but not as much as I WANT).

<3 Kristina  

I have a few takeaways from today, but otherwise this is going to be a short post.  It's not that I don't have a lot to say, but that I found someone who said it perfectly for me! So without further ado, here's what day 16 was like:
1.  I feel great today.  I have lots of energy and my mind feels alert, even though I didn't get the most sleep last night. 
2.   My fruit breakfast finally filled me up.  Either I was too busy working to feel hungry or I ate more.  Or maybe my body is getting used to only having fruit for breakfast.
3.  I didn't really have too many cravings today.  The ones I did have were mostly for coffee. 
4.  I still can't help myself around the fruit/nut mix at the office.  If only I didn't have to walk through the kitchen every time I needed to use the restroom!

And a few food pictures for today: 

I am still really struggling with the idea of not allowing yourself to eat certain foods.  I mean, I understand the thought behind it.  For me, a taste of something turns into eating the entire thing, so it's better to just not have it, right?  

Well, I was checking my email today and happened to run into this story: http://greatist.com/fitness/six-pack-abs-six-weeks-one-year-later

I had read his story about getting a six pack in six weeks a while back (yes, it can be done!).  He recently followed up on his original story - hence the link above.  He articulates what I couldn't a few days ago...mainly, is it worth it?  And what happens to your thinking/relationship with food when you deprive yourself?  We all know it's good to eat healthy, but where does the line between deprivation and health lie?  Can you be healthy without feeling like you are being deprived? 

Food for thought...literally!  
<3 Kristina

Cravings were hitting me hard today.  I wanted coffee.  I wanted sugar. I was even salivating at the Raisin Bran commercial!  

Confession: My indulgence today was dried fruits and nuts.  Not much of an indulgence, but not part of the Reset.  I don't know why I am finding it harder and harder to continue when there's only 6 days left!  I did the same thing with the Focus T-25 program.  I was one week away from finishing the 10 weeks and I decided to quit and start P90X.  What does that say about me?!  Why can't I commit?  Does it have to do with the "grass is always greener" idea?  

I have had several extensive conversations with one of my close friends about this.  Do you ever feel like the grass is greener on the other side of the fence?  How do you get over feeling like you are missing out?  When (if ever) do you stop wondering if it's better over there?

My food today was meh until the end of the day.  Sweet potatoes, why have I not put you in the regular rotation before?  I like the sweet/savory combo, sweet potato with a Mrs. Dash spice blend. I could eat it every day!  

Today's Food:

Can I tell you how handy the frozen stir-fry vegetable bag is?  You can make stir fry with rice quinoa or noodles, put them into soup, pair with potatoes, or add them to a casserole or pasta.  Really, just stir fry in general is extremely versatile!  All you need is beef, chicken, pork or tofu, add [lots of!] veggies, and then your favorite sauce!  There are a million types of sauces to choose from: soy, peanut, sweet & sour, kung pao, curry, pad thai to name a few...if you have a grain and protein cooked up already, you can have dinner in less than 10 minutes.

My cravings for anything bad didn't end up going away all day.  Maybe it was because I cheated with Mexican food last night?  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

6 more days!

<3 Kristina

Tomorrow marks the beginning of week three!  I think I am bit anxious for this next phase because I have read on the message boards that a lot of people were hungry and had low energy.  I haven't really felt all that amazing the past few weeks anyway, so I am not really excited to hear that could be the case (to be fair, I wasn't really taking care of myself, so my not feeling well could be unrelated to the Reset).  In addition, the food doesn't necessarily look all that satisfying.

Anyway, I've made it this far, so what is seven more days?  

I'm sorry there aren't a lot of pictures, but I really cheated today and had Mexican food for dinner!  I did eat vegan, but the chips and salsa were definitely not part of the Reset plan.  It was totally worth it.

Breakfast: Fruit
Lunch: Leftover red pepper and sweet potato soup with salad
Snack: Shakeology

I am happy to report that the Reset manual said that mood swings or urges to clean up my life could be prevalent during this past week, but that I never felt overly angst-y.  I really need to do some cooking, but I am just going to make it wait until tomorrow.  

Sleep is good.

<3 Kristina

Tony was home from training for the weekend, so I made him a healthy breakfast along with mine.  I swear I spent an hour chopping fruit!  That is probably the reason why I don't typically eat much of it, just a banana here and there and frozen fruit in my shakes.  I made him a yogurt and fruit bowl with slivered almonds and a drizzle of syrup; my breakfast was just fruit.  Sigh.

Saturdays are my lazy days, for some reason I can't seem to get motivated!  After a nap and some work, I had leftover lentil quinoa pilaf and a cucumber and tomato salad.  Both were really tasty!  I'm really glad that all the food from the Reset has been good or I don't think I would have lasted this long.

