Have you ever felt like your body needed a reset?
The winter months are always tough on me and my body and I was in desperate need to take some massive action. We all know the holiday months are a time when most people pack on a few pounds. Between parties and family gatherings it’s easy to indulge on drink s and extra sweets. And then when you add in parties for things like the Superbowl it’s no wonder the average American packs on between 5-15 pounds during these months.
My personal situation is a little different. I’ve stayed consistent with my diet and we didn’t go overboard with celebrating with food. In addition, I continue to exercise about 10 hours per week. This helps keep my blood sugar levels low so my body isn’t converting extra calories to fat.
My struggles during these months are due to my increased job responsibilities. In addition to teaching I also coach a varsity high school sport which consumes another 15-20 hours a week of my time. So for 4 months strait I am working 60-80 hours per week. To help compensate I have found myself using caffeine and drinking almost a pot of coffee per day. I wake up at 3:30 (or earlier depending on what’s on my mind) and don’t go to sleep until 10:30 or 11:00pm.
The results of my actions have been that I’m pretty sure my hormone levels, specifically my cortisol levels, are out of whack. I had heard of the ultimate reset as a way to use food to heal the body and bring everything back into order.
I wanted to do a cleanse but had a bad experience with one a few years back. It felt like my stomach was in knots and I was in the bathroom 24/7. We didn’t get any “real food” and everything I lost I gained right back when it ended.
My week 1 journey
We started the reset last Tuesday after taking the family to Universal Studios for a 2 day trip. It was perfect because we did have a few meals on the road and enjoyed the foods you get at an amusement park.
My starting weight was 156.8 pounds.
The first day went well. The plan lets you have eggs and whole grain toast the first few days as you remove animal products from your diet. Lunch was a Greek salad with chicken breast. We got to have our Shakeology as an afternoon snack which helped satisfy my sweet tooth. And we got a black bean and rice veggie taco with avocado for dinner.
During the week we’ve had fresh fruit and Greek yogurt, stir-fry veggies over quinoa, and last night we had an amazing sweet potato and red pepper bisque soup.
The food so far on The Ultimate Reset has been great. There are plenty of options and we went through the guide book and chose the meals that fit our preferences. In addition to following the food plan, there are some extra vitamins and minerals used to help the body heal itself from the inside. We’ve replaced our water with distilled water that we add pink Himalayan salt to. We also are taking some digestive enzymes and power greens to help break down much of what is still in the body from months of past food choices.
The only tough part during week 1 was dealing with caffeine withdrawl. I had to lay down on day 1 because of headaches from going to zero coffee after months of drinking it excessively. By day 2 my headaches were gone but then my muscles in my hips and legs started aching. It was the weirdest thing. I got really bad to the point where I couldn’t sleep and it hurt to walk around the house. But by the end of day 3 they were almost gone. I know others have dealt with feeling cold and even dealing with eczema issues.
By the end of the week I felt great. I am sleeping soundly and my all the little aches and pains have gone away. Best of all I finished my first week weighing 151.2 pounds
I lost 5.6 pounds in my first week of the ultimate reset.
I don’t think I’ll keep losing weight at that rapid of a pace but I am definitely excited to see what the next 2 weeks has in store.
If you are ready for a reset send me a message on The Fit Teacher Network Facebook page.
To your health,
Mark
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