Author: steve

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The Ultimate Reset – Day 1

Today I started The Ultimate Reset. I have already published a post about what The Ultimate Reset generally is, but now I’m going to get into the nitty-gritty, what it’s really like to go through it.

Ultimate Reset First Meal
Ultimate Reset First Meal

As I looked more closely though the instruction booklet yesterday, in preparation for today, I noticed the schedule is very regimented. You get up, take some supplements, wait 30 minutes, have breakfast, wait at least 2 hours, take some supplements, wait 30 minutes, have lunch, wait at least 2 hours, take some supplements, wait at least 2 hours, take some supplements, wait 30 minutes, have dinner.

The instructions say to try to keep the schedule as regular as possible, so your body knows when to expect the nutrients. I can handle that, so for me, that will look like this:

7:00 — Supplements (Mineralize, Oxygenize, Optimize)
7:30 — BREAKFAST
10:30 — Light Workout
11:30 — Supplements (Mineralize, Oxygenize, Optimize)
12:00 — LUNCH
2:30 — Supplements (Mineralize, Alkalinize)
4:45 — Supplements (Mineralize, Oxygenize, Optimize)
5:15 – SUPPER

Your schedule may vary, and it may change for Week 2, but this is my Week 1 plan.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the meals for The Ultimate Reset are all planned out for you, so all I have to do is buy the ingredients and make them.

My first meal was Eggs, Kale, Whole Wheat Bread, and Blueberries. I would have preferred Spinach in place of the Kale, but I forgot to buy it.

Lunch today will be a salad with dressing. Supper will be Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus.

I took some body measurements this morning (weight and waist) to compare at the end, but this is not really about losing weight for me. I just want to get my body cleaner and start from as close to a zero point as I can get. Seems to me The Ultimate Reset is a good way to do that.

END OF THE DAY — HOW IT WENT

I developed one of those headaches that starts at the base of the skull. I associate that with caffeine withdrawal, because I’ve noticed it before when I quit caffeine.

I feel burning in my eyes, which I associate with a general lousy feeling. I often have this feeling, which is one of the reasons I’m on this cleanse.

I stuck with the meal and supplement plan, no problem. Off-the-book alterations included simply not using so many herbs & spices. Maybe I’m odd, but the flavor of a plain boiled potato is just fine by me. I’d rather simplify the food-making process, as long as the food is still enjoyable.

The Alkalinize packet — it’s a once-a-day supplement mixed with water — is not tasty. I may need to have that as a hot tea, then add some stevia to it, we’ll see. It’s not that bad.

I feel about how I expected to feel. I am pretty much completely changing my diet, so my body needs to adjust.

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Is it all about looking good? Really?

Shaun T says at the end of one of his Insanity videos — I think it’s “Pure Cardio” — that he puts himself through these tough workouts “because I wanna look good.”

I’m sure Shaun T understands the health benefits of getting into shape, but he’s young and has probably never been fat or had severe health problems. “Looking good” probably is at the top of his list of reasons to work out.

There is no doubt that looking good is an attractive side effect of getting healthy, but it really has become more of a motivator now that I have been putting myself out there as a blogger who gives fitness advice. I mean, how many people are going to listen to anything a fat fitness guru says?

But it didn’t start that way for me.

When I started my fitness quest, I was 5’10” and weighed 235. I was taking 2 medications for blood pressure and 1 for cholesterol. I was having pain in my gut that I didn’t like.

My goal was to get off those medications and lose the pain.

Four and a half years later, I weigh  in at 170, have been off the meds for years, and my blood pressure and cholesterol are in good shape. The pains in my gut are long gone. I am stronger and my cardio fitness is great.

That’s all fine, but what has been motivating me lately? I want to see my abs.

Sounds like I’m trying to look good, and that makes sense. Once the medical issues are taken care of, why not focus on a little body sculpting?

To get back to the title question, then, is it all about looking good? Can it be? Can we simply focus on looking good, and the health benefits will take care of themselves?

I could formulate a good argument against that — there are people who look good, but who are also unhealthy due to a poor diet or unbalanced workouts — so, no, it’s not all about looking good, but if that’s your prime motivator, roll with it, because at the very least, it’s a start!

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What is a Carbohydrate?

It occurs to me from time to time as I discuss nutrition and diets with people that, while they may have a pretty decent understanding of which foods are protein rich — lean meats — and which are full of fat — butter, cheese, burgers — they often don’t have a firm grasp of which foods are primarily carbohydrate.

Withh that in mind, let me run down for you what I think I know about carbohydrate.

(Before I get started, by way of disclaimer, I’ll say — yet again — that I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor. I’m just a guy who reads a lot.)

Carbohydrates are essentially sugars, starches, and fiber. Sugary drinks, grains, fruits, vegetables are all primarily carbs.

