3-Day Refresh: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

So before we begin, let's discuss the "why."

I spent two weeks grieving over a shocking family death. It's still hard to even type that out.

And... I live in the south. So, what do we do when someone is grieving in the south? We bless their heart and we bring over a cake. Or a pie. Or fried chicken.

And that is NOT to sound unappreciative. I'm very appreciative that my family was well-taken care of and that the basic needs were covered. But another way we grieve is by overindulging. And I overindulged for those two weeks. Think: a dessert sampler platter after a boatload of fried chicken, dumplings, and biscuits. Also known as: all things sugar and carbs.

So I knew I'd have to reign it all back in, hard. For me, the 3-Day Refresh was a kick start BACK to a healthy eating lifestyle and get my mindset back into the mind frame of "I can do it."  I can resist temptation of not-so-great foods. I can stick to a plan. I can do what's RIGHT for my body.

So let's break it down. I'll tell you everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good.
Well that's what you're all here for, right? The results? With the disclaimer of I REALLY wanted a mind set reset and a feeling of accomplishing something good over anything else, the results of my body getting cleared of the junk I'd been putting in it, plus getting a little of the bloat to go away, was a great physical representation of my body coming back to me. So... results:

That's right! 3.5 pounds and 2 inches DOWN. And my mind set is in a place that I don't want to waste my efforts, I want to keep the momentum! You can even see those stupid shorts (that used to fit RIGHT) are a little looser in the second pictures than in the first!

Other goods? Well let's talk about what the 3-Day Refresh IS.  It's not 3 days of starvation or just limiting what you eat. It's formulated, proven, and clinical trials have repeatedly proven that it works!  It's a mind game as much as anything else.  So here's the plan:

Each day I had:

• Shakeology and a fruit serving (an orange in my case) for breakfast (green tea was optional, so I had it to curb caffeine withdrawal)
• Fiber Sweep at snack time
• A lunch of Vanilla Fresh shake, a veggie serving (baby carrots), a healthy fat (almond butter), and a fruit serving (a small apple)
• A veggie serving (broccoli) and healthy fat (hummus) for snack
• Afternoon tea (herbal tea)
• A dinner option (recipes are included in the guide), a cup of organic veggie broth (which is optional), and a Vanilla Fresh shake for dinner

During my first round of 3-Day Refresh, I noticed I stayed fuller longer if I had the optional tea breaks.  This time I decided to do the veggie broth, which is optional, but made me feel actually FULL at dinner time.

It's a TON of fiber, ya'll.  It's really to clean out your system, get the mail moving, and I'll talk about that more in another section.  But it's NOT just eating fruits and veggies all day.  The shakes are needed, you're just cheating yourself if you're not including the well-rounded system.  You HAVE to fuel your body.  Here's why the shakes are important:

• Shakeology. I seriously don't go a day without it.  It's everything your body needs in nutrition that you don't get on a regular day's basis (no matter how clean your eating habits are), it keeps your immunity pumping, and it gives you energy to get through your day.  Here's a little about what it does and what's in it.
•  Fiber Sweep. It's not the most delicious thing in the world and you actually need to chug it to get it in before it starts to settle.  But it keeps you full and keeps your system pumping out the bad stuff.  It's made from whole-ground flax, chia, and psyllium seed husks to support digestive health.  It naturally lowers cholesterol and supports healthy blood sugar levels and the psyllium fiber husk may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.  It's also a source of omega-3 fatty acids.  So, a lot more than you would get out of just eating a week's worth of fruits and veggies in a day.
• Vanilla Fresh.  A little more fiber, and it's soy and dairy free.  Plus, (you knew there was a "plus," right?) 20 grams of wholesome plant protein to maintain those sexy lean muscles, 22 essential vitamins and minerals ("essential" meaning you need them to just live right), probiotics to keep that digestion and immune health on point, potato protein extract to curb hunger, and no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or sweeteners.  It's pretty yummy, and I added some freebies like cinnamon and all-spice to mine for dinner to change it up just a little.

I FEEL great today! I can tell my body is functioning better and I felt more powerful saying "no" to junk food in my house and eating a healthy breakfast.  I KNOW I can maintain the mindset that came along with my results, and I'm excited to get back to a more strenuous workout routine.

The Bad

There was nothing terrible. But I eat a lot on a normal basis.  And going from packing in everything I could fit on my plate to eating barely anything, well, I definitely knew when it was time to eat.  And there's a lot of fiber involved, so there's some gas to be expected.

I had to overcome some pretty major temptations. And it was HARD.  Kyle made a giant steak (seriously my favorite food ever) on day 1.  On day 2, lunch was catered at the school. Barbecue, delicious-looking rolls, cake... On day 3, Ella was gnoshing on fruit snacks, my number 1 temptation, and I went climbing, so I really wanted a beer or some nachos.

I also was super tired. I'm used to a lot of caffeine and I definitely felt the cut-back.  Plus, I get up at 4 am and go to bed around 9:30, so those are pretty long days.  I'm generally kinda tired, but if I'm being honest, the sleepiness was definitely THERE, but it wasn't debilitating.  I did nap on day 2 and 3 for about 45 minutes, but that's normal for me.

I didn't feel the results as much as I did during my first round, and I didn't have as drastic of results as I did the first time, so I had to adjust my expectations and really consider that I did everything by the book and was doing something perfect for my health.  

For the record, these were my round one results:

I lost 6 pounds in the three days during that first round.

Why the 5 day picture? Because my body continued to clear out the junk and I continued to lose more inches even after completing my 3 days!  In those 5 days, I lost about 9.5 pounds and kept the habits going strong!

The Ugly.

Let's get it out of the way and talk about what you're all worried about. Poop.  Like I said, there's a lot of fiber.  And fiber USUALLY means poop.  If you're not getting a healthy dose of fiber beforehand, you could be dealing with a lot more poop than you might be expecting.  The good news is, that's LITERALLY the bad stuff coming out!

But, it's not explosive.  It's normal, healthy poop.  You're not going to go running out of your office or classroom or living room holding on for dear life hoping to make it to the potty.  You'll just know you need to go, and you'll go quickly.

This round, for some reason, I didn't poop as much as the first round.  In fact, I didn't poop until day 3.  That seemed a little odd, but I'm expecting that it's going to continue settling in and I'll continue to see continued results in the next few days.

Want to try it for yourself? Get your own results here!