I went to work at the pizza restaurant and we were extremely busy!  Even though I had Shakeology for a snack, I was STARVING by the time I got home at 10pm.  Luckily, I had leftover squash and coconut collard greens, which cooked up really quickly.

I am finding it very difficult to make it from meal to meal.  I am starving when it's time to eat and then I just inhale my food.  The question I ask myself is, "Is it physical or mental hunger?"  Do I know that it is getting near time to eat and I crave it more because I am depriving myself otherwise?  When I say depriving, I mean not allowing myself to eat when I feel the urge (hungry or not).  

I know the point of the Reset is to try and break this type of relationship for food, but in a way I feel like it's making it worse.  Where does the balance lie?  The balance between overeating and not...between eating a perfectly clean diet and an unhealthy one?  I guess I'm still searching for the right answer for myself.  I hope I am able to figure it out in the next eight days!

<3 Kristina

Oh. My. God.  

So tired today.  Like, dying.  Experts say that you eat at least 300 more calories when you are tired,  which probably explains why I'm having a STARVING day.  Nothing I eat is satisfying me at all!  All I want is coffee.  And a pastry.  Or eggs.  

Anyway, I pushed past that and did my best.  Breakfast was smashed garbanzo beans and garlic, cooked kale and avocado.  My portion size was a little large because I only had 1/4 cup of beans leftover after my original portion, so I just decided to eat them.

Today is my friend's birthday so I went out to lunch with him and a few friends.  Of course, he picked the LEAST healthy place possible, an Irish pub.  I looked at the menu before I left and was pretty sure there was actually NOTHING I could eat.  When I arrived, I felt bad only ordering water and nothing else, so I asked for a cup of decaf coffee.  The server looked at me with a mix of annoyance and WTF.  I apologized and told her if it was a huge pain in the ass to not worry about it.  She came back a few minutes later with a steaming cup that was just brewed, which was very nice of her.  

I glanced at the menu and was excited to find that they actually had a garden salad.  I ordered that with balsamic dressing on the side and was pleasantly surprised at what arrived.  There was no cheese or anything else bad on it, and it wasn't just iceberg lettuce!  

I thought it was somewhat hilarious that everyone ordered fish and chips and then here was the girl ordering decaf coffee and a SALAD for lunch.  The server definitely gave me a look like, "Of course YOU are ordering a salad," but I ignored it.  If you choose to do anything like The Ultimate Reset, you not only have to be prepared to deal with the strangers that are going to judge you, but also friends and family.  I have been extremely lucky that the people around me have been nothing but supportive!

Even though it was a pretty healthy lunch, I had the WORST headache after.  I'm not sure if it was the coffee or the dressing, but I felt pretty awful.  Luckily it subsided by the time I went home and I was able to prepare my dinner.  

Dinner was baked acorn squash with a tahini sauce. This meal is by far the most interesting one I have prepared.   It tasted very good but was extremely rich.  I paired it with a side of kale.

Part of my leftover squash and sauce went into a blender to make a soup for lunch.  Tangent: can I tell you how handy a Magic Bullet is?  

I really wish I had some dessert, but that will have to wait for 10 more days!  

See you tomorrow!
<3 Kristina

Day 11 -yay!  I am halfway through the Reset.  I have an amazing amount of energy even though I didn't sleep well the past two nights.  I'm not sure if it was the Reset or daylight savings time that has messed up my sleep.  I am usually out like a log (I once slept through a fire alarm)!

It was a typical day of work and food prep.  Here are some pictures of the food I made today:  

This quinoa-lentil salad will for sure be in my regular rotation once I am done with the UR!  

The rest of my food today was simple.

Breakfast - Mixed fruit (I assume you guys have seen enough pictures of fruit haha)
Lunch - Roasted red pepper soup and salad (See yesterday's post for picture)
Snack - 1/2 scoop of chocolate Shakeology and h2o.

It is going to be another late night as I'm waiting for my man to get get home from training for a quick visit!  Until his plane arrives (not until 11pm), I am working and cuddling up in front of the fire. 

Goodnight!

<3 Kristina

Today I woke up and felt great!  I realize I haven't talked about my physical/mental change in a few days, so here is what I am noticing on day 10:
-I feel lighter.
-My brain is no longer foggy (finally)! 
-I'm not tired even though I didn't get a ton of sleep.
-My cravings for crappy food have diminished.
-I'm slightly emotional.

So, it is finally on day 10 that I get to say that the Ultimate Reset has helped me accomplish what I set out to do: I'm back on track with eating healthy and can feel the immediate effects of the things I put in my body.  I have been reminded that food should be thought more of as fuel to energize my body and less of as a convenient treat.

The program states, "Some people experience skin breakouts, while others find themselves releasing toxic emotions or dropping negative habits they've been holding on to."  I haven't noticed any of these types of things yet, but at least I know to be aware.    

