Beachbody Ultimate Reset Day 20 - Plan Ahead

Day 20 is now complete and I am officially one day away from completing the Reset! Although some days this week have felt like they were dragging on, I can't believe how fast the entire  3 weeks has gone by!

Today was my nephew's first birthday party. Where I was faced with this. My kryptonite. The almighty cupcake:

I wanted to eat one so bad. This situation is a great example of how crucial a tool like a support forum is when taking on a new fitness/diet challenge. While idly helping set other things up for the party and sending lustful gazes towards the cupcakes, I posted to my support group on Facebook what I was feeling. Within 5 minutes I had a response from one of my fellow team members, 'One more day, hang in there!'. And that one small sentence of encouragement snapped me back into reality and made me realize I did not want to throw away the past 20 days of hard work and discipline for one cupcake! (Thanks Hazel!)

I believe this to be a common dilemma. You are committed to a fitness program for x amount of days and there always seems to be a birthday/wedding/BBQ/aunt's dog graduated puppy kindergarten/party that you MUST go to. My best advice is simple, plan ahead. For starters, don't show up hungry. The food choices at most gatherings are subpar and probably not on your plan (unless you hang out with dietitians on a regular basis, in which case - kudos to you!). Eat a small meal before you/ arrive, and take a bottle of water with you. Drink lots of water, it will keep you full. If you feel like you must eat at the party to be nice, go for fresh veggies or fruits, avoid sweets and processed carbs.

Even better, bring your own dish to pass! Summer is a great time for fresh veggies that can easily be incorporated into a stellar salad. Or whip up one of your favorite recipes from your current meal plan - just make about 4x the amount. You can share your food - and nutrition tips - with others, without feeling like you have to starve at the gathering.

Another tip I have is just to keep yourself busy and away from anything that might be tempting you. Is cake your downfall? Offer to take in the main course serving dishes to wash or collect plates & cups that people are done with to keep your mind off of desert. Is the chip bowl calling your name? Leave the room and find some kiddos to play a game with - they love the attention!

Today I'm proud to say I made it through the party without a single slip-up. I brought over my Jicama-Avocado salad and got to talk about jicama with my soon to be in-laws. How often does that ever happen!? :)

One last though along the lines of planning ahead. Day 21 is soon to be upon us and I will have officially graduated from the Reset. I have been dreaming of the things I will eat on Day 22 this entire time. However, I don't want to just throw the last 3 weeks of clean eating & redefined habits out the window. If you know me, you know my love of coffee. And I honestly can't think of what drink I will get on Day 22 now that I am 'allowed'. I'm not really craving it. The post-Reset guidelines say to wait 4 weeks before reintroducing caffeine. So maybe I'll try a small (super tiny) glass of decaf and see how I feel.

I have decided to start up a hybrid Chalene Extreme/TurboFire schedule 2 weeks from the end of the Reset. I have been going through their meal plans to gather info on how they recommend you fuel your body to power through the workouts. I'm then finding recipes in 2 of my vegan cookbooks, Let Them Eat Vegan! by Dreena Burton and Appetite for Reduction by Isa Moskowitz. I have always admired Dreena for sticking to what I consider the vegan basics. Eating whole foods - veggies, grains, legumes - in their unprocessed forms and making them taste great! Simplicity at its best. And Isa has been a longtime favorite cookbook author/vegan rock-star of mine. One of the first vegan cookbooks I owned was Vegan with a Vengeance and it changed my life. Isa (&Terry) taught me what the heck to do with a bock of tofu and how to veganize the comfort foods I held near to my heart! Hopefully I will be able to share my meal plans over the next few weeks as I start up my new exercise program!


For me, its all about structure, about planning ahead. What works for me might not work for you, but maybe give it a try and see what happens!

ONE MORE DAY! Cheers!