Potatoes? Yup, those are carbs. Breakfast cereals? Carbs. Even unsweetened ones? Carbs. Plain oatmeal? Carbs.

I’d say that if you were to eat a lot of carbohydrate-rich foods (except the sugary ones, which are Poisonous Carbs, as you’ll see below) and include with them some good protein, you’d be dietarily solid.

But … but … what’s that I said parenthetically about “Poisonous Carbs”?

I categorize carbs into three primary groups:

  • Poisonous Carbs
  • Okay Carbs
  • Beneficial Carbs

Keep in mind that these are my classifications only. You can group carbs any way you like, but here at my blog, those are the categories.

Poisonous Carbs are those things that are created to satisfy a sweet tooth. I’m talking about things like ice cream, cupcakes, Cinnabons, red licorice, you get the idea? Oh, and you can put sugar-laden liquids into that mix, too: fruit juices, sodas, sweet tea. Right.

Those Poisonous Carbs are not part of my diet in any way, shape, or form. I consider them quite literally to be poison, and support for this way of thinking is growing, as sugar  is proving to be the architect of the current obesity epidemic in the U.S. (and world-wide). And we’re not just talking about high-fructose corn syrup that, while it may indeed be a Poisonous Carb, has been unfairly singled out. “Made with real sugar” does not mean healthy!

How can you tell if something is a Poisonous Carb? Look at the label. In the “Carbohydrate” section, you’ll see “Dietary fiber” and “Sugars”. Are most of the grams of carbohydrate sugars? Are there more than 5 grams of sugar per serving? (And I’m talking about a real serving, not the label’s 3/4 cup of cereal, which I need to at least double to make a single real serving). If so, you may have a Poisonous Carb there.

I have but one piece of advice about Poisonous Carbs: Just say no!

Okay Carbs are foods like potatoes, quinoa, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, rye bread, brown rice, legumes, nuts, berries, and fruit. I’ll leave anything that contains wheat off this list, because there are a lot of undiagnosed wheat allergies out there, including, I think, mine.

I’ll eat something from the Okay Carbs group 2 to 4 times daily, and not in huge quantities. I am not one of those Mark Sisson-inspired grains-are-evil fanatics, but I do agree that grains — particularly, as I said, wheat — probably have a bad influence on my body, so I try not to eat them too often.

(This is coming from a guy who used to eat pasta, bread, rice, or cereal — or some combination of them — at just about every meal.)

It may seem odd to limit fruits and berries — those are good for you, right? — but they do have a lot of sugar in them, so I limit my intake, even though I generally buy organic, which has less sugar (the way nature intended). I don’t even eat bananas, in fact, because they have so much sugar.

I also limit nuts. It’s too easy to let one handful of nuts turn into two handfuls, then three. Although in addition to the carbs, nuts have lots of good fats and protein in them, they pack a high caloric punch, so I keep them on the “Okay” list.

Beneficial Carbs really boil down to vegetables (which, btw, should not be boiled — ever — well, maybe if you are making a soup or stew). It would be difficult to overindulge in carbs if we only ate  vegetables — especially the green kind, like broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers — because of all the bulk and water they have. Some veggies like carrots and corn (which is botanically a grain, but culinarily a vegetable) are higher in sugar, so I tend to avoid them.

Speaking of grains, you have probably seen a lot of opinions about the benefits of whole grains and the fiber they contain, and that may cause you to wonder, “Aren’t whole grains Beneficial Carbs?” As I stated above, I shy away from grains in general, because I believe the health benefits — if there really are any — don’t outweigh the side effects. Read this article from Mark’s Daily Apple for a reasonable, well-read man’s opinion on grains.

I’ve also not touched on dairy products, so let me address those now.

I don’t consume animal milk primarily because I think it’s nasty and gross — I enjoy almond milk instead. Yogurt upsets my stomach — that’s the opposite effect it’s supposed to have, right? Cheese? I do love me some cheese, but the cheeses I like — havarti, brie — have very few carbs, so they’re not included here in a carbocentric discussion. For what it’s worth, I think lower-fat, and, therefore, higher-carb versions of cheeses seem to be okay inside my body, but I just don’t prefer them, so I stick with full-fat cheeses, when I eat cheeses.

Got it? Carbs are sugars, but not all carbs are sweet, so choose your carbs wisely. If your body reacts the same way mine does, you’ll be healthier, thinner, and you’ll just feel better overall.

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I love me some yoga, but …

If you’ve been keeping up with my goings-on, you know I’ve been in a yoga zone for the past 3 or 4 months. That means I’ve been doing yoga almost exclusively. I fell into the yoga zone because of a back injury, but I stayed there because I enjoyed it so much.

A couple weeks ago I decided enough was enough — I need some cardio — so I added some Insanity workouts back into the mix.