I didn't do a lot of food prep last night, so lunch was roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup and salad (I cooked all of that at the beginning of the week).  The soup is so good that I will be making on a regular basis once I am done!  

This is what the detox supplement looks like.  It looks grosser than it tastes!  

I went out and had tea with a friend, so dinner was quickly thrown together.  It's not technically a recipe from the book, but it was what I had on hand.  

I want to clarify something.  I haven't been doing food prep not because I dislike cooking, but because I dislike doing DISHES!

What am I eating tomorrow?  Hopefully I can scrounge something up, because I am NOT DOING ANYMORE DISHES TONIGHT!

Sleep well!

<3 Kristina  

I woke up knowing today was going to be a test.  I agreed to go out to dinner with my sister because I feel like I haven't seen her FOREVER!  Luckily for me, she is very health conscious.  She suggested a restaurant called Native Foods Cafe.  It is brand new to Denver, built in that new development in Glendale (by the Cherry Creek Mall).  Side note: There are a bunch of other amazing restaurants that I want to try over there, like Jax, Udi's, World of Beer and Cuba Cuba.  Those will be for the next review. :)

I have been slacking on food prep this week.  The really hard thing about this detox/meal plan is you have to ALWAYS be prepared.  Well, I wasn't prepared today, so I just stopped by the breakfast restaurant and picked up two sides of fruit for breakfast.  I also REALLY cheated.  While I was waiting for my fruit I noticed everyone around me was enjoying AMAZING breakfasts and COFFEE.  I just couldn't help myself.  I ordered a decaf almond milk latte.  I know, it could have been worse.  But it also would have been better if I just didn't order it at all.  AND to make it worse, it wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  Not that the restaurant made it bad, I think my taste buds are just changing or something.  Anyway, FAIL on my part. :(

I had leftover beans and rice and salad for lunch.  Quick and easy.

I ran home after work and took my supplements so that I would be ready to eat when I got to the restaurant.  Native Foods Cafe is snuggled in a new development off of Colorado Blvd. and Cherry Creek Drive.  There are several new restaurants and a few hotels that share one large parking lot...which brings me to my first point; the lack of parking is a major issue.  With so many restaurants and hotels in a small space, they should have built a lot twice as big.  It was only a Wednesday and the lot was packed.  I wouldn't want to see it on a weekend night!  

Luckily, the restaurant was full but not packed, and my sis had already scored us a table.  We waited in line for just a few minutes, then went up to the register to order.  They said they would bring us our order within ten minutes.  I think it barely took five, and we delivered these mouthwatering looking entrees:

Had I not been doing the Reset, I actually would have ordered the tacos (I love me some Mexican Food)!  The food was really good and tasted fresh.  The only downside was that the cornbread was burnt, but I only had one small bite anyway.  I would have been disappointed if I could actually eat it.  

The tacos were delicious, but I think the soup of the day (I believe it was an Ethiopian peanut soup) was the best thing we had!  It had so much flavor and was creamy without even using cream.  I wish I had some more right now.

Anther thing worth mentioning was the service was GREAT.  Even though it is a fast casual dining experience, everyone went out of their way to be friendly.  The cashiers  were very nice (almost overly so) and there were people who walked around and took your empty plates and offered to-go boxes. 

The last thing I want to say about Native Foods Cafe is that it happens to be a vegan restaurant.  However, I wouldn't let that discourage you from going!   There are many items that can be enjoyed by meat-eaters and plant-eaters alike.

It's getting late, so I am off to bed!  

<3 Kristina

PS-I took a peek at the desserts while I was leaving...next time I will have to try a brownie or peanut butter parfait!  

First week’s results are in!  I apologize for the quality of the pics in advance, I’m terrible at taking pictures with my phone with one hand.  After week one I am 5 pounds down (not the purpose of me doing the Reset, by the way).  This is part of a total of 10 pounds lost from Beachbody journey!  I didn’t know I had that much to lose, but I am happy that it is making me fitter and feeling more confident! 

Today starts day on of the detox phase.  They say it can affect your mood as well as your body, so I am curious as to what it is going to be like.  

Several people have said the detox supplement is gross, but I found it to be perfectly fine.  The texture is a little gritty, but I just chug it down with a big straw.

As far as how I am feeling after a week, it's not extremely different than when I started.  I feel a bit lighter, but I still have some brain fog and am a bit tired.  

Today was the first day I was actually starving, but the menu for today didn't seem like it was a lot of food!  I had fruit for breakfast.  

Lunch was the typical salad with avocado.  I was still starving after I ate it so I cheated a little and had leftover lentil salad.

Dinner was beans and brown rice, green beans and zucchini.  It was so much food I definitely couldn't finish it. 

I'm not sure why there was so little food at the beginning of today and so much at the end, but I guess that's just how it worked out.  

Going to bed early!  See you tomorrow!

<3 Kristina