Results: 3 Day Refresh!

Here we are!  Just last night I completed the 3-Day Refresh and I took note of my results this morning.  For me, the Refresh is not so much a #'s thing for results as it is a mental and physical reset of habits and zeroing in on my focus.  We can workout hard, but no matter what we do in the gym, we can NOT "outrun a bad diet".  Nutrition is KEY and the Refresh really gets right to the heart of the matter. 

This is so not my usual, but I had been feeling down on myself lately. Bottom line is that too many summer treats here and there, spread over the course of 6 weeks, had added UP! Here is what it comes down to for me -- there were ZERO times that I had "gone crazy" with anything from a nutrition standpoint. Like, not at all. There was not a day where I thought, "Gosh - I really and completely blew it today!". But it was the accumulation of treats and travel and hosting guests that all added up to extra belly flub and it was bothering me. 

So, I just completed the 3-Day Refresh and I am back on track with going in the direction that I really do WANT to go in. Now it is getting a feel for how I may need to have a treat twice a month rather than once a week if I want to continue to keep traction. 

Sometimes in life we may feel like we keep on losing the same 5 pounds over and over. You know what - better than only ever gaining, right???? But it is about so much more than a # on the scale anyways. Who are we and where are we headed today?

I lost 5 pounds with the 3-Day Refresh.  More importantly - I FEEL better.  Where is this within the bigger picture of my 50+ pounds weight loss journey?  I am back within 2 pounds of my "lowest ever" weight and I am once again DETERMINED to push through the plateau where I have been dwelling! How??  Well, nutrition is going to be ON POINT more than it has been.  Between now and October 1st, I will do the Refresh again.  My game plan is to be 5 pounds below my "lowest ever" once we reach October 1st.  So that would mean losing 7 pounds between now and then.  More than losing pounds, I am aiming for losing more belly flub!  Refresh just gave me a great kick-start on that!

 

For more on what the Refresh is all about - check out this blog entry which I had written when the program was first released last summer.  I completed the program last July and blogged my results here.  I also did it again over the winter.  So my time with it just now was my third round.  I like that the Refresh is a cleanse where you are still eating "real" food and you do not feel uncomfortable at all.  :)  I still do my workouts during the Refresh.  Rather than continuing on with Insanity Max 30, I set that aside for a few days and pulled out my beloved PiYo.  Insanity Max 30 burns a ridiculous amount of calories and the Refresh is not designed to accommodate that!  

Below is a photo collage with an idea of what you eat during a day of the Refresh.  These are photos which I had taken throughout my day yesterday.  I did begin the day with 16 ounces of water and then a cup of black coffee (my only one of the day!).  Throughout the day, I drank to exceed my usual 1 gallon per day of water intake.  I did have a cup of herbal tea this evening, a that is allowed within the plan.  

My best advice on "when" to Refresh???  I was actually surprised this time and learned that I would honestly say that when you are busy in life is a great time to do this!  I had a couple of action-packed days and it totally kept me moving and Refresh was easy enough to do on the run and I wasn't sitting around thinking about all food that I wished I was eating... :)  

 

Below I am going to share some of what has been part of my thought process over the past few days.  These are posts that I had included on my own Facebook page during this round of the Refresh.  Here is the recipe for the Coconut Veggies in the photo above.  I made a big batch my first day of the Refresh and enjoyed this dish each day - truly looking forward to it each time!

This morning I woke up thinking of Zechariah 4:6 where we are reminded that in our own strength, we are not the best at building things. It is by God's Spirit that we obey, serve and honor Him.

A few thoughts this morning... perhaps a bit of a random collection!

Crooked - I saw a couple of photos of myself from yesterday and also snapped a photo this morning as I today is Day 1 of my 3 Day Refresh. My before stance, on top of yesterday's photos made me think - "yikes!!!! Too long away from regular PiYo and too much stress this week and I am a mess!"

Good timing for the Refresh and the next four days of PiYo. I will get myself mentally and physically realigned. Spiritually, God has been speaking some things to me this week. It is not easy and it is not all ready to be put into words. It will be good to set aside some time to reflect over the coming days.

Crooked is what comes of me working out of my own strength in life. Not crooked as in dishonest/cheat. That is not me! But crooked as in off-kilter and feeling skewed. Time to breathe in the Spirit and truth and keep in step with Him.

Day 2 is almost done! Why Refresh??

With lots of travel and hosting, my nutrition has not been anything truly regrettable but still not my usual with some extra summer treats in the mix! It shows and my jeans were the tell-tale sign when I put them on to ride the past two weekends.

I also needed to break a few habits that had been slipping into place with extra handfuls here and there. It is a mental thing to prove to yourself what you can do without.

Made it through the picnic ON TRACK minus a tiny bit of feta and having a bit of fruit on my salad. I can live with that!

I blended up a cinnamon version of the vanilla fresh shake once we were back home. It really is pretty good!

No headache at all today. I did have one at times yesterday. Sleeping so well was fantastic! I am having 1 cup of black coffee in the mornings. But that is it for coffee.  

The daily "Fiber Sweep" is what scares some people away from the 3-Day Refresh.  Here is an approach that I have developed which makes is not so bad at all!  Kylee of course makes a "cameo" and I also share a few more details on the program itself.
Here's to the remainder of Day 3!  See this YouTube video of mine for some tips!