Here are some of my observations, in no particular order.
* I think the reason why I've been so moody for these nine days (yes, the moodiness has stuck around) has very little to do with the food. Yes, at the beginning I got irritated because I couldn't have my snacks, but that's not the root cause. The cause of my moodiness is because I am accustomed to running a very tight ship. By that I mean I go to the store once a week with my meticulous grocery list derived from my meal plan, and I know exactly how to cook what I'm cooking and what I need to cook it. I don't forget things, I (usually) don't use ingredients I'm not familiar with, and I have complete confidence in what I'm fixing and when.
This Reset has me out of my comfort zone. Zach says it ought to be easier because the plan is laid out so beautifully for you, which is true. But when you're having to prepare new meals every day, it throws you off. The prep work is intense, particularly if you're preparing meals to eat out of the home. I have to make sure Zach has what he needs for the day, which is sometimes breakfast, lunch, and dinner all packed in tupperware. The kids have eaten the same meals as us for the most part, but there have been a few times when I add chicken for them or they have some different veggies.
The refrigerator has never been more jam packed with different kinds of lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and on and on and ON. It's wall to wall plastic containers and produce bags and I can't tell what's where.
It's just...a lot, is all I'm saying. It's intense and complicated and out of my comfort zone. And apparently that makes me very testy.
* The wonders of water as an appetite suppressant continue to amaze me. That stretch between 7am breakfast and noon lunch seems endless to me, but I just go get another drink of water and it tides me over every time.
* I am learning that the Reset "Diet" (I hate that word) is the way people should eat if they do NOT want to exercise. It promotes optimal health and the perfect calorie level for a sedentary person. It provides enough energy where you feel great and look great and have enough energy to function, but someone who exercises will need more.
* I love Bragg Liquid Aminos.
* My dreams have been c-r-a-z-y. I don't know why, but it's very common for people on the Reset to have vivid and bizarre dreams. It's gotten to a point where my brain starts wigging out even before I've totally fallen asleep and it goes all night long. Have you ever had a night where you remembered seemingly all your dreams, and so when you woke up it's like you didn't really get much rest? I've had a few of those nights.
Last night I dreamed Zach got mad about the way the garage was organized so he took my new car out in the yard and did doughnuts until it was completely underneath the mud. I woke up gasping and out of breath. (????)
* I would fix 95% of the meals in the Reset plan again.
* It IS possible for Zach and I to not have a bedtime snack. I was beginning to think that wasn't the case.
* I need to kick cereal out of my life. It's my "sweets" crutch that I have handful after handful of to get my sweets craving filled.
* It's best to go through this process with a support group. The best thing is to have your spouse along for the ride, but an extended group is pretty crucial, too. It's great to check in on our accountability page to see if others are experiencing the same things as us and to encourage each other to stay with the program.
* Yesterday the kids and I crashed the senior class field trip to spend the day with Zach at the zoo and state park in Tyler. I had no issues turning down the burgers and hot dogs that were cooked, as they do not appeal to me. But when they ran out of burgers and sent me down the road to buy five pounds of chopped beef brisket and barbecue sauce, I very nearly went off the rails. Are you kidding me? Bodacious BBQ? In my car? And I can't have any? It was a serious moral crisis.
Here's the voice in my head: "Why are you even doing this stupid cleanse anyway? You work out. You work hard. Why shouldn't you have that delicious, delicious chopped beef sandwich from the barbecue joint that you LOVED when you lived in Tyler? And by the way, have a brownie too, cause they're your favorite."
I don't know what it was that finally compelled me to stay away, but I did it. WE did it, since I'm guessing Zach had the same conversation going on in his head. We had extra lettuce and tomatoes instead. And you know what? That was a major victory for me. On a scale of 1-10, my will power when it comes to sweets and BBQ is about a 0.25. But when I finally resolved that I wasn't going to have any and thought about how truly full I was from the enormous salad I had, I felt good. I CAN say no. I DID say no. I'm still on the program and didn't derail. Such a relief. That gives me hope for Memorial Day weekend picnics and cookouts.
* Now that my fear about "being hungry" has been mostly unfounded, I am looking forward to the next few weeks of the Reset.
* I heard someone refer to the Ultimate Reset as P90X for your insides, and that's a really accurate statement. If someone who has poor nutrition habits were to commit -- truly commit -- to the Ultimate Reset and all the difficulty it entails, I can see that it would truly change your life. I teaches you about food, teaches you how to cook, teaches you how to be prepared. It strips you down and makes you really question why you eat what you do. It makes you see that you're capable of much more than you thought you could handle, and shows your weaknesses in a very bright spotlight.
Still almost two more weeks to go. Can't wait to see what's coming.
Ultimate Reset
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