Today, craving some more challenging resistance training, I decided to try Steve’s Chest & Back. I could feel that my chest and back were not what they used to be, so I wanted to test them out.

Wow.

Since the last time I did Steve’s Chest & Back, which was exactly 6 months ago, my pushups and pullups are down almost 50%. That means I can only do half as many now as before!

I knew I’d lost something, but I never figured it was that much.

To clarify, I am not trying to look like a puffed up gym rat. But it’s kinda like, “Hey, I used to be able to do 210 pushups interwoven with 75 pullups, both of varying types, in about 50 minutes. Now I can only do about half that.” I want to be able to do that again! (And, to be sure, even more pullups, which, as you can see by the numbers, I struggle with….)

This post is not meant to knock yoga, and I still love it and will use it as my primary workout. However, I could tell from the fit of my t-shirts that I was losing mass — and I didn’t have a lot of mass to start with, so I’d like to keep all I can get.

You know what that means, right? Right. Steve’s Chest & Back is back into the rotation. Wednesdays. Rotating that out with Tony Horton’s One on One 30/15 routine every 4 weeks (after a week of rest).

So, as it looks right now, here is my current weekly schedule:

It will be interesting to see how quickly I get back up to speed on my pushups and pullups, don’t you think? Well, I do.

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Resetting Your Body with The Ultimate Reset

I received an email from Beachbody last week about their “Ultimate Reset”.

Admittedly, I am a sucker for Beachbody products, but that’s only because I’ve used them and trust them. I’d rather pay a little more and know I’m getting a quality product than save a few bucks and get crap.

My Ultimate Reset package arrived yesterday, so I read through the literature and thought I’d post something about it to give you more information, if you are considering buying it.

This is a cleanse. If you are not familiar with cleanses, their goal is to clean up your body, liver, and digestive tract, to remove the toxins and impurities from your body so you can start fresh.

At $200+, the Ultimate Reset isn’t cheap, but I see a lot to like about it.

The Ultimate Reset is geared not only to the initial cleansing and balancing action, but also to setting you up for long-term lifestyle changes that you can make to improve your overall health and fitness.

Unlike other cleanses I’ve been through, the Ultimate Reset calls for three meals a day, plus snacks (if necessary). Every meal during the 21-day program is accounted for and recipes are included in the package. The recipes are not complex, but they may include some ingredients you haven’t tried before, like quinoa and millet, kale and miso, so you’ll be introduced to new foods that may change your whole approach to eating.

There are 3 phases, each lasting 7 days. The goals of the phases are reflected in their meal plans.

Phase 1, Reclaim, focuses on removing animal products and refined foods from the diet. Phase 2, Release, completely eliminates animal products, and moving more into vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Phase 3, Restore, eliminates grains and legumes (like pinto beans) to create a cleansing fruit-and-vegetable-based diet.

As with most cleanses, the Ultimate Reset disallows sugars, caffeine, alcohol, and any unnecessary medications. That’s because we are trying to clean the body, and those things, while they may have some documented benefits, may clash with the goal of the cleanse.

Also eliminated from the diet during the Ultimate Reset are any supplements you may take. Supplements are supplied in the package and should be sufficient, if you follow the meal plan.

Chewing gum, even sugar-free, is discouraged. First, because they get your mouth moving and expecting food. Second, because they contain chemicals you don’t want in your body during a cleanse.

People who should not use the Ultimate Reset are:

  • Children under the age of 18 years. They have enough going on inside their bodies already.
  • Pregnant or nursing women.

There are no enemas or strong laxatives involved in the Ultimate Reset, although Phase 2 does include what Beachbody promises is a gentle colon cleanser. Organic foods are recommended — but not required — for all the meals. Strenuous exercise is discouraged, but walking and gentle stretching are recommended, for the 3 weeks of the program.

I should be starting the Ultimate Reset in a few weeks. I’m pretty excited about it, because the meals are quite different than I am accustomed to eating. Plus, I’m curious how my body will react to it — yeah, I like experimenting on my body.

If you are feeling run down, want to drop a few pounds, need to kick start your body, or just feel like it’s an all-around good idea, give the Ultimate Reset a try. Who knows, maybe it’ll get you started on a whole new healthy way of living!

5 YEARS LATER: I love the way the Ultimate Reset kickstarted my new body. I felt really thin and healthy after it. I still recommend it highly.

However, maintenance was an issue afterward. My weight crept back up, slowly, because my dietary habits were good, but I eventually lost touch with my fitness goals.

Recently I decided to try the Noom weight loss program. It works.

I like the way Noom introduces principles and explains them. I like they way Noom helps me build new habits. I like the way Noom causes me to be present for every food decision. I like the way Noom presents no foods as “bad” or “good”, but separates them logically by how they affect my fitness goals.

If you struggle with weight issues, I highly recommend that you check out the Noom weight loss program. It’s free to try, so what have you got to